March 27th, 1942, British Commandos raid the German-occupied port of St Nazaire, France. their target, a dry dock - the only one on the Atlantic coastline big enough to accommodate the German battleship Tirpitz. The Tirpitz posed a major threat to the convoys that formed the vital supply line between America and Britain. If the dock was destroyed, the Germans would be less likely to send her out into the Atlantic Ocean. The Royal Navy planned to ram an old destroyer packed with tons of explosives into the dry dock, which would be detonated after the raiders were safely withdrawn. At 0134, HMS Campbeltown was successfully rammed into the dock gate. But the raiders suffered heavy casualties as they stormed ashore.
Of the 611 Commandos and sailors on the raid, 384 were captured, killed or in hiding. As dawn broke, the Campbeltown still had not exploded. It appeared that the delayed action fuses had failed, and that the gallantry of the raiders had been in vain. But well after the battle had finished there was an enormous explosion - the Campbeltown bombs had detonated, and the St Nazaire dock was put out of action for the rest of the war.
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