OT; The Longest Day

[dragoon500ly]

Sixty seven years ago today, the largest amphibious landing in history started the final chapter of the history of the Third Reich. It marked the return of the western Allies to occupied Europe and the start of the long, bloody road that would end in a small bunker in Berlin.

To the soldiers, sailors and airmen, the men and women who risked their lives and especially to those who paid the supreme price...may your sacrifice never be forgotten!

[Sanjuro]

Forgive me if this has been posted here before; when you watch the movie The Longest Day; have a look for Richard Todd's character, Major John Howard.
Uniquely among the cast, Todd actually fought on D-Day; while he did not play himself, he was a platoon commander in the airborne unit led by Howard. At one point IIRC he even speaks to a character called "Toddy."

[Mahatatain]

Forgive me if this has been posted here before; when you watch the movie The Longest Day; have a look for Richard Todd's character, Major John Howard.
Uniquely among the cast, Todd actually fought on D-Day; while he did not play himself, he was a platoon commander in the airborne unit led by Howard. At one point IIRC he even speaks to a character called "Toddy."

Just being picky I think that you're very slightly wrong. Major Howard led the glider troops (who were Ox and Bucks Light Infantry) who took the bridges over the Orne river and the Caen Canal and I think that Richard Todd was in the Para unit that landed nearby to support Major Howard's troops. I don't think that therefore (technicaly) that Todd was a platoon commander in the unit led by Howard.

However I'm being seriously picky here and your point is a good one - that must have been very weird making the film the Longest Day - filming those sequences with the central character in that part of the story being played by someone who was actually there!

It's a very good film and the book by Cornelius Ryan is also well worth reading.

To the soldiers, sailors and airmen, the men and women who risked their lives and especially to those who paid the supreme price...may your sacrifice never be forgotten!

Agreed on that - I was telling my wife recently that I plan eventually to take our two young sons on a holiday around Normandy when they're old enough to understand. I remember being taken there as a child by my parents and the cemeteries were particularly impactful. I particularly remember looking round a US cemetery and noticing that some of the graves were marked by Stars of David rather than Crosses and that seemed important to me.

[dragoon500ly]

The sheer size of Overlord still boggles the mind.

The Allies landed the British 6th Airborne and the US 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions on the night of June 5th and then landed the US 1st and 4th Infantry Divisions, two regiments of the 29th Infantry Division, dozens of attached battalions on two beachs and the British landed the 3rd and 50th Divisions, the Canadian 3rd Division, the British 79th Armoured Division as well as supporting brigades and battalions.

The Royal Navy committed 3 battleships, 17 cruisers, 2 monitors, 65 destroyers, 11 frigates, 17 corvettes and 4 sloops.

The United States Navy added 3 battleships, 3 heavy cruisers, 30 destroyers and 2 frigates.

The Free French sent 2 light cruisers, 1 destroyer, 2 corvettes and 4 frigates.

The Free Poles sent a light cruiser and 2 destroyers.

Norway added 3 destroyer, Greece 2 corvettes and Holland sent 2 sloops.
Not to mention 4,126 landing craft and ships, 736 ancillary ships and craft and 864 merchant ships.

An armada the likes of which will never be seen again.

[dragoon500ly]

I collect a wide variety of military history books and manuals. Came across this loadout for D-Day.

The assault battalions did not land their companies in their normal tactical configuration, the shortage of LCVPs required that the boats be loaded to their maximum capacity, regardless of squad/platoon TO&Es. There were two types of loads: The Assault Boat Load and the Support Boat Load.

The Assault Boat Load: 30 men organized as a:
A boat team leader (officer) armed with a M-1 carbine, a M1911A1 pistol and carrying 6 colored smoke grenades, a smoke grenade, a frag grenade and a SCR-537 walkie-talkie.
A rifle team of 5 men. #1 & #2 each armed with a M-1 Garand, 1 smoke grenade, 2 frag grenades and a wirecutter. #3 carrys a M-1 Garand, 1 smoke grenade, 1 frag grenade, a M-7 grenade launcher and 10 smoke rifle grenades. #4 & #5 each with a M-1 Garand, 1 smoke grenade, 1 frag grenade, 1 bangalore torpedo.
A wire cutting team of 4 men, each with a M-1 Garand, 1 smoke grenade, 2 bangalore torpedoes, 2 small wirecutters, 2 large wirecutters.
A BAR team of 4 men, #1 & #3 with a M-1918A2 BAR (13 mags). #2 & #4 each with a M-1 Garand and 13 BAR mags.
A light mortar team of 4 men; #1 with a M-1 Carbine, a M1911A1 pistol, a 60mm mortar sight, cleaning staff, binoculars, compass, flashlight and 12 60mm mortar bombs. #2 with a M1911A1 pistol, the 60mm mortar and 5 mortar bombs. #3 with M-1 Carbine, a M1911A1 pistol and 12 mortar bombs. And #4 with a M-1 Carbine, a M-1911A1 pistol and 12 mortar bombs.
A bazooka team of 4 men; #1 & #3 each with a M-1 Carbine, a M1911A1 pistol, a M-1A1 Bazooka and 8 rockets. #2 & #4 each with a M-1 Garand and 12 bazooka rockets.
A flamethrower team of 2 men; #1 with a M1911A1 pistol, and a M-1 flamethrower. #2 with a M-1 Garand, 4 smoke grenades, 6 frag grenades 5 gallon fuel refill, spare nitrogen tank and a set of wrenches.
A demolitions team of 5 men each with M-1 Garand, 50' of primercord, 4 detonators, 6 blocks of TNT, 7 pack charges, 3 pole charges, 2 fuze lighters, a demo kit with crimpers, knife, tape and cord, 2 frag grenades and 1 smoke grenade.
A assistant boat team leader (NCO) with a M-1 Garand, 2 smoke grenades and 8 frag grenades.

Each man with a M-1 Garand carried 176 rounds (80 in a cartridge belt and 96 in two bandoleers). Each man with a M-1 Carbine had 5 magazines and those with a pistol carried 3 mags.

The Support Boat Team consisted of 30 men, organized as follows;
A boat team leader (officer) with a M-1 Carbine, a M1911A1 pistol, 6 colored smoke grenades, a smoke grenade, a frag grenade and a SCR-536 walkie-talkie.
A rifle team of 5 men. #1, #2 & #3 each with a M-1 Garand, a M-7 grenade launcher, a smoke grenade, a frag grenade, 3 smoke rifle grenades and 12 AT rifle grenades. #4 & #5 each with a M-1 Garand, 2 smoke grenades, 5 frag grenades and a pair of wirecutters.
A machine gun team of 6 men. #1 with a M1911A1 pistol and a tripod. #2 with either a M-1919A4 or a M-1917A1 machine gun and a M-1 carbine. #3 with a M-1 carbine, spare parts box and a 250rd ammo box (and water chest if the M1917A1 is present). #4 & #5 each with a M-1 carbine and 2 250-rd ammo boxes. #6 with a M-1 carbine, 2 250-rd ammo boxes and a pair of binoculars.
A wire cutting team of 4 men; each with a M-1 Garand, a smoke grenade, 2 bangalore torpedoes, 2 small wirecutters and 2 large wirecutters.
A 81mm mortar team of 8 men: #1 with a M-1 carbine, mortar sight, compass, flashlight, sound-powered telephone and 5 mortar bombs. #2 with a M-1 carbine, mortar bipod and a sound-powered telephone. #3 with a M-1 carbine, mortar tube with aiming stakes carried inside it. #4 with the mortar baseplate and a M-1 carbine. #5 with a M-1 carbine, 7 mortar bombs and a wire reel with 400 yards of ammo wire. # 6, #7 & #8, each with a M-1 Garand and 7 mortar bombs.
A demolition team of 5 men, each with a M-1 Garand, 50' primercord, 4 detonators, 6 blocks of TNT, 7 pack charges, 3 pole charges, 2 fuze lighters,a demo kit with crimpers, knife, tape and cord, 2 frag grenades, 1 smoke grenade.
A assistant boat team leader (NCO) with a M-1 Garand, 2 smoke grenades and 8 frag grenades.

Small arms loadout as for the the assault boat team.

In addition, each landing craft carried 6 bandoleers of rifle ammunition, 6 frag and 2 smoke grenades, 1,500 rds of machine gun ammo, 72 rounds of 60mm mortar bombs or 24 rounds of 81mm mortar bombs, 10 bazooka rockets, 2 pole charges, 3 pack charges, 560 rds per BAR and 12 AT rifle grenades. These cases would often have inflated life belts attached to insure that they would float in, just in case the landing craft sank.

Each soldier was also supposed to carry the following:
web waist belt; wool drawers; helmet with liner; 2 handkerchiefs; M1941 field jacket; leggings and service shoes; impregnated wool socks; impregnated flannel shirt; impregnated wool trousers; wool undershirt; M1928 haversack; canteen with cup and cover; spoon; first aid pouch with bandage; ID tags; entrenching tool with cover; cartridge belt and M-1 bayonet for riflemen OR BAR magazine belt and M-3 combat knife OR pistol belt with ammo pouch and M-3 combat knife.
*Note, the Allies were terrifed that the Germans would launch chemical attacks, the outer clothing was impregnated with a anti-mustard gas compound that left the clothing with a white, dusty layer, as well as leaving the wool with a foul smell and with a oily feel.

Each soldier had to have a blanket roll ready to be landed later that day, it contains: 1 pair cotton drawers; 2 handkerchiefs; 1 pair service shoes; 2 pairs wool socks; 1 cotton undershirt; 2 wool blankets; 1 bath towel; 1 suit HBT (either shirt and pants or coveralls); shelter half with pole, rope and 5 stakes; mess kit with fork and knife.

Also carried by each soldier were:
PX rations consisting of 7 packs of cigarettes (or 1/2oz of pipe tobacco); 1 razor blade; 7 packs of gum; 7 boxes of matches.
The M-5 assault gas mask with a tube of prootective ointment; a anti-dim cloth to keep the eyepieces clear; 2 sleeve gas detectors; a 8oz can of shoe impregnite, a individual protective cloth (gas suit); and 2 plastic eyeshields.
A pack of seasickness pills and "2, bags, vomit".
A Armed Forces Service Edition paperback.
Three K-rations and three D-rations.
A inflatable life belt; a raincoat (ponchos were not issued at this time); 4 1/2oz sterno heating units; a bottle of water purificationtablets; 3 pairs of wool socks; 1 pair of impregnated protective socks; a 2oz can of insect powder; 3 prophylactics (condoms); a pilofilm bag (to protect the weapon from sea water and sand); a copy of Eisenhower's message to the troops and 200 francs in invasion currency.

It was estimated that each soldier in the assault waves had to carry between 70-90 pounds of equipment.

And now you know why photos of D-Day often show heaps of equipment, abandoned by the troops......

[Sanjuro]

Absolutely correct Mahatatain; I should have known that posting the lazy simplification would have been spotted here!
Hold until relieved.

[Mahatatain]

Absolutely correct Mahatatain; I should have known that posting the lazy simplification would have been spotted here!

No worries and sorry for being pedantic!

Hold until relieved.

Great quote - I wonder if it was actually said rather than just being a line in the film.....

[95th Rifleman]

"Up the Ox and Bucks!"

It's a shame the Ox and Bucks light infantry got almagamated into the Rifles. Allot of venerable units have lost their identity this way.

[Rainbow Six]

I could be wrong here, but I think Richard Todd was offered the chance to play himself in the film but declined.

Also IIRC Todd's Para Battalion was commanded by a Lieutenant Colonel Pine-Coffin. Quality name!

[Abbott Shaull]

Sixty seven years ago today, the largest amphibious landing in history started the final chapter of the history of the Third Reich. It marked the return of the western Allies to occupied Europe and the start of the long, bloody road that would end in a small bunker in Berlin.

To the soldiers, sailors and airmen, the men and women who risked their lives and especially to those who paid the supreme price...may your sacrifice never be forgotten!

Amen

[Sanjuro]

Just watched the film again- the other great quote is:
Pvt Clough: "You know Flanagan, there are some very peculiar people on this beach!"
Apologies for taking the thread toward the film and away from the real event- the achievement was so great, it still amazes me.

[dragoon500ly]

When I received my medical discharge from the Army, my first civilian boss was a veteran of D-Day. Didn't know it until I was in his office and framed over his desk was a battered piece of paper, Eisenhower's Message to the troops. In faded ink and pencil were the signatures of the men of his platoon. They were part of Company A, 1st Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment of the 1st Infantry Division and they were part of the Third Wave into Omaha Beach.

He never would talk about his experiences on Bloody Omaha, but from research, I found out that his platoon went into action with 45 men assigned to it, by the end of the Longest Day, 21 men were left. By the time the 1st Division broke out of the bocage, there were only 7 men remaining out of thise who had landed on D-Day.

He served with the 1st Infantry Division, somehow remaining untouched until the fighting in the Ardennes, where he lost his left arm. By that time, he was the only man remaining from the D-Day platoon.

Corporal Joe Sheridan died on March 3rd, 2005. Another member of the Greatest Generation reporting for duty Saint Peter; I've served my time in hell!

[ShadoWarrior]

The sheer size of Overlord still boggles the mind.

The Allies landed the British 6th Airborne and the US 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions on the night of June 5th and then landed the US 1st and 4th Infantry Divisions, two regiments of the 29th Infantry Division, dozens of attached battalions on two beachs and the British landed the 3rd and 50th Divisions, the Canadian 3rd Division, the British 79th Armoured Division as well as supporting brigades and battalions.

The Royal Navy committed 3 battleships, 17 cruisers, 2 monitors, 65 destroyers, 11 frigates, 17 corvettes and 4 sloops.

The United States Navy added 3 battleships, 3 heavy cruisers, 30 destroyers and 2 frigates.

The Free French sent 2 light cruisers, 1 destroyer, 2 corvettes and 4 frigates.

The Free Poles sent a light cruiser and 2 destroyers.

Norway added 3 destroyer, Greece 2 corvettes and Holland sent 2 sloops.
Not to mention 4,126 landing craft and ships, 736 ancillary ships and craft and 864 merchant ships.

An armada the likes of which will never be seen again.

Not to lessen the significance of D-Day, but the Battle of Okinawa had a larger battle fleet (1300 ships, including more than 40 aircraft carriers, 18 battleships, and 200 destroyers) and even had more troops (182,000 vs. 175,000 for D-Day). I haven't been able to find a count of landing craft for the 5th fleet, but given the number of troops, it had to be roughly as many as that on D-Day. There were more self-propelled floating objects in the English Channel than at Okinawa (mainly because of all the civilian vessels pressed into service), but the fleet at Okinawa was a hell of a lot more powerful, hard as that may be to comprehend given how big the D-Day fleet was.

The main difference between the two battles is that the Japanese didn't contest the landings, in contrast to how bloody Omaha beach was (and, to a lesser extent, the other four zones). And the D-Day invasion, as you pointed out, represented more nations than just the US and British Commonwealth.

[Legbreaker]

Given the English channel is a bit of a tight area to begin with, I'm guessing that the Allies probably couldn't have fit more vessels in there even if they'd wanted to.
Okinawa on the other hand, being an island and not opposite another entire country, allowed the fleet to spread out a bit more, and slot in a few more ships here and there too. It's probably also worth noting that nearly EVERYTHING had to be carried in the fleet where as on D-Day, vessels could ferry several loads from the UK in a day (all going well).

[Mohoender]

Given the English channel is a bit of a tight area to begin with, I'm guessing that the Allies probably couldn't have fit more vessels in there even if they'd wanted to.
Okinawa on the other hand, being an island and not opposite another entire country, allowed the fleet to spread out a bit more, and slot in a few more ships here and there too. It's probably also worth noting that nearly EVERYTHING had to be carried in the fleet where as on D-Day, vessels could ferry several loads from the UK in a day (all going well).

In fact D-day is only part of the much bigger operation overlord and had involved more than 1.4 million men by mid-july and 2 million by the end of the battle on august 21 (land troops only). On the first day 160.000 men had landed, on the next day they were more than 300.000. At Okinawa, they were 60.000 and a little over 180.000 when the battle ended.

The invasion fleet on D-day was just under 7000 ships and no aircraft carriers. Why would you risk them when the biggest and only unsinkable aircraft carrier was just at hand (UK)

Both incredible military achievements which can hardly be compared except by the bravery common to these men and to those facing them.