Raid on St Nazaire

E98461

The Raid on St Nazaire was a daring British commando attack in March 1942 that destroyed the vital Normandie dry dock in German-occupied France, crippling the Kriegsmarine’s ability to service large warships on the Atlantic coast.


Statements (48)
Predicate Object
instanceOf World War II battle
commando raid
military operation
alsoKnownAs Operation Chariot NERFINISHED
awards multiple Victoria Crosses awarded to participants
belligerent Nazi Germany
United Kingdom NERFINISHED
casualties high British casualties
significant German casualties
combatant British Commandos NERFINISHED
Kriegsmarine NERFINISHED
Royal Navy NERFINISHED
commander Commander Robert Ryder NERFINISHED
Lieutenant Colonel Charles Newman NERFINISHED
Lord Louis Mountbatten NERFINISHED
conflict World War II
country France
date 28 March 1942
describedAs one of the most daring commando raids of World War II
endDate 28 March 1942
followedBy subsequent Allied commando raids in occupied Europe
impact boosted British morale
forced Germans to increase coastal defences in western France
location Normandie dry dock NERFINISHED
method surprise seaborne assault
use of explosive-laden ship as a blockship
notableParticipant Able Seaman William Savage NERFINISHED
Lieutenant Colonel Augustus Charles Newman NERFINISHED
Lieutenant Commander Stephen Beattie NERFINISHED
Sergeant Thomas Durrant NERFINISHED
objective denial of Atlantic repair facilities to German capital ships
destruction of the Normandie dry dock
partOf Western Front of World War II NERFINISHED
place Saint-Nazaire, Loire-Inférieure, France NERFINISHED
plannedBy Admiralty (United Kingdom) NERFINISHED
Combined Operations Headquarters (United Kingdom) NERFINISHED
predecessor earlier Royal Navy operations against German Atlantic ports
result Allied victory
Normandie dry dock destroyed NERFINISHED
St Nazaire harbour installations damaged
startDate 28 March 1942
strategicEffect Bismarck-class and similar ships unable to use Saint-Nazaire for repairs
reduced ability of Kriegsmarine to operate large warships in the Atlantic
tactic ramming of dock gates by HMS Campbeltown
time-delayed explosives in ship’s hull
usedShip HMS Campbeltown NERFINISHED
Royal Navy motor gun boats NERFINISHED
Royal Navy motor launches NERFINISHED

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Royal Marines notableOperation Raid on St Nazaire

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