450 DIED DURING OPERATION TIGER A SERIES OF LARGE-SCALE REHEARSALS FOR THE D-DAY INVASION OF NORMANDY.
Coordination and communication problems resulted in friendly fire injuries during the exercise. An Allied convoy positioning itself 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 under the strictest secrecy at the time and was only minimally reported afterward.
The first practice assault occurred on the morning of April 27, marked by an incident involving friendly fire. H-hour was set for 07:30 and included live ammunition to acclimate the troops to the sights, sounds and even smells of a naval bombardment.
During the landing itself, live rounds were to be fired over the heads of the incoming troops by forces on land for the same reason. This followed an order by General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Supreme Allied Commander, who felt the men must be hardened by exposure to actual battle conditions. The exercise included naval bombardment by Force U Bombardment Group ships fifty minutes before the landing.
Several of the landing ships for that morning were delayed, and the officer in charge, American Admiral Don P. Moon, decided to delay H-hour for 60 minutes until 08:30.
Some of the landing craft did not receive word of the change. Landing on the beach at their original scheduled time, the second wave came under fire, suffering an unknown number of casualties. Rumors circulated along the fleet that as many as 450 men were killed.
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