Is st Nazaire in normandy?
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.
Where were the submarine pens in France?
Most operating pens were on the French coast at Bordeaux, Brest, La Pallice, Lorient, and Saint-Nazaire. Together they consumed 5.7 million cubic yards of concrete.
What does sub pen stand for?
A submarine pen (U-Boot-Bunker in German) is a type of submarine base that acts as a bunker to protect submarines from air attack.
How many U-boats were built in ww2?
1,162 U-boats
In World War II Germany built 1,162 U-boats, of which 785 were destroyed and the remainder surrendered (or were scuttled to avoid surrender) at the capitulation. Of the 632 U-boats sunk at sea, Allied surface ships and shore-based aircraft accounted for the great majority (246 and 245 respectively).
When did the second world war start?
September 1, 1939 – September 2, 1945World War II / Period
What is the St Nazaire Raid?
The operation has been called “the greatest raid of all” in British military circles. St Nazaire is on the north bank of the Loire, 400 km (250 mi) 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.
How does the St Nazaire port work?
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 St Nazaire. These gates control the water level in the basin so that it is not affected by the tide.
What happened to the St Nazaire docks in 1942?
The St Nazaire docks, 1942. The purpose of the raid was to destroy the Normandie dock, the old gates into the Bassin de St Nazaire with the water pumping machinery and other installations and any U-boats or other shipping in the area.
Where is the Bassin de St Nazaire?
There is also an old entrance to the Bassin de St Nazaire midway along the Bassin de St Nazaire. Immediately upstream of this lies the Normandie dry dock, between the Bassin de St Nazaire and the Loire, with its southern end giving on to the Loire and the northern end facing into the Bassin de Penhoët.