Exercise Tiger

[buk2112]

The U.S. government early on set the number of American Army and Navy servicemen killed and missing from Exercise Tiger at 749 total, and still maintains this figure today. The accuracy of the 749 number has been debated since the beginning. Many arguing that the real total is much higher and in some cases that the 749 figure is slightly inflated. No matter who's figure you go by the loss of life was tremendous, and the impact from this event was felt nowhere greater than by the State of Missouri. In the aftermath of this tragic event, 196 of Missouri's native sons were among the dead and missing. This is some 26% of the U.S. reported total figure of 749, far more than any other state. Why so many from one particular state? Most of the answer to this question can be found in the 3206th Quartermaster Service Company. The 3206th was nearly an all Missouri unit, comprising approximately 80% -85% of the company's 250 total enlisted men and officers. The 3206th suffered the second highest amount of casualties among the various units of Exercise Tiger, losing 201 of her 250 men that April night so long ago. The 3206th ceased to exist after this incident, no time to rebuild her ranks before the fast approaching D-Day landings, the survivors were simply folded into the 3207th QSC.

 

Better late than never, as the old saying goes. In 1997 the State of Missouri finally decided it was time to place a memorial for her fallen sons lost to Exercise Tiger. The site chosen was the Audrain County Courthouse grounds of my hometown of Mexico, Missouri.. We had lost 8 men from the Audrain County area to Exercise Tiger, most in state, it was for this reason Mexico had been chosen as the site for the new memorial. Here are a few pics of the memorial:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexico,_Missouri

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audrain_County,_Missouri

 

This is a photo of the Exercise Tiger Memorial in it's original compact setting on the northwest corner of the Audrain County Courthouse

 

 

 

This is how it appears today. A few years ago it was decided to move the memorial to the northeast corner in a more prominent  and much more attractive setting. The Exercise Tiger memorial is on the left, a Veteran's memorial to all Audrain County men lost in WWI,WWII,Korea and Vietnam is on the right, and in the middle is a real anchor from an LST on permanent loan from the U. S. Navy.

 

All the names of the 196 Missouri men lost are in inscribed, with the 8 local men in larger type in the center.

 

 

Plaque at the base of the memorial.

 

 

 

A 75th anniversary commemorative service was held at the memorial Sunday. I will try and post more about that soon.