Exercise Tiger

Exercise Tiger The Silent D-Day “Link” of World War II

Larry G. Toerber

Exercise Tiger The Silent D-Day “Link” of World War II

Larry G. Toerber

Exercise Tiger, The Silent D-Day “Link” of WW II Copyright © 2023 by Larry G. Toerber All rights reserved. This publication may not be reproduced, stored in retrieval system or transmitted, in whole or in part, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without prior written permission of Larry G. Toerber.

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Address all inquiries to: Solution-ients L.L.C. Larry G. Toerber 4604 East U.S. Highway 50 Newton Kansas, 67114 Ph: 620-837-9707 ISBN: 9781733094221 Library of Congress Control Number: 2023918898 Cover and Text design by: Larry G. Toerber and Gina Laiso Printed by Mennonite Press, Inc., Newton, Kansas.

LST 531 being Launched at Missouri Bridge & Iron Works in Evansville, Indiana

Mearl Toerber, alias: “Link.”

Was one of two Toerber Family “Links” to WW II.

I would like to dedicate this book to: Most Important, My Uncle Mearl and his spouse Marie.

Mearl, Thank you for your service!!!

Also, the entire Toerber Family, who never knew the true story of Mearl Toerber’s WW II “Missing in Action” and the connection to Exercise Tiger Mission.

My Grand Parents; Louis and Lydia Toerber My Parents; Burnell and Sylvia Toerber Toerber Nephews: Leland, Larry, Richard, and Martin.

For all our “Fallen Heroes” and “Non-Fallen Heroes” and their families whom suffered because of “Exercise Tiger,” then, since, and now…..

Special note: I and my family were told by my parents and were under the impression that “little known” Uncle Mearl was a soldier missing in action during a WW II invasion in Italy. That was the story, and we weren’t to talk about it, even at family gatherings, as the subject was very sensitive.

As a child, I remember many times staying with my grandparents at their farm near Massillon, Iowa each time observing Mearl’s framed military picture proudly placed on a bureau in their bedroom. Each stay I would ask about Mearl.

My grandparents both stated; “Mearl was lost in military action during WW II and they didn’t want to talk about it.”

My Parents, Grandparents, and Mearl’s wife Marie, passed away not knowing the real circumstances and reason Mearl’s military service records indicated: “Missing in Action”!!!

Special Thanks to: Maquoketa, Iowa WW II Veteran of the Exercise Tiger survivor, 95-year-old Robert (Bob) Stockham, whom I had the opportunity to interview and discuss his onsite, first-hand, so to speak, Exercise Tiger experiences. He was a soldier aboard Landing Ship Tank (LST) 515 that participated in WW II practice D-Day night-time pre-invasion activity known as Exercise Tiger.

Also, two WW II Veterans; Merlin Latore and Anton Vanicek, the volunteer military historians who discovered and shared the Exercise Tiger “Toerber” connection, providing their research support and resources retrieving the hidden: silent story.

Credit should be given to Merlin Latore, A WW II Navy Veteran who resided in Oxford Junction, Iowa. He spent many hours researching local military history. In 2011, Merlin was the one who identified the little white stone marker installed in a cemetery behind the Massillon, Iowa church in memory of Mearl Toerber, a local farmer. With Merlin’s lead assisted by Anton and myself, we began the very rewarding journey through Exercise Tiger investigations and stories, that contributed to a long overdue May 9, 2014 WW II Memorial Service for Mearl Toerber at the Massillon, Iowa Cemetery and also a tribute to “Forgotten Heroes” at the Massillon Church and Cemetery on April 28, 2019, the 75th Anniversary of the WW II Battle of “Exercise Tiger.”

Acknowledgements Throughout my years of researching archives, both paper media, electronic media, and WW II books, I’ve tried to ensure the accuracy of history’s medias and personal contacts.

Introduction This is a story of how generations of Toerbers, a 1940s Iowa farm family, lost a member: a WW II soldier; son, brother, husband; how their families were influenced by their loss, as well as the soldier’s spouse and their families. The truths of an eerie WW II practice D-Day night-time pre-invasion activity known to the Allied Commanders as “Exercise Tiger” was never told to the affected families.

Exercise Tiger was a secret Ops WW II military mission off the Dorset coast near Slapton Sands, England in preparation for D-Day invasion. It went horrifyingly wrong. Without warning, seven German E-Boats savagely attacked the undefended American forces. General Eisenhower’s decision was to cloak the event as a National Security issue and make sure all the information on the episode was buried with at least 749 bodies; all shrouded by secrecy and time.

To keep the D-Day invasion a secret, General Dwight D. Eisenhower ordered the troops involved with Exercise Tiger, never to talk about the attack. The government did not release casualty reports until after D-Day. Because of the loss of so many men, the military did not give those who did survive a rest but sent as many as possible to fight in the Normandy invasion. Since the military sent some of the survivors back into action, there was no time for the soldiers to talk about their experience.

In the excitement and success of the actual D-day landings, and the continuing cloak of secrecy that was maintained, Exercise Tiger tragedy was all but forgotten and written out of history.

Even many years afterwards, those involved still did not discuss it publicly.

The Trek Begins When I first started this Exercise Tiger journey, I was employed full time with the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Railroad Administration as a Federal Investigator of railroad accidents and incidents with expertise related to railroad signal systems, electronics/computer-based railroad technology, and as an instructor/trainer/regulator. I was traveling almost every week including some weekends.

While out and about conducting my railroad investigative activities, I received a phone message from my younger brother Martin, requesting a return phone call when I return home, nothing urgent. My primary residence is located approximately 10-hour drive south and west of my two brothers’ homes, who reside in Eastern Iowa as well as military historians, Merlin and Anton.

I would soon return my brother’s phone call. That returned phone call, September 9, 2010, started the adventure which was to become a quest not only to educate myself, but the current Toerber families, about Uncle Mearl and the secret WW II military mission known as Exercise Tiger.

My brother Martin proceeded to explain that he and brother Leland were contacted by two volunteer military historians, Merlin and Anton, requesting Toerber permission and support to investigate and determine; what, where, why, and how pertaining to an unusual military grave marker noting Mearl Toerber, located in a cemetery at Massillon, Iowa.

My two brothers had little interest in the subject, however, they knew that I enjoyed investigative activity and might find a bit of interest communicating with the two military historians.

Soon, I was arranging a meeting in Eastern Iowa (DeWitt) McDonald’s restaurant.

Merlin and Anton had just conducted military historical research and resultant celebration, recognizing the first Navy medical officer casualty of WW II, who is buried in the Massillon, Iowa cemetery. It was during that resultant cemetery celebration activity Merlin noticed the unusual military marker noting Mearl Toerber. That marker piqued the interest of Merlin and Anton, mostly Merlin to investigate further and so “we” began the Exercise Tiger journey!!!

I felt it would be an honor to educate and mitigate the shroud of secrecy around Exercise Tiger for the Toerber families as well as for fellow WW II soldiers’ families that were also affected by the WW II preparations to D-Day.

The Journey Merlin, Anton, and I were soon to recover Mearl Toerber’s intriguing history and significance of the Exercise Tiger Mission!!!

We also discovered there are many different accounts as to what occurred and there is an acute lack of “good” military documentation pertaining to the Mission, mainly number of fatalities, which fed the historical confusion of events. The network of individual stories grew as they were told many years later as; “the story as it was told.” It would become a story that not only was verbal history but documented history.

I have since retired (five years later) and have enjoyed a much more active investigative network and journey with Merlin and Anton gathering many more Exercise Tiger folks’ stories.

One individual living just a few miles from my eastern Iowa roots, Robert (Bob) Stockham, a 95-year-old Army Soldier, who participated in the very secretive mission, is an individual whom I interviewed and spent hours with him and his son recalling “his” precise stories of the transpiring events.

Also, I was able to communicate with Mrs. Margarete Stange, conducting an onsite interview with her at her retirement home.

She is the 95-year-old sister of my uncle’s wife, Marie. Margaret was witty, of a very sharp mind, very accommodating, and extremely enjoyable person. Although my Uncle Mearl’s wife was still alive at that time, she was well into dementia and could not communicate.

The network of printed history I read, Toerber military records obtained, Lydia Toerber and Marie’s letters to the Department of the Army, the stories if you would, grew with individual and historian accounts. Collectively they were waiting for someone to come along and absorb their stories into a purpose. The intensity of their impressions was something a bit miraculous about this Journey!

Contents 1 Building Character............................................................... 19 2 The Family.............................................................................21 3 Farm Life...............................................................................23 4 From the Farm......................................................................31 5 Toerber Brothers Enlistments...............................................35 6 LST Cornfield Shipyards.........................................................37 7 The “Exercising”....................................................................39 8 Big Picture Exercise Strategy.................................................47 9 Preparing Exercise Tiger “Theater”.......................................51 10 T-4 Convoy Attacked.............................................................63 11 Recovery of Bodies...............................................................85 12 The Secret Begins..................................................................89 13 Slapton Sands Theater Notified............................................95 14 Dissecting the “Blame” Investigation; Missing the “Links”!.....97 15 Imaginable American-British Rift....................................... 103 16 Successful D-Day “Link”..................................................... 105 17 Mission of Secrecy/History Buried..................................... 107 18 Exercise Tiger MIA/KIA Correspondence........................... 109 19 Toerber Family Closure and Questions.............................. 119 20 “Link” Begins to Emerge.................................................... 121 21 The Historical Trek............................................................. 125 22 Recognizing “Forgotten Heroes”........................................ 131 23 Marie’s Silent “Link”........................................................... 135 24 Maquoketa, Iowa Exercise Tiger Survivor “Link”............... 137 25 Exercise Tiger Not Included in Eisenhower Museum WW II Timeline.................................................................. 145 26 A Bit of WW II History Never Taught.................................. 147 27 LST’s Manufacturing and Build Data Notes and References.. 151 28 Notes and references......................................................... 159 29 Pictures.............................................................................. 160