Storm Emma has uncovered an unexploded World War II bomb on Slapton Sands in Devon, which was the scene of a tragic D-Day rehearsal in 1944.
It was the second weapon from the 1940s to be found on the beach amid the severe weather, after a US M1A1 anti-tank mine was destroyed in a controlled explosion yesterday.
The beach at Slapton Sands was the location for a large-scale rehearsal for the D-Day invasion of Normandy in 1944, when hundreds of Americans drowned as the Allied convoy came under attack by German U-boats.
The bomb had been buried underground but the beach was washed away by the storm, damaging a road and bringing it road much closer to the sea than usual.
Storm Emma has uncovered an unexploded World War II bomb on Slapton Sands in Devon (pictured on Saturday)
The beach at Slapton Sands was the location for a large-scale rehearsal for the D-Day invasion of Normandy in 1944
It is not known whether the unexploded bomb belonged to the Allies or was dropped by Germany.
Slapton Sands was the location for Operation Tiger, the code name for one in a series of large-scale rehearsals for the D-Day invasion of Normandy, which took place in April 1944 on Slapton Sands in Devon.
The exercise was conducted between April 22 and April 30, 1944.
Live naval and artillery ammunition was used during the exercise to make it as real as possible in an attempt to accustom the soldiers to what they were about to experience.
But two ships were sunk off by German forces during Exercise Tiger on April 28, 1944, claiming the lives of 749 U.S. soldiers and sailors.
An Allied convoy which had positioned itself to prepare for a landing of Slapton Beach, which was to act as a ‘fake Utah Beach’, was attacked by E-boats of the German Kriegsmarine.
The fast-moving torpedo boats sank two Allied ships and badly damaged a third, killing 749 U.S. servicemen.
Many of the casualties drowned while waiting to be rescued, having abandoned ships under fire.
The incident was kept under strict secrecy at the time due to the impending invasion and was only nominally reported to the world almost 40 years later.
An American officer examines a 500lb bomb crater made during a beach bombardment exercise on Slapton Sands in 1944, which ended in disaster
Live naval and artillery ammunition was used during the exercise to make it as real as possible in an attempt to accustom the soldiers to what they were about to experience
Slapton Sands (pictured) was the scene of a tragic D-Day rehearsal in 1944
The discovery came after a World War II lookout at Torcross fell into the sea amid extreme weather on the Devon coast.
The second bomb, partially covered by the pebble beach, was pictured on Saturday with a disposal team not yet at the scene.
Bomb disposal experts had been called on Friday while the Coastguard cordoned off the area following the discovery of the anti-tank mine, according to Devon Live.
The nearby Slapton Line road was also severely damaged by the impact of Storm Emma.
Kingsbridge Police posted on Facebook on Friday: ‘The old World War II lookout at Torcross has fallen into the sea. The cliff path is now very unsafe. Please don’t go there.’
The lookout was one of several along the beach which were used in a practice operation, it is reported.
The second bomb, partially covered by the beach, was pictured on Saturday with a disposal team not yet at the scene
The nearby Slapton Line road was also severely damaged by the impact of Storm Emma