i seen a bloke on tv calling the american lst captain a coward at omaha for letting his tanks go too soon,in the heavy swell,and not practically beaching his ships like the canadian and brits did.cant remember his name though.it was on nat geo t.v.yours,lee
Watch the trailer here. BBC - History - Timewatch Video Clips More on the making of the program on the main Timewatch site. BBC - History - Timewatch
UK TV Sunday 6 January BBC2 9pm - 10pm. Timewatch - Bloody Omaha Richard Hammond tells the true story of the D-Day landing at Omaha beach, Normandy in June 1944. Widely regarded as a great success, the landing was very nearly a disaster, with up to 4,000 Allied soldiers perishing within hours. The presenter reveals how a small group of men, ending up in the wrong place at the right time, helped turn tragedy into victory Just thought I'd quote the original programme heads up as I'd completely forgotten that it was on in 2 hours, and perhaps was not alone . Get your sunglasses ready... he may expose his teeth.
Only caught the last few minutes as I have been in London all day; looked good. It is repeated again on BBC2 next Saturday evening.
I watched it, with I must admit a bloody great big lump in my throat And a little tear for the fallen....A sadness that so many men died. But the events followed pretty much all that I posted on page one. The failure to get off the beach...WE should never apportion blame...Ever! They met an onslaught with dead and wounded everywhere, and it shocked them into inaction. IT happens! For me they were our comrades in arms....If I had to point out one fault? it is a good one, and that is the GUNG HO attitude of a younger nation. Sadly that was the last thing they wanted on Omaha..They needed a strong dour stubborn lot determined to get off that beach no matter what. I am not critical....Not me matey. NEVER! But there is the question... of what idiot in the USA planning decided to land in this place anyway? If anyone could have picked a worse place. they would not have found it! Rest in Peace Bonny Lads of Omaha..... Your nation should be proud of you. Sapper
Saw the second half - will watch first half on BBC i-Player. What I saw made me think it was a balanced programme. Steve W.
Exactly what I thought, Brian. If the High Command expected 6000+ casulaties why land there? Then again, 6000 casulaties for a sucessful landing would have been acceptable to other Allies, such as the Soviets.
I thought it rather good; not much (any) TV style 'shouting' and some excellent veteran accounts. Some nice stuff on the Bunker that Sterne Chap's digging up, & I think that's the first time I've seen Steven Zaloga 'in person' too. The section with men of the Rangers being digitally 'Brought forward' from a group photograph & juxtaposed with footage of their graves, alongside commentary from men who were present at their deaths was particularly affecting. There might not have been much new to the affirmatively interested in the subject but my less interested other half thoroughly enjoyed it and felt she learned quite a bit, so that's a successful prime time documentary to my eye. Cheers, Adam.
I thought it was well made. There was quite a few bits in it which really made you realise the sacrafice. That photo of one section of Omaha beach with all the bodies washed up on the tide line. I like what Richard Hammond said at the very end too: That Omaha is a representation of all the beaches. Not because it was the same as, but if ordinary folk remember the name Omaha, they're remembering all the beaches in one. A good show to have on at prime time.
Still annoys me they used the modern Canadian flag when they showed who was at what beach and not the wartime one.
nice link Paul. Can't go through em all tonight, gotta get to bed, but that first one I looked at reminded me: I don't recall Hammond mentioning anything about the D-day tanks sinking, and why they sank and how that could have been an answer to why it was so bloody on Omaha. Just a thought.
Here are some links to it, granted one is Wikipedia, but it is pretty accurate. BBC NEWS | UK | The tanks that didn't land on D-Day 741st Tank Battalion (United States - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
After trying to type this article out for you, and having the system crash TWICE....I'm giving up.....the Article is wrtitten by Williamson Murray, and it names a liason officer from the Pacific theater whose advice was IGNORED....quick quote...references to CORLETT are for the officer Maj.Gen Charles H. 'Pete" Corlett... "Corlett was astonished at the reception he recieved in Europe. None of the senoir commanders who were preparing OVERLORD, especially OMAR BRADLEY, displayed the slightest inclination to learn anything from the amphibious experiances of US forces in the Pacific. Corlett soon discovered that the prevailing attitude was that. "Anything that happened in the Pacific was stricly 'bush league stuff, of little relavence to those who were fighting the big war in Europe. Not only was Corlett alarmed at the LACK OF FIRE SUPPORT for the initial landings, he also warned that planners were considerably underestimating the ammunition allocations required in Normandy.. Vice Admiral Kent Hewitt, the Navy's leading practioner of amphibious warfare in Europe, admitted to Crlett that the army in Europe was six months behind the practices in the Pacific, but that there was nothing he could do to educate it's leaders, given their attitude that they had nothing to learn...." If you want, I will type out exerpts from the article for a THIRD attempt.....but just know that it was BUNGLING that caused all the casualties, a situation SAVED by the mistakes of the Germans AND the heroism of beach officer, leading their men through shot and shell to carry the day...... Richard Hammond and his researchers would not know about this all if this is NEWS to all of YOU GUYS.
There were some good bits, but overall it was really a condensed rehash of earlier BBC programmes on D-Day. I've seen some of those dramatised reconstructions before! It also fell into the annoying habit of modern History documentaries of pretending to be presenting startling new evidence which overturns previous theories. The personal recollections were good, however, and the story was presented clearly.
I'm a great fan of Top Gear style journalism....i will look for anything militaryu these guys have done....regardless, they are good journalists, but they are MOTORING journos, and therefore not as widely read on this subject as some.....at least we know the truth....Hammond's program is, after all, ENTERTAINMENT first, and historical accuracy SECOND.
Remember Richard Hammond was a presenter on this programme; he did not do any of the research, writing or otherwise. I am not even sure he is a journalist in any shape or form; even on Top Gear he and the others are presenters, not writers. In Historical documentaries all that is left to the Director/Producer, Historical advisor(s) and the researchers.
From the sounds of things, they have not looked into to the subject in any great detail at all, simply put forth what everyone accepts and left it at that, calling it "programme finished..."....I wish someone would let ME do a show like that....I certainly would leave no stone unturned in the search for the truth.
