Normandy

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Okay, may be you're gonna throw rocks at me but I must make sure about that...

I read in a book (a long while ago) that some of US casualities at Omaha beach could have been avoided. I read that, before the D-Day landings, British army developped a tank specialy designed for that operation. (You know, the kind of tank who can float on the water... I forgot the English name of it.) They suggested to the US to supply them with the new tank but they refused. Was it true or not, I don't know. I never read about that elsewhere.

But of corse, a lot of them whould still have died because they had the bad luck to land in front of the 352nd German Division that was carrying out a practice counter-attack.
 
EVERYONE THROW THE ROCKS!!!

I think that is kinda true i saw a thing on tv about british designs the americans didnt want and later in the war they noticed they should have used them
 
I think you're referring to the DD tanks Maestro (or duplex drive swimming tanks, part of the now famous Hobarts funnies) they launched I believe 10 of them too far out and due to the extremely poor sea conditions the tide drifted them down the coast.
Instead of going ashore then driving up back to the landing zone they tried to fight against the current this meant they had a beam on sea which folded the screens and swamped them,so they sunk as a result the US troops on Omaha had no Armour for support where as the other landing sites they swam ashore in the first wave as you infer this may have made a big difference in the initial phase of the landings and reduced the casualties considerably.
A few Sherman's would have been very handy on Omaha
 

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No, that's wrong. The British designed the Duplex-Drive (DD), they fitted the device on to the M4 Sherman to be used on D-Day. The U.S forces accepted the tank and used it on Utah beach while the British and Canadians used them on Gold, Juno and Sword.

What happened on Omaha was that the DD Shermans were let out too early. The commanders were too frightened of getting too close so let the DDs out earlier than everyone else, right into the rough currents further out from shore. This caused many to sink or just get dragged away from the Omaha beach.
 
I've also heard it said that the DD tanks were put out too far away from shore. It seems I've heard they were "launched" about 2 to 3 miles from shore and they should have been brought at least a mile closer, but I can't be sure.
 
None of your post, trackend. I'd posted on Maestro's, you obviously got in before me [you git].
 
I was at Normandy in 1993 and I still have fond memories of it...

I remember, while I was still in Electronics school, we went to the local VA (Veterans Administration) and went around the hospital talking with these Vets, and it changed my life... Id been around military people all my life, from my Grandpas side of things in WWII, to my Dads in Nam...

But this was different. These guys were all in different stages of dying, and 3/4's of em just wished that they could have died saving one of his buddies that didnt make it..... I'll admit this because it matters, but i started to cry when one Guy told me how he earned his Silver Star at Normandy, and how he would have given his life just to save 1 more guy....

I get kinda depressed around this time of year, Memorial Day and D Day...... My way of showing grief...

Salute!
 

Oh, well... Thanks for the information. I always thought US refused the "new" tanks.
 
It seems that guilt is a big factor with a lot of these fellas Les.
Guilt that they survived and their mates didn't. Unfortunately death is not selective, neither is luck and assuaging them is not possible.
As a personel foot note I would like to say how pleased I am to see a large number of young fellas on this sight who recognise the meaning of the sacrifice and appauling consequences of war it is on your heads lads to remind the world of the results of going into conflicts its not a video game or Tom Hanks running about on a beach in Irland so many people seem to have trouble deferentiating between fact and fiction these days
So carry the flag for peace and freedom guys its one that millions have died trying too in the past, and are as we speak.
Its to those I turn my thoughts too on days such as this. I am not religious but if there was a god Im sure he would bless the fallen.
 

When I went earlier in the year and we walked around the American cemetary I was on the brink of tears myself...
 
The same holds true for the war memorials. I saw the scale replica of the Vietnam memorial that was travelling around a few years ago. It's like 1/2 or 1/3 scale and still very large. It was a very moving and emotional experience for me.
 
Yes, the war memorials are emotional to some degree, but the cemeteries in Europe particularly so. I've been to a few myself, in the Netherlands and Germany. The added presence of any surviving vets is always moving, no matter what.
If I ever make it to Washington DC, the Vietnam Memorial is high on my list of places to visit.
 
I think the Iwo Jima and WWII memorials in Washington would be the toughest for me. Nam is a toughie too, but Iwo for me is a subject that I got choked up about in my presentation. Tough one for me to get through.
 
the Vietnam memorial definately is a must see only for the fact that this so-called war has not been that long ago and is still too fresh in some of our minds. the traveling mobil is dark and disconcerting the way that it should be. Just looking at the 50,000 or so names is mind numbing enough.

going to Arlington to see the many white crosses from many wars really hits ya in the face and there really isn't anything that you can say once you get first glimpse. Try waling down a row, surrounded by white crosses and you will be changed forever. But so is the usual cold black-grey crosses of a German military Friedhof. Not so much the opposite effect as just the feeling of helplessness...........a terrible feeling I will assure you.

with respect to those that have fallen from both sides

Erich ~
 
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