June 6: A walk across a beach in Normandy

American Digest ^ | 6 June 2021 | Vanderleun

[Eric in the Ozarks]

One of my favorites...

[mad_as_he$$]

Good piece. One nit. "The landing craft, vehicle, personnel (LCVP) or Higgins boat was a landing craft used extensively in amphibious landings in World War II. Typically constructed from plywood, this shallow-draft, barge-like boat could ferry a roughly platoon-sized complement of 36 men to shore at 9 knots (17 km/h). Men generally entered the boat by climbing down a cargo net hung from the side of their troop transport; they exited by charging down the boat's lowered bow ramp."

From wiki.

I added emphasis.

A family friend got wounded from flying pieces of plywood.

[The Truth Will Make You Free]

It wasn’t “broad daylight”, but daybreak in the middle of an intense storm. It was a complete plan. For example, paratroopers dropped in early to take out coastal defenses. Deception to convince Germans landing would be elsewhere. When the landing began, they thought it was a decoy. The storm was God’s help. German weather boats had been sunk and their station in Newfoundland stopped working. They couldn’t see the break in the storm, but the Allies could. Consequently many German commanders were off with mistresses, family, or elsewhere. Hitler had given orders not to move tanks without his command and also had given orders on June 5 not to awaken him for any reason. Some soldiers were conscripts from occupied territories who readily surrendered. Victory was by no means certain. Eisenhower has pre-written 2 announcements: one for success, one for failure.