Exercise Tiger Killed 749 Americans

Exercise Tiger, a full-scale rehearsal for the Utah Beach landings, became one of the deadliest disasters in the preparation for D-Day. During a live-fire practice at Slapton Sands in England, a delayed landing schedule failed to reach some craft, causing an unknown number of friendly-fire casualties. The following night, nine German E-boats surprised eight American LSTs in Lyme Bay, sinking two and killing 749 servicemen. Ten missing officers held BIGOT clearance and knew the invasion plans, raising fears that D-Day might be called off until all ten bodies were recovered.

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