Memorial Operation Chariot, World War 2- Prince of Wales Pier, Falmouth, Cornwall,UK - World War II Memorials / Monuments on Waymarking.com

On the pier, there is a dressed granite boulder with a bronze plaque which reads:-

Operation Chariot
From this Harbour 622 Sailors
and Commandoes set sail
for the successful raid on St Nazaire.
28th March 1942, 168 were killed
5 victoria Crosses were awarded
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Dedicated to the memory
of their comrades
The St Nazaire Society

Around the area, there are several other inscribed granite boulders. To remember the heroic personnel who were given the Victoria Cross, there are engraved stainless steel stars set into the pavement.
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The St Nazaire Raid or Operation Chariot was a British amphibious attack on the heavily defended Normandie dry dock at St Nazaire in German-occupied France during the Second World War. The operation was undertaken by the Royal Navy (RN) and British Commandos under the auspices of Combined Operations Headquarters on 28 March 1942. St Nazaire was targeted because the loss of its dry dock would force any large German warship in need of repairs, such as Tirpitz, sister ship of Bismarck, to return to home waters by running the gauntlet of the Home Fleet of the Royal Navy and other British forces, via the English Channel or the North Sea.

The obsolete destroyer HMS Campbeltown, accompanied by 18 smaller craft, crossed the English Channel to the Atlantic coast of France and was rammed into the Normandie dock gates. 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.

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.
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Property Permission: Public Commemoration: Operation Chariot Date of Dedication: Not listed Access instructions: Not listed Access times: Not listed Website for Waymark: Not listed Location of waymark: Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   07/10/2022 MoreOutdoor visited it