09-07-2023, 04:54 PM
The landings started at 6:30 AM. Daylight was required because of the topography of the beaches and the obstacles the Germans had built into the coastline. They also needed daylight for the bombardments which started about an hour before the landings could see what they were shooting at.
They timed the landings between the tides so there was enough depth for the landing crafts but not too much. They had a window of June 5, 6, or 7 that had the combined conditions of the proper moon phase and tide phase at the same time. They lost the 5th due to the weather. The 6th had a window that was going to close before the 7th so the 6th it was. There was too much of a risk that the Germans would find out the invasion plans if they postponed until July.
There were close to 7000 naval vessels used in the invasion. Of that, about 4100 were landing craft. The LCs couldn't go all the way to the beach because they got caught up in strong currents, rough seas, and the barriers placed in the sea by the Germans. As a result, hundreds of men drowned because the the current, the depth of water they stepped out into, and the weight of their packs/equipment. LCs were basically tin cans. They didn't have a lot of power and really offered only minimal protection. They unload to the front because it's faster and closer to the objective to unload that way. Unloading from the rear would place them in deeper water and force them to change directions in the current (with heavy packs)
They timed the landings between the tides so there was enough depth for the landing crafts but not too much. They had a window of June 5, 6, or 7 that had the combined conditions of the proper moon phase and tide phase at the same time. They lost the 5th due to the weather. The 6th had a window that was going to close before the 7th so the 6th it was. There was too much of a risk that the Germans would find out the invasion plans if they postponed until July.
There were close to 7000 naval vessels used in the invasion. Of that, about 4100 were landing craft. The LCs couldn't go all the way to the beach because they got caught up in strong currents, rough seas, and the barriers placed in the sea by the Germans. As a result, hundreds of men drowned because the the current, the depth of water they stepped out into, and the weight of their packs/equipment. LCs were basically tin cans. They didn't have a lot of power and really offered only minimal protection. They unload to the front because it's faster and closer to the objective to unload that way. Unloading from the rear would place them in deeper water and force them to change directions in the current (with heavy packs)
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