Service for D-Day exercise dead

Young and old, including some US survivors, attended the ceremony

A special service has been held to commemorate hundreds of US servicemen who died taking part in a training exercise in Devon during World War II.

A total of 749 military personnel died when convoys training for the D-Day landings were attacked by German torpedo boats at Slapton.

The servicemen were killed taking part in Exercise Tiger on 28 April, 1944.

Some US veterans who survived travelled to Slapton for the first time to pay tribute to their fallen comrades.

About 30,000 men and 300 ships were involved in the mock operation.

The vessels taking part in the exercise were attacked by nine Cherbourg-based German E-boats in the early hours after they successfully evaded patrols guarding the Tiger ships.

The disaster was kept a closely guarded secret during the war because General Eisenhower, supreme commander of Allied invasion forces, feared any leak could tip off the Germans and sap the morale of his troops.

Paul Gerolstein, 88, from Florida, was serving aboard LST (Landing Ship, Tank) 515 when the Germans attacked.

One of only a handful of survivors, Mr Gerolstein described the memorial service as "incredibly momentous".

Another US veteran survivor, Frank Derby, who attended the ceremony said he was grateful to be alive.

At the time, he was told not to speak of that night as long as he was in the US Navy.