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Ingenious
Inventions
The Germans had control of the French
ports -so any allied assault had to come
through the beaches - to do so a whole new armoury of weapons had to be
invented,
as well as improvised docks and an
undersea petroleum pipeline!
Click above to read
about PLUTO |
Click to read about
Mulberry Harbours |
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THE BOBBIN TANK |
Zoom In |
A Churchill tank designed to unroll
reinforced canvas carpet over soft ground or barbed wire. Once
the whole carpet was laid, the drum was blown off by a small explosive
charge. |
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THE CRAB |
Zoom In |
A modified Sherman tank fitted with
a flail rotor to clear minefields. Complete with wire cutters,
the crab had ability to tear through barbed wire fences. |
| HIGGINS BOAT / LCVP |
Zoom In |
A 36ft-long vessel capable of carrying
a platoon of men with their equipment right to the shore. Equipped
with a waterproof ramp, it allowed troops to exit swiftly under
enemy fire. |
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| THE HORSA GLIDER |
Zoom In |
A wooden, 67ft-long aircraft with no
engine, made mostly of plywood and fabric, stretched over a frame
of steel tubing. |
| Nicknamed airborne coffins,
the gliders silently carried troops to the heavily guarded Caen
and Pegasus bridges to be taken in a surprise raid in the opening
minutes of D-Day. |
| A Horsa pilot recalls training....
'As D Day got nearer, the training intensified but we only actually
went up in a glider once before the actual invasion. We went through
a lot of mock ups on the ground. The reason for this was that
most gliders were usually smashed when they landed, so there was
very little point in ruining a load of gliders just for training
purposes. They might as well wait for the actual invasion. We
had absolutely no experience of landing in water before D Day.
We were taught to get the tail off, or at least the others were
taught to get the tail off, I wasn't listening and so I never
could do that.'
Landing was hazardous, hedgerows, trees, and man made obstacles
could easily rip through the thin skinned craft when encountered
on landings. Due to these conditions, very few gliders returned
to England intact. |
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THE CROCODILE |
Zoom In |
A Churchill tank with a trailer carrying
400 gallons of flame fuel. Its flame-throwing capability created terror
among the German troops. At close range, flames would burst through
any openings, engulfing everything in flames. |
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THE DUKW |
Zoom In |
The DUKW - a 2.5-ton, six-wheel amphibious
truck. It had a hollow airtight body for buoyancy and used a single
propeller for forward momentum. The vehicle was capable of carrying
25 soldiers and their equipment. |
In the Normandy Invasion of 1944, DUKWs ferried weapons,
troops, ammunition, and supplies to the beaches, they played a vital
role in the overall success of the landing. Due to the high seas and
to the overloading of vehicles, a number of accidents occurred.
At Omaha Beach, for instance, the 1st Infantry Division attempted
to deploy its 105-millimetre howitzers, gun crews, ammunition, and
sand bags in DUKWs; 12 of the 13 DUKWs sank.
These accidents caused a considerable loss of life. Still, the
DUKW was a successful amphibious vehicle. |
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