April 28th, 1944 (FRIDAY)
UNITED KINGDOM: Shortly after midnight nine German motor torpedo boats attack a convoy of eight U.S. tank landing ships (LSTs) entering Lyme Bay, Dorset during manoeuvres for the Normandy invasion, near Slapton Sands.
Drawn in by heavier than normal radio traffic, they suddenly found themselves caught up in the midst of Operation TIGER -- one of several amphibious exercises secretly being conducted by the Allies in preparation for the Normandy Landing.
In minutes the German torpedoes hit their mark. One LST (landing ship, tank) was seriously crippled. Another burst into flames trapping many of the victims below deck. And a third sank immediately, sending hundreds of U.S. soldiers and sailors to a watery grave.
At 2145 on 27 Apr, convoy T-45 left Plymouth for Lyme Bay. The close escort was limited to one Flower-class corvette, HMS Azalea, which was stationed one mile ahead of a column of five LSTs (Landing Ships, Tank). Three more LSTs from Brixham joined the convoy. A fourth LST failed to make the rendezvous and returned to base. Once west of Tor Bay, the convoy manoeuvred in the Channel before making its final approach to Slapton Sands. One destroyer, the old Admiralty S-class HMS Saladin, was stationed to the south of the convoy as a screening force. In addition, three RN MTBs patrolled off Cherbourg as a blocking force to intercept a potential patrol by German E-boats. Alerted by increased Allied radio traffic, the German 5th and 9th Schnellboote Flotillas, comprising six and three boats, respectively, sortied from Cherbourg at 22:00 on 27 Apr. The German force managed to evade the British MTBs. Once clear of the British patrol, they travelled at 36 knots under strict radio silence. Shortly after midnight, nine German torpedo boats moved into Lyme Bay. Attacking in pairs, the E-boats burst past the escorts and attacked the landing ships. LSTs 507 and 531 were sunk with the loss of 202 and 424 men, respectively. LST 289 was damaged, resulting in the loss of 13 men. LST 511 was hit by fire from LST 496, resulting in 18 wounded. The German force did not suffer any losses.
It was the costliest training exercise in all of World War II.
As the bodies washed ashore in days ahead, the official count rose to 749.
Lieutenant-General Bradley, unaware of the huge loss of American lives, summarily relieved the brigade commander when the exercise fell behind schedule. A number of ‘lessons’ were learned and post-event recommendations included: using more capable and numerous escort forces; having rescue craft for any landing operation; disseminating quickly enemy contacts reports; introducing standard radio procedures, special circuits, and radio frequencies; reinforcing instructions to avoid looking directly at flares or fires to preserve night vision; limiting the amount of fuel carried in landing ships to that needed for the operation itself to reduce risk of fire; making small arms available to fire on E-boats when main guns cannot depress sufficiently; making life boats and life rafts as ready for lowering as possible; issuing illumination rockets to all large ships; improving fire fighting equipment, including manually operated pumps; providing training in the use of the 'kapok' life jacket and making them the preferred life preserver over the CO2 type; ordering boot laces be loosened when preparing to abandon ship to make it easier to remove them in the water. (Dave Shirlaw, Jack McKillop and Sivliu G)
Submarine HMS Aenas laid down.
Submarine HMS Spark commissioned.
GERMANY: U-883 launched.
ARCTIC OCEAN: Frigates HMCS Cape Breton, Outremont, Grou and Waskesiu departed Kola Inlet with Convoy RA-59 for Loch Ewe; arriving safely at Loch Ewe on 09 May 44.
U.S.S.R.: Stavka, the highest Soviet military command, decides that the fourth strategic strike of the year shall be directed against Finns to eliminate the threat to the security of Leningrad. For that purpose the Leningrad Front is reinforced by the 21st Army from the high command reserve.
CHINA: US aircraft bomb bridges on the Yellow River to hamper Japan's advance.
BURMA: Allied and Chinese soldiers push through the Mogaung valley towards Myitkyina.
PACIFIC OCEAN: Japanese submarine I-183 is sunk by USS Pogy (SS-266) off Japan. (Mike Yared)(144 and 145)
CANADA: HM LST 3518, 3519, 3520, 3521, 3522, 3523, 3524, 3525, 3526, 3527, 3528, 3529, 3530, 3531, 3532, 3533, 3534, 3535 ordered.
Frigate HMCS Charlottetown commissioned.
U.S.A.: US Secretary of the Navy, Frank Knox dies of a heart attack. He is the top civilian in the naval chain of command.
Escort carrier USS Hollandia launched.
Destroyer escorts USS Samuel B Roberts and Daniel A Joy commissioned.