text stringlengths 4 7.07k | text_hash stringlengths 32 32 | __index_level_0__ int64 1 1.81M |
|---|---|---|
Gaelic football is the most popular sport in Ireland in terms of match attendance and community involvement , with about 2 @,@ 600 clubs on the island . In 2003 it represented 34 % of total sports attendances at events in Ireland and abroad , followed by hurling at 23 % , soccer at 16 % and rugby at 8 % and the All @-... | abdeb6c25e39f01b495a734dc6cd42aa | 7,529 |
Many other sports are also played and followed , including basketball , boxing , cricket , fishing , greyhound racing , handball , hockey , horse racing , motor sport , show jumping and tennis .
| a9c1d74437285b722a0324848ed6bcec | 7,530 |
= = = = Field sports = = = =
| d66304a195a166086092c3634a850825 | 7,532 |
Gaelic football , hurling and handball are the best @-@ known of the Irish traditional sports , collectively known as Gaelic games . Gaelic games are governed by the Gaelic Athletic Association ( GAA ) , with the exception of ladies ' Gaelic football and camogie ( women 's variant of hurling ) , which are governed by ... | 9d198c49c5a708a81d7f15434419d866 | 7,534 |
The Irish Football Association ( IFA ) was originally the governing body for soccer across the island . The game has been played in an organised fashion in Ireland since the 1870s , with Cliftonville F.C. in Belfast being Ireland 's oldest club . It was most popular , especially in its first decades , around Belfast a... | 02202f43ccd09d398ef8161517b074a7 | 7,535 |
In 1950 , FIFA directed the associations only to select players from within their respective territories and , in 1953 , directed that the FAI 's team be known only as " Republic of Ireland " and that the IFA 's team be known as " Northern Ireland " ( with certain exceptions ) . Northern Ireland qualified for the Worl... | 3b37d3daf4d4eadd1eee43c13c62c71e | 7,536 |
Unlike soccer , Ireland continues to field a single national rugby team and a single association , the Irish Rugby Football Union ( IRFU ) , governs the sport across the island . The Irish rugby team have played in every Rugby World Cup , making the quarter @-@ finals in four of them . Ireland also hosted games during... | 5b317fab7f8067111287b82409a28811 | 7,537 |
= = = = Other sports = = = =
| 1d9ba0014a51a2f26a845296d8174880 | 7,539 |
Horse racing and greyhound racing are both popular in Ireland . There are frequent horse race meetings and greyhound stadiums are well @-@ attended . The island is noted for the breeding and training of race horses and is also a large exporter of racing dogs . The horse racing sector is largely concentrated in the Cou... | ed2b82fa7aa93ddac451d1f8c0e66fe2 | 7,541 |
Irish athletics has seen a heightened success rate since the year 2000 , with Sonia O 'Sullivan winning two medals at 5 @,@ 000 metres on the track ; gold at the 1995 World Championships and silver at the 2000 Sydney Olympics . Gillian O 'Sullivan won silver in the 20k walk at the 2003 World Championships , while spri... | 0de68b429b713bb8ffc56ed0e13db43b | 7,542 |
Ireland has won more medals in boxing than in any other Olympic sport . Boxing is governed by the Irish Amateur Boxing Association . Michael Carruth won a gold medal and Wayne McCullough won a silver medal in the Barcelona Olympic Games and in 2008 Kenneth Egan won a silver medal in the Beijing Games . Paddy Barnes se... | e4fb03195df58c6e7ef62e82af92f928 | 7,543 |
Golf is very popular and golf tourism is a major industry attracting more than 240 @,@ 000 golfing visitors annually . The 2006 Ryder Cup was held at The K Club in County Kildare . Pádraig Harrington became the first Irishman since Fred Daly in 1947 to win the British Open at Carnoustie in July 2007 . He successfully ... | 9954a0e710a71af2a381b2e3954fa4d6 | 7,544 |
= = = = Recreation = = = =
| d1fa9cb2d3415aeedc5c11f3e1fa6c86 | 7,546 |
The west coast of Ireland , Lahinch and Donegal Bay in particular , have popular surfing beaches , being fully exposed to the Atlantic Ocean . Donegal Bay is shaped like a funnel and catches west / south @-@ west Atlantic winds , creating good surf , especially in winter . Since just before the year 2010 , Bundoran ha... | 034a461ae040da097e1b496613f3eabf | 7,548 |
With thousands of lakes , over 14 @,@ 000 kilometres ( 8 @,@ 700 mi ) of fish bearing rivers and over 3 @,@ 700 kilometres ( 2 @,@ 300 mi ) of coastline , Ireland is a popular angling destination . The temperate Irish climate is suited to sport angling . While salmon and trout fishing remain popular with anglers , sal... | 127a55fa1f4054fa05e5d4dbdfe7ea63 | 7,549 |
= = = Food and drink = = =
| abb24d467761632d9dbd60e6d21a368d | 7,551 |
Food and cuisine in Ireland takes its influence from the crops grown and animals farmed in the island 's temperate climate and from the social and political circumstances of Irish history . For example , whilst from the Middle Ages until the arrival of the potato in the 16th century the dominant feature of the Irish e... | 57cc85caff03a7ada0ac892dab7eecbe | 7,553 |
For this reason , pork and white meat were more common than beef and thick fatty strips of salted bacon ( or rashers ) and the eating of salted butter ( i.e. a dairy product rather than beef itself ) have been a central feature of the diet in Ireland since the Middle Ages . The practice of bleeding cattle and mixing t... | 81563fcceb89d1ce72f6abe90f2e1b60 | 7,554 |
The introduction of the potato in the second half of the 16th century heavily influenced cuisine thereafter . Great poverty encouraged a subsistence approach to food and by the mid @-@ 19th century the vast majority of the population sufficed with a diet of potatoes and milk . A typical family , consisting of a man , ... | 876c8cf6def7243f58d973c80fdc85b4 | 7,555 |
Since the last quarter of the 20th century , with a re @-@ emergence of wealth in Ireland , a " New Irish Cuisine " based on traditional ingredients incorporating international influences has emerged . This cuisine is based on fresh vegetables , fish ( especially salmon , trout , oysters , mussels and other shellfish ... | 7ead605495fccf2b73e2143a6ea6b6d8 | 7,556 |
Ireland once dominated the world 's market for whiskey , producing 90 % of the world 's whiskey at the start of the 20th century . However , as a consequence of bootleggers during the prohibition in the United States ( who sold poor @-@ quality whiskey bearing Irish @-@ sounding names thus eroding the pre @-@ prohibit... | b4a403de4ec76c52dfb46c34bf2236f8 | 7,557 |
Irish whiskey , as researched in 2009 by the CNBC American broadcaster , remains popular domestically and has grown in international sales steadily over a few decades . Typically CNBC states Irish whiskey is not as smoky as a Scotch whisky , but not as sweet as American or Canadian whiskies . Whiskey forms the basis o... | d13b604653bf697ff6b59ff3e1d694b9 | 7,558 |
Stout , a kind of porter beer , particularly Guinness , is typically associated with Ireland , although historically it was more closely associated with London . Porter remains very popular , although it has lost sales since the mid @-@ 20th century to lager . Cider , particularly Magners ( marketed in the Republic of... | 7ec2ffc472c62d0c4b8db9cfbaf1ecfe | 7,559 |
= St Nazaire Raid =
| 228d6b6105f55c9c4dc1f9f0f2517792 | 7,562 |
The St Nazaire Raid or Operation Chariot was a successful 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 and British Commandos under the auspices of Combined Operations Headqua... | b0714d4cc75ca65c581ffd8d7f892ed4 | 7,564 |
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 da... | b7b692567b15a3db4cf0e369a8322271 | 7,565 |
A force of commandos landed to destroy machinery and other structures . Heavy German gunfire sank , set ablaze or immobilised all the small craft intended to transport the commandos back to England ; the commandos had to fight their way out through the town to try to escape overland . They were forced to surrender whe... | e1f5ae1f1c1e6580079d6158c80c9b3c | 7,566 |
After the raid 228 men of the force of 611 returned to Britain ; 169 were killed and 215 became prisoners of war . German casualties were over 360 dead , some killed after the raid when Campbeltown exploded . To recognise their bravery , 89 decorations were awarded to members of the raiding party , including five Vict... | 55f53b1dd7d5750e755d6adeea9cb16c | 7,567 |
= = Background = =
| d514b18e9690308b2ac67a227be74a70 | 7,569 |
St Nazaire is on the north bank of the Loire 400 km ( 250 miles ) from the nearest British port . In 1942 , it had a population of 50 @,@ 000 . The St Nazaire port has an outer harbour known as the Avant Port , formed by two piers jutting out into the Atlantic Ocean . This leads to two lock gates before the Bassin de ... | 58de42e67ee11cb196be89e76a4dd6ae | 7,571 |
Beyond the basin is the larger inner dock called the Bassin de Penhoët , which can accommodate ships up to 10 @,@ 000 tons . There is also an old entrance to the Bassin de St Nazaire located southwest of the Normandie dry dock . Built to house the ocean liner SS Normandie , this dock was the largest dry dock in the wo... | 31da06d4ae484b58cbd87922c517a072 | 7,572 |
On 24 May 1941 , the Battle of the Denmark Strait was fought between the German ships Bismarck and Prinz Eugen and the British ships HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Hood . Hood was sunk and the damaged Prince of Wales was forced to retire . Bismarck , also damaged , ordered her consort to proceed independently while she h... | f29a0187143783241e254520b5cf0ebc | 7,573 |
Britain 's Naval Intelligence Division first proposed a commando raid on the dock in late 1941 . When the German battleship Tirpitz was declared operational in January 1942 , the Royal Navy ( RN ) and Royal Air Force ( RAF ) were already drawing up plans to attack her . Planners from Combined Operations Headquarters w... | 56453aefbde4cfe8bca2e8fdcd9cdcb0 | 7,574 |
Combined Operations examined a number of options while planning the destruction of the dock . At this stage of the war the British government still tried to avoid civilian casualties . This ruled out a bombing attack by the RAF , which at the time did not possess the accuracy needed to destroy the dock without serious... | c057ddc65861b5091723161b9e6bb974 | 7,575 |
The Special Operations Executive were approached to see if its agents could destroy the dock gates . They decided that the mission was beyond their capabilities because the weight of explosives required would have needed too many agents to carry them . The Royal Navy was also unable to mount an operation , as St Nazai... | 2f14eee6b6111b36dae408298de407cd | 7,576 |
The planners then examined whether a commando force was feasible to accomplish the task . An unusually high spring tide was due in March 1942 which would allow a light ship to pass over the sand banks in the estuary and approach the docks , bypassing the heavily defended dredged channel . The approach was too shallow ... | 2ac884057c555c48a77cb7f5c6eb0f87 | 7,577 |
= = Plan = =
| 3dba1e7b5191bce6b21a5fc196744022 | 7,579 |
The purpose of the raid was to destroy three objectives : the Normandie dock , the old gates into the Bassin de St Nazaire together with the water pumping machinery and other installations , and any U @-@ boats or other shipping in the area . The initial Combined Operations plan required two specially lightened destro... | eaf972419a0ac5523bbf48dffa41d122 | 7,581 |
Commandos on board would then disembark and use demolition charges to destroy nearby dock installations , searchlights and gun emplacements . The destroyer would then be blown up , and the second ship would come in and evacuate the ship 's crew and the commandos . At the same time the RAF would carry out a number of d... | aaa158668be101c1d44e544ae891ed76 | 7,582 |
When the plan was presented to the Admiralty they refused to support it . The certain loss of one or both destroyers to eliminate the dry dock was out of the question . They suggested they could provide an old Free French destroyer , the Ouragan , and a flotilla of small motor launches to transport the commandos and e... | 1b0adab50cfd05a359355cba893fd1dd | 7,583 |
Approval for the mission , codenamed Operation Chariot , was given on 3 March 1942 . Using a French ship would involve using the Free French forces and increase the number of people aware of the raid . Consequently , it was decided the navy would have to provide a ship of their own . The RAF complained that the raid w... | b865fa777f58539df119bbb9ebc434d0 | 7,584 |
Combined Operations Headquarters worked closely with several intelligence organisations to plan the raid . The Naval Intelligence Division compiled information from a variety of sources . A detailed plan of the town of St Nazaire was provided by the Secret Intelligence Service , and information on the coastal artiller... | 51f610afbf3b75c78c35e9eb166b043c | 7,585 |
The RN 's Operational Intelligence Centre selected the route and timing for the raid based on intelligence about the location of minefields and German recognition signals sourced from Enigma decrypts and knowledge of Luftwaffe patrols compiled by the Air Ministry 's Air Intelligence Branch . When all the plans had bee... | 99ca5361125915dd57381eddd03761fb | 7,586 |
= = Composition of the raiding force = =
| c703782b2fea181567a78d2e2f401ab5 | 7,588 |
The revised Combined Operations plan required one destroyer to ram the dock gates and a number of smaller craft to transport the Commandos . The Royal Navy would therefore provide the largest contingent for the raid , under the overall command of the senior naval officer , Commander Robert Ryder . The ship selected to... | afa4bfb51628c7b59a2e4bb90dc4a2e7 | 7,590 |
Converting Campbeltown for the raid took ten days . She had to be lightened to raise her draught to get over the sand banks in the estuary . This was achieved by completely stripping all her internal compartments . The dockyard removed her three 4 inch ( 100 mm ) guns , torpedoes and depth charges from the deck and re... | f07a8f6e886f1860f5baf01507b66a09 | 7,591 |
Two of her four funnels were removed , and the forward two were cut at an angle to resemble those of a German destroyer . The bow was packed with 4 @.@ 5 tons of high explosives , which were set in concrete . It was decided that the explosive charge would be timed to detonate after the raiders had left the harbour . T... | b5e5805cd6551d8b81994b0f7abbaf9f | 7,592 |
Other naval units involved were two Hunt class destroyers , HMS Tynedale ( L96 ) and Atherstone ( L05 ) , which would accompany the force to and from the French coast and remain out at sea during the raid . A Motor Gun Boat ( MGB 314 ) was the headquarters ship for the raid , with Commander Ryder and the commanding of... | e411bc307e2a3ea4aeb4d0c46c5c68e1 | 7,593 |
To assist in transporting the Commandos , 12 motor launches ( ML ) were assigned from the 20th and 28th Motor Launch flotillas . These boats were re @-@ armed with two Oerlikon 20 mm guns mounted forward and aft to complement their twin Lewis guns . At the last minute another four MLs were assigned from the 7th Motor ... | f1e0bad0033ddcc714ef66ce16787003 | 7,594 |
The man selected to lead the Commando force was Lieutenant Colonel Charles Newman ; his No. 2 Commando would provide the largest Commandos contingent , 173 men , for the raid . The Special Service Brigade headquarters used the raid to provide experience for their other units and 92 men were drawn from Nos 1 , 3 , 4 , ... | 9b66016cc10103a9c8729f11e44ea927 | 7,595 |
The Commandos were divided into three groups ; One and Two would travel in the MLs , while Three would be in Campbeltown . Under the command of Captain Hodgeson , Group One had the objectives of securing the Old Mole and eliminating the anti @-@ aircraft gun positions around the southern quays . They were then to move... | 42a5027c4ba6b6da1f28859fd2fbddf4 | 7,596 |
Group Two , under the command of Captain Burn , would land at the old entrance to the St Nazaire basin . Their objectives were to destroy the anti @-@ aircraft positions in the area and the German headquarters , to blow up the locks and bridges at the old entrance into the basin and then to guard against a counter @-@... | 086b3521fd62678a419f06284e590a39 | 7,597 |
The Commandos were aided in their planning for the operation by Captain Bill Pritchard of the Royal Engineers , who had pre @-@ war experience as an apprentice in the Great Western Railway dockyards and whose father was the dock master of Cardiff Docks . In 1940 while part of the British Expeditionary Force in France ... | d8d4cbae9fac364be7b0f86eb1946218 | 7,598 |
= = German forces = =
| 9ac82f4adb98590acbf315749926051e | 7,600 |
The Germans had around 5 @,@ 000 troops in the immediate area of St Nazaire . The port was defended by the 280th Naval Artillery Battalion under the command of Kapitän zur See Edo Dieckmann . The battalion was composed of 28 guns of various calibres from 75 mm to 280 mm railway guns , all positioned to guard the coast... | 25f043249dd93cf542aa68c697fc9fd8 | 7,602 |
The brigade was equipped with 43 anti @-@ aircraft guns ranging in calibre from 20 to 40 mm . These guns had a dual role as both anti @-@ aircraft and coastal defence weapons . Many were in concrete emplacements on top of the submarine pens and other dockside installations of the St Nazaire submarine base .
| 04e34a5823ce8a619d1293c95167a2b8 | 7,603 |
The harbour defence companies were responsible for local defence and for the security of the ships and submarines moored in the harbour . These companies and the harbour defence boats used to patrol the river were under the command of Harbour Commander Korvettenkapitän Kellerman . The 333rd Infantry Division was the G... | 4bf82465ccef3072ac6802dbde6c2dc9 | 7,604 |
The Kriegsmarine ( German navy ) had at least three surface ships in the Loire estuary : a destroyer , an armed trawler and a Sperrbrecher ( minesweeper ) , the latter being the guard ship for the port . On the night of the raid there were also four harbour defence boats and ten ships from the 16th and 42nd Minesweepe... | c86e18e95863d327f25ae4e4a3a8b2a0 | 7,605 |
= = The raid = =
| a46bd364f412e5dda3ff53bcec19dca8 | 7,607 |
= = = Outward journey = = =
| 759390f9e86305f65ebfbb2daab360be | 7,610 |
The three destroyers and 16 small boats left Falmouth , Cornwall at 14 : 00 on 26 March 1942 . They formed into a convoy of three lanes , with the destroyers in the middle . On arrival at St Nazaire the portside MLs were to head for the Old Mole to disembark their Commandos , while the starboard lane would make for th... | 26a2c296a0a653c0d75b31f197f28137 | 7,612 |
On 27 March at 07 : 20 Tynedale reported a U @-@ boat on the surface and opened fire . The two escort destroyers left the convoy to engage the U @-@ boat , later identified as U @-@ 593 . The U @-@ boat promptly dived and was unsuccessfully attacked by depth charges . The two destroyers returned to the convoy at 09 : ... | 1c322c579531e5c67690287378d69a38 | 7,613 |
The convoy next encountered two French fishing trawlers . Both crews were taken off and the ships sunk for fear they might report the composition and location of the convoy . At 17 : 00 the convoy received a signal from Commander @-@ in @-@ Chief Plymouth that five German torpedo boats were in the area . Two hours lat... | e6948538a4c4cb8ca32ed410f9798c40 | 7,614 |
The convoy reached a position 65 nautical miles ( 120 km ; 75 mi ) off St Nazaire at 21 : 00 and changed course toward the estuary , leaving Atherstone and Tynedale as a sea patrol . The convoy adopted a new formation with the MGB and two torpedo MLs in the lead , followed by Campbeltown . The rest of the MLs formed t... | 006d57105bd13ec77ccf3390d91858b5 | 7,615 |
At 23 : 30 on 27 March , five RAF squadrons ( comprising 35 Whitleys and 27 Wellingtons ) started their bombing runs . The bombers had to stay above 6 @,@ 000 feet ( 1 @,@ 800 m ) and were supposed to remain over the port for 60 minutes to divert attention toward themselves and away from the sea . They had orders to o... | 7eedf5029da2f57a01bfa66d87cd0c70 | 7,616 |
The unusual behaviour of the bombers concerned Kapitän zur See Mecke . At 00 : 00 on 28 March , he issued a warning that there might be a parachute landing in progress . At 01 : 00 on 28 March , he followed up by ordering all guns to cease firing and searchlights to be extinguished in case the bombers were using them ... | 424727832e9eff5c1196350f50158f20 | 7,617 |
= = = Ramming the dry dock = = =
| 9c7a0af6e0e3c06dc9357455846f7fc7 | 7,619 |
At 00 : 30 hours on 28 March the convoy crossed over the shoals at the mouth of the Loire estuary , with Campbeltown scraping the bottom twice . Each time she was able to pull free , and the group proceeded on up toward the harbour in darkness . They had got to within about eight minutes passage from the dock gates wh... | bfc997cb2406c86749a8a29b6f934943 | 7,621 |
The MGB @-@ 314 replied in a coded response obtained from a German trawler boarded during the Vågsøy raid . A few bursts were fired from a shore battery and both Campbeltown and MGB @-@ 314 replied : " Ship being fired upon by friendly forces " . The deception gave them a little more time before every German gun in th... | ac8c225227b6c0b59ed002790e873d59 | 7,622 |
By now all the ships in the convoy were within range to engage targets ashore and were firing at the gun emplacements and searchlights . Campbeltown was hit a number of times and increased her speed to 19 kn ( 35 km / h ) . The helmsman on her bridge was killed ; his replacement was wounded and replaced as well . Blin... | 9ff6c4b78090c136054ec83b1ef15251 | 7,623 |
= = = Disembarkation from Campbeltown and the MLs = = =
| 42be842dea030fb4aea395f927c043f3 | 7,625 |
The Commandos on Campbeltown now disembarked : two assault teams , five demolition teams with their protectors and a mortar group . Three demolition teams were tasked with destroying the dock pumping machinery and other installations associated with the dry dock . The kilt @-@ wearing Captain Donald Roy - ' The Laird ... | cf3d3f28df01028b2a11ae62daa6997e | 7,627 |
They lost 4 men in this action . The fifth team also succeeded in completing all their objectives but almost half its men were killed . The other two Commando groups were not as successful . The MLs transporting Groups One and Two had almost all been destroyed on their approach . ML 457 was the only boat to land its C... | 8b89570984521d78603e8ec1cfee5b62 | 7,628 |
There were only two other MLs in the vicinity : ML 160 had continued past the dock and was engaging targets upriver , ML 269 appeared to be out of control and was running in circles . By this time the crew of Campbeltown had detonated the scuttling charges and gathered at the rear of the ship to be taken off . ML 177 ... | 3ccbbfd829b5c1135430fc3c80dc1911 | 7,629 |
Lt Col Newman aboard the MGB , need not have landed , but he was one of the first ashore . One of his first actions was to direct mortar fire onto a gun position on top of the submarine pens that was causing heavy casualties among the Commandos . He next directed machine @-@ gun fire onto an armed trawler , which was ... | 08baad7787bc777a912f2812ccb8576c | 7,630 |
Some 100 Commandos were still ashore when Newman realised that evacuation by sea was no longer an option . He gathered the survivors and issued three orders :
| b4ed2e9990b31cbf30a7328981254975 | 7,631 |
To do our best to get back to England ;
| 235f7804fe93cce67cefe8b6ae795293 | 7,632 |
Not to surrender until all our ammunition is exhausted ;
| 6bc4676c43611958d981d5541298e08d | 7,633 |
Not to surrender at all if we can help it .
| 2cd92aad2616f85f21f1a236aef87bd3 | 7,634 |
Newman and Copland led the charge from the old town across a bridge raked by machine gun fire and advanced into the new town . The Commandos attempted to get through the narrow streets of the town and into the surrounding countryside , but were eventually surrounded . When their ammunition was expended their only opti... | bc21382c48a4e212ed35c72912819457 | 7,635 |
= = = Small ships = = =
| 031c7e8efdb1b837ea2175bf6ce1fd02 | 7,637 |
Most of the MLs had been destroyed on the run in and were burning . The first ML in the starboard column was the first boat to catch fire ; her captain managed to beach her at the end of the Old Mole . Some starboard boats managed to reach their objective and disembark their Commandos . ML 443 , the leading boat in th... | d164ab5cac9ad746b735000d6fd12de1 | 7,639 |
ML 177 , the launch that had successfully taken off some of the crew from Campbeltown , was sunk on her way out of the estuary . ML 269 , another torpedo @-@ armed boat , had the unenviable task of moving up and down the river at high speed to draw German fire away from the landings . Soon after passing Campbeltown it... | 0112eb395ae4d84c1cb9aa058c746db3 | 7,640 |
ML 306 also came under heavy fire when it arrived near the port . Sergeant Thomas Durrant of No. 1 Commando , manning the aft Lewis gun , engaged gun and searchlight positions on the run in . He was wounded but refused to leave the gun for treatment . The ML reached the open sea but was attacked at short range by the ... | 71dd235e8944b939ab3dd4b687e49d24 | 7,641 |
After the Commando headquarters group had landed , Commander Ryder went to check for himself that Campbeltown was firmly stuck in the dock . Some of her surviving crewmen were being taken on board the MGB . Ryder returned to the boat and ordered the MTB to carry out its alternative task and torpedo the lock gates at t... | c8a83ee2ba311c53c73eed15a8ee1aa8 | 7,642 |
" The rate of supporting fire had evidently been felt , and the Commandos in the area of the Tirpitz dock had undoubtedly overcome the resistance in that area . There was an appreciable slackening in the enemy 's fire . "
| 4dcd28a3e9ea5614ac30dda041384d20 | 7,643 |
Ryder could see no ships other than seven or eight burning MLs . He then realised that the landing places at the Old Mole and the entrance to the basin had both been recaptured by the Germans . There was nothing more they could do for the Commandos , so they headed out to sea . On their way they were continuously illu... | 6a802991bd0a3da3678ff28e7fdaae5b | 7,644 |
When they reached the open sea the smaller calibre guns were out of range and stopped firing but the heavier artillery continued to engage them . The boats were about 4 miles ( 6 @.@ 4 km ) off @-@ shore when the last German salvo straddled them and killed Savage , who was still at his gun . He was awarded a posthumou... | d28d4d50872d620b0eeea16982c6da6f | 7,645 |
= = = Return journey = = =
| 5aeb5cc8a6a3ebecb35cc69b8f4cec7a | 7,647 |
At 06 : 30 the five German torpedo boats that the convoy had evaded the previous day were sighted by HMS Atherstone and Tynedale . The two destroyers turned toward them and opened fire at a range of 7 miles ( 11 km ) . After ten minutes the German boats turned away , making smoke . The destroyers sighted the MGB and t... | 769a1fab8ef4c9215c6165fa07ea09a3 | 7,649 |
The next German aircraft on the scene , a Junkers 88 , was engaged by a RAF Bristol Beaufighter which had appeared in the area earlier . Both machines crashed into the sea . Other German planes arrived but were driven off by Beaufighters and Hudsons from Coastal Command . The Atlantic weather conditions deteriorated .... | 853cdeb45b0948dabe7b34a316c044bb | 7,650 |
Three of the small vessels managed to return to England : MLs 160 , 307 and 443 . They had reached the rendezvous and waited until 10 : 00 for the destroyers to appear . Having already been attacked once , they moved further out into the Atlantic to try and avoid the German Air Force , but a Junkers 88 appeared overhe... | e24f50ce6762fa701eb9cd76635afc04 | 7,651 |
= = = Campbeltown explodes = = =
| e00841d0d3a74b1ac4af3314533b11d3 | 7,653 |
The explosive charges in HMS Campbeltown detonated at noon on 28 March 1942 , and the dry dock was destroyed . Reports vary on the fate of the two tankers that were in the dock ; they were either swept away by the wall of water and sunk , or swept to the far end of the dock , but not sunk . A party of 40 senior German... | 63c8c5de94ae4d177ea88da55dc70bd4 | 7,655 |
According to Captain Robert Montgomery ( Royal Engineers , attached to No.2 Commando ) , Campbeltown was meant to have detonated at 4 : 30am , the delay caused , he believes , by some of the acid in the pencil fuses being distilled away . As the morning progressed , more and more captured comrades joined him in the Ge... | aa7c28021ec7bfca9c25f286823459c0 | 7,656 |
The day after the explosion , Organisation Todt workers were assigned to clean up the debris and wreckage . On 30 March at 16 : 30 the torpedoes from MTB 74 , which were on a delayed fuse setting , exploded at the old entrance into the basin . This raised alarms among the Germans . The Organisation Todt workers ran aw... | 4fa7b35871fe1b0988d3d313f6ab8e90 | 7,657 |
= = Aftermath = =
| f8fa1b2e326f4dccda3b39c69a590a1d | 7,659 |
The explosion put the dry dock out of commission for the remainder of the war . The St Nazaire raid had been a success , but at a cost . Of the 622 men of the Royal Navy and Commandos who took part in the raid , only 228 men returned to England . Five commandos escaped via neutral Spain and Gibraltar with the help of ... | d62859316b481ee8c78a8e1fd93b4abd | 7,661 |
To recognise their achievement , 89 decorations were awarded for the raid . This total includes the five Victoria Crosses awarded to Lieutenant Commander Beattie , Lieutenant Colonel Newman and Commander Ryder , and posthumous awards to Sergeant Durrant and Able Seaman Savage . Four Distinguished Service Orders were a... | f1965782353906cb127a8ff7982c931a | 7,662 |
Adolf Hitler was furious that the British had been able to sail a flotilla of ships up the Loire unhindered . His immediate reaction was to dismiss Generaloberst Carl Hilpert , chief @-@ of @-@ staff to the Commander in Chief West . The raid refocused German attention on the Atlantic Wall , and special attention was g... | 4d4b019960069eae0d2d05d2b7e1cdab | 7,663 |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.