JON'S TOP TEN WWII FAVORITES: #1 OF 10 BEST "The Commando Raid on St. Nazaire: the Most Daring Raid of WWII":

The St. Nazaire Raid, also known as Operation Chariot, was a British Amphibious attack on the heavily defended Normandie drydock at St. Nazaire on March 26th, 1942. The objective of the raid was to destroy the drydock in German-held St. Nazaire, thus denying an Atlantic repair port to the new and powerful German battleship Tirpitz, which by itself was capable of winning the battle for the North Atlantic and cutting off England from much needed supplies. A joint operation involving over 200 British Commandos supported by Naval forces and RAF, the raid, costly in human lives, was the most decorated single action in British WWII naval history. #WWII #Commandos #TheGreatestRaidofAll #StNazaire #Podcast #HistoryPodcast . Music: mattia cupelli and machinamasound.com Bradham, Randolph (2003). Hitler's U-boat fortresses. Santa Barbara: Greenwood Publishing Group. Dorrian, James (1998). Storming St. Nazaire: the Gripping Story of the Dock-Busting Raid, March, 1942. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. Ford, Ken (2001). St. Nazaire 1942: The Great Commando Raid; Osprey Campaign series #92. Oxford: Osprey Publishing.

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The obsolete destroyer HMS Campbeltown, accompanied by 18 smaller craft, crossed the English Channel to the Atlantic coast of France and rammed into the Normandie dry dock south gate. The ship had been packed with delayed-action explosives, well hidden within a steel and concrete case, that detonated later that day, putting the dock out of service until 1948.[4]

A force of commandos landed to destroy machinery and other structures. German gunfire sank, set ablaze, or immobilized virtually all the small craft intended to transport the commandos back to England. The commandos fought their way through the town to escape overland but many surrendered when they ran out of ammunition or were surrounded by the Wehrmacht defending Saint-Nazaire.

Of the 612 men who undertook the raid, 228 returned to Britain, 169 were killed and 215 became prisoners of war. German casualties included over 360 dead, some of whom were killed after the raid when Campbeltown exploded. To recognise their bravery, 89 members of the raiding party were awarded decorations, including five Victoria Crosses. After the war, St Nazaire was one of 38 battle honours awarded to the commandos. The operation has been called "the greatest raid of all" in British military circles.