Torcross village and Slapton Sands, Devon

This little village is at the southern end of the long beach known as Slapton Sands.

During World War II, about 3,000 inhabitants of the Slapton area were evacuated.  This beach had been identified as similar to Utah Beach in Normandy and thus suitable for the US forces in England to practice for the D-Day landings.  Secrecy was essential.

Exercise Tiger

Exactly as happened at Studland Beach in Dorset, a major landing exercise involving live firing took place here in April 1944.  On 28 April, 30,000 US troops were embarked on nine US Tank Landing Ships (LSTs) for the exercise.

Effective communication between British and US forces was rendered impossible by misunderstandings and differing radio frequencies.  The outcome was a disaster.  The LSTs were attacked by a flotilla of nine German E-Boats (fast motor torpedo boats), and two LSTs were sunk.  In addition, about 1,000 US Army and Navy personnel were killed, many of them by drowning.

This incident was kept secret at the time, to ensure that there would be no leaks about the highly sensitive plans for D-Day.

A US Sherman tank which was sunk in this action now stands as a memorial in Torcross village, with a list of the dead.