Is St Nazaire in Brittany?
Is St Nazaire in Brittany?
listen); Breton: Sant-Nazer/Señ Neñseir; Gallo: Saint-Nazère/Saint-Nazaer) is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France, in traditional Brittany. The town has a major harbour on the right bank of the Loire estuary, near the Atlantic Ocean.
When was St Nazaire liberated?
World War II Liberated only on May 11, 1945, three days after V-E Day, more than 85% of Saint-Nazaire was destroyed… and the city no longer had a reason to look towards the harbour: the prospect was no longer of elegant ocean liners but of the submarine base, stark reminder of the city’s darkest days.
What was the objective of the St Nazaire raid?
The operation was approved on March 3, 1942, with an execution date just three weeks later. Its primary objective was to deny the German surface fleet access to the only dry dock on Europe’s western coast that could accommodate a behemoth like the Tirpitz.
Was the bombing of submarine pens in France in 1942 a success?
The the adjacent dry-dock in Saint-Nazaire dock was the target of Operation Chariot, a British commando raid in 1942, the U-boat pens were a target of the raid. The attack successfully disabled the dry-dock by ramming an explosive-filled destroyer into it.
What does Nazaire mean?
The name Nazaire is a boy’s name of French origin meaning “Nazareth”. Saint-Nazaire is a harbor town in France; the name relates to Nazareth, where Jesus lived as a child. Two possible variations: Nazarius, an Italian martyr, and Nazario.
What is Saint-Nazaire known for?
Saint-Nazaire is best known for its shipbuilding industry, which began in the 19th century. In 1862 the port became the departure and arrival point for France’s first transatlantic crossings to South America thus, Saint-Nazaire became a centre for building ocean liners; the Queen Mary II was built here in 2003.
What is the greatest raid of all time?
St. Nazaire
During World War II, there were many ingenious and courageous raids, but only one would come to be known as “The Greatest Raid of All” – the British raid on St. Nazaire. Since the beginning of hostilities, the German Navy had wreaked havoc on shipping in the Atlantic.
What happened at St Nazaire?
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….St Nazaire Raid.
| Date | 28 March 1942 |
|---|---|
| Result | British victory Normandie dry dock rendered inoperable for the rest of the war |
What does u-boat mean?
Unterseeboot
U-boat, German U-boot, abbreviation of Unterseeboot, (“undersea boat”), a German submarine. The destruction of enemy shipping by German U-boats was a spectacular feature of both World Wars I and II.
Was Operation Chariot a success?
British losses were high, though the raid was a success. The damage was not completely repaired until after the war. The raid was planned with an important strategic aim, which was to prevent the German Battleship Tirpitz from using Saint-Nazaire.
What was the purpose of Operation Chariot?
The aim was to deny dry dock facilities to the German battleship, Tirpitz. Operation Chariot was an audacious Combined Operation raid on the port of St Nazaire in German occupied France.