dramatic exercise:exercise Tiger

**Ash Riding** · 09-06-2009, 02:06 PM

I have just spoken to a guy called david at brixham battery , they have been told by the original driver of the tank that is now the memorial it was lost by cross decking the tank in rough seas from a LST to a barge , the driver says due to him not having the tank lined up correctly he missed the barge & drove it stright into the sea .

**Steve T** · 09-06-2009, 04:12 PM

Ash Riding

Thanks for the info

My apologies as my original reply implied that the Sherman was involved in the exercise when I knew it wasn't. However, it was one of the catalysts to the uncovering of the whole affair and the eventual erection of the memorial.

I shall go back there one day. Maybe we could meet up and give the area a good search

Steve T

**Ash Riding** · 09-06-2009, 04:34 PM

Hi steve , sorry it wasnt my intention to undermine your post , please accept my apology . I would like to get back over to slapton again - so near yet dont seem to have any time , so when your in the area send us a message & we can go & see how much we can find . I will make inquires as to who owns the surrounding land so we can get their permission to search

**Steve T** · 09-06-2009, 08:12 PM

No probs mate.....and that'd be great if could get there one day, especially on the land. I have found some items on the beach but mainly .30 cal spent cases. I reckon there would be much more on the land, especially the ridge over looking the beach.

Steve T

**Alan M** · 09-10-2009, 10:14 PM

Hi lad`s , reading this thread just reminded me of something i picked up in that area about 45 years ago , in the early sixties . I was about 12 years old , and was on annual camp with the sea scouts . We were camped in the farmer`s field behind the lake you show in the photos . One day we were playing in a copse there and i noticed something unusual on the ground , it looked like the end of a rocket ! It had a sharp conical end about 3 inches in diameter and a stem coming out of the bottom of it but i imagined it may have had fins on the stem originally , but it was very rusty ! . I thought it was a mortar shell of some sort , but couldn`t make out why it would be there ( obviously not knowing the history of the area ) . Anyway i took this rusty old relic back to camp without showing anyone and it stayed in my rucksack for about a week . Then we got the train back to London , and the shell was in our back garden for years . The family moved from that house 15 years later and i have no idea what happened to it then

Kid`s do silly things sometimes don`t they

I`m going to see if i can find out what it was from the shape i remember , anyway , i hope i haven`t bored you

cheers Al

**Alan M** · 09-10-2009, 11:07 PM

I`ve just had a look on the net and it looks like it was a bazooka shell without the fins !!

cheers Al

**Hirschstein** · 04-21-2010, 10:43 PM

since the anniversary of this dreadful night is next week thought I would post up another well done site by Mike Kemble; had the pleasure of assisting him several years ago with info from the German KM. Since that time I have come into possession of the S-Boot C.O.s after action reports and even they were very confused on the actions.

the site has expanded some :

Exercise Tiger, a disaster of WW2 - what did happen?

E ~

**Blackpowder44** · 04-23-2010, 08:12 PM

Just to add a little more info on the battle training in this area of Devon. A number of years ago the I think, BBC did a programme in which witnesses stated that his British officer was an official witness at the war games. They were standing beside a 30 cal. Browning gunner and as the assault troops stormed ashore from the landing craft the gunner opened up and to their horror he was actually mowing down his own men and wouldnt stop on the horrified British officers command. I know this sounds like a complete load of bull but I can assure that what I have written here is true. John.

**hambone950s** · 06-22-2010, 10:25 PM

Has anyone ever dived the lake or pulled gear out from it?

**Steve T** · 06-23-2010, 08:58 PM

Not that I am aware of hambone. But then again, I don't think, if they had, they would publicise the fact. It would be highly unlikely to be a 'legal' search. The very fact that so many men died here will have it classed almost akin to a war grave I would think.

Steve T