The Greatest Raid: St Nazaire, 1942: The Heroic Story of Operation Chariot

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Estimates of the Japanese soldiers killed during the assault ranged from 530 to 1,000. [167] [172] The estimates include the 73 guards and approximately 150 traveling Japanese who stayed in the camp that night, as well as those killed by Pajota's men attempting to cross the Cabu River. [21] [176] [177]

The film showcases the efforts of American soldiers and the Filipino resistance guerrilla, rescuing Allied prisoners of war from a Japanese POW camp.

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When they reached the open sea the smaller calibre guns were out of range and stopped firing but the heavier artillery continued to engage them. The boats were about 4 miles (6.4km) off-shore when the last German salvo straddled them and killed Savage, who was still at his gun. He was awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross for his exploits. His citation recognised both Savage and the bravery of "many others, unnamed, in Motor Launches, Motor Gun Boats and Motor Torpedo Boats who gallantly carried out their duties in entirely exposed positions against Enemy fire at very close range." [54] Return journey [ edit ] Remains of an unidentified Motor Launch, 28 March 1942 Join Giles Whittell in conversation with Dr Glyn Prysor for the launch of his new book, which recounts the story of Operation Chariot. Multiple escape attempts were made throughout the history of the prison camp, but the majority ended in failure. In one attempt, foursoldiers were recaptured by the Japanese. The guards forced all prisoners to watch as the foursoldiers were beaten, forced to dig their own graves and then executed. [40] Shortly thereafter, the guards put up signs declaring that if other escape attempts were made, tenprisoners would be executed for every escapee. [40] [41] Prisoners' living quarters were then divided into groups of ten, which motivated the POWs to keep a close eye on others to prevent them from making escape attempts. [40] [42] As far as I can recall there haven't been very many movies depicting conditions in Japanese POW camps. "Bridge On The River Kwai" springs to mind, but this is the only other one I think I've come across. It's always hard to judge the accuracy of how the enemy is portrayed in a movie like this. In this case, though, we do know that the Japanese were in fact brutal captors. Surrender was the ultimate dishonour, and prisoners, therefore, were seen as deserving of neither honour nor respect. The conditions portrayed in the camp, therefore, were believable and probably historically accurate.

Just before the Campbeltown exploded, Sam Beattie was being interrogated by a German naval officer who was saying that it wouldn't take very long to repair the damage the Campbeltown has caused. Just at that moment, she went up. Beattie smiled at the officer and said, 'We're not quite as foolish as you think!' [73]McDaniel, C. Yates (February 5, 1945). "3,700 Internees, Mostly Americans, Freed From Camp in Heart of Manila". Toledo Blade . Retrieved July 26, 2011. The total awards for the crews of the small boats were 44 decorations and 19 Mentions in Dispatches. [55] Hui Hsu, Judy Chia (August 20, 2005). " "The Great Raid" includes Seattle native who helped save POWs". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on September 28, 2012 . Retrieved June 20, 2010. We couldn't rehearse this. Anything of this nature, you'd ordinarily want to practice it over and over for weeks in advance. Get more information, build models, and discuss all of the contingencies. Work out all of the kinks. We didn't have time for any of that. It was now, or not."

It is an honour to join the annual service of remembrance in Falmouth in commemoration of Operation Chariot, the St Nazaire raid,” said Brigadier Fraser. “This commando raid holds a special place in the heritage of our nation’s commando and amphibious forces.Kerr, E. Bartlett (1985). Surrender & Survival: The Experience of American POWs in the Pacific 1941–1945. William Morrow and Company. ISBN 0-688-04344-5. Neilands, Robin (2005). The Dieppe Raid. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. ISBN 0-253-34781-5. FROM THE AUTHOR OF BRIDGE OF SPIES: A dramatic and colourful new account of the most daring British commando raid of World War Two Many of the men went into the mission on Benzedrine, an amphetamine widely available among troops at the time. The drug could keep them going for hours and dull all sense of anxiety. This would have been useful given the poor state of the pre-launch preparation, as well as the sheer odds against survival and success. In memory of the Royal Navy Sailors and Army Commandos killed in the raid on St Nazaire on 28 March 1942 [84]

McRaven, William H. (1995). Spec Ops: Case Studies in Special Operations Warfare Theory and Practice. New York: Presidio Press. ISBN 0-89141-544-0. HMS ML 443 (ML 443) of the Royal Navy - British Motor Launch of the Fairmile B class - Allied Warships of WWII - uboat.net". uboat.net . Retrieved 18 November 2022. Lee laid a wreath in honour of his grandfather and said: “I’m very proud of Gerald, my grandfather and his part in the St Nazaire raid onboard HMS Sturgeon. The Falmouth 80th Commemoration is a fitting tribute to the bravery of all the Sailors and Commandos of WW2.”A feature film was made of this venture, with the title "Glory at Sea" and the alternate title, "Gift Horse," to add still more irony. A book about the raid by David Mason is much better than the feature film that seems to have been strapped by a low budget. I reviewed the film on IMDb.com, if anyone is interested. At a separate ceremony in Falmouth cemetery, family members of Leading Seaman Bill Savage VC (MGB 314), and Motor Mechanic Tom Parker (MGB 477) laid wreaths at their graves.