The 'Outdated' British Monitor That Fired 1,800 Heavy Shells Into German Positions

How did an outdated British monitor become one of the Allies’ most destructive floating artillery platforms? This documentary explores HMS Roberts, a slow but heavily armed Royal Navy warship built specifically to bombard enemy positions during World War II. Roberts could reach only around twelve knots, carried limited armor, and used a twin 15-inch gun turret originally built during the First World War. Yet those enormous battleship-caliber weapons allowed her to deliver devastating shells against coastal batteries, concrete bunkers, artillery positions, and German troops far inland. After supporting Operation Torch, Roberts survived severe bomb damage off North Africa. Repairs returned her to action for the invasions of Sicily and Salerno. On D-Day, she joined Bombardment Force D off Sword Beach and opened fire on German defenses around Houlgate. She continued supporting Allied armies near Caen before later bombarding fortified positions during the assault on Walcheren. Across her wartime campaigns, Roberts reportedly fired approximately 1,800 heavy shells against Axis targets. Discover how shallow draft, remarkable stability, accurate fire control, and two gigantic guns transformed an apparently obsolete monitor into a powerful floating siege battery that followed Allied armies from the Mediterranean to Normandy. #NavalWarfare #WorldWarII #MilitaryHistory