Day of Days

[cardboard_killer]

[80 years ago today] "• The motion picture "The Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress" opens in Hollywood. The film documents the 25th and final mission of the crew of the Eighth Air Force's B-17F "Memphis Belle."

 

• General Dwight D Eisenhower formally assumes direction of air operations out of the UK and the US 9th and British 2nd Tactical Air Forces begin an offensive against Atlantic Wall coastal batteries. This gives Eisenhower direct control over all Allied Expeditionary air, ground, and naval forces though strategic bomber commands retain some independence.

 

Ike and USAAF brass including Spaatz and Doolittle in April, 1944.

 

- In contrast to Eisenhower’s direct command, Generalfeldmarschall Gerd von Rundstedt, Commander-in-Chief-West, cannot issue orders to Theodor Kranke (Kriegsmarine-West), Hugo Sperle (Luftflotte III), or to Wolfgang Pickert (III Flak Corps). Instead, requests must go through OKM and OKL in Berlin. Von Rundstedt commands four armies, consisting of fifty-eight divisions."

[cardboard_killer]

Quote

Eisenhower is still embroiled in getting his air force chiefs under control.   Tedder had issued orders that in effect kept Operation CROSSBOW at complete priority.   This may be in part due to mixed signals from the dithering Churchill.  He is by some accounts near terrified of the political consequences of a massive 'rocket bombardment' of England.  Others dismiss this and by impplication focus on Tedders actions.   Ike on the 15th reiterates in a meeting the POINTBLANK offensive is over.   The target list of residual points in Germany has been addressed.   Elsewhere Eisenhower refers to his disappointment in that the expected damage to German industry had not become apparent.   Now he hopes that somehow enough bombs will fall on the OVERLORD targets that the 21st Army Group will belive they have air support.   Despite his vitrolic differences with Montgomery Conningham is on Ikes side here & despite everythng is putting together a fairly solid air support plan.   One important weakness is the 9th Air Force has not asorbed the lessons broght to the UK from the Desert Air Force and its later itteration over Italy.   The methodology for allocating air support to the ground units is still slower than necessary, somewhat buercratic, and unresponsive to the regiment and battalion commanders.  The hand full of AAF and USMC air officers from the Pacfic are unable to persuade the 9th AF to adopt the communications doctrine used by the Marine Air Groups.   Or even the US 5th Air Force.   Its not that the 9th AF leaders are uninterested, but rather reorganizing their doctrine, air liasion, and equipment in a few weeks is daunting and possiblly unecessary in their view.   Addressing the extensive target lists and tight schedule of the next eight plus weeks is daunting enough.  

 

 

Some analysis above. It paints a poor picture of WAllied air forces in the lead up to D-Day. As bad as the above is, I think it is a kind description, especially to Coningham, who despite leading the DAF still really doesn't believe in close air support.

[cardboard_killer]

[80 years ago today] "• Three hundred American A-20s and B-26s bomb gun positions and marshalling yards at Dunkirk, Calais, and Charleroi/Saint Martin."

[cardboard_killer]

[80 years ago today] "• As Operation Overlord approaches there has been intense debate by the senior Allied commanders about one aspect of the plan. Churchill’s scientific adviser Solly Zuckerman had devised the "Transportation Plan" – the disruption of all rail traffic leading into northern France. The plan calls for the diversion of the heavy bomber fleets of the RAF and the USAAF away from targets in Germany to hit railway targets in France.

 

- Arthur Harris of Bomber Command and Carl Spaatz of the new US Strategic Air Forces in Europe both oppose the plan. They do not wish to divert from targets in Germany, argue that heavy bombers are unsuitable for hitting railway targets and predict that they will cause too many civilian casualties. Churchill and Eisenhower direct that the plan will go ahead with careful monitoring of French casualties.

 

- Tonight, RAF bombers attack the La Chapelle marshalling yards in Paris itself. 641 people are killed and 377 wounded, a civilian casualty rate worse than the 1940 Coventry bombing. Despite this and other events, the bombings will continue.

 

Métro repair shops the next day"

[cardboard_killer]

RIP Bill Gladden.

 

100-year-old British D-Day veteran dies before he can honor fallen comrades one more time

[cardboard_killer]

[80 years ago today] "• US Ninth Air Force sends more than three hundred A-20s and B-26s to bomb airfields and other targets in the Cherbourg, Calais, and Paris areas while a like number of P-38s, P-47s and P-51s attack marshalling yards, airfields and other targets in the same general areas."

 

[note that this is going to be basically every day from not until the invasion]

[cardboard_killer]

[80 years ago today] • An ammunition train carrying aerial bombs is approaching Soham Station in Cambridgeshire when driver Benjamin Gimbert notices flames coming from the leading car which is carrying 44 general purpose 500 lb bombs. He immediately directs fireman James Nightall to uncouple the rest of the train from that car. Nightall does this quickly and Gimbert accelerates with the locomotive and burning car to try and clear the town. As he passes through the station he yells to signalman Frank Bridges to stop all trains.

 

- They make it 140 yards past the station when the car blows up. Nightall and Bridges are killed while Gimbert is badly injured but survives.

 

Aftermath of the explosion.

 

- The cause of the fire cannot be determined but it is speculated that remnants of a previous cargo of sulphur had been ignited by a cinder from the engine. Gimbert and Nightall are each awarded the George Cross for disregarding the danger in order to prevent a more catastrophic explosion.

 

• All aircraft of the 49th Troop Carrier squadron are painted with two black and three white stripes around the fuselage and on the surfaces of each wing. All Allied single and twin engine aircraft will have such markings to prevent friendly fire incidents. The day before, men of the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment have been quartered on the airbase with all men of the air group and regiment restricted to base while invasion briefings are given.

 

• RAF Typhoons attack the Dieppe-Caudecote radar station to knock it out prior to the invasion.

 

• To divert German attention from the coast of Normandy, 271 British bombers attack four German coastal artillery sites in the Pas-de-Calais, with one of the raids hitting its target accurately. One bomber does not return.

 

• 235 British bombers attack the railway yards at Trappes, France, and the German radar-jamming station at Berneval-le-Grand. The Trappes raid is only partly successful and loses 16 bombers, while the Berneval-le-Grand strike is very accurate and returns without loss. The Germans lose seven night fighters."

[Gingerwelsh]

The tender is rumored to be buried at the site, but the locomotive, a WD 2800, was repaired and carried on to the end of the war, when it was scrapped.

..

[cardboard_killer]

[80 years ago today] "• A Ju-290 lands on the Nordenskjölds Bugt in northern Greenland and rescues the 26-man crew of the German meteorological trawler WBS-2 Coburg which has been stuck in the ice since late 1943.

 

WBS-2 Coburg from a previous supply flight. The crew had to make their way nearly twenty miles to a flat enough expanse of ice. Several touch and goes had been performed by a Fw-200 aircraft the day before.

 

• Allied tactical aircraft increase attacks on German airfields in northern France and the low countries.

 

Mosquitos attacking airfield at Gael.

 

• Since April, Dönitz has had a hundred Type VII submarines standing by to sortie within six hours in response to the Allied cross-channel invasion. Fifty are in the French Atlantic ports, twenty in Bergen, and thirty at Trondheim. They are being fitted with schnorkels as fast as possible, but by June only a third are so equipped. The Allies, in addition to regular escorts for the invasion convoys, have six British and four Canadian hunter-killer groups of frigates and corvettes plus three dedicated escort carriers. 375 radar-equipped aircraft from twenty-five squadrons are on dedicated ASW patrol.

 

• Loading of the Normandy landing forces is nearly completed. The troops will spend the next few days aboard mostly cramped amphibious assault craft with very limited trips ashore.

 

US Army Rangers await the invasion in cramped conditions

 

C-47s and CG-4A gliders lined up and waiting"

[cardboard_killer]

[My 80 years ago today posts are, as I try to mention often, culled from another forum I go to, posted by the son of a vet, and a CG vet himself. Here is a more personal view.]

 

"As related earlier, my father exchanged his C-53D “Eightball” for C-47A “Eightball II” during the transfer from Sicily to England.

 

As D-Day is such a huge operation, I’m going to focus on a small part later today; the American airborne drops. It always angered my dad that the scattered drops were blamed on cowardice, inexperience, and/or incompetence of the troop carrier pilots. This was primarily driven by complaints from the green troopers of the 101^st Airborne and these anecdotes have been taken as gospel by historians, authors, and film-makers. That view is even represented in “Band of Brothers”. The veterans of the 82^nd did not voice those criticisms. As my dad pointed out, by that time, the pilots of the 313^th Troop Carrier Group at least were veterans of North Africa, Sicily, and Italy. They knew what to do, but “couldn’t see a damned thing”.

Massed night drops will not be repeated.

 

Eightball II - June 1944

 

Operation Neptune"

[Heliopause]

6th June
Sqn 320 (Dutch) RAF together with Sqn 98 and 180 at Dunsfold is part of 139 Wing, No 2 Group.
Observer/navigator Van der Kop flew with pilot Capt-Lt/Sea Burgerhout and noted about the night mission they flew:

 

On the 5th of June at 22:30 I checked my Nav. bag and went to the briefing room. The operations officer Buddy Reece explains that its going to be an individual nightops. for 320, 98 and 180 squadrons. Take off is with intervals. Everybody gets a "time over target", first in the direction of Calais and then Normandy. 320 is assigned to bomb the bridges over the Orne and Dives rivers. A maximum of two runs are allowed, then a separate route out is to be taken.

 

Later with the crew seated in the plane: It's the 6th of June. Last checks from Burgerhout. Engines start. We taxi out on the assigned time,
line up at the runway, brakes on, all ready for take-off, full power applied, the last seconds on the stopwatch, its 00:25 hours,
brakes released and the two engines (2 x 1700 hp) pull us into the air. Climbing on HDG, sometimes the coast is visible, navigationlights
off, action stations: bombs are armed. Through the patches of cloud we see the bow waves of many ships and also flashes.
Pas de Calais comes up and we take a HDG to Normandy. We see Dakotas, that must be the paras. I think: If you're a para then you have to jump at night
and wonder if i'm scared. Yes I am. A quick prayer helps. Position is checked and later I'm in the nose section again. We exit clouds at 1800feet (after losing some alt.)
but patches of cloud remain. In scarse light we see the river, then the bridge. I call: "on the run". Then the target is gone. Those bloody clouds.

 

Second run, Burgerhout says to be carefull, height 1500feet. I look into the dark, tracers are seen far away, patches of cloud, I see the river, then the bridge,
again I call "on the run" but clouds obstruct also this time. "That's it, time is up" says Burgerhout. "Whats the HDG for home?". We climb above the clouds.
Bombs on safe. When I look outside a silhouette flashes past. "That was close, it's not our time yet" says Burgerhout laconic.
Later when I sit next to hime and we approuch England he offeres me a sigaret (like he always does) although he knows that I dont smoke.
With the bombs still onboard we are allowed to land back at Dunsfold and a landing "as on eggs" is performed. Time is 03:10 hours.
Although unaware at the time an hour later fire is erupting at Normandy. During debrief Reese tells us that the invasion has started.
The journalists present are busy writting things down. "You are one of the first" we hear. Only then I realise we had been operating
in the largest amphibion operation. The bacon-and-eggs taste different and I have trouble sleeping afterwards.
All planes (12) return safely that night.

 

Van der Kop (first from left) and Burgerhout (second from left).

[cardboard_killer]

[80 years ago today] "• The Royal Air Force uses its 12,000-pound "Tallboy" bomb in combat for the first time in a hastily organized attack by thirty-two Lancasters on a railroad tunnel near Saumur, France, to block German transit. One penetrates the roof of the tunnel, which is blocked for a considerable time. The Tallboy differs from the earlier RAF 12,000-pound (5,443-kg) bomb introduced in 1943 in having a much stronger casing that allows it to penetrate the earth, and hopefully, U-boat bunkers, before exploding.

 

Lancaster on display with two Tallboys at RAF Scrampton in 1962.

 

• As the U-boat surge rounds Ushant, U-413 is forced to abort after being damaged by a British Halifax. U-984 likewise has to abort and U-740 is lost with all hands, but the aircraft responsible are undetermined as several make attacks in the areas at the times of loss.

 

• Canadian Liberator pilot Kenneth Moore sinks U-441 and U-373 within 20 minutes of each other northwest of Ushant. For this unique feat he is awarded the DSO.

 

• British and American patrols meet near Port-en-Bessin west of Arromanches. All of the beaches and the airborne divisions are now in contact. British 7th Armoured Division begins landing on Gold Beach. Surviving German coastal defense troops are retreating inland.

 

• Destroyer USS Meredith is mined off Utah Beach, breaking her back. She is towed to and anchored in the Baie de la Seine to be salvaged, but tomorrow a Heinkel-177 will land near-misses with bombs that open her seams. 

 

USS Meredith sinking. She is the first Allen M. Sumner class destroyer to be lost. The previous USS Meredith was a Gleaves class destroyer sunk by aircraft from Japanese carrier Zuikaku off Guadalcanal in 1942.

 

• American destroyer Glennon is firing in support of troops advancing north from Utah beach when she is mined, with her stern grounding. Destroyer escort USS Rich moves in to assist when she strikes a mine, then drifts into two more, breaking in half and sinking with heavy loss. Minesweepers Staff and Threat attempt rescue and salvage work, but a German shore battery finds the range and finishes off USS Glennon.

 

• German aircraft sink frigate HMS Lawford with a guided bomb off Juno Beach. Netlayer HMS Minister and USS LST-499 are mined and sunk.

 

• British channel tanker CHANT-61 capsizes and sinks off Normandy. The CHANTs are prefabricated shallow draft coastal tankers designed for the invasion to refuel ships in shallow waters and transfer fuel ashore. Two other CHANTs will capsize and further use will be suspended pending stability tests and corrections.

 

CHANT-50

LSTs unloading Normandy at low tide

 

Burying American dead 08 June 1944

 

Glider pilots on an LCVP taking them to a transport bound for England and their squadrons 08 June 1944"