ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

St Nazaire Raid

Okay kiddo, are you ready to learn about the St Nazaire Raid? It's a story about a secret mission during World War II.

So, during the war, the Nazis controlled a lot of Europe including France. They built a big port in a place called St Nazaire, where they could keep their ships safe. But the Allied forces, made up of British and American soldiers, wanted to stop the Nazis from using this port.

That's where the St Nazaire Raid comes in. The Allies planned a secret mission to destroy the walls of the port so that the Nazis couldn't use it anymore. They had to be very sneaky because the Nazis would not want them to destroy the port.

The Allies had a special group of soldiers called the Commandos who were really good at sneaking around and doing secret missions. They decided to use some old boats and dress them up to look like German ones so they wouldn't be detected. They also had to use a special type of bomb called a "delayed-action bomb" because it would give them more time to escape before the explosion.

So, the Commandos set out in their disguised boats and managed to sneak past the Nazis guarding the port. They then went in and set off the bombs, causing a huge explosion that destroyed the walls of the port. This made it impossible for the Nazis to use it anymore.

The Allies lost a lot of soldiers during this mission, and it was a very dangerous and risky thing to do. But it was important because it helped the Allies win the war in Europe.

So, that's a basic explanation of the St Nazaire Raid. It was a secret mission during World War II where a group of Allied soldiers, called the Commandos, destroyed the walls of a Nazi port so they couldn't use it anymore. It was a very risky mission, but it helped the Allies win the war.