Le port de Saint-Nazaire, 1940-1945 Saint-Nazaire

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.. Le port de Saint-Nazaire, 1940-1945
Saint-Nazaire Harbor, 1940-1945
BASE POUR SOUS-MARlNS
SUBMARiNE BASE
Historique
Apres la defaite de la France en juin 1940, Saint-Nazaire, situe dans la zone cotiere interdite
re~oit la vis~~ du pre~er sous-m.rum ~llemand a~ debut du moi[sJ de juillet. En septembre, ie
port est cholsl pour abnter au moms SIX sous-manns. A la fm de l'annee, des membres de
I 'Organisation Todt visitent Ie port afm d'etudier les modalites de construction d'une base
pour sous-marins. History After France's defeat in June 1940, Saint-Nazaire, located in the forbidden coastal area received the visit of its first German submarine at the beginning of July [1940]. In Sept~mber
the harbor was chosen to shelter at least six submarines. At the end of the year members of the
Organisation Todt visited the harbor in order to study ways to build a submarine base.
Construction Au debut de 1941, des releves precis sont effectues, puis les travaux debutent en mars. En quatre mois de travaux intensifs, les trois premieres aiveoles sont achevees et inaugurees en presence du Vizeadmiral Karl Doenitz et du Dr. Fritz Todt. La base va alors etre continuellement agrandie, d'abord vers Ie sud avec six alvcoles doubles, puis vers le nord
avec cinq alveoles simples.
Au final, la base comprend 14 alveoles dont cinq sont des cales seches pour les interventions
et reparations sur la coque. Les travaux se poursuivent a la fin de I'annee 1943, avec un
casemement au nord de la base. Un second etait en construction a la fin de la guerre du cote
sud. Le toit, d'une epaisseur de 3,5 metres de beton armc, sera renforce d'une seconde daIle
de beton de 35 centimetres, puis une troisieme dalle de 1,7 metre qui n'est pas entierement
achevee quand les travaux s'arretent defmitivement en aout 1944. Enfin un systeme de
poutrelles, denommc « Fangost » est installe sur un tiers du toit. II est constitue de poutre lies
arrondies sur fa face superieure, et posces sur des murs de 1,80 metre. Le principe est de
pouvoir « pieger» la bombe en surface afin que Ie souffle de l'explosion se disperse a la
surface du toit sans endommager la daIle de protection.
Construction
At the beginning of 1941 accurate measurements were made and construction started in
March. After four months of intensive work, the first three pens were completed and
inaugurated in the presence of Vizeadmiral Karl Doenitz and Dr. Fritz Todt. The base would
be constantly expanded from then on, first towards the south with six double pens, then
towards the north with five single pens.
Eventually, the base will be composed of 14 pens including five dry docks for repair and
maintenance of the hulls. Construction work continued until the end of 1943 with living
quarters built on the north side of the base. A second set of living quarters was being built on
the southern side by the end of the war. The roof, with a thickness of3.5 meters (11.5 feet) of
reinforced concrete, will receive a second slab of35 cm (1.1 feet) of reinforced concrete, then
a third slab of 1.7 meters (5.6 feet) but that will not be completed when construction work
stopped definitely in August 1944. Finally, a system of beams, named "Fangos!", .was
installed on one third of the roof. It is composed of beams rounded on the upper slde and
placed on walls of 1.80 meters (5.9 feet). The principle was to "trap" ~e bomb so that the
blast would happen above the roof and would not damage the protectIve slab.
Dimensions
Longueur: 299 metres. Largeur: 124 metres. Hauteur exterieure : 18 metres. Surface: 39 000 metres carres Volume de heton: 480 000 metres cubes Dimensions Length: 981 feet Width: 407 feet External height: 59 feet Surface: 420,000 square-feet Volume of reinforced concrete: 16,951,000 cubic-feet [1 foot 0,3048 m] ECLUSE PROTEGEE
PROTECTED LOCK
__ ~
__ ...,;0.;:' A partir de juin 1943 debutent les travaux d'un bunker afin de protc~ger un sas-ecluse pour les
sous-marins entrant ou sortant du port. D'une longueur de 155 metres pour une largeur de 25
metres et une hauteur moyenne de 14 metres. L'ouvrage est acheve au debut de l'annee
suivante, mais peu utilise en fait. Un demier sous-marin, Ie U-868, l'utilise Ie 14 mars 1945
pour sortir en mer. Sur Ie toit, quatre cuves pour canons anti-aeriens de 4 em, et cote estuaire
de~laLoire,une cloche .blindee,poUf-deux-omitraHleuses.-.- - -O;-_"""""""'M__ ~~__
__.. "'"-:"'"""":~____ --'~~--;;,-__Ce bunker abrite desonnais Ie sous-marin fran9ais « Espadon }) et traiisfonne en musee.
In June 1943 work started on the construction of a bunker intended to protect a lock-gate for the submarines entering or leaving the harbor. Dimensions were 508.5 feet long, 82 feet wide and 46 feet high on average. Work was completed at the beginning of the following year but the lock-gate was actually rarely used afterwards. The last submarine to use it and to leave the harbor was U-868 on March 14, 1945. On the roof there were four open emplacements of4 cm AA guns, and on the side of th,e Loire estuary was an armored cupola for two machine guns. This bunker shelters the French submarine "Espadon" today and has been transfonned into a museum. ·:
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JUIN 1943/DECEMBRE 1943 = JUNE 1943/DECEMBER 1943
FEVRlER 1942/JUIN 1942:=: FEBRUARY 1942/JUNE 1942
FEVRlER 19411JUIN 1941 = FEBRUARY 19411JUNE ]941
JUILLET 1941/JANVIER 1942 = JULY 19411JANUARY 1942
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Le raid britannique du 28 mars 1942 The British Raid of March 28, 1942 C'est sans doute l'une des operations la [Ies] plus spectaculaire[s] et audacieuse[s] mene[es]
par les Britanniques sur les cotes franyaises pendant la seconde guerre mondiale.
It is probably one ofthe most spectacular and daring operations conducted by the British on
the French coast during WW2.
Historique
Au debut de I'annee 1942, Ie cuirasse Tirpitz est en voie d'achevement et de mise en service.
Mouille au Faettenfjord en Norvege. Suite a I'operation« Cerberus» du 11 fevrier 1942 qui
permet Ie retour a Wilhemshaven des trois autres unites de la Kriegsmarine (Scharnhorst,
Gneisenau et Prinz Engene depuis Brest, I' Amiraute anglaise craint de voir se renouveler un
raid des navires de surface dans l'atlantique-nord. Dans ce cas seulla calle [cale] seche de
Saint-Nazaire est assez grande afm d'accueillir Ie Tirpitz pour entretien et reparation.
Winston Churchill est persuade qu'en neutralisant celle-d, les allemands renonceront a une
operation d'envergure dans I'atlantique-nord. Lord Mounbatten, chef des Operations
Combinees, est charge de monter Ie raid.
History
At the beginning of 1942 the battleship Tirpitz was being completed and being readied to
enter service. Moored in the Faettenfjord in Norway. Following Operation Cerberus of
February 11, 1942 which brought back to Wilhelmshaven from Brest three other ships of the
Kriegsmarine (Scharnhorst, Gneisenau and Prinz Eugen), the British Admiralty was afraid of
raiding operations by surface ships in the North Atlantic. In this case only the dry dock of St­
Nazaire was big enough to accommodate the Tirpitz for maintenance and repair. Winston
Churchill was convinced that by neutralizing this dry dock, the Germans would abandon the
idea of a large operation in the North Atlantic. Lord Mountbatten, chief of Combined
Operations was tasked with preparing the raid.
Les objectifs
L'objectifprincipal est la destruction de l'enorme porte-caisson qui ferme la cale du cote de Ia
mer. Pour cela I'idee est de la percuter avec un navire du type destroyer bourre de cinq tonnes
d'explosifs dissimuIes a bord avec un systeme de retardement, I'explosion devant avoir lieu
apres Ie debarquement des commandos. L'effectif anglais est important avec 611 commandos
et marins repartis aussi sur des vedettes rapides. Le second objectif est de detruire Ie
maximum d'infrastructures portuaires comme la seconde porte ecluse, cote port, mais aussi
les ponts et I'entree sud, seullieu de passage pour les sous-marins allemands. Les casemates
qui assurent la defense du port, Ie parc acarburant, Ie systeme de pompage font partie de ces
obj ectifs secondaires. Les destructions achevees, Ies commandos doivent repartir a bord des
vedettes et rejoindre la Grande-Bretagne.
The objectives
The main objective was the destruction of the huge gate that closed the dock on the seaside.
To achieve it the idea was to hit it with a destroyer-type ship, loaded with 5 tons of explosives
hidden inside and with a delay mechanism, the explosion happening after the commandos had
disembarked. The number of British troops was important with 611 commandos and sailors
transported by speedboats. The second objective was to destroy as many harbor facilities as
possible like the second lock-gate, harbor side, but also bridges and the south entrance, the
only pathway available to the Gennan submarines. The casemates that provided harbor
defense, the fuel tanks, the pumping system, were also considered part of the secondary
objective. Once the destructions were achieved, the commandos were to board the speedboats
and sail back to Great-Britain.
Le raid
Afm de tromper les observateurs allemands, Ie vieux destroyer d'origine amCricaine (USS
Buchanan) rebaptise HMS Campbeltown, est camoufle en navire de Ia Kriegsmarine. Les
anglais connaissent, gn1ce Ii la resistance fran~ise, Ies codes allemands d'identification pour
I'approche du port. La flottille parvientjusque dans l'estuaire de la Loire sans etre reperee.
Cependant les allemands decouvrent la supercherie et les batteries cotieres ouvrent Ie feu avec
precision. Plusieurs vedettes sont toucbees, ainsi que Ie Campbeltown. Mais moins de cinq
minutes plus tard, ceIui-ci percute Ii toute vitesse la porte-ecluse Ii 1h34 Ie 28 mars. Les
commandos debarquent sous Ie feu des forces allemandes qui comprennent maintenant
I'ampleur de I'operation. A lOh30, alors que les combats s'achevent partiellement, la charge
explosive dissimuIee dans Ie Campbeltown explose alors que des dizaines de soldats
allemands fouillent Ie navire.
The raid
In order to trick the German watchers, the old destroyer of American origin (USS Buchanan),
renamed HMS Campbeltown, was camouflaged as a Kriegsmarine ship. The British knew the
German identification codes to enter the harbor, thanks to the French Resistance. The flotilla
was able to sail into the Loire estuary without being caught. However, the Germans
eventually found out about the deception and the coastal batteries opened fire with accuracy.
Several speedboats were hit as well as the Campbeltown. However, less than five minutes
later, the latter hit the lock-gate at full speed at 1:34 am on March 28. The commandos landed
under fire from Gennan forces who had realized by now the full extent of the operation. At
10:30 am, while fighting was winding down, the explosive charge hidden in the Campbeltown
exploded while dozens of German soldiers were searching the ship.
Le bilan materiel
L'operation est un succes complet sur la cale Joubert. L'explosion a projete la porte-ecluse
ainsi que l'epave du Campbeltown dans Ie bassin, desormais envahi par l'eau. Elle ne sera
remise en service qu'au debut de 1950. Le bilan est plus mitige pour Ie reste des objectifs.
Quelques casemates neutralisees, mais I'entree sud, Ie pont basculant et Ie pont toumant sont
intacts. La porte ecluse, cote bassin du port, n'est pas endommagee, les charges explosives
n'ont pas fonctionne ... Ceia permettra aux allemands d'evacuer plus lard les deux petroliers en
reparation.
The material result
The operation was a complete success at the Joubert dock. The explosion had thrown the
lock-gate and the wreck of the Campbeltown in the dock, now filled with water. The dock
would not return to service before the beginning of 1950. The results were mixed for the rest
of the objectives. A few casemates were neutralized but the south entrance, the drawbridge
and the swing bridge are intact. The lock-gate on the dock side of the harbor was not damaged
since the explosive charges did not work ... This would allow the Germans to later evacuate
two oil tankers being repaired.
Le bilan humain
Des 611 hommes qui participent a I' operation, 169 sont tues lors des combats. Les premiers
sur les embarcations par les tirs des batteries cotieres, les autres a terre apres Ie debarquement.
215 sont faits prisonniers dont de nombreux blesses. 227 reussissent a rembarquer et rejoindre
la Grande-Bretagne. 5 entin, aides par la Resistance fran~aise et les filieres d'evasion, vont
rejoindre Gibraltar. Les soldats anglais furent inhumes dans un petit cimetiere proche de La
Baule, avec les honneurs militaires de leurs adversaires qui reconnaissaient la leur courage.
The human cost
.
Of the 611 men that took part in the operation, 169 were killed in the figh~irig. The first ones
by the firing from the coastal batteries on the speedboats, the other ones on land after the
landing. 215 were captured including numerous wounded. 227 were able to re-embark and
return to Great-Britain. Finally, 5, helped by the French Resistance and underground escape
organizations, would reach Gibraltar. The British soldiers who were killed were then buried in
a small cemetery near La Baule, with full military honors given by their adversaries who
.
.
recognized therefore tI1eir courage.
Le Campbeltown encastre dans la porte-ecluse avant l'explosion fmale. The CampbeJtown embedded in the lock-gate before the final explosion. Le monun1ent comn1emoratif de 191 7
The n1emorial monument of 191 7
C'est Ii Saint-Nazaire que debarquent les premiers soldats americains enjuin 1917. Le 2 juillet
c'est la ceh~bre« Big Red One» qui arrive avec 46 700 tonnes de materiel. Saint-Nazaire
devient Ie premier port de transit des marchandises jusqu'en 1918. Afin de commemorer cette
aide, un monument est erige sur Ie boulevard du front de mer. II est inaugure en presence de
l'ambassadeur des USA en France, Myron T. Herrick et du general Pershing, Ie 27 juin 1926.
11 represente un soldat americain pose presque en equilibre sur un aigle les ailes deployees,
symbole de l'Amerique volant au secours de la France et ses allies. Affectueusement appele Ie
« sammy» cette reuvre de l'artiste americain Gertrude V. Whitney est realisee grace Ii la
societe new-yorkaise« Saint-Nazaire Association of Base Section 1 » Detruit par les
allemands Ie 13 janvier 1941 afin de recuperer les 10 tonnes de bronze, c'est aussi un symbole
qu'ils font disparaitre, celui de la defaite de 1918 ...n ne sera reconstruit Ii l'identique qu'en
1989 seulement, apn~s une importante campagne de souscription franco-americaine.
It is at St-Nazaire that the first American soldiers disembarked in June 1917. On July 2
nd
, the
famous "Big Red One" arrived with 46,700 tons of equipment. Saint-Nazaire became the
busiest cargo port until 1918. In order to commemorate this help, a monument was erected on
the boulevard along the seashore. It was inaugurated by the US Ambassador to France, Myron
T. Herrick, and General Pershing on June 27, 1926. It represented an American soldier
standing almost precariously on a wing-spread eagle, a symbol of America flying to help
France and its ABies. Affectionately nicknamed "the Sammy", this statue by the American
artist, Gertrude V. Whitney, was sponsored by the New-York society. "Saint-Nazaire
Association of Base Section I". Destroyed by the Germans on January~ 13, 1941, order to
recover 10 tons of bronze, it is also a symbol that vanishes, the symbol of their defeat of 1918.
It will be replaced only in 1989 by an identical statue after an important French-American
fundraising campaign.
in
Au fur et
a mesure
de Ia mise 4 terre,
Ies batajllons .·a1ien~nt pour attendre Ie d~part.