Channel 5 – new prog about diving on the Normandy relics

There’s a little museum, just inland from Omaha Beach, that house a few recovered vehicles and other artefacts from the Channel

Moggy

In one of the mags I read they said as the tanks got to the bow they could see the tank in front sinking, but the tanks behind them moving fwd pushed them in, and so it repeated

I’ve just watched it. Very superficial. But as part of the D-Day 70 build – up, it was just about adequate. Good to see and hear the three veterans.

Moggy

Hi All,
To me they try and cram to much into the hour allotted would have made a better documentary in two parts rather than rushing around covering a load of subject matter but hey who am I just the viewer. But it still doesn’t take the enormity of the whole action of 6th June 1944 such a cost of life to all there is a two part D-Day special 3/6 on National Geographic coming up next week so that should make up for the rushed C5 documentary.

Geoff.

But this program shows they just ran off the ramp and sunk…

One account from a British D-Day beach stated that the first Sherman DD off the Landing Craft (Tank)…

…was immediately run-down and sunk by the same Landing Craft (Tank) as it was still moving towards the beach!

Despite the genius of their conception and their success on some of the beaches (and the undoubted courage of their crews), I’d say that a Sherman DD had very marginal freeboard for operating in the English Channel in the conditions prevailing on D-Day.

The distance the Sherman DD tanks were launched from the beach, the tide, the prevailing wind, the orientation of the beach and the orientation of the tanks relative to the direction of the waves were probably all factors but at least with modern GPS locations for each of the sunken tanks the issue of distance from the beach should be beyond doubt. And the great distance from the beach for some of the tanks has been known for many years already.

The sunken tanks were interesting.
In a previous program about the landings (you may have seen, several years ago now) that stated that the tanks were dropped too far from the beach.
The strong tide carried them down the coast and in trying to `point` to the correct heading showed too much side to the current and swamped.
But this program shows they just ran off the ramp and sunk.

All in all I was dissapointed that we didn’t get to see more underwater.

BTW what happened to that chap who was putting together all the photo’s, movies and information on the landings (even down to identifying particular soldiers) into one complete timeline?
Now that would make an interesting program.

I’ll third that…..

Otherwise a pretty run of the mill programme.

I did like the computer generated graphics at the end when they simulated ‘draining’ the English Channel to expose the shipwrecks and sunken ‘DD’ tanks…

Seconded, that water flowing off the ship wreck was stunning and shows how far computer generation has come.

It made the basis for that incredible, single-take tracking shot in The Longest Day. Supposedly Ouisterham, but actually filmed at Port-en-Bessin

Moggy

“One swallow does not a summer make”

About 85,000 British and Canadian soldiers, in one category or another, landed on the three British beaches, Sword, Juno and Gold.

Philippe Kieffer, one of a number of British trained French Commando’s, landed with the specific aim of dealing with various enemy defensive positions that had a potential to impede the Allied advance.

Posted without comment

In the early hours of June 6, 1944, four sticks of 8 paratroopers each belonging to the 3rd Free France battalion led by Bourgoin are dropped over Britanny.

On June 6, 1944, the Free French forces deployed land on Sword Beach and are composed of two troops and a section. There are 177 soldiers (1st Battalion fusilers), plus the captain Philippe Kieffer.

Moggy

Fairly standard documentary, I thought, although I did like the computer generated graphics at the end when they simulated ‘draining’ the English Channel to expose the shipwrecks and sunken ‘DD’ tanks…

…didn’t see any Stirling bombers unfortunately!

One thing that did amuse me: the five D-Day landing beaches have traditionally been marked on maps or graphics with national flags; two American flags, two British flags, and a Canadian flag (between the British flags)…

…did anybody notice that during this documentary that one of the British flags (Sword beach) had been replaced by the French tricolour?!??

A little ‘harmless’ re-writing of history…..for the French viewers, no doubt!