Sherman Tank

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Wave-dashed as they are today, Slapton Sands have an even more dramatic past. During WWII, thousands of American servicemen trained here for D-Day using live ammunition. On one rehearsal in 1944, Exercise Tiger, a German torpedo boat, sank several landing craft; 639 American servicemen died. One of the tanks that sank during the exercise has been winched from 20m of water just offshore. Painted black, it now sits beside the car park at Torcross as a memorial.

Signs alongside outline the remarkable role this area played in WWII; from 1943 the residents of seven local villages, including Slapton, were evacuated from their homes for a year while the D-Day rehearsals took place.

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Nearby attractions

1. Slapton Sands

1.29 MILES

The name is misleading: Slapton Sands is actually a spectacular pebble ridge that's 3 miles long. You can find solitude here on even the busiest days. It…

2. Slapton Ley

1.32 MILES

Slapton Ley's broad sweep of water is ringed by a nature reserve and fringed by reed beds and woods. A 1.75-mile trail skirts the ley, crossing the reed…

3. South Hallsands

2.43 MILES

The shells of a handful of houses clinging to the cliff at South Hallsands are the remains of a thriving fishing village. In 1917 a severe storm literally…

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