On a quiet beach along the South Devon coast, an event unfolded that would reverberate through history. This was no ordinary training mission; it was a critical rehearsal for one of the largest military operations the world has ever seen—codenamed Exercise Tiger.

A Fateful Night – Courage under Fire

In the dead of night, as brave servicemen readied themselves for war, the stillness was shattered. German E-boats, cutting through the waters — silent, sudden — unleashed a deadly assault. The events that followed would test the mettle of every soldier and leave an indelible mark on the sands of Slapton.

Exercise Tiger: The Historical Record

The Exercise Tiger Trust is an independent historical and remembrance resource dedicated to preserving the history and memory of Exercise Tiger and the American servicemen who lost their lives during the action on 28th April, 1944.

Exercise Tiger was a large-scale Allied training exercise conducted in South Devon in preparation for the Normandy landings. Slapton Sands was selected because its coastline and terrain provided conditions intended to resemble Utah Beach in Normandy. The exercise involved American Army and Navy personnel, landing ships, support units and other forces preparing for the invasion of occupied Europe.

During the early hours of 28 April 1944, German E-boats attacked a convoy of Allied Landing Ships, Tank (LSTs) in Lyme Bay. LST-507 and LST-531 were sunk and LST-289 was severely damaged. More than 630 American servicemen lost their lives.

The historical record of Exercise Tiger is scattered across military records, official reports, personal testimony, photographs, newspapers, family collections and later historical research. The purpose of this website is to bring together as much of that evidence as possible in one freely accessible resource.

A First-Hand Historical Resource

The Exercise Tiger Trust maintains a growing digital archive containing a searchable Roll of Honour, historical documents and transcriptions, survivor information, photographs, letters, newspaper material and records relating to the LSTs involved in the action.

The Trust’s collections include material donated by relatives of servicemen involved in Exercise Tiger. The Lt. J.G. John H. Hill Collection, for example, contains photographs and correspondence donated by Beverly Hughes, the niece of Lieutenant Junior Grade John Henry Hill, who was killed aboard LST-531.

The Document Archive includes transcribed military records, declassified reports, German E-boat material, statements, newspaper reports and other historical sources. Where possible, documents are checked for authenticity and transcribed faithfully, with errors or omissions in the original source retained rather than silently corrected.

Our Approach to Historical Evidence

We distinguish between contemporary records, personal testimony, later recollections and secondary historical research. These sources do not necessarily carry the same evidential weight, and we aim to identify their provenance wherever it is known.

Where information remains uncertain or conflicting, the website should identify that uncertainty rather than present an interpretation as established fact.

Our Roll of Honour is continually researched and updated as additional information becomes available. The Trust welcomes relevant information from relatives, researchers and others who can help improve the historical record.

Research Exercise Tiger

This website is intended for relatives, students, historians, researchers and anyone wishing to learn more about Exercise Tiger.

For primary-source research, begin with the Document Archive and Roll of Honour. Individual casualty records can provide names, service numbers and LST assignments, while the archival collection contains contemporary documents, personal accounts and other historical material.

The Trust also provides access to historical photographs, letters, documentary material and footage from the US National Archives and other sources, with ownership and copyright credited where applicable.

Remembering the Men

Behind every entry in the Roll of Honour was a serviceman with a family, a home and a life before the war.

Our purpose is not simply to describe the events of 28th April, 1944. It is to preserve the names, records and personal histories of those involved, make the surviving evidence accessible, and ensure that Exercise Tiger and its casualties remain part of the historical record.