| bridget midget the return | 25 Jul 2011 2:52 a.m. PST |
Hi All Off for our summer hols in a couple of weeks and we are going to be on the French coast in the Vendee region south of Sainte Nazaire, Brem-Sur-Mer to be precise. Does anybody know of things to see in the area? Is there anything left to see at Sainte Nazaire (Operation Chariot) for instance? Thanks |
| SgtPerry | 25 Jul 2011 4:04 a.m. PST |
The submarines base is still there. There is a monument for the Operation Chariot. |
| adster | 25 Jul 2011 4:29 a.m. PST |
You will be pretty close to Puy du Fou, a really excellent historical theme park (shows rather than rides.) puydufou.com/en |
| thosmoss | 25 Jul 2011 5:31 a.m. PST |
The Osprey book on St. Nazaire includes a couple modern pictures. The forward gun from the Campbeltown is on display, at their monument. Many of the original dock features are just as they were -- with all the German bunkers scraped away. |
| John D Salt | 25 Jul 2011 6:35 a.m. PST |
There isn's a great deal to commemorate Operation Chariot, but it's worth going over the ground to see the area the Commandos fought over. The U-boat pens look like U-boat pens still. There is the memorial to the first doughboys who landed at St-Nazaire during WW1, only relatively recently restored. Well worth a visit is the "Espadon", a preserved French submarine. When we visited (some years ago) the recently-constructed bridge was thought worth paying the toll for just to drive over and come straight back. All the best, John. |
| Patrice | 25 Jul 2011 6:55 a.m. PST |
Brem-sur-Mer is in Vendée ; Saint-Nazaire is historically in Brittany (although not in the administrative "Région Bretagne"). In Nantes the old city center and the medieval castle of the Dukes of Brittany are interesting. Have a good hollydays :-) |
 timurilank  | 25 Jul 2011 10:44 a.m. PST |
Take plenty of pics and post them to a blog; make us jealous. Enjoy, |
| Bellbottom | 26 Jul 2011 5:44 a.m. PST |
When I was at St Nazaire in 1972 the sub pens were being used for offloading chemicals, the 'Op Chariot' memorial and graveyard were there as well as a small Musee de Commando. In addition my French friend and I walked around the dock area and managed to get access to some of the German flak positions. Some of them still had rusting 2cm flak magazines in their ammo bunkers (no ammo) and I had my picture taken with one. Happy days |
 Legion 4 | 26 Jul 2011 5:59 a.m. PST |
Sounds like an interesting trip !!! |
| Martin Rapier | 26 Jul 2011 6:31 a.m. PST |
Along with the major ports, if you hunt around on the beaches anywhere along that coast you'll find remnants of German fortifications, some of them very elaborate, some simple bunkers or emplaced tank turrets (generally minus the turrets these days). |
| 1815Guy | 26 Jul 2011 6:56 a.m. PST |
You may well find some Napoleonic history there – the Vendee was in revolt against Nap in 1815. "You will be pretty close to Puy du Fou, a really excellent historical theme park (shows rather than rides.) " Not sure about anywhere that puts horns on Viking helmets! :o) |
| Plynkes | 26 Jul 2011 7:19 a.m. PST |
There is no museum of the raid or anything like that (or at least there wasn't five years ago), but those hulking great pens are still there. They have a 1950s French sub in one of them, and you can go inside it: Ridiculously spacious and roomy compared to the U-Boat I went in when I was in Kiel.
Up the coast a bit at Batz-sur-Mer is a blockhouse that has been turned into a museum.
Angers isn't too far away and is nice if you like castles.
It's hard to take a step around there without bumping into a chateau, mind. You'll be spoiled for choice if you like stately homes and stuff like that. |
| adster | 31 Jul 2011 2:18 p.m. PST |
Chariot racing a la Ben Hur, Christians being eaten by lions; all makes up for a few horny vikings…
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