Myself and Gee drove the 20-odd miles from Galmpton to Torcross on the South Devon coast to pay our respects to a WWII War Memorial respectfully situated on the edge of a local car-park (as big as I am – the wind was nearly lifting me off my feet). As it is mid-winter in the UK at the moment – the weather is cold, windy and wet. Many tens of thousand of British, American, and other Allied men (and some women) trained day and night on the South Devon coast in preparation for a mass-landing on the beaches of Northern France. However, it is within the nature of such huge mobilisations that accidents and tragedies will occur – and the events in and around Torcross was no different.
Although I am critical of modern America – I cannot fault the brave men of the US who came to help England as we stood alone against an all-mighty Nazi Germany (most British people my age have grand-parents who fought in WWII). Of course, the Soviet Union joined the UK first (during late June, 1941) – with the US following shortly after Imperial Japan had attacked Pearl Harbour (in December, 1941). In fact, the UK had been fighting Nazi Germany since 1939 – and Imperial Japan in Burma (and elsewhere) also from late 1941. This is what the Imperial War Museum has to say about the Torcross Memorial:
‘A restored American Sherman tank. The memorial consists of two bronze plaques behind the tank.InscriptionPlaque 1: OPERATION TIGER MEMORIAL Dedicated by the United States of America in honor of the men of the USS Army’s 1st Engineer Special Brigade, the 4th Infantry Division, and the VII Corps Headquarters; and the US Navy’s 11th Amphibious Force who perished in the waters of Lyme Bay during the early hours of April 28, 1944. They were on board landing ships, tank (LSTs) or a convoy participating in Operation Tiger, a training exercise at Slapton Sands, Torcross, England. The exercise was in preparation for the assault on enemy forces at Utah Beach, Normandy, France. A surprise encounter with German torpedo boats (Schnellboots) resulted in the tragic loss of two of the landing ships and damage to two others. The lessons learned in this tragedy added significantly to the success of the Allies on the D-day landings on Normandy. May all these soldiers and sailors be remembered not only for their sacrifice but also for their contributions to the Allied cause in World War II. DONATED BY THE 1ST ENGINEER SPECIAL BRIGADE ASSOCIATION Plaque 2: THIS AMERICAN SHERMAN TANK TOOK PART IN THE D-DAY PRACTICE LANDINGS AT SLAPTON BEACH IN 1944 WHERE IT WAS LOST AT SEA AND THERE REMAINED UNTIL ITS RECOVERY IN 1984 IT STANDS AS A MEMORIAL TO THOSE AMERICAN LIVES LOST DURING THE COURSE OF THE D-DAY PRACTICE LANDINGS AT SLAPTON BEACH IN 1944 THEIR SACRIFICE WAS NOT IN VAIN BE THEY EVER AT PEACE’
SANGHA KOMMUNE (SSR) 