American soldiers from World War Two will gather alongside London's acting US ambassador at Dartmouth Golf & Country Club at the end of the month to mark the anniversary of one of the biggest tragedies of the war.

The three veterans will be joined by acting ambassador Barbara Stephenson and 34 family members of those who were involved in 'Exercise Tiger' for a commemorative dinner at the South Devon resort on Saturday April 27 to honour the American servicemen who lost their lives when the operation went tragically wrong.

'Exercise Tiger' was one of a series of large-scale rehearsals for the D-Day invasion of Normandy which was planned to take place on Slapton Sands between at the end of April 69 years ago but the operation, which featured the use of live ammunition, was plagued with problems from the start. 
Coordination and communication issues resulted in friendly fire deaths during the exercise, and an Allied convoy positioning itself for the landing was then attacked by German E-boats in Lyme Bay, resulting in the deaths of 946 Americans.

The special evening at Dartmouth will feature a three-course dinner, with live war-time music provided by Spiffing Tunes band. Anyone is welcome to attend what promises to be a memorable night and for more information and to book tickets, which are priced at £45 per person, contact Claire Green at clairegreen@johncasson.com or phone 07549 938516.

Jamie Waugh, Dartmouth Golf & Country Club's managing director, said: "We are privileged to be hosting such a special event in memory of the American servicemen who lost their lives during Exercise Tiger. 

"I think it is very important that we continue to remember past historical events such as this, and I hope that both the memorial service and commemorative dinner will be well supported."

Some 3,000 south Devon residents were evacuated from their homes to allow for Exercise Tiger to go ahead over an eight-day period between April 22-30, 1944, with nine tank landing ships and some 30,000 troops taking part in the mock beach landing.

The American soldiers were being prepared for their D-Day role landing on Utah beach, but the day after the first practice assaults, on April 28, nine German E-boats spotted the Allied convoy positioning itself in Lyme Bay and attacked, resulting in two ships being sunk, two more damaged and a massive loss of life.

The commemorative dinner at Dartmouth is one of a number of events taking place at the end of the month to mark the anniversary of the tragedy, culminating in a Memorial Service on the date of the anniversary.

Twenty US military vehicles from World War Two will be among the attractions available to visitors in a car park at Torcross, the location of the Sherman tank which was involved in the D-Day practice landings at Slapton Sands, during the day on Saturday April 28.

A United States navy band will then fly in to join the chart-topping Military Wives Choir and the veterans, families and American dignitaries the following day for the service at the car park at 2.30pm. 

The occasion, which will also feature a United States Honour Guard, is ticket-only but is free to attend and people can apply for tickets by contacting Alice Edmonds on 07946 378203 or e-mailing her at aliceedmonds@johncasson.com.

Situated in 225 acres of south Devon countryside, just outside the beautiful town of Dartmouth, Dartmouth Golf & Country Club boasts 27 holes of golf with the 18-hole Championship Course and Dartmouth Course complementing each other nicely.

In addition to golf, the resort also boasts first-class leisure facilities, which include an indoor pool, Jacuzzi, sauna and spa. 

To book your stay at Dartmouth Golf & Country Club, visit www.dgcc.co.uk or call 0800 043 3669 for more information.

ENDS

Issued by The Azalea Group.

For images or for more information on Dartmouth Golf & Country Club, contact Pete Simm on 01730 711920 or email petes@theazaleagroup.com.