LeEnfield
Active member
Now I have seen many articles written about this raid where the Canadians suffered some very loses and although the raid did not achieve it's objectives, was it a total failure. From out of this failure came the successful D Day operation.
Now just what did they learn from this raid,
The need for secrecy, as many Officers had been going around London talking about this raid. So on D Day most people where not told until the day they went.
The need for harbours to unload the equipment hence the massive Mulberry Harbours.
The need to get huge amounts fuel ashore hence the undersea pipe line known as Pluto
There was a need for a whole range of of specialised tanks that became known as Hobart's funnies.
There was the DD type that swam ashore and this worked well when it was not asked to swim 12 miles to the shore like they did at Omaha beach.
There was the Flail Tank that would clear the mines and the barb wire.
There were tanks to destroy strong points by firing a huge mortar type round the size of dustbin a couple of hundred yards.
There were bridging tanks and other that carried cassions to fill in trenches or bridge flooded ditches.
There were flame thrower tanks which towed a large container of fuel behind them, the Germans would shoot the crews of these tanks if captured.
There was also the Sherman Firefly with a 17 pounder gun that could deal with a Tiger Tank.
The Americans refused all offers of this type of equipment except for the DD type of tank which they then total mis used by trying to get it to swim some 12 miles ashore in a heavy swell, I often wonder just how they would have got on if these had got ashore at Omaha beach.
So although the Canadian Raid was failure as such it did lead to a successfully D Day and saved thousands of lives
Now just what did they learn from this raid,
The need for secrecy, as many Officers had been going around London talking about this raid. So on D Day most people where not told until the day they went.
The need for harbours to unload the equipment hence the massive Mulberry Harbours.
The need to get huge amounts fuel ashore hence the undersea pipe line known as Pluto
There was a need for a whole range of of specialised tanks that became known as Hobart's funnies.
There was the DD type that swam ashore and this worked well when it was not asked to swim 12 miles to the shore like they did at Omaha beach.
There was the Flail Tank that would clear the mines and the barb wire.
There were tanks to destroy strong points by firing a huge mortar type round the size of dustbin a couple of hundred yards.
There were bridging tanks and other that carried cassions to fill in trenches or bridge flooded ditches.
There were flame thrower tanks which towed a large container of fuel behind them, the Germans would shoot the crews of these tanks if captured.
There was also the Sherman Firefly with a 17 pounder gun that could deal with a Tiger Tank.
The Americans refused all offers of this type of equipment except for the DD type of tank which they then total mis used by trying to get it to swim some 12 miles ashore in a heavy swell, I often wonder just how they would have got on if these had got ashore at Omaha beach.
So although the Canadian Raid was failure as such it did lead to a successfully D Day and saved thousands of lives