New details of the 80th anniversary of a Second World War training operation that went horribly wrong off the Dorset coast have been announced.

Exercise Tiger took place in April 1944 as allied forces gathered along the Jurassic Coast for a ‘dress rehearsal’ of the D-Day invasion of Normandy.

Tragically, many sailors and soldiers lost their lives during the exercise, which was predominantly taking place on Slapton Sands in Devon; however, two Landing Ship Tanks (LST) were sunk off Portland Bill by German motor torpedo boats.

In honour of the US servicemen who died on that day, poppy petals will be dropped from an aircraft off Portland’s coast, and a ship’s horn salute will be given ahead of the already planned wreath laying service  at the US D Day Memorial at Victoria Gardens, Portland at 3pm on Friday, April 26.

Dorset Echo: Royal Navy Westland Wasp helicopterRoyal Navy Westland Wasp helicopter (Image: Supplied)

The Navy Wings Heritage Collection based at Yeovilton will provide two aircraft to deliver the poppy petals scatter tribute.

This will take place along the shoreline immediately to the front and alongside the Cove House Inn, Chesil Cove at 2.28pm on the same day, Friday, April 26.

A Westland Wasp helicopter will be flown by a veteran of HMS Osprey, the island's former naval air base which is today partly occupied by the HeliOps training site.

The Westland Wasp will be escorted by a US Detroit built 1943 Stinson Reliant, a former military training/transport aircraft, to be used on the day as a camera platform to record the event.

Dorset Echo: Former military training and transport aircraft Stinson Reliant Former military training and transport aircraft Stinson Reliant (Image: Supplied)

Chris Lock BEM, an organiser of the event , and member of the Bournemouth and Poole district branch of the Royal Tank Regiment Association, said: “The 80th anniversary of the deaths of the 750 or so US sailors and soldiers, who tragically lost their lives in Portland's home waters during the early hours of April 28 1944, and whom for many, still remain just offshore in their sunken Landing Ship Tanks, or who were washed up onto the beach in Chesil cove before being brought into Portland naval dock or by surviving Landing Ship Tanks and other rescue ships have not been forgotten.”

Following the poppy tribute, participating ships both civil and military moored in Portland harbour will start the ceremony with a ships horn salute and commencement of the wreath placement ceremony which will take place at the US D-Day Memorial in nearby Victoria Gardens.