How the St Nazaire air diversion warned the defenders

Operation Chariot offered another attempt to coordinate air and naval action after the Channel Dash. Cloud stopped the bombers from delivering the intended attack, but they still appeared and dropped a few isolated bombs. The pattern differed from the concentrated sticks familiar to the German defenders, so it looked like a diversion. They first searched for parachutists and then turned their attention to suspicious movement at sea. A conspicuous supporting action could compromise operational security when it failed to produce its intended effect.