The Slapton Sands disaster

Operation Tiger was a rehearsal for the D-Day landings

It was meant to be a training exercise in preparation for the D-Day landings, but Operation Tiger off the coast of Devon went wrong with disastrous consequences.

A fleet of eight German E boats attacked the allied forces and as a result, more than 700 soldiers and sailors died.

The incident, which was kept secret until the 1980s, struck during an eight-day exercise, which used the beach in Slapton, south Devon, to practice for the D-Day landings.

Breakfast's Sarah Campbell has been to Devon.

Click here to review our feature on the Burma Campaign which is being marked by the Imperial War Museum.

This small section of the South Devon coast was transformed into a battlefield. The locals moved out and thousands of American Army and Navy troops moved in.

There were full scale rehearsals, carried out using live ammunition. Vital practice for the planned assaults on Omaha and Utah beaches. Just 6 weeks before D-Day,

In a few weeks time we'll be remembering one of the most important events of the second world war - the D-day landings. It's the 60th anniversary this year and we want to hear you.

Where were you on June 6th 1944? Were you, or a loved one, there? Are you planning to go back to Normandy this year. Tell us your stories. Use this e-mail form to contact us.