I have never understood why the soldiers in the first groups to go ashore carried 50 kg or more in large bulky back packs. Many were drowned because of the weight of gear they were carrying, not to mention being slowed down, thus giving the uncluttered enemy an immediate advantage. I would have thought that say for the first hour or two the soldiers should have been carrying weapons, ammunition only to give them maximum fighting ability. Once the beach heads were secured, stores(food,tents, extra ammunition etc) could be brought in at a more leisurely pace when the beaches were not under fire. So give the first ashore weapons, ammunition, plus a water bottle. Assuming no injury a man could last at least 3 days without food. So if it had taken longer to secure the beaches than anticipated, starvation would have been the least of their worries. Especially bearing in mind that the troops had been well fed leading up to D-Day. I have a feeling that once off the beaches many did drop their backpacks, to be picked up later should they survive the initial fighting.
The reason why the soldiers of the first wave carried so much weight was because they were told to. Soldiers were loaded with so much junk whether they were in the first wave or D-Day plus three. Standardization! Yes, it would have made sense the first waves in lightly packing, but that is the glory of hindsight. The planners thought all the defenders and defenses would have been knocked out in the pre-invasion aero-bombing and shore barrages, but as was latter learned this was not the case. Had the first wave on ALL beaches been a walk-on, heavy loads would be justified.
Good question this. I've read my Dad's first hand recollection of being part of the first wave on Gold Beach with the 6 Green Howards and, yes, he and all his pals were laden down. Comrade Rufty Hill (see pic) jumped down into a shell hole and was drowned when the LCA surged forward on a wave. But the only food they had were their 48 hour packs, not a major proportion of what they had to carry. They had gas capes and all sorts and anyone who had spare capacity would take some more ammunition. Sappers would be laden with mine clearing equipment. No-one knew how long their supplies would need to last. One outcome could have been that the soldiers would have got inland but the follow up stopped in its tracks. The soldiers needed their strength to fight, so surviving for three days without food would not have been good for them. One thing I certainly learnt from Dad's memoirs was that an army marches on its stomach! And bear in mind most soldiers landed on empty stomachs because they were sick on the sea jorney. Here's a few excerpts from Dad's story to illustrate the comfort the food brought to the troops. I know there are arguments for and against this debate. All things considered I think the planners had it right. " As far as I can recall, our gear consisted of our 303 Lee Enfield rifle or, in my case, a two-inch mortar and six bombs. We all carried, in our equipment pouches, two filled Bren gun magazines (twenty-eight rounds in each) in case there was a hold up in the supply chain, three hand grenades, or ‘Mills’ Bombs’, a bandoleer of fifty rounds of 303 ammunition, an entrenching tool, a filled water bottle, a gas cape and groundsheet, gas mask, a full small pack and our webbing equipment, plus bayonet and steel helmet. Section leaders carried a Sten gun. We never travelled far without our small pack on our back; it contained a change of clothes and personal things. If anybody had spare capacity, more ammunition was carried because nobody was certain how things would go once we had landed and we were moving into uncharted waters against a formidable enemy. The troops arrived at Gold beach ... Jumping off the ramp we went into waist-deep water, struggling to keep our feet. We waded through the water looking for mined obstacles, holding rifles above our heads. I was trying to keep a very cumbersome two-inch mortar and bombs dry as well as making certain I didn’t drop it, as I was now carrying it as opposed to it being fastened to my equipment. It was impossible for me to keep the mortar dry but the six bombs would be OK in their sealed container. Some of the lads were shot as they jumped. Two of the lads were a bit unfortunate because as they jumped into the boiling water the craft surged forward on a wave and they fell into the sea. I dare say they would fight like hell and recover but we were not hanging about, that had been our instructions from the start; we must not linger. Later in the day after the soldiers had fought their way inland, they took a break … We just sat around in twos and threes, talking, almost whispering, about any of our special pals who had been killed, but did not dwell on the subject of death very long. We dug down into our small packs for something to eat (apart from chocolate and Horlicks tablets we had not eaten since 0400 hrs, eighteen hours ago, a period of time during which a great deal had happened in our young lives). Yes, and dare I say it, a great deal of torment yet to come. We would have to wait and see. Tomorrow was another day and the enemy, knowing where we were, would not give up so easily. What we had for our meal was a can of ready meal. It was marvellous to us in those days. Just pull a ring, wait a short while and the can heated itself. We had never seen anything like it before, not even during the rehearsals for this day. The drizzle had stopped during the afternoon and although we had been very wet we had now dried out and the activity of the day demanded that we try to get some sleep. Whether our restless thoughts would let us, we would have to see, apart from which, the odd shell kept coming across. Taking our ground sheet from our pack, we spread it out then, using our pack as a pillow, covered ourselves with the gas cape – no chance of a blanket. Since we had had very little sleep for three nights we should really have slept, but it still wouldn’t come. The day’s events, the horrors, the sadness, the things we had seen, kept us awake until we were called to go on guard. That was how I saw D-Day, and I had survived to fight another day. " Click here to read more about Rufty Hill http://bit.ly/Ofv22w Click here to learn more about Dad's war. http://www.fightingthrough.co.uk/
Training Blackpool Sands Nr Dartmouth 1944: http://www.criticalpast.com/video/6...nding_practice-landing_Landing-Craft-Vehicles No weapons or fighting order.
Wow - awesome. Many thanks indeed. Dad trained likewise at Inverness and Studland Bay amongst others as well as doing the real thing at Sicily. Paul
Beach Assaults -Combined Operations Experimental Establishment Westward Ho -1942 (Armour): https://archive.org/details/BeachObstacles http://www.criticalpast.com/video/6...k_Churchill-tank_concrete-wall_Carrot-charger
Some good clips here - Hobarts Funnies have long fascinated me. Here's a passage from Dad's book where he first meets some: He's in a tent receiving a pre-invasion briefing when they hear a noise outside: "Overhanging trees forming an archway covered the road, which ran a matter of fifteen yards from our tent, and there was a six-foot grass verge. As far as the eye could see, armoured vehicles, trucks and guns of all sizes were parking on the grass verge, nose-to-tail on both sides of the road. It was a most incredible sight and we had never seen anything like it. There were hundreds of fifteen-hundredweight trucks, three-tonners, twenty-five pounders, anti-tank guns and many other weapons of war. But the most impressive sight was the tanks – tanks we never knew existed – and at that time we did not know what their role in war would be. We soon found out. They were to be known as ‘Hobart’s Armour’, named after the warfare expert Percy Hobart, who invented them. Today, all these new ideas are common knowledge but in 1944 the lads couldn’t stop talking about what we were seeing. It was something we would never see again.The armour continued to build up and there were tanks with flame throwers on the front of them; tanks with revolving chains (flails) on a drum on the front to beat the ground and explode mines; tanks which could lay a matting in front of them to go over soft sand and over soft banks. They looked so incongruous, having their exhausts high in the air and the engines waterproofed so they could travel through water. All these vehicles were to land on the first day and needed to be so equipped until we had a port. This must have been a monumental task.
More on Hobart's Funnies on D Day. The diary of a Captain in the 22nd Dragoons on Sword Beach June 6th, 1944. D DAY Reveille 05.00hrs Troops still very sick and much too ill to feel excited. It was quite an effort to get them on their feet, and none desired break¬fast. Dry land dead or alive seemed to be all that mattered. 0630 hrs. H.M.S. Rodney and accompanying Cruisers, Destroyers and Rocket Ships open fire off French Coast. Some rockets fall short and hit L.C.T.s. 0700 hrs. We are looking for our gapping places through glasses. Houses on the sea front seem untouched by aircraft bombing and naval shells. There is ominous yellow stillness the whole length of the shore. Enemy coastal batteries now open on us, several L.C.T.s are hit and we pass one destroyer sinking. The L.S.T.s have put down their L.C.A.s and the infantry are heading for the shore in there; The seas are heavy and toss them about like corks. The noise is terrific. 0710 hrs. The D.D.s are floated, but owing to rough seas one by one they sink. We then realise it will depend on the flails to give the close support fire. We get into our tanks and seal down the hatches. 0720 hrs. The L.C.T.s go full speed ahead and it is a race for the shore. We land at 07.25 hrs and the impact nearly shoots the tanks through the doors. The flails stream out in 3 feet of water, followed by the A.V.R.E.s. We are met by terrific shell, mortar and 88mm and 75 AP and small arms fire at 300 yds range. The L.C.T. with our C.O. Lt. Col. Cocks, 5th A.R.E., is hit and the bangalores go up. Leading flail on the ship manages to get off, but Cpl Brotherton is killed, and crew wounded of the second, and also Lt. Col. Cocks killed. (Queen, White, Robertson). Several tanks are hit as the landing craft doors go down. Mines sighted on top of the wooden beach obstacles. We go as far as possible in the water to be able to use our guns effectively, and then open fire on concrete gun emplacements, houses and dug-in in¬fantry. Tanks are brewing up right and left. We then proceed flailing our gaps, but no mines are encountered so speed up, and get within 50 yds of our gapping places, and open fire right into the slots of gun emplacements. One flail tank strikes a sunken obstacle with a mine on it and the bottom is blown in, Cpl Snowsill's sinks. Lt Robertson's has a direct hit on the flailâs arms , break¬ing them off. Lt Allen has 3 88mm AP straight through into the turret, and all but Cpl Pummall are killed. Wounded and burnt Pummall succeeds in getting into the sea, and is picked up by a L.C.A. Cpl Agnew's tank has 3 AP through the engine, and brews up. Tpr Jennings is wounded in getting the hatch undone. An 88 mm AP goes straight into the front of Sgt Cochrane's tank killing the operator Tpr Kemp, and wounding Sgt Cochrane, Tpr Mackinnon. Some flails now start gapping and the East Yorks and the S. Lancs are now streaming up the beach covered by fire from the beach clearing flails. The AVREs follow the flails and the bridging AVREs dropped their bridges, the crews jump out to make them fast and in doing so are killed, or wounded, and the tanks receive direct hits, and are brewed up. German soldiers rush from the houses shouting and firing ,as they come and soon the beach is strewn with the dead and wounded, of our own and enemy troops. The beach clearance flails are now waiting for the 629 R.E.s to assist them in clearing the beach. Capt Wheway and Lt Sadler get out of their tanks and attempt to contact them. Shells and mortars are falling thick and fast, but no one realises the danger of them until Tpr Hogg is killed by his tank. A Lt. of 629 is eventually found and he states he is the only officer left, and their casualties are so heavy they cannot assist us, so clearance flails proceed up the beach and commence gapping defences wherever they can to clear the congestion on the beach. Sgt Turner and Cpl Aird returned to the beach after having successfully made their gaps and flailed their laterals, and small arms and shell fire is still intense, and both Sgt Turner and Cpl Aird are killed by sniper's bullets. After 2 hrs fierce fighting enemy resistance is wiped out, and the lanes are made, and the laterals are clear, and the surviving flails are back on the shore. We gather these between 2 houses where there are numerous weapon trenches and tunnels running under the houses, and on searching these got 20 P.W. s, some from under the tanks. H +3 ½ 27th Armd Bde ( 2 Sqns 13/18th, Staffs Yeo, E.R.Y) with Maj Clifford and Capt Barraclough landed, also S.P.s, R.A.M.C., and the Suffolks, Lincolns, R.U.R.s and K.O.S.B.s. The beach is now only 25 yds wide with high tide and the congestion is terrific, and the flail crews were kept busy keeping the lanes clear and directing the landing troops on to the centre line. The whole area is still being heavily shelled and mortared from enemy positions 2 miles inland. By this time the armour is fighting its way forward with the infantry, and at H + 5 the beaches are reasonably clear with the exception of burnt out tanks and wreckage. Available flails are gathered together, and proceed with the ERY and flail the assembly area. Only 11 out of 26 flails are fit to go on. We are then warned by Commando's officer that 300yds up the road is an anti-tank gun which has already knocked out 4 AVREs and that his Coy is withdrawing having nearly been wiped out. It is impossible to get tanks into a position to get at this gun because of large minefields and houses. We then forked left through assembly area and contacted Brigadier Prior-Palmer, 27 Armd Bde, to assist in going forward with 13/18th to take over from 6th Airborne on the Ouistreham canal. This was not possible as fierce fighting was taking place round Hermanville. We were told to take up positions and be prepared to fight to the last. Snipers were very active and Spandau bursts from the left flank kept us well under cover. As dusk falls we go into close harbour with 1 Coy of Lincolns between us and the enemy on our right flank, the left flank being an unknown quantity. It was not until 5 days later the village on our right was cleared by 51st H.D. We hold a check on our casualties and find we have 5 tanks knocked out, 5 missing, and 5 still on the beach under Lt. Mundy, who was still being troubled with snipers and was attempting to get his tanks going again, some having assemblies blown off and some with tracks broken. That night they were heavily bombed by the enemy aircraft and having set up AA posts gave good accounts of themselves. Killed - 9, wounded - 8, missing - 25. Enemy guns knocked out 10 x 75 and 88 mm, 2 x 50 mm. Gen. Rennie 3rd Brit. Div. Commander congratulated the flails on the magnificent show they had put up and stated that if it had not been for them he doubted if the landing would have succeeded on this strongly held front, which was so vital to the whole operation, being the strongly held left flank. Meanwhile the AVREs had distinguished themselves and with ll tanks 79 Sqn succeeded in getting the bridge at Ouistreham. 77 Sqn also successfully battling forward with only 4 tanks left. Their casualties were extremely heavy, somewhere in the region of 70% tanks and 60% personnel; they were extremely brave men.
For anyone interested in the British Armour schools, driving, gunnery,signals experimental etc: As at July 1944 Page 2805 other for AFV etc Tank Design Department Page 2879........ - Army List Part II July 1944: https://archive.org/stream/armylistjulpart21944gre#page/1052/mode/2up
