Author: David Doyle Publisher: Schiffer Military History ISBN: 9780764358616 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 112
Book Description
No less than Dwight Eisenhower described Andrew Jackson Higgins as "the man who won the war for us," referring to the landing craft he perfected. Those craft, the WWII LCP(L), LCP(R), LCV, LCVP, LCM, and LCS(L), are presented in this volume (the first of two on US landing craft), along with the larger LCI (Landing Craft, Infantry). These vessels, built in the tens of thousands, formed the armada that put Allied troops ashore in North Africa, the Aleutians, and Normandy and across the Pacific. Though many of these designs were initially planned as essentially disposable vessels, ultimately many of these continued to serve the nation's need through Vietnam. Some were even heavily laden with rocket launchers and used for close-in support for troops going ashore. Part of the Legends of Warfare series.
Author: iMinds Publisher: iMinds Pty Ltd ISBN: 1921746939 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 6
Book Description
The story behind D-Day begins in 1939 when Nazi Germany, led by Adolf Hitler, attacked Poland and ignited World War Two. The following year, the Germans occupied France and Western Europe and launched a vicious air war against Britain. In 1941, they invaded the Soviet Union. Seemingly unstoppable, the Nazis now held virtually all of Europe. They imposed a ruthless system of control and unleashed the horror of the Holocaust. However, by 1943, the tide had begun to turn in favor of the Allies, the forces opposed to Germany. In the east, despite huge losses, the Soviets began to force the Germans back.
Author: Charles C. Roberts, Jr. Publisher: Casemate Publishers ISBN: 1526706938 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 331
Book Description
“This is an excellent examination of one of the most important Allied naval weapons of the Second World War.”—HistoryOfWar.org The Landing Craft Vehicle Personnel—LCVP for short, or simply the “Higgins boat” to most of its users—was one of the keystones of victory in the Second World War. Like the army’s Jeep or the Air Forces C-47 transport, it served in almost every theatre of war, performing unglamorous but vital service in the Allied cause. Derived from a humble workboat, the Higgins boatbuilding company designed a brilliantly simple craft that performed its role so well that over 23,000 of them were constructed—indeed, a high proportion of all the troops landed on enemy beaches came ashore from LCVPs, an achievement that led General Eisenhower to describe it as “the boat that won the war.” As Eisenhower had more experience of major amphibious operations than any other commander, it is a judgment to be taken seriously. This book combines the first in-depth history of the development and employment of the type, with a detailed description of its construction, machinery, performance and handling, based on the author’s first-hand experience masterminding the restoration of a wartime example for his museum. Well-illustrated with plans and photographs, it will be of interest to modelmakers and enthusiasts, both military and naval. “An invaluable record for military historians and the designers, builders and operators of the successor boats. The photographs and drawings of every imaginable aspect of the LVCPs are beyond price. A magnificent contribution to both naval history and the future planning of amphibious operations.”—Ausmarine
Author: Craig L. Symonds Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA ISBN: 0199986118 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 441
Book Description
On June 6, 1944, 160,000 Allied troops landed along 50 miles of French coastline to battle German forces on the beaches of Normandy. D-Day, as it would come to be known, would eventually lead to the liberation of Western Europe, and was a critical step in the road to victory in World War II. Yet the story begins long before the Higgins landing craft opened their doors and men spilled out onto the beaches to face a storm of German bullets. The invasion, and the victories that followed, would not have been possible without the massive naval operation that led up to it: NEPTUNE. From the moment British forces evacuated the beaches of Dunkirk in 1940, Allied planners began to consider how, when, and where they would re-enter the European continent. Once in the war, the Americans, led by George Marshall, wanted to invade in a year's time. The British were convinced this would be a tragic mistake. Allied forces would be decimated by the Wehrmacht. When Operation Overlord - the name given to the cross-Channel invasion of Northern France - was finally planned, it was done so only in concert with the seaborne assault that would bring the men and equipment to the Normandy coast. Symonds traces the central thread of this Olympian event - involving over five thousand ships and nearly half a million personnel - from the first talks between British and American officials in the winter of 1941 to the storming of the beaches in the late spring of 1944. He considers Neptune's various components, including the strategic unity, industrial productivity, organizational execution, and cross-cultural exchange on which the Allies depended. Portraits of key American and British figures, from Franklin Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Eisenhower to Admiral Ernest J. King and his British counterpart, Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsay, combine with an intimate look at men up and down the chain of command. Neptune was the pinnacle of Allied organization and cooperation. From the suppressing of the U-boat menace in the Battle of the Atlantic, to the establishing of camps and training facilities near the English coast, to the gearing up of the American industrial machine to produce the ships, tanks, and tools of war that would make an invasion possible, Symonds' riveting narrative uncovers the means by which Neptune was brought to fruition, and presents the first comprehensive account of the greatest naval operation in history.
Author: Andrew Whitmarsh Publisher: The History Press ISBN: 1803994460 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 385
Book Description
'This is a marvellous book. The research is very thorough and it will answer all my questions.' – RICHARD WILLIS, Normandy veteran, first lieutenant on LCT 898 on D-Day 'Brings to life ... the planning and execution of the largest amphibious landing which the world has ever seen ... My grandfather... would have been most impressed by this detailed research.' – CAPTAIN WILL RAMSAY, grandson of Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsay, Allied Naval Commander, Expeditionary Force D-Day, one of the most decisive moments of the Second World War, could not have happened without thousands of landing craft. Yet their role, and that of their crews, has often been overlooked. During a combined operation that involved aerial and naval assaults, as well as amphibious landings on a vast scale, more than 132,000 Allied troops landed on the Normandy beaches on 6 June 1944. Through their efforts, the tide of the war turned for the final time to favour the Allies. There is no overstating the contribution of the landing craft and their crews on the first day of Operation Neptune, and yet it is often overlooked. In D-Day Landing Craft, historian Andrew Whitmarsh turns his attention to these vital vessels that ensured the operation's success. He describes events on each of the five Allied beaches on D-Day from the perspective of landing craft, landing ships and their crews. He examines why there were so many different types of landing craft and how they were built over several years in both the UK and North America, despite many competing war production requirements and operational demands. This closely researched and well-illustrated account is essential to anyone who wants to fully understand the course of D-Day, and the nature of Allied preparations for the campaign.
Author: Gordon L. Rottman Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing ISBN: 1782004890 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 50
Book Description
The Landing Ship Tank (LST) is one of the most famous of the many World War II amphibious warfare ships. Capable of discharging its cargo directly on to shore and extracting itself, the LST provided the backbone of all Allied landings between 1943 and 1945, notably during the D-Day invasion. Through its history, the LST saw service from late 1942 until late 2002, when the US Navy decommissioned the USS Frederick (LST-1184), the last ship of its type. This book reveals the development and use of the LST, including its excellence beyond its initial design expectations.
Author: Gordon L. Rottman Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing ISBN: 1782004580 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 117
Book Description
The Landing Ship Tank (LST) is one of the most famous of the many World War II amphibious warfare ships. Capable of discharging its cargo directly on to shore and extracting itself, the LST provided the backbone of all Allied landings between 1943 and 1945, notably during the D-Day invasion. Through its history, the LST saw service from late 1942 until late 2002, when the US Navy decommissioned the USS Frederick (LST-1184), the last ship of its type. This book reveals the development and use of the LST, including its excellence beyond its initial design expectations.