Exercise Tiger

Overview

Exercise Tiger, or Operation Tiger, was one of the rehearsals for the D-Day invasion of Normandy. Held in April 1944 on Slapton Sands in Devon, it proved fraught with difficulties. Coordination and communication problems resulted in friendly fire injuries during the exercise, and an Allied convoy preparing for the landing was attacked by E-boats of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine, resulting in the deaths of at least 749 American servicemen. Because of the impending invasion of Normandy, the incident was kept secret and was only minimally reported afterwards.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

Exercise Tiger was a rehearsal for the D-Day landings at Normandy, conducted at Slapton Sands in Devon in April 1944. The exercise suffered serious losses when an Allied convoy was attacked by German Kriegsmarine E-boats, killing at least 749 American servicemen. Coordination and communication failures also produced friendly fire casualties during the exercise itself. Because the Normandy invasion was imminent, Allied authorities suppressed news of the disaster; the incident received minimal reporting and was kept secret for an extended period. The losses represented a significant cost extracted before the actual invasion and exposed vulnerabilities in convoy protection and inter-unit coordination that planners had to address ahead of the June landings.

Forces & casualties