Exercise Tiger: Disastrous D-Day rehearsal

Apr 21, 2025

In April 1944, a tragic rehearsal for D-Day called Exercise Tiger turned into chaos when a German fleet attacked, resulting in the loss of 749 American servicemen. The story highlights the military's decision to keep the incident secret to maintain morale and protect D-Day plans. Eyewitness accounts, including a veteran's reflections, bring a personal touch to this forgotten piece of history. The podcast uncovers how a tank linked to the disaster sparked renewed interest and remembrance for those who served.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Transcript

Episode notes

ANECDOTE

Paul's Rescue Efforts

Paul Gerolstein helped pull fellow servicemen from the water using cargo nets after their ships were attacked.
He recounted the emotional trauma and chaos during the attack on their convoy.

INSIGHT

Exercise Tiger Tragedy

Exercise Tiger was a deadly rehearsal for D-Day, resulting in around 749 US servicemen deaths.
The disaster was kept secret to preserve morale and security for the forthcoming invasion.

ANECDOTE

Life Preserver Tragedy

Many soldiers died due to improper use of life preservers during the attack.
Paul was deeply disturbed by seeing troops drown because they inflated life jackets wrongly around their waists.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

In April 1944, the Allies planned Exercise Tiger to practise their landing on France's Normandy beaches ahead of D-Day. During the rehearsal, a German fleet attacked, sinking two allied ships. Around 749 US servicemen died.

The Allies’ military leaders ordered troops not to discuss the disaster because they didn’t want to damage morale or give away the D-Day plans. So, Exercise Tiger was largely forgotten for decades.

Ben Henderson tells the story using archive interviews with Paul Gerolstein, who was on board one of the ships that came under attack.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.

Recent episodes explore everything from football in Brazil, the history of the ‘Indian Titanic’ and the invention of air fryers, to Public Enemy’s Fight The Power, subway art and the political crisis in Georgia. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: visionary architect Antoni Gaudi and the design of the Sagrada Familia; Michael Jordan and his bespoke Nike trainers; Princess Diana at the Taj Mahal; and Görel Hanser, manager of legendary Swedish pop band Abba on the influence they’ve had on the music industry. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the time an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at the President of the United States in protest of America’s occupation of Iraq; the creation of the Hollywood commercial that changed advertising forever; and the ascent of the first Aboriginal MP.

This programme has been updated since the original broadcast.

Archive: Exercise Tiger Memorial Ltd courtesy of Dean Small and Laurie Bolton, audio/visual maintained by Chris Kirsten of CeeVisk David FitzGerald

(Photo: US troops ahead of D-Day. Credit: AP)