Great Raids of WW2 - St Nazaire & Dieppe

Ferry to Calais and on to the Hotel Aguado in Dieppe, where we stay on a bed and breakfast basis. We arrive in time to enjoy dinner together at a local restaurant.

Today we learn all about the controversial Operation Jubilee. What started as an exploratory mission to gather intelligence and evaluate the feasibility of landing on beaches soon became one of the most disastrous attacks of the Second World War. In the early hours of 19th August 1942, a flotilla carrying around 6,000 Allied soldiers (with nearly 5,000 of them being Canadian) descended on the coast of German-occupied Dieppe. While 27 of 29 tanks did manage to land, the vehicles simply became sitting targets after the beach’s gravelly rocks immobilised them. Within hours, thousands were killed, with hundreds more taken prisoner, and the order to retreat was given at 11am. A range of elements were attributed to this failure; poorly-executed rehearsals, a lack of aerial or artillery support and the fact that the Germans were anticipating this style of attack due to French double agents, with machine guns camouflaged amongst the cliffs. Two years on, these failings were turned into lessons for the D-Day landings, which was fortified by tactical dominance in the skies and unrelenting firepower, two vital missing factors at Dieppe. Afterwards, we have dinner at a local restaurant.

Later we check into the Ibis Styles St Nazaire Centre Gare, where we stay for the next two nights.

The famous Operation Chariot is our focus today, which took place in March 1942. The port of St Nazaire was targeted as it was believed to be the last safe haven for Tirpitz, Hitler’s prized battleship, thus reducing the threat of future attacks in the North Atlantic. As the dry dock also contained vital machinery for German U-boats, it was a priority to cut the Germans off from this strategic stronghold. Carried out by 265 Commandos and 346 Royal Navy personnel, the operation began with a distraction from the RAF, who dropped bombs near St Nazaire, while the secret weapon of HMS Campbeltown (remodelled to resemble a German vessel so it could go undetected) was firmly lodged atop the gates of the dock entrance, full of timed explosives. This meant that there was time for the men to disembark, engage in combat with German forces throughout the town and destroy their significant equipment before the explosives aboard HMS Campbeltown were detonated. The explosion killed the 40 senior German officers who were inspecting the ship, along with 320 others, and completely destroyed the dry dock in what was one of the most successful raids of all time. Although many British fighters were sadly killed or captured, 89 participants in Operation Chariot were honoured, with five Victoria Crosses being awarded for bravery – the most ever given for one action in the British armed forces.

On our final full day, our Battlefield expert tells the fascinating tale of the Battle for Caen. This was fought directly after the D-Day landings by the British Second Army and the German Panzergruppe West for control over the key city of Caen and its important bridges. Due to intense German resistance, the battle lasted for seven gruelling weeks in the summer of 1944 – longer than anyone expected. However, this kept the Germans in place to allow Operation Cobra to occur, which went on to play a vital role in the liberation of Western Europe. We find out more about the battle, its challenges and the aftermath in this significant city which largely had to be rebuilt after the war. We enjoy dinner together at a local restaurant before spending our final evening in Caen.

Travel back to Calais for our return ferry home.