Hi everybody....

Today is 5th June!This year I will not go to Normandy as last years, but nevertheless I am thinking to do the trip in September.

Well I am reading "Dawn of D-Day" and I am estonish by a sentence of the author. He says more or less that if Omaha Beach turns to a disaster is because the English intelligence Corp did not give information about the obstacles and mines on Omaha Beach.... I am dreaming???

Comet

Hello Comet: You are correct. The landing obstacles were mostly intact. Combat Engineers had to use satchel charges and bangalore Torpedos in order to get through the beach obstacles. Apparently, the bombings and navy artillery failed to "clean" the beaches.

Intelligence services in the military mostly were fould-up.

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Lost are only those, who abandon themselves) Hans-Ulrich Rudel.

Hello Comet,
Just found this site today and so I've registered, in a late addition to this issue I have also read that the large numbers of US casualties were in part due to their refusal to accept any of Hobart's 'funnies'.

Hello Gary and welcome aboard.

Quick question.

Hobarts funnies? can you please let me know more on this as I had not heard that term for him before. Unless of coarse, you are meaning that he was somewhat of a foul-up oas a divisional Commander--in which case, I have to agree. He was too cautious like Gen Lucas, but at times--too audacious, like Patton, only Hobart was'nt in Pattons catagory as a commander.

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Lost are only those, who abandon themselves) Hans-Ulrich Rudel.

He's talking about scratch built engineering vehicles= Hobarts funny's IIRC

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It's a sick, sick world. I'm a happy man.

Thanks for this info Tally but I was talking about Brig Gen Matthew Hobart, who was a loser of a commander and who I mistakenly thought that he was talking about.

Come to think of it, I am wrong in what theatre he was in, he was in the CBI theatre for a very short time and was sacked. Thats what they get when they put an Artillery officer in charge of Infantry troops.

[ 17 January 2002: Message edited by: C.Evans ]</p>

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Lost are only those, who abandon themselves) Hans-Ulrich Rudel.

Carl,

Gary is talking about the British General Percy Hobart who designed a number of different Tanks such as the Flail,the Crocodile etc all of which were intended to help the Allies get off the beaches in the quickest possible time.They cleared the minefields and lay matting over the sand and obstacles so vehicles and men could move faster.
Because of there strange design they were known as Hobart's Funnies!!

They were used on the British beaches and were very successful.For some reason the Americans chose not to use them i don't know why.Certainly some historians feel that had they been used at Omaha they would have probably helped to clear the beach faster and hopefully have cut down on some of the casualties.

Bad news about Heinz Heuer mate,

Paul

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Nikto ne Zabyt . Nichto ne Zabyto.

Let no one forget . Let nothing be forgotten.

OK, my first post here. No Aussie flag icon?!

Omaha was always going to be a tough one. You can talk about obstacles, intelligence, green troops, AFV's and whatever, but the planners knew that Omaha was likely to generate the most casualties since it was the most obvious and mandatory landing place and therefore heavily defended.

Despite the losses at Omaha, overall casualties were still less than had been predicted.

The Americans refusing to use things like the AVREs and also, critically, the Firefly, seemed to stem from a bit of cultural snobbery. Perhaps the Americans felt that the Brits were too ready to rely on fiddly technology rather than on raw courage and a go-get-'em attitude. Ironic considering the importance placed on technology in the US forces these days.

Glad to "see" you here, and I think Peppy is the one who creates the flag icons. If you stick around here for awhile--there is going to be a Knight Cross Recipients photo page that the webmaster will be posting here starting with about 50 photos. Plus some other surprises....

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Lost are only those, who abandon themselves) Hans-Ulrich Rudel.

Double thumbs up !

yes, YeS, YES !!!!

, ok another one then



E

D Day was one of the most important days in military history, but it was a day full of errors in both sides. The errors in the German side could explain why did they lose, but the allied errors resulted in many cases better than the original plans. By example:

The 101st airborne division fell all over the place, except where it was supossed to. But that made the Germans believe that they were thousands and thousands of paratroopers instead of a few like they were.

I have to go now, I will continue later...

Landing carfts in Utah beach did not ashore where they where ordered to, instead of that, the troops came ashore on a less defended sector.

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"War is less costly than servitude, the choice is always between Verdun and Dachau." - Jean Dutourd, French veteran of both world wars

"A mon fils: depuis que tes yeux sont fermes les miens n’ont cessé de pleurir." - Mère française, Verdun

#bump#
Following on the errors of military intelligence-all we need do is look at a very notable and funny comment in the Vietnam War flick "Hamburger Hill":-

"Yeah, well military intelligence could f**k up a wet dream".....HEHEHEHEHE

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"GARRY OWEN"-Traditional war-cry of the US 7th Cavalry.
"CURRAHEE"-War-cry of the US 506th PIR.
"Everybody thinks that they are going to get the chance to punch some Nazi in the face at Normandy-and those days are over, they are long gone"-Lt Chris Burnett

That's a disgusting but thruth comment! And let me tell you: German intelligence in WWII was not good either? Why do fools serve in one of the most important barnches of service in a country's armed forces?

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"War is less costly than servitude, the choice is always between Verdun and Dachau." - Jean Dutourd, French veteran of both world wars

"A mon fils: depuis que tes yeux sont fermes les miens n’ont cessé de pleurir." - Mère française, Verdun

It's always the way-I think a universal belief of many was that military intelligence was so unreliable because those Intelligence officers do not have to face the dangers of frontline action and couldnt be bothered to double check---

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"GARRY OWEN"-Traditional war-cry of the US 7th Cavalry.
"CURRAHEE"-War-cry of the US 506th PIR.
"Everybody thinks that they are going to get the chance to punch some Nazi in the face at Normandy-and those days are over, they are long gone"-Lt Chris Burnett