Why did we back those ships onto the beach into the enemy's firing squad?

"Zero2Cool" wrote:

Those "ships" are LST's or LSD's. Land Ship Tank/Troops or Landing Ship Dock. They are facing forward. The raced up to shore and when a rudder on the bottom hit sand, the front of the ship would drop down and the troops or tanks would pour out. Sometimes the front would drop prematurely and the troops would step off into water over their heads. A risk you had to take.

Both my father and father-in-law (both now deceased) were in the invasion of Normandy. My father was in the infantry and later was assigned as an officer (Colonel) to the invasion of Rome.

My father-in-law was a tank driver and was one of the first tanks up to the top of the beachhead. They drove right over a German machine gun nest and didn't stop until their group of tanks was 1/2 mile inland. Their group of tanks ( I think he said they had 8 left) literally "circled the wagons" and kept firing in all directions until they heard and saw their own troops coming inland.

My father-in-law didn't go see Saving Private Ryan. He simply said, "I WAS there. I don't care to see something like that ever again."

"MontanaBob" wrote:

Zero.....the US Army led Hitler and the Nazis to believe an invasion was going to take place in southern France. They "leaked" out messages indicating so, and most of Hitler's elite troops were headed there when the actual invasion happened at Normandy and other beaches.

After my father was assigned to Italy, he was in special services, which did everything from procuring entertainment for the troops to going out in the field and identifying fallen troops, both enemy and their own. One time he was out alone in a small Italian village (after troops had moved on) tagging bodies when he heard and saw a women standing near her bombed house sobbing in Italian and pointing to the collapsed home. As he went near the home a German soldier appeared from some trees. They looked at each other and the German officer walked over and put his rifle down and my Dad did the same. The German soldier figured out that the women's little baby was still in the ruined home.

Both my Dad and this German soldier started unpiling debris and they found the little girl safe in her crib. A dresser had been knocked over and covered the crib and kept other stuff from falling directly onto the crib and baby.

They took the baby to her mother who hugged both of them. My dad and the German soldier shook hands, went back and got their rifles and walked off without looking at each other.

My father always said he wanted to somehow find that German officer and thank him for helping..........and not shooting him.

"MontanaBob" wrote:

Zero.....the US Army led Hitler and the Nazis to believe an invasion was going to take place in southern France. They "leaked" out messages indicating so, and most of Hitler's elite troops were headed there when the actual invasion happened at Normandy and other beaches.

After my father was assigned to Italy, he was in special services, which did everything from procuring entertainment for the troops to going out in the field and identifying fallen troops, both enemy and their own. One time he was out alone in a small Italian village (after troops had moved on) tagging bodies when he heard and saw a women standing near her bombed house sobbing in Italian and pointing to the collapsed home. As he went near the home a German soldier appeared from some trees. They looked at each other and the German officer walked over and put his rifle down and my Dad did the same. The German soldier figured out that the women's little baby was still in the ruined home.

Both my Dad and this German soldier started unpiling debris and they found the little girl safe in her crib. A dresser had been knocked over and covered the crib and kept other stuff from falling directly onto the crib and baby.

They took the baby to her mother who hugged both of them. My dad and the German soldier shook hands, went back and got their rifles and walked off without looking at each other.

My father always said he wanted to somehow find that German officer and thank him for helping..........and not shooting him.

"MontanaBob" wrote: