Replies

To: Man50D; DuncanWaring

He later found out it was real as a German PT boat had penetrated the practice area and torpedoed a ship. Several hundred military personnel were killed.
and
I don’t recall any details of when and where, but there was another landing exercise which went horribly wrong, drowning thousands.

I think you all are referring to the disaster at Slapton Sands, UK.

Others will no doubt join in. Here's a snippet from Disaster at Slapton Sands - april 27, 1944: Two WW II veterans and survivors of the disaster has recently been able to visit the spot in the Channel where 946 American servicemen, have died the 27th of april 1944 in Devon, at the south coast of England, in a last exercice for the preparation for the landings in Normandy.

5 posted on 02/23/2009 7:33:54 AM PST by Oatka ("A society of sheep must in time beget a government of wolves." Â–Bertrand de Jouvenel)

Slapton Sands, April ‘44 sounds familiar.

6 posted on 02/23/2009 7:44:08 AM PST by DuncanWaring (The Lord uses the good ones; the bad ones use the Lord.)

IIRC, that left the invasion a bit ‘short’ on the number of LST’s required for the REAL landings. I believe they had to re-jigger the TO&E for the invasion force.

8 posted on 02/23/2009 7:53:16 AM PST by Tallguy ("The sh- t's chess, it ain't checkers!" -- Alonzo (Denzel Washington) in "Training Day")

I think you all are referring to the disaster at Slapton Sands, UK.

That's the place!

9 posted on 02/23/2009 12:07:37 PM PST by Man50D (Fair Tax, you earn it, you keep it!)

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