The Most Dangerous Job on D-Day?

Discussion in 'NW Europe' started by Drew5233, Jan 10, 2009.

  1. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    Landing Craft Obstruction Clearance Units.

    The ‘LCOCUs’
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    were a vital part of the D-Day invasion forces in Normandy. Four Royal Navy and six Royal Marines units and Royal Engineers comprising 120 divers wore newly developed neoprene suits with 'blast proof' kapok jackets underneath, helmets, breathing apparatus and fins. They laid the foundations for the Very Shallow Water (VSW) and beach clearance techniques in use today. Those remaining after the war were eventually incorporated into the Clearance Diving Branch.
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    Able Seaman FL Henson
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    was with LCOCU - He trained at HMS Appledore to remove underwater mines and beach obstacles prior to D-Day. Very hazardous work. Landed with Canadians at NanGreen Sector, Juno Beach.

    Divers at HMS Appledore.
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    Armed with parcels of TNT, they would be the first to land , to be faced with fire from enemy emplacements as well as the bombardments from friendly forces. The men of the LCOCU's referred to themselves as the 'suicde squads'. Sometimes approaching the beaches in rubber dinghies or with rebreathers. One of the men said, 'it was the toughest job we ever had. Some of our plans went just as scheduled and others all went screwy. For instance, we were a little late getting in and the water was higher than we expected. We had to work with water upto our necks, sometimes higher. Then there were the snipers. They were nipping us off as I was working with two blokes on a tough bit of element, when suddenly I found myself working alone. My two pals just gurgled and disappeared under water.'
     
  2. Paul Reed

    Paul Reed Ubique

    I think Assault Engineers landing in the first wave and clearing mines on the beach must also count pretty highly in 'tough' D Day jobs.
     
  3. Passchendaele_Baby

    Passchendaele_Baby Grandads Little Girl

    very interesting, thanks!
    some of my grandads mates were in Normandy, he told me bout them b4 he died.
     
  4. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    Paul I struggled to find much info on this unit but I do believe they had Royal Engineers in the unit along with Royal Marines.

    Not only were they tasked to clear obstacles but I believe they did clear paths through mines on the beaches too.

    Cheers
    Andy
     
  5. Elven6

    Elven6 Discharged

    Interesting, it's really a toss up for me between the "first wave" who leave the landing craft, I'd like to meet the person who thought it was a good idea cramming people into a rectangular box and having them run out in front of fresh gun fire.
     
  6. Gerard

    Gerard Seelow/Prora

    first line of defence on the beaches cant have been a cushy number if u were a german.
     
  7. militarycross

    militarycross Very Senior Member

    One of my friends was the fellow on LCI(L)305 who lowered the stairway, ran on to the beach with a spike attatched to the cable going back to the ship, and drove it into the sand so the landing force could use the cable to balance while they went ashore. He did this three times on D-Day - armed only with a hammer.
     
  8. sapper

    sapper WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    The first wave in were the Royal Engineers.
    Sapper
     
  9. sapper

    sapper WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    For me Drew had it absolutely right.The Sappers that were given the task of removing the beach explosive obstacles in full view of the enemy. They continued to do that job. Even when the tide rose and they were swimming in amongst the obstacles. Quite a few drowned but still carried on. Greater love hath no man....

    It was because of the heroics of men like that. It was those sappers that made the Sword Beach was the success that it was....Yet still by far the most heavily defended area on the whole invasion coast.
    Sapper
     
  10. sapper

    sapper WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    My company were tasked with making a mine free tracks off the beach, to the road beyond. And to remove anything that stood in the way. Nothing was to be allowed to hold us up.....Nor did they.
    To that end. The three teams of 246 Field Company RE gave been given a write up and entry in the official history of the Royal Engineers.

    We had Three highly trained mine clearing teams and demolition teams. Armed with Beehive explosive charges to remove concrete gun positions. On Queen white where the East Yorks were to land and on Queen Red for the South lancs to land.

    The white rose of York and the Red rose of lancashire.

    It can be claimed that the efforts of my Companies officers and sappers had the most influence on that assault.
    sapper
     
  11. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    Interesting, it's really a toss up for me between the "first wave" who leave the landing craft, I'd like to meet the person who thought it was a good idea cramming people into a rectangular box and having them run out in front of fresh gun fire.

    So are you saying that's a bad idea?
    How else are you going to get troops ashore?
    Any attack is going to have someone resisting it.
     
  12. plant-pilot

    plant-pilot Senior Member

    So are you saying that's a bad idea?
    How else are you going to get troops ashore?
    Any attack is going to have someone resisting it.

    Exactly, the only alternative to flat bottomed, front opening assault landing craft, is to have center keel boats unable to get right into the beach unloading troops over the side so they have to jump over the side and wade slowly up to the beach.

    Now that does sound like a much better idea doesn't it? Unless you mean there shouldn't have been an amphibious assault at all as too many would be killed and injured? Nature of the game I'm afraid.... not that it was at all a 'game'.
     
  13. Gerard

    Gerard Seelow/Prora

    Interesting, it's really a toss up for me between the "first wave" who leave the landing craft, I'd like to meet the person who thought it was a good idea cramming people into a rectangular box and having them run out in front of fresh gun fire.
    I cant see any other alternative method of delivery. At some point a beach would have to be assaulted and it is a tribute to the men coming off those landing craft that D-Day was such a success. Their sacrifices and courage ensured that the western forces established a foothold in Northern France that was never relinquished.
     
  14. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    They same method is used today so it can't be that bad or someone would have invented something else to replace it :)

    Cheers
    Andy
     
  15. Elven6

    Elven6 Discharged

    Should have clarified a bit, I believe it was the "Assault" team I was mentioned in my original post.

    Unfortunately, a "bad idea" is at times your only alternative, I personally attribute the assault vehicles used in the landings to the slaughter that was Somme in WWI. I realize it was the only way to get the job done and was necessary, shame the casualties attributed with it which kind pales in comparison to the grand scheme I suppose.

    Andy, I'm sure many have tried to make something better like they would in all industries, you never realize there's something better until it's here.
     
  16. plant-pilot

    plant-pilot Senior Member

    There has actually been a more recent and somewhat different idea to the problem of an amphibious assault. The American AAV (Amphibious Assault Vehicle) and it's variants. They are amphibious armoured carriers in which the marines embark on the ship and they are driven into the sea and 'swim' to the shore, drive up the beach and then disembark their infantry cargo out of rear doors. The AAVs can then act as cover and give machine gun support to the assaulting troops.

    Sounds a bit better than small landing craft and is a much improved implementation of the WW2 Buffalo vehicle more commonly used in the Pacific theater. It does have some 'issues' though. They are very slow and vunerable when in the water. They have a very limited ammount of armour protection. There is still no armour support until larger conventional assault craft deliver them to the berach.

    They were used by the Argentinians taking the Falklands in 1982 and were all returned to the mainland before the British returned. They were used in both Gulf Wars but in the, second when it met more resistance, was found to provide very little protection from RPGs when compared to even the Bradley. They have never had to make a 'hot' opposed assault. Despite this technological advance conventional landing craft seem to remain the most common method of assault. It may not be ideal, but it has been used and proven to work.
     
  17. Smudger Jnr

    Smudger Jnr Our Man in Berlin

    Interesting, it's really a toss up for me between the "first wave" who leave the landing craft, I'd like to meet the person who thought it was a good idea cramming people into a rectangular box and having them run out in front of fresh gun fire.

    The Americans brought out the LVT2 I believe in 1942 and it was later called the water Buffalo.
    It was tracked with scoops moulded into the tracks to propel it through the water straight onto and up the beach.

    There was a ramp at the rear to avoid direct fire into the soldiers decamping.

    I seem to believe that as well as the Pacific they were used on the Rhine, but I have not read or seen any picture of their use in the Normandy Landings.

    It would be interesting to hear from someone who knows more about this amphibious vehicle.

    Regards
    Tom
     
  18. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

  19. sapper

    sapper WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Bear with me If I posted this before.....It still stands a second reading. later I hope to post the full landing plan to see If my company could be considered the most dangerous job?

    Lay this idea to rest!
    For many years it was claimed that we had it easy on Sword Beach, not true, the following from one of the assault ships log, lays this misinformation to rest, what follows later, is Stan Hough’s record taken from the log of one of the ships that carried the Assault craft. Princess Astrid. Bless her! She hit a mine in the channel after the war and sunk! The Princess lost 4 out of her 8 Assault landing craft. Princess Charlotte lost 7 out of 8. MV Victoria lost 5 out of 6. Prince Henry lost 5 out of 8. Finally Prince David lost all 8. On reflection, the loss of 29 Assault craft out of a total of 38 with only 9 saved, hardly bears out the idea of an "Easy landing" But, such is the power of propaganda that these myths are assumed to be true and become fixed as part of the Legend of D Day.
    The Company landed on "Sword" queen red and queen white sectors as part of leading Eighth Brigade, with the three Assault teams armed with Beehives 36lb explosive charges, designed to blow up concrete Enemy strong points and with flame throwers to burn those out we could not blow up. For these three highly trained teams, their role was crucial in opening up the beach exits, (due to the wind and rising tide the beach area was shrinking all the while). Nothing, was to be allowed to stand in the way, nor did they, all the tasks were completed successfully. The next task was to open up a route forward to the little town of Hermanville. This was accomplished and this allowed other units to pass through and advance.
     
  20. Tomcat

    Tomcat Junior Member

    Interesting, it's really a toss up for me between the "first wave" who leave the landing craft, I'd like to meet the person who thought it was a good idea cramming people into a rectangular box and having them run out in front of fresh gun fire.


    Would that not be Andrew Higgins? The designer and manufacture of the Higgins assault boat. He himself even admitted that the design was flawed in that the frontal dropping ramp created a bottleneck even after he saw the Japanese design.



    Having said that you are like 50 years to late:D
     

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