Hands Oh History Lesson

[Flannery]

Even after School is out I will be in St. Joesph's, Michigan at a WWII public battle. It's a Beach Landing event with two battles. A Pacific theater landing, and a Normandy landing. This isn't a just a beach type battle where we start at the water's edge. No, the United States Navy brings in actual Landing Crafts for us to board and we storm the beach. We step off in about 3 feet of water, much like Normandy was. Actual WWII Uniform and Weapons. Yes, they go all out.

I leave early Thursday, and will be back Monday.

Oh yes, there will be pictures. I promise you that.

[Mitera Nikkou]

Sounds interesting, and I hope to see the pictures.

Reminds me of something that's come to mind a few times... Why did they not try an aerial assault on Normandy before landing there?

[Gee-chan]

I've been to those beaches. You can't imagine how far it would have seemed for those troops. We went at high tide and it was still really really far, at the low tide they landed at it must have been half a kilometer at the least, with a heavy pack, under machine gun fire. The film Saving Private Ryan does not exaggerate in the slightest.

[Shadell]

Sounds interesting, and I hope to see the pictures.

Reminds me of something that's come to mind a few times... Why did they not try an aerial assault on Normandy before landing there?

If I'm correct in my recollections (Though, it's been a while since I discussed this.)

A large part of the plan relied on misdirection and speed. There were enemies there, if Germany had time to send reinforcements before ground could be secured it would have been a horrible loss. Hence every second counted.

If the Germans had reacted more swiftly then they did (The circumstances made them believe a landing was impossible on the date it happened.) then the Allies would have been routed.

[Mitera Nikkou]

Right. But that doesn't explain why they didn't use an aerial assault to start with. Are you saying that the carriers would have been too slow in getting there? That doesn't sound right. It just seems like less people would have been like fish in barrels to the Germans if they had tried to bomb the enemy's advantageous position first, and perhaps put a hole in their defense where they could have breached said defense faster and end the slaughter much sooner.

Haste makes waste, is what I say, and this strategy sounds like such a case. Speed is no excuse because manpower is just as important and we senselessly lost a lot of people on that day. That's my opinion, anyway.

[Selena Aninikkou]

Yes, the Normandy assault was meant to be a surprise; the Allies intentionally leaked a few secret documents to the Nazis stating that they were going to hit another place along the French coastline HARD, so the Nazi army was pulled back to await that attack, which never came (obviously because the intelligence was a complete lie meant to make them think that). An aerial attack likely would have thrown this off.

[Flannery]

Sounds interesting, and I hope to see the pictures.

Reminds me of something that's come to mind a few times... Why did they not try an aerial assault on Normandy before landing there?

Like dropping Paratroopers or sending in Glider infantry?

That is suicide.

First: The English Channel's unpredictable weather. Chances are, most if not all of your airborne troopers will either land in the drink or will over shoot there drop point.

Second: The Atlantic wall. The men watching this wall are battle harden Easter front vets. They have machine guns, anti aircraft, flak guns, and everything else they can throw at them. They will be mowed down before they hit the sand.

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On a different note, here are some photos of us in Milwaukee.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2 ... 1012638716

This is my CO's facebook and his pictures. The German stuff is mine.

[Gee-chan]

I can vouch for the weather here. What do you think kept Ceaser out for so long? It has always been Britain's best natural defence.

[Mitera Nikkou]

Selena:

How would an aerial attack compromise the strategy? Either way you're moving people around, and an attack is an attack no matter which vehicle of transport is used. If the soldiers who landed there got there as planned, then I find it hard to see how they could not have also preceded the landings a moment before by carpeting that which they intended to breach the defenses of with bombs. Swoop in at least a few bombers in, from one side of the beach to the other, rather than from the sea and inland; would have ripped through some of the line that the Germans were holding on the beach. You know, the ones that gleefully waited while the sitting ducks raced into enemy fire?

Flannery:

Not people. Explained above.

Gitskreig:

Ceaser, as in ancient Rome? Oh, I wouldn't say that it took them too long to get into Britain. I know you're probably joking about the weather, but I'm sure that the weather wasn't the problem. ;p

[Gee-chan]

Actually, Julius Caesar, on his first attempt to invade Britain, was caught in a storm on the channel and lost most of his fleet. When he finally got there the remnants of the roman force were quickly driven off by the celts. He gave up after that. It wasn't until one of the later Caesars that we were occupied.

[Mitera Nikkou]

Ah, I see.

I'm liking this history lesson.

[Shadell]

They did use paratrooopers (Who took heavy casualties)

And their were air-raids. Landing at all, and securing ground, required that the enemy didn't realize they were there. A fact of vital importance was that the paratroopers, who were used to mark the way for further troops to come, got in, largely undetected.

They did predate the beach landings with artillery fire from the ships.

[Flannery]

They bombed the hell out of the Atlantic wall years before the landings took place. The Problem was simple. The Nazi's knew how to build! You should see some of the pictures of the bunkers still left over from Normandy. Concrete that is 12 feet thick in some areas, and not to mention steel reinforced. The Navy shot 16 inch shells that were almost 1000 pounds, and full of explosives. They did diddly squat!

On D-Day The US, British, Free French, and Canadians had complete Air Superiority. And from that moment on, held it threw the rest of the war. They did several bombing runs on the beaches all night long before the landings. Now. Of the entire German Luftwaffe in France, there were only 2 pilots who could fly and help the defend the beaches. That's it. 2 guys. They flew a staffing run over Gold, Juno, and Sword beaches. One of those pilots was shot down later in the war, the other is still around I believe.

[Mitera Nikkou]

I think I'm beginning to understand. It's amazing the kind of defenses that can be used to such great effectiveness.

[Shadell]

And the amazing defenses that can fail completely and utterly.

*Cough* Maginot Line *cough*