Picture of the day
- Thread starter jwhc
- Start date
Normandy.
Jeeze... Makes you wonder how much HE going off, and how close it would take to flip a Tiger. A rough estimate gives me "a lot" and "very very close."
Would have needed to be something dropped from a bomber, I would guess. Can't think of any artillery the Allies would have had in Normandy big enough to pull that off, other than maybe a naval gun firing from offshore and getting lucky.
The preliminary bombing for Goodwood was done by the USAAF and RAF using 500 and 1000 lb bombs. Targeting was fairly imprecise so it was a bit like killing mosquitos with a sledgehammer. Two forward deployed German tank units received the worst of it. One was a PzKw IV equipped battalion of approx. 50 tanks. The other was an independent Tiger company with 12 tanks. The PzkwIV bn was left with some 6 tanks which were still mobile. The Tiger coy had 2 tanks totally unusable with mechanical and fire control systems scrambled on the rest. 15 Tiger crewmen were KIA. As an indication of the psychological impact of this 2 Tiger crewmen committed suicide during the bombing and another was sent to a mental hospital.
There were concerns about bomb cratering hampering the advance of Brit armored units, but this doesn't seem to have been an issue given the open nature of the terrain which allowed craters to be bypassed. Overall the preliminary bombing was useful to the Brits given the amount of materiel and psychological damage which it created on the Germans. An otherwise intact PZkwIV bn and a Tiger coy would have made things much harder than they were. The extent of bomb cratering in the villages and open country can be seen in the air photos in the Dalglish book. It is truly impressive.
Goodwood was significant because it was an attempt to crack prepared defences using armored, rather than infantry divisions. Normally infantry heavy forces supported by artillery are employed to break a defensive position with armor used in a follow-on exploitation role. One of the reason why the Brits tried the armored divisions here was because of their overall shortages of infantry replacements at this point in the war. The reasoning was that tanks were much easier to replace than infantry at this point in the game. The Brits also felt that the open country east and south of Caen was excellent tank country with many opportunities for long range engagements. The Germans thought so too and made excellent use of the reverse slopes, their good observation and the long uphill runs facing the Brits to blunt the attack.
There were concerns about bomb cratering hampering the advance of Brit armored units, but this doesn't seem to have been an issue given the open nature of the terrain which allowed craters to be bypassed. Overall the preliminary bombing was useful to the Brits given the amount of materiel and psychological damage which it created on the Germans. An otherwise intact PZkwIV bn and a Tiger coy would have made things much harder than they were. The extent of bomb cratering in the villages and open country can be seen in the air photos in the Dalglish book. It is truly impressive.
Goodwood was significant because it was an attempt to crack prepared defences using armored, rather than infantry divisions. Normally infantry heavy forces supported by artillery are employed to break a defensive position with armor used in a follow-on exploitation role. One of the reason why the Brits tried the armored divisions here was because of their overall shortages of infantry replacements at this point in the war. The reasoning was that tanks were much easier to replace than infantry at this point in the game. The Brits also felt that the open country east and south of Caen was excellent tank country with many opportunities for long range engagements. The Germans thought so too and made excellent use of the reverse slopes, their good observation and the long uphill runs facing the Brits to blunt the attack.
And likely to have been mostly American sourced bombs at the time (with generally smaller charge weights), but in any case with the 1,000 pounders averaging over 400 lb of high explosives apiece.
Dark Alley Dan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Darkest Edmonton
That second one looks a little staged. Photog's out front. Guy on our left is showing us his War Face. And hurdling things seems unwise when there's a chance of being shot and there's opportunties to run around stuff instead.
Maybe I'm armchair quarterbacking this too much, but it looks almost liek a still from a movie.
Maybe I'm armchair quarterbacking this too much, but it looks almost liek a still from a movie.
Dark Alley Dan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Darkest Edmonton
TONS of symbolism in a tattered UN flag, particualrly in that neighbourhood.
Still alive
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Rainy mosquito infested part of BC
Isn't that SOP for the UN Blue Helmets? Dumb a....!!
(I am sure this has been posted before -- but it deserves a repeat!)
Francis Pegahmagabow MM & Two Bars (March 9, 1891 – August 5, 1952)
Francis Pegahmagabow was the First Nations soldier most highly decorated for bravery in Canadian military history and the most effective sniper of World War I. Three times awarded the Military Medal and seriously wounded, he was an expert marksman and scout, credited with killing 378 Germans (edit to add: apparently using a Ross rifle) and capturing 300 more. Later in life, he served as chief and a councilor for the Wasauksing First Nation, and as an activist and leader in several First Nations organizations.
Francis Pegahmagabow was born on what is now the Shawanaga First Nation reserve. His father was Michael Pegahmagabow of the Parry Island First Nation and his mother Mary Contin of the Henvey Inlet First Nation, located further up the Georgian Bay’s north shore. An Ojibwa he grew up at the Parry Island (Wasauksing) Band, near Parry Sound, Ontario. He was orphaned at an early age and was raised by the Shawanaga First Nation community. Prior to the war, Pegahmagabow worked as a marine fireman for the Department of Marine and Fisheries on the Great Lakes
I was extremely pleased to hear that Francis was honoured today in Parry Sound... LGen Hainse, Commander of the Army was in attendance. This is/was a well deserved and long overdue ceremony of remembrance. How many Canadian school children know his story I wonder - very few I suspect and that is tragic shame!
Dark Alley Dan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Darkest Edmonton
God Bless Francis Pegahmagabow. There's a guy who started with nothing and did great things for himself, his people, and his country.
And how many of us know about M. Sgt. Woodrow Keeble, of the Dakota Sioux Nation?
The Sioux have always been a hard people in a fight. If you haven't read Son of the Morning Star, you really should.
And how many of us know about M. Sgt. Woodrow Keeble, of the Dakota Sioux Nation?
The Sioux have always been a hard people in a fight. If you haven't read Son of the Morning Star, you really should.
Last edited:
Dark Alley Dan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Darkest Edmonton
And 'cause it's too good of a pic to let pass...
Burma, 1945 the description says. Note the wire wrap on the SMLE.
Burma, 1945 the description says. Note the wire wrap on the SMLE.
