About the Business
The D Day landings were made in two stages. Shortly after midnight British, American and Canadian troops were landed by glider and parachute to seize key objectives such as bridges and road crossings. At 6.30am infantry and armoured divisions were landed by amphibious vehicles along the Normandy coast. By the end of that day 160,000 allied troops had been landed and the offensive against the occupying German forces had begun. As the allied troops advanced through Europe during the next few weeks it became increasingly important to ensure a reliable source of fuel for their vehicles. An ingenious plan was put into action. Shipping it across the English Channel on oil tankers was too risky because of the danger of torpedoes from German submarines. Operation PLUTO was developed to pump petrol from England to France via specially constructed metal pipelines laid along the seabed. Fourteen of these were housed in what was then a derelict fort - now the location of the Isle of Wight Zoo.
Location & Hours
Culver Parade
