Sabrejet Posted May 1, 2014 Share #1 Posted May 1, 2014 Mrs Sabrejet and I have recently returned from a short vacation in the county of Devon. For the benefit of our (mainly) North American members, Devon is a very beautiful, largely rural county on England's south-west coast. During World War 2 it was a major jumping off point for allied forces on D minus 1 because of its proximity to the Channel, with its many small ports being chock-full of shipping of all shapes and sizes.One of its beaches, Slapton Sands, was selected for landing and live-fire exercises due to its remoteness from populated areas and its similarity to the Normandy beaches, just across the channel. It was also the setting for what was potentially the greatest allied disaster of WW2, namely "Exercise Tiger". This occurred just weeks before D-Day when an American convoy of LSTs which was headed for Slapton Sands under the cover of darkness, was intercepted by Kreigsmarine E-Boats. The E-boats wreaked havoc among the American ships, sinking several and badly damaging others, with the loss of 946 US servicemen. The convoy limped back to port, with the perhaps LST 289 being the most famous as her severe battle damage was photographed as she just about managed to make it back to Dartmouth under her own power (more about that later)This disaster was subject to a news blackout. The very success of D-Day was in the balance as some of the missing personnel were "Bigots"...ie, officers with knowledge of the D-Day plans. What if they had survived and had been picked up by the German navy....?!I'm sure most members will be familiar with the world-renowned British crime-novelist, Agatha Christie? Her books continue to sell in large numbers throughout the world and the characters she created, such as Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple...are constantly on our tv screens. Ms Christie was a native of Devon, and today, her former home "Greenway" which is in a magnificent setting overlooking the River Dart...just upstream from Dartmouth (as mentioned above) is open to the public. Mrs Sabrejet is a BIG Agatha Christie fan, so naturally, we took time out the house! So what has that got to do with WW2, I hear you ask? Well...in 1943, the house and its grounds were requisitioned by Flotilla #10 of the United States Coast Guard! The USCG had a major role on D-Day as its personnel were helmsmen on US landing craft and also crewed rescue launches in the Channel. Evidence of their presence at "Greenway" is still visible today...in the library...in the form of a frieze as painted on the wall by one Lt. Marshall Lee. The frieze illustrates the Flotilla's war up to that point. Obviously, Lt Lee was a very accomplished artist! After the Coast Guard had moved on and the house returned to Ms Christie, she declined to have the frieze painted over, and so it remains today, as fresh as the day it was painted!The following pics will illustrate the house, the frieze and other related things of interest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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Sabrejet Posted May 1, 2014 Author Share #10 Posted May 1, 2014 LST 289, limping back into Dartmouth following the Exercise Tiger debacle. This is/was just downstream from Greenway House, which is set on a promontory ovelooking the Dart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabrejet Posted May 1, 2014 Author Share #11 Posted May 1, 2014 A view of her badly damaged stern. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johan Willaert Posted May 1, 2014 Share #12 Posted May 1, 2014 Interesting, thanks for posting, Ian! For those wanting to read up on Exercise TIGER, I'd recommend Richard Bass' excellent book on the subject... http://www.rtbassbooks.com/contact.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jgawne Posted May 1, 2014 Share #13 Posted May 1, 2014 I bet now they are very glad no one painted over that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabrejet Posted May 1, 2014 Author Share #14 Posted May 1, 2014 Indeed! It was mooted after the CG moved out and the house was being restored to its former glory...but Ms Christie forbade it. Thus, it remains to this day and looks as fresh as the day it was painted, with little evidence of fading or flaking etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Apathy Posted May 22, 2014 Share #15 Posted May 22, 2014 A view of her badly damaged stern. Hi Ian, the house of a former girlfriend is on the hillside just above where this photograph was taken and anchored, I used to stand on the window balcony and line up the details on the opposite hillside behind the LST photograph and try to imagine the LST there. Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Apathy Posted May 22, 2014 Share #16 Posted May 22, 2014 LST 289, limping back into Dartmouth following the Exercise Tiger debacle. This is/was just downstream from Greenway House, which is set on a promontory ovelooking the Dart. Hi Ian, if you take the ferry across the estuary to the landing stage just off the left of this photo there is a plaque on the wall giving detail that the SOE sailed from here during WWII dropping their spies and supplies into Normandy and Brittany. Only a couple of months ago there was the obituary in the Telegraph for the skipper that sailed the French fishing boat that they used during these clandestine drops. These exploits can be read about in the book ' ten thousand eyes ' 1958 Richard Collier, Collins publishing. Many stories of the underground observing and mapping German defenses along the Normandy beaches. Also if you make your way up to the headland to the right of this photo the pill-boxes used to defend the estuary are still there and in fairly good condition, although not really solid constructions like the Germans built in Normandy. Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabrejet Posted May 22, 2014 Author Share #17 Posted May 22, 2014 Thanks for reviving this thread and for adding the additional info Ken. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Apathy Posted May 22, 2014 Share #18 Posted May 22, 2014 Thanks for reviving this thread and for adding the additional info Ken. Pleasure mon ami, here is a little find in my collection, a silver US Army ring found on Slapton sands 1978 presumably lost during the training exercises held there before the true landings in Normandy. Ken . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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