Original subtitles

[MISSILE ROARS]

Narrator: FOR CENTURIES, AN EXTRAORDINARY WAR HAS RAGED

ACROSS THE WORLD'S OCEANS, ABOVE AND BELOW THE WAVES.

Man: YOU COULD KILL HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE WITH ONE BROADSIDE.

THESE WERE EXTREMELY POWERFUL WAR MACHINES.

Narrator: SHIPBUILDERS DESIGNED BIGGER AND FASTER VESSELS

TO OUTWIT AND CRUSH THEIR OPPONENTS.

Man: THAT NATION THAT HAS THE MOST POWERFUL BATTLESHIP FLEET

CAN DESTROY THE ENEMY'S BATTLESHIP FLEET

AND THEREFORE CONTROL THE SEAS,

AND IF YOU CONTROL THE SEAS, YOU CONTROL THE WORLD.

Narrator: THEY CARRIED TERRIFYING WEAPONS.

Man: THIS WAS GONNA BE THE FIRST TIME

THAT SOMEBODY HAD FIRED A TORPEDO IN ANGER

SINCE WORLD WAR II.

THEY NEEDED TO GET IT RIGHT.

Narrator: BUT SHIPS HAVE ALSO LIBERATED

AND RESCUED THOUSANDS.

Man: YOU COULD THINK OF GERDA III

AS BASICALLY A LIFEBOAT FOR PERSONS HUNTED BY THE NAZIS.

Narrator: AND INSPIRED MEN AND WOMEN

TO ACTS OF INCREDIBLE BRAVERY.

Man: I WILL TAKE YOU THERE NOW, TO YOUR CANNONS,

TO YOUR DEATH, WE WILL SINK BEFORE SURRENDER.

Narrator: THESE VESSELS AND THEIR CREWS

HAVE SHAPED WORLD HISTORY.

Man: AS THE COMMANDING OFFICER OF A MISSILE‐CARRYING SUBMARINE,

I WAS DIRECTLY RESPONSIBLE

FOR HELPING TO PREVENT WORLD WAR III.

[MISSILE ROARS]

Narrator: THIS TIME,

THE 6th OF JUNE 1944...

D‐DAY.

Man: IT WAS THE MOST COMPLEX NAVAL OPERATION IN HISTORY.

Man: EVERY SHIP HAD TO LEAVE BY THE MINUTE,

BE IN EXACT POSITIONS BY THE MINUTE,

ALL THE WAY THROUGH.

Narrator: THE LIBERATION OF EUROPE

DEPENDED ON A REMARKABLE ARMADA OF VESSELS.

Man: THE BIG BATTLESHIPS STARTED FIRING OVER THE TOP OF US,

AND THEY WERE LANDING ON THE BEACH,

WHICH WAS 300 YARDS AWAY FROM US.

Narrator: SOME WERE EXPERIMENTAL.

SOME, SIMPLY DANGEROUS.

Man: I CAN'T IMAGINE HOW ANYBODY

COULD RISK THEIR LIFE IN ONE OF THESE.

Narrator: THIS IS THE STORY OF THE SHIPS

THAT TURNED THE TIDE OF THE WAR

IN ONE MOMENTOUS DAY.

♪

[EXPLOSION]

♪

BY THE START OF 1944,

THE GERMANS KNOW AN INVASION OF EUROPE BY THE ALLIES

IS IMMINENT.

THEY JUST DON'T KNOW WHERE OR WHEN IT WILL HAPPEN.

THE GERMANS OCCUPY MOST OF EUROPE,

AND THOSE FORCED TO LIVE UNDER NAZI CONTROL

ARE DESPERATE TO BE LIBERATED.

SLAVE LABOR IS ENACTED ON A MONUMENTAL SCALE,

AND THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE EXTERMINATED IN AUSCHWITZ

STANDS AT TWO MILLION AND RISING.

BY MAY 1944,

ANNE FRANK WROTE FROM HER SECRET HIDEAWAY IN AMSTERDAM

THAT EVERYONE WAS TALKING ABOUT THE POSSIBLE INVASION,

"DEBATING, MAKING BETS, AND HOPING."

IN FACT, THE ALLIES HAD BEEN ARGUING FOR TWO YEARS

ABOUT WHERE D‐DAY SHOULD TAKE PLACE.

A FAILED RAID ON THE PORT OF DIEPPE

IN AUGUST 1942

HAD SHOWN THEM WHERE NOT TO INVADE.

Andrew Gordon: EVERYONE ASSUMED THAT A SERIOUS‐SIZED INVASION,

EITHER ENGLAND OR FRANCE,

WOULD NEED TO CAPTURE A WORKING PORT

SO THAT THE BACK END COULD BE SUPPLIED WITH MORE TROOPS,

WITH AMMUNITION, FOOD, ALL THE REST OF IT‐‐

VEHICLES.

AND SO ANY INVASION PLAN MUST INCLUDE THE CAPTURE OF A PORT.

NOW, FROM DIEPPE,

WE DREW THE CONCLUSION THAT IT CAN'T BE DONE.

THE GERMANS DREW THE CONCLUSION,

THIS PROVES WHAT THE ALLIES ARE GOING TO DO.

Narrator: SINCE DIEPPE,

THE GERMANS HAD STRENGTHENED THEIR COASTAL DEFENSES.

THE ATLANTIC WALL, AS IT WAS KNOWN,

WAS NOW STRONGER THAN EVER AROUND THE FRENCH CHANNEL PORTS.

THIS HELPED PERSUADE THE ALLIES TO LOOK ELSEWHERE.

THEY IDENTIFIED A 60‐MILE STRETCH OF COASTLINE IN NORMANDY

AS SUITABLE.

IT WAS FIVE HOURS BY BOAT FROM THE ENGLISH COAST,

BUT THE BEACHES WERE WIDE,

THE SAND WAS FIRM,

AND THE GERMAN DEFENSES WERE WEAKER.

Eric Grove: THE ALLIED PLAN WAS TO LAND

ACROSS A RELATIVELY BROAD FRONT

AND HOPEFULLY ADVANCE INLAND QUITE A LONG WAY.

Narrator: THE INVASION WAS CODENAMED OPERATION OVERLORD

AND WAS LED BY AMERICAN GENERAL DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER.

THE INVASION'S SUCCESS RELIED ON THE ALLIES LANDING

OVER 150,000 MEN IN A SINGLE DAY‐‐

D‐DAY.

THE CRITICAL NAVAL OPERATION WOULD HAVE ITS OWN CODENAME,

OPERATION NEPTUNE,

AND WOULD BE OVERSEEN

BY BRITISH ADMIRAL SIR BERTRAM RAMSEY.

Gordon: HE WAS EISENHOWER'S SAILOR.

HE KIND OF KNEW WHAT WOULD BE A MISTAKE AND WHAT WOULDN'T.

Narrator: FIVE INVASION FORCES

WOULD SAIL FROM PORTS ALONG ENGLAND'S SOUTH COAST.

AMERICAN FORCES WOULD HEAD FOR BEACHES

CODENAMED UTAH AND OMAHA.

THE BRITISH AND CANADIANS,

FOR GOLD, JUNO, AND SWORD.

FROM MAY 1944,

SOUTHERN ENGLAND BECAME A VAST DEPOT.

THERE WERE SO MANY TRUCKS,

LOCAL PERSONNEL IN SOME TOWNS

WERE GIVEN AN EXTRA 15 MINUTES FOR LUNCH

JUST TO CROSS THE ROADS.

SUPPLIES WERE HIDDEN IN WOODS;

LANDING CRAFT HIDDEN UP CREEKS.

THOUSANDS OF TROOPS WAITED FOR THE ORDER.

THEN, ON THE NIGHT OF JUNE 5th,

2,700 SHIPS

CARRYING THE LARGEST INVASION FORCE THE WORLD HAD EVER KNOWN

CONVERGED ON AN AREA SOUTH OF THE ISLE OF WIGHT

NICKNAMED "PICCADILLY CIRCUS."

FOR THOSE WHO WITNESSED IT, IT WAS AN IMPRESSIVE SIGHT.

Man: CLOSE UNDER THE HEADLAND

I LOOKED DOWN ON THE LANDING CRAFT.

I COULD SEE THE TROOPS IN BATTLE DRESS ON BOARD.

BEYOND THEM,

LINE AFTER LINE OF TANK LANDING CRAFT,

SIDE BY SIDE, ESCORTED BY MOTOR LAUNCHES.

OUT TO SEA, DESTROYERS AND FRIGATES TOOK UP THEIR STATIONS.

ON THE HORIZON, BATTLESHIPS AND HEAVY CRUISERS WAITED.

I SAID TO MY WIFE, "A LOT OF MEN ARE GOING TO DIE TONIGHT.

WE SHOULD PRAY FOR THEM."

Narrator: THERE WAS PLENTY THAT COULD GO WRONG.

ONE OF EISENHOWER'S TEAM WROTE IN HIS DIARY THAT NIGHT:

"I'M VERY UNEASY ABOUT THE WHOLE OPERATION.

IT MAY BE THE MOST GHASTLY DISASTER OF THE WHOLE WAR."

THE SUCCESS OF D‐DAY

AND THE ULTIMATE LIBERATION OF EUROPE

RELIED ON THE REMARKABLE COLLECTION OF VESSELS

THAT GATHERED THAT NIGHT AT PICCADILLY CIRCUS.

♪

AS JUNE 6th ARRIVED, HOWEVER,

THERE WERE A FEW D‐DAY VESSELS

THAT WERE NOWHERE NEAR THE ISLE OF WIGHT.

30 FEET UNDERWATER, OFF THE COAST OF NORMANDY,

TEN MEN ARE EXISTING ON A DIET OF BAKED BEANS AND TEA.

THEY ARE THE CREWS OF TWO MINI‐SUBMARINES

KNOWN AS X‐CRAFT.

♪

THE MEN IN SUBMARINES X‐20 AND X‐23

HAD BEEN WAITING FOR TWO DAYS.

THEIR JOB WAS TO ERECT A TELESCOPIC MAST

FITTED WITH GREEN LIGHTS AND A RADIO BEACON

THAT WOULD GUIDE THE FIRST INVASION VESSELS

HEADING TO JUNO AND SWORD BEACHES.

Gordon: THEY WERE THERE TO PROVIDE THE PRECISE NAVIGATION

THAT A LANDING CRAFT EMERGING OUT OF THE DARKNESS

TOWARDS A BEACH

COULDN'T EXPECT TO HAVE ON ITS OWN.

THEY WERE THERE AS NAVIGATIONAL MARKERS.

Narrator: THE X‐CRAFT HAD EACH BEEN TOWED ACROSS THE CHANNEL

BY AN ARMED TRAWLER.

NOW, UTTERLY ON THEIR OWN,

THEY WERE POWERED BY A DIESEL ENGINE FROM A LONDON BUS

WHEN ON THE SURFACE,

AND BY BATTERY WHEN SUBMERGED.

A HATCH GAVE THE CREW ACCESS TO THE DECK,

AND A "WET AND DRY" HATCH ALLOWED A DIVER IN AND OUT.

4‐TON EXPLOSIVE CHARGES COULD BE FITTED AND RELEASED

FROM THE CONTROL ROOM.

THE EXPLOSIVES WEREN'T NEEDED ON D‐DAY,

BUT HAD BEEN USEFUL

IN CARRYING OUT THE X‐CRAFT'S ORIGINAL PURPOSE:

TO FIND AND SINK GERMAN WARSHIPS.

Alexandra Geary: THE NEED FOR SMALLER SUBMARINES CAME ABOUT

WITH THE LARGE GERMAN BATTLESHIPS LIKE THE TIRPITZ

HIDING IN NORWEGIAN FJORDS.

SO ESSENTIALLY, REALLY FAR AWAY FROM OPEN SEA,

AND THE BRITISH SHIPS COULDN'T GET TO THEM.

AND THEY PROTECTED THE HARBORS

WITH HUGE ANTI‐TORPEDO AND ANTI‐SUBMARINE NETS.

THE X‐CRAFT ALSO HAD THE CAPABILITY

OF CUTTING THROUGH THOSE NETS.

SO BY DEVELOPING A SMALLER SUBMARINE,

THAT ALLOWED US ACCESS TO THE SHIPS

THAT COULD POTENTIALLY CRIPPLE OUR NAVY.

Narrator: THE X‐CRAFT HAD MANAGED

TO DROP EXPLOSIVE CHARGES UNDER THE TIRPITZ

AND DAMAGE HER.

BUT MANY SUBMARINE CREWS HAD BEEN LOST IN THE PROCESS.

THE MEN WAITING SILENTLY OFF THE NORMANDY COAST

IN EARLY JUNE 1944

WERE WELL AWARE OF THE DANGERS.

EARLIER THAT YEAR,

THEY HAD TRAINED IN TOTAL SECRECY IN SCOTLAND,

UNTIL THE TIME CAME TO MOVE SOUTH.

JIM BOOTH WAS A CREW MEMBER OF X‐23.

Jim Booth: WE STOPPED AT A PUB, I THINK,

TO HAVE LUNCH OR SOMETHING,

AND A CHAP SAID, "WHAT HAVE YOU GOT ON THAT LORRY, SAY?

LOOKS LIKE A MINI X‐CRAFT, DOESN'T IT?"

I SAID, "WELL, IT DOES A BIT, DOESN'T IT?"

Narrator: AS EARLY AS THE AFTERNOON OF JUNE 4th,

JIM AND HIS FELLOW CREW MEMBERS HAD BEEN IN POSITION

A QUARTER OF A MILE FROM THE NORMANDY SHORE.

THEY WERE SO CLOSE,

THEY COULD WATCH GERMAN SOLDIERS PLAYING WITH BEACH BALLS.

INSIDE THE X‐CRAFT,

THEY WERE DRESSED AS FRENCH TAXI DRIVERS AND WORKMEN.

IF THEY DROWNED AND THEIR BODIES WERE FOUND,

NO ONE WOULD THINK THEY WERE BRITISH SUBMARINERS.

THAT NIGHT,

EXPECTING OPERATION NEPTUNE TO BE TAKING PLACE AT DAWN,

THE TWO X‐CRAFT SURFACED

TO PICK UP A VITAL CODED RADIO MESSAGE.

IT WOULD BE PART OF THE BBC'S 10 O'CLOCK NEWS BULLETIN.

Booth: THERE WERE TWO SIGNALS,

AND ONE OF THEM WAS BEING

THAT THE OPERATION'S NOT ON TOMORROW,

AND THE OTHER ONE WAS THAT IT WAS‐‐SIMPLE AS THAT.

PLANNED LANGUAGE.

THEY CAME, SOMETHING LIKE,

"MRS. HUNTINGTON'S CAT HAD THREE KITTENS IN LITTLEHAMPTON,"

OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, YOU SEE.

Narrator: BUT EISENHOWER HAD DECIDED

THE WEATHER WAS TOO BAD FOR A CHANNEL CROSSING.

D‐DAY WAS DELAYED FOR 24 HOURS.

Booth: EVERYBODY'S SAYING, OH, GOD, YOU KNOW.

DOWN WE GO AGAIN.

Gordon: WHEN D‐DAY WAS POSTPONED FOR A DAY,

THESE POOR MEN HAD TO LIVE IN THIS TINY TIN CAN,

IN DISGUSTING CONDITIONS,

FOR A WHOLE 24 HOURS MORE.

Geary: TO BE INSIDE AN X‐CRAFT,

THE ONLY WAY I CAN THINK TO DESCRIBE IT

IS ALMOST LIKE LIVING IN A BROOM CUPBOARD.

IT WAS AN EXTREMELY CRAMPED SPACE.

THEY HAD ONE SMALL BUNK, AND THAT WAS IT.

THEY HAD TO TAKE TURNS IN SLEEPING.

Booth: WELL, OF COURSE, YOU COULDN'T STAND UP ANYWHERE

EXCEPT IN THE PERISCOPE WELL.

MOST OF THE TIME I WAS SITTING DOWN, I SUPPOSE,

I SAT DOWN BY THE WHEEL.

AND THEN EVERYTHING WAS, YOU KNOW, IT WAS WET AND DAMP

AND THAT SORT OF THING,

SO IT WAS PRETTY, PRETTY HORRIBLE.

AND WE WERE YOUNG.

YOU DON'T COMPLAIN THEN, DO YOU, WHEN YOU'RE YOUNG?

Narrator: ON THE NIGHT OF JUNE 5th,

THE CREWS SURFACED ONCE MORE.

THEY RECEIVED THE SIGNAL THEY WANTED.

D‐DAY WAS ON.

BY 4:30 THE FOLLOWING MORNING, THE SUBS WERE IN POSITION.

THE MASTS WERE RAISED AND RADIO BEACONS ACTIVATED.

♪

Booth: THEN THERE WAS THIS RATHER PREGNANT PAUSE.

WE WONDERED WHAT WAS HAPPENING

WHEN THERE WE WERE SITTING THERE, YOU KNOW,

LIKE BLOODY FOOLS OFF THE BEACH.

YOU KNOW, RATHER FRIGHTENING, REALLY.

Narrator: BUT WHILE THE X‐CRAFT WAITED,

OUT IN THE CHANNEL,

OPERATION NEPTUNE WAS ALREADY UNDERWAY.

SPECIALIZED BOATS WERE GATHERING,

READY TO GUIDE THE INVASION FORCE

THROUGH A MASSIVE FIELD OF FLOATING GERMAN MINES.

IN THE SUMMER OF 1944,

THE FATE OF EUROPE DEPENDED ON THE ALLIED PLAN

TO LAND OVER 150,000 TROOPS IN JUST 24 HOURS

ON THE BEACHES OF NORMANDY.

JUNE 6th WAS D‐DAY.

A KEY PART OF THE INVASION WAS THE CROSS‐CHANNEL OPERATION,

CODENAMED NEPTUNE.

HUNDREDS OF VESSELS‐‐ SOME UNTESTED‐‐

WOULD TRANSPORT THE TROOPS AND GUIDE THEM SAFELY TO SHORE.

BUT DEADLY GERMAN MINEFIELDS,

BEACH DEFENSES, AND SHORE BATTERIES

MEANT THAT SUCCESS WAS FAR FROM CERTAIN.

OUT IN THE CHANNEL, IN THE EARLY HOURS OF D‐DAY,

WAS A TINY FLOTILLA OF VESSELS‐‐

SOME OF THE UNSUNG HEROES OF OPERATION NEPTUNE.

THESE WERE THE HARBOR DEFENSE MOTOR LAUNCHES, OR HDMLs‐‐

BUILT TO GUARD BRITISH PORTS

AGAINST THE THREAT OF GERMAN SUBMARINES.

TODAY, ONE HDML IS PRESERVED AND STILL SEAWORTHY‐‐

HMS MEDUSA.

♪

MEDUSA WAS DESIGNED

TO EVADE SUBMARINES

USING TWO ENGINES

THAT COULD BE INDEPENDENTLY OPERATED

FOR EXTRA TURNING POWER.

Alan Watson: THERE'S NO OTHER VESSEL IN THESE DAYS

THAT IS MANEUVERED LIKE THIS ONE.

IF YOU PUT ONE ENGINE AHEAD, ONE ENGINE ASTERN,

AND THE HELM OVER,

YOU CAN ACTUALLY SPIN THE SHIP ON A SIXPENCE.

IT'S A BIT LIKE DRIVING A HIGH‐PERFORMANCE CAR

ON A SKID PAN IN HEAVY RAIN AND MAYBE FOG AS WELL.

ON THE BRIDGE HERE,

WE DON'T HAVE DIRECT CONTROL OF THE ENGINES.

I'VE GOT TWO BRASS TELEGRAPHS HERE,

AND THERE'S A CHAP BELOW MY FEET DOWN IN THE ENGINE ROOM

WATCHING THE DIALS,

AND HE HAS TO HAVE HIS WITS ABOUT HIM AS WELL.

Narrator: THE HDMLs HAD ONE UNIQUE ATTRIBUTE

THAT WAS FOREMOST IN THE MINDS OF THE D‐DAY PLANNERS.

THE BOATS WERE MADE OF WOOD,

UNDETECTABLE BY RADAR.

TO MAKE UP FOR THE LACK OF ARMOR PLATING,

HDMLs LIKE MEDUSA BOASTED SOME SERIOUS FIREPOWER.

Watson: THE MAIN ARMAMENT ON THIS VESSEL

IS A 20‐MILLIMETER OERLIKON.

A GOOD TEAM ON THERE CAN SHIFT 400 ROUNDS

OF HIGH‐EXPLOSIVE SHELLS IN A MINUTE.

ON THE BRIDGE WING BEHIND ME,

THERE'S TWO LIGHT‐CALIBER MACHINE GUNS ON EACH SIDE,

AND THESE VESSELS WERE EXPECTED

TO GET UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL WITH THE OPPOSITION AS WELL.

ON THE BRIDGE, THERE'S TWO BUCKETS OF HAND GRENADES.

SO YOU WENT UP TO THE OTHER CHAP

AND CHUCKED ONE THROUGH THE WINDOW.

Narrator: THE MEN WHO TOOK THEIR CHANCES

ON A VESSEL DESIGNED FOR SUCH CLOSE‐QUARTERS FIGHTING

WERE NICKNAMED CHURCHILL'S PIRATES.

Doug Withey: WE WERE NEVER DRESSED PROPERLY, YOU KNOW.

THE NAVY DIDN'T LIKE US,

AND WE WEREN'T REALLY FOND OF THE NAVY, EITHER.

Narrator: CHURCHILL'S PIRATES

WOULD HAVE A SPECIAL TASK ON D‐DAY.

A GERMAN MINEFIELD STRETCHED

ALMOST THE ENTIRE LENGTH OF THE CHANNEL.

THE INVASION FLEET

COULD ONLY PASS THROUGH THIS SEEMINGLY IMPENETRABLE BARRIER

ONCE DESIGNATED ROUTES HAD BEEN CLEARED

BY A FLEET OF MINESWEEPERS.

Watson: SO THE PLAN WAS

FOR EACH OF THE D‐DAY BEACHES TO HAVE TWO NARROW CHANNELS CUT,

ONLY ABOUT A QUARTER OF A MILE WIDE.

BUT OF COURSE THAT COULD ONLY BE DONE

RIGHT AT THE VERY LAST MOMENT

BECAUSE OTHERWISE IT GAVE THE GAME AWAY

AS TO WHERE THE INVASION WAS GOING TO TAKE PLACE.

SO IT COULD ONLY BE DONE IN THE NIGHT BEFORE.

Narrator: MEDUSA AND OTHER HDMLs WOULD STATION THEMSELVES

AT THE ENTRANCES TO THESE VITAL CHANNELS

SO THAT THE LANDING CRAFT AND LARGER SHIPS

WOULD SEE THE SAFE ROUTE IN.

Watson: I HAVE HERE ONE OF THE CHARTS

FROM THE INSTRUCTION PACK FOR MEDUSA FOR HER D‐DAY ROLE,

AND THIS IS THE GERMAN MINEFIELD THAT WAS LAID.

MEDUSA WAS AT POSITION FOUR, RIGHT AT THE ENTRANCE THERE,

AND ML1383, SISTER SHIP, AT NUMBER THREE CHANNEL.

Narrator: FOR THIS OPERATION,

MEDUSA WOULD BE OUTFITTED WITH EQUIPMENT

LIKE NO OTHER VESSEL BEFORE HER.

BUT FOR SECURITY,

MOST OF HER CREW WERE KEPT IN THE DARK

ABOUT EXACTLY WHAT THAT EQUIPMENT DID.

Withey: WE HAD ALL THIS SECRET STUFF ON THE BOAT.

WE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT IT WAS.

I THINK THEIR IDEA WAS THAT IF WE DID GET CAUGHT,

WE COULDN'T TELL THEM ANYTHING 'CAUSE WE DIDN'T KNOW ANYWAY.

Narrator: ANOTHER PROBLEM FOR THE D‐DAY PLANNERS

WAS THAT THE GERMANS HAD LEARNED HOW TO JAM

ROYAL NAVY NAVIGATION DEVICES,

KNOWN AS THE GEE SYSTEM.

BUT BY D‐DAY, A NEW PIECE OF GEAR HAD BEEN DEVISED

THAT THE GERMANS DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT.

IT WAS CALLED DECCA RADAR

AND WAS SWITCHED ON FOR THE FIRST TIME

ON JUNE 6th.

Watson: THIS SHIP WAS THE FIRST TO USE DECCA OPERATIONALLY,

AND AT THE TIME OF D‐DAY,

THERE WERE ONLY 20 SETS AVAILABLE.

Narrator: THE DECCA SYSTEM USED A NETWORK OF TRANSMITTERS

TO EMIT SIGNALS.

BY COMPARING THE TIME IT TOOK

FOR THE SIGNALS TO REACH THE RECEIVER,

YOU COULD ACCURATELY PLOT YOUR POSITION ON A MAP.

BUT OPERATING AHEAD OF THE MAIN FLEET,

MEDUSA WAS CAUGHT IN THE STORM

THAT HAD POSTPONED D‐DAY BY 24 HOURS.

DESIGNED TO OPERATE IN CALMER WATERS,

THE HDMLs STRUGGLED IN HIGH SEAS.

Withey: WE FOUND WE HAD TO FIGHT OUR WAY ACROSS

BECAUSE, UH, YOU COULDN'T STEER A COURSE.

THE SHIP WOULDN'T ALLOW IT.

IT WAS HORRIFIC.

I THOUGHT WE WEREN'T GOING TO GET THROUGH THIS.

THIS IS GOING TO BE CURTAINS, LIKE.

Narrator: HAVING FOUND HER ASSIGNED POSITION

AT THE HEAD OF THE SAFE CHANNEL,

MEDUSA STRUGGLED NOT TO DRIFT FROM THAT VITAL SPOT.

Watson: THE IDEA OF HER STAYING ON THE STATION 30 HOURS,

WHICH SHE DID,

IN FOUL WEATHER, IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CHANNEL,

IT REALLY DOESN'T BEAR THINKING ABOUT.

Narrator: THEN FINALLY,

AS THE D‐DAY INVASION FLEET DREW NEAR,

THE MOMENT CAME FOR MEDUSA AND THE OTHER HDMLs

TO ACTIVATE THE UNTESTED DECCA RADAR.

Withey: AFTER 30 HOURS, UH,

A MESSAGE COMES THROUGH,

AND THE OFFICERS SWITCHED ON THE EQUIPMENT.

Narrator: IT WORKED.

BUT WITH VERY FEW DECCA SETS IN OPERATION,

THE SHIPS HAD TO IMPROVISE AND PLAY "FOLLOW THE LEADER."

Withey: SO MANY SHIPS HAD THE EQUIPMENT ON

TO PICK THE BEAM UP,

AND THEY HAD ONE SHIP, WHICH WAS A LEAD SHIP,

AND ABOUT 10 OR 12 BOATS BEHIND, ALL FOLLOWING IT.

Watson: THE WHOLE D‐DAY FLEET CONSISTED OF 6,000 VESSELS,

AND THEY WERE DEPENDENT ON PERHAPS 20 OF THESE.

Narrator: MEDUSA'S CREW NOW HAD A RINGSIDE SEAT

AS THE INVASION FLEET PASSED THEM BY.

SHE HAD SUCCESSFULLY CARRIED OUT HER VITAL ROLE.

RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE OPERATION'S SUCCESS

NOW RESTED WITH THE BIGGEST SHIPS OF D‐DAY.

TO TAKE THE FIVE INVASION BEACHES,

THE ALLIES WOULD HAVE TO DEAL WITH THE DEADLY MENACE

OF THE ATLANTIC WALL.

A STRING OF FORMIDABLE GERMAN DEFENSES

WOULD NEED TO BE PUT OUT OF ACTION

BEFORE THE VAST NUMBER OF TROOPS COULD LAND.

THIS VITAL TASK WAS GIVEN TO THE ALLIED WARSHIPS.

AT DAWN ON THE MORNING OF JUNE 6th,

SCORES OF WARSHIPS WERE IN POSITION

SIX MILES OFF THE NORMANDY COAST.

AT 5:27, THE BOMBARDMENT BEGAN.

[GUNS BOOMING]

FOR THE X‐CRAFT CREWS,

WAITING JUST OFFSHORE

WITH THEIR NAVIGATION LIGHTS AND BEACONS SWITCHED ON,

THIS WAS THEIR FIRST GLIMPSE OF THE TRUE SCALE OF D‐DAY.

[BOOMING]

Booth: THE BIG BATTLESHIPS

STARTED FIRING OVER THE TOP OF US,

AND THAT WAS A SPECTACULAR SOUND AND NOISE.

I MEAN, IT DID LITERALLY WHISTLE.

AND THEY WERE LANDING ON THE BEACH, YOU KNOW,

WHICH WAS 300 YARDS AWAY FROM US.

[EXPLOSIONS]

Narrator: ONE OF THE FIRST SHIPS TO OPEN FIRE

IS NOW IN MORE PEACEFUL SURROUNDINGS.

THIS IS THE ROYAL NAVY'S LIGHT CRUISER HMS BELFAST.

♪

INCLUDED IN BELFAST'S ARMAMENT

WERE 12 6‐INCH GUNS

USED TO TARGET GUN BATTERIES ABOVE GOLD AND JUNO BEACHES.

THE BLAST OF THESE GUNS WAS A REASSURING SOUND

FOR THE NERVOUS TROOPS NOW HEADING FOR THE SHORE.

TO THE WEST, THE MOST HEAVILY DEFENDED OF THE FIVE BEACHES,

OMAHA,

WAS BEING BOMBARDED BY A VETERAN OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR‐‐

THE BATTLESHIP USS TEXAS.

Andy Smith: TEXAS IS ONE OF THE LAST REMAINING SHIPS

IN THE WORLD

THAT SERVED IN BOTH WORLD WAR I

AND WORLD WAR II.

THERE'S A HANDFUL,

BUT SHE'S REALLY THE BIGGEST, BADDEST ONE.

♪

Narrator: THE TEXAS IS ARMED WITH 10 14‐INCH GUNS,

CAPABLE OF SENDING 1,500‐POUND SHELLS

UP TO 12 MILES.

Smith: THE PROCESS OF FIRING THIS GUN

INVOLVED GETTING ONE OF THE ROUNDS, PER GUN,

AND FOUR POWDER BAGS UP AND LOADED.

THE POWDER BAGS ARE 105 POUNDS APIECE.

THEY WERE MANHANDLED BY SAILORS.

SO, GET THE ROUND UP THROUGH THIS ELEVATOR RIGHT HERE.

AND THEN IT ROLLS INTO A LITTLE TRAY,

AND THEN THEY HAVE A POWDER RAM

THAT PUSHES THAT ROUND ALL THE WAY INTO THE BREECH.

NEXT COMES THE FOUR POWDER BAGS, AND THEY'RE PUSHED IN.

THEY ACTUALLY USED THE OLD RAMMING STICKS

THAT YOU'LL SEE FROM 18th‐CENTURY CANNONS.

ONCE THAT WAS DONE, THEY WOULD CLOSE THE BREECH

AND BE READY TO FIRE.

Narrator: UNLIKE ARTILLERY ON LAND,

WARSHIPS HAD TO CONTEND WITH THE ROLLING OCEAN.

ACCURACY WAS DIFFICULT.

BUT TEXAS HAD THE TECHNOLOGY TO DEAL WITH THAT PROBLEM.

Smith: NO MATTER WHAT YOU FIGURED OUT TO FIRE,

YOU HAD TO BASICALLY WAIT UNTIL THE SHIP WAS LEVEL.

SO, WHEN THEY WOULD PULL THE TRIGGERS TO FIRE,

THERE WAS ONE LITTLE SWITCH THAT WAITED UNTIL THE SHIP GOT LEVEL,

AND THAT WOULD CLOSE THE CIRCUIT AND FIRE THE GUNS.

THAT WAY YOU WEREN'T FIRING INTO THE WATER OR TOO HIGH.

[GUN FIRES]

Narrator: IN 1944,

THE SHIP'S BOMBARDMENT OF THE COAST

LAY THE GROUND FOR THE INVASION OF OMAHA BEACH.

Man: AS DAWN BEGAN TO BREAK,

WE RECEIVED THE SIGNAL AND HEADED INTO SHORE.

I REMEMBER THE BATTLESHIP TEXAS

FIRING BROADSIDE AFTER BROADSIDE INLAND WHEN WE WERE CLOSE BY.

IT WAS GOD‐AWFUL, TERRIBLE EXPLOSIONS,

MUZZLE BLASTS IN OUR EARS WHEN THEY FIRED.

THE SMOKE RING PASSED US BY,

AND IT WAS LIKE THE FUNNEL OF A TORNADO,

GROWING LARGER AND LARGER AND FINALLY DISSIPATING.

WE ACTUALLY FELT THE MUZZLE BLAST.

[GUNS FIRING]

Narrator: IN THE EARLY MORNING OF D‐DAY,

A FLEET OF WARSHIPS ANCHORED OFF THE NORMANDY COAST

BOMBARDED THE GERMAN DEFENSES KNOWN AS THE ATLANTIC WALL.

[BOOM]

A SUCCESSFUL BOMBARDMENT WOULD SAVE HUNDREDS OF LIVES

WHEN THE TROOPS LATER SCRAMBLED ASHORE.

BUT DID THE SHIPS ACHIEVE THEIR VITAL AIM?

THE CLUES CAN STILL BE FOUND

BEHIND BEACHES LIKE UTAH AND OMAHA.

THE MAISY BATTERY STILL BEARS THE SCARS OF D‐DAY.

Gary Sterne: ON D‐DAY, IT WAS THREE SEPARATE GUN BATTERIES,

AND THEIR SOLE PURPOSE

WAS TO REPEL ANY INVASION FORCES COMING TOWARDS THE COAST.

SO YOU HAVE A LONG‐RANGE BATTERY WHICH COULD HIT THE SHIPS,

AND A SMALLER‐RANGE BATTERY WHICH COULD HIT THE BEACH.

IT WAS DESIGNED TO FIRE AT SHIPS

TO STOP THEM SUPPORTING THE INFANTRY LANDING,

AND IT DID A VERY GOOD JOB FOR THREE DAYS.

Narrator: THE MAISY BATTERY WAS DESIGNED TO WITHSTAND

EVERYTHING THE ALLIES COULD THROW AT IT,

FROM A BOMB‐PROOF PERSONNEL BUILDING

TO A REINFORCED CONCRETE HEADQUARTERS.

Sterne: THE SERIOUS SIZE OF THE CONCRETE AND THE STRUCTURE‐‐

IT WAS A COMBAT BUILDING.

IT WAS DESIGNED TO PROTECT THE OCCUPANTS

DURING THE COMBAT SITUATION,

AND D‐DAY WAS JUST THAT.

♪

SO HERE YOU HAVE A SOLID CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION,

3 OR 4 METERS THICK,

AND THEN THEY'VE COATED IT HERE WITH A BLACK BITUMEN

TO WATERPROOF IT.

THIS IS 70‐ODD YEARS OLD,

AND IT'S STILL AS GOOD AS THE DAY IT WAS MADE,

BECAUSE IT REALLY, REALLY IS IMPERVIOUS TO BOMBARDMENT.

Narrator: THE COMPLEXITY OF THE BATTERY

MADE IT A DIFFICULT TARGET FOR THE ALLIED SHIPS TO DESTROY.

NOT ONLY DID THE BATTERY SURVIVE,

IT TURNED THE TABLES ON THE INVASION FLEET.

Sterne: IN ONE PARTICULAR INSTANCE

THERE'S A NAVAL REPORT SAYING, FROM THE U. S. NAVY,

THAT WE ARE BEING FIRED UPON BY THE BATTERIES AT MAISY,

WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO REVERSE OUT AND GO FURTHER OUT TO SEA

TO GET OUT OF ITS RANGE.

Narrator: THE ALLIES' INITIAL NAVAL BOMBARDMENT

WAS ONLY A PARTIAL SUCCESS,

AND MANY GERMAN GUN BATTERIES SURVIVED.

DESPITE THIS, HUNDREDS OF LANDING CRAFT

CARRYING TENS OF THOUSANDS OF SOLDIERS

CONTINUED TO MAKE THEIR WAY TOWARDS THE SHORE.

JUST AHEAD OF THEM, THOUGH,

THE ALLIES WERE ABOUT TO REVEAL THEIR BIGGEST SURPRISE.

AT 6:25 A. M. ON D‐DAY,

VESSELS EMERGED FROM THE WATER

THAT WERE UNLIKE ANYTHING EVER USED IN THE HISTORY OF WARFARE.

THESE WERE DUPLEX DRIVES‐‐

TANKS THAT SWAM.

♪

THIS IS ONE OF THE VERY FEW DUPLEX DRIVES

TO SURVIVE THE SECOND WORLD WAR.

THIS STRANGE TANK WAS DEVELOPED AFTER A NATIONAL HUMILIATION

TWO YEARS EARLIER.

THE 1942 ALLIED RAID ON DIEPPE HAD BEEN A COSTLY FAILURE,

PARTLY DUE TO A LACK OF SUPPORTING FIREPOWER.

THE STRATEGY AT D‐DAY WOULD BE VERY DIFFERENT.

John Pearson: THE IDEA WAS

THAT YOU WOULD HAVE TANKS COMING UP THE BEACH

ALONG WITH THE VERY FIRST WAVE OF INFANTRY,

WHICH MEANT OF COURSE THAT THE TANKS THEMSELVES

HAD TO BE AMPHIBIOUS.

Narrator: IT TOOK CONSIDERABLE INGENUITY

TO COME UP WITH A TANK THAT COULD MAKE ITS OWN WAY ASHORE.

AN INVENTOR NAMED NICHOLAS STRAUSSLER

BELIEVED HE HAD THE ANSWER.

HIS COMPANY BUILT BOTH COLLAPSIBLE BOATS

AND ARMORED VEHICLES.

STRAUSSLER BUILT A PROTOTYPE BY ADAPTING A VALENTINE TANK,

THE WORKHORSE OF THE BRITISH NORTH AFRICA CAMPAIGN.

HIS CREATION WAS GIVEN THE NAME DUPLEX DRIVE‐‐DD FOR SHORT‐‐

BECAUSE IT COULD BE POWERED BY THE DUAL METHODS

OF PROPELLERS OR TRACKS.

THE TANK HAD TO FIT ON A LANDING CRAFT,

SO ANY FLOTATION DEVICE HAD TO BE COMPACT.

STRAUSSLER CAME UP WITH AN INGENIOUS SCREEN.

Pearson: THE SCREEN IS ATTACHED TO THE HULL,

AND BELOW THE SCREEN, THE HULL IS MADE WATERPROOF

WITH VARIOUS MASTIC‐TYPE MATERIALS.

IT'S INFLATED WITH COMPRESSED AIR,

THESE BECOME RIGID, LIFT THE FRAMES,

AND THE CANVAS ACTS AS A BARRIER TO THE WATER,

AND THE MACHINE FLOATS,

WITH THE TOP OF THE TURRET

JUST ABOUT LEVEL WITH THE WATER SURFACE.

WHEN YOU'RE AFLOAT...

YOU HAVE THAT EXTENSION PIPE,

WHICH BLOWS THE SMOKE OUT FROM THE SCREEN.

THERE'S A DRAIN HERE.

IT RUNS DOWN TO THE REAR OF THE TANK,

AND ANY WATER THAT COMES INSIDE THE SCREEN

EVENTUALLY GOES DOWN,

GOES TO THE REAR, WHERE THERE'S A BILGE PUMP.

THE DRIVER IS THE ONE WHO REALLY NEEDS TO BE COURAGEOUS,

BECAUSE HE'S DOWN INSIDE THE HULL,

UNDER THE WATER SURFACE.

HE'S THE ONE WHO'S GONNA GO DOWN IN THE VEHICLE IF IT SINKS.

Narrator: THERE WAS ADDITIONAL DANGER FOR THE DRIVER.

IF THE TANK MADE IT TO SHORE, THE SCREEN BLOCKED HIS VIEW.

AGAIN, THE DESIGNERS HAD A SOLUTION.

Pearson: THERE'S A SMALL BUT VITAL FITTING HERE,

WHICH HAS GOT A RUBBER BULB ON THE INSIDE,

WHICH THE DRIVER CAN SEE.

AND WHEN THIS IS IN WATER,

THAT BULB IS INFLATED LIKE A BALLOON.

WHEN THE WATER LEVEL DROPS BELOW THERE,

THE BULB DEFLATES

AND THE DRIVER KNOWS THAT HE'S THEN SUFFICIENTLY ON DRY LAND

TO DROP THE SCREEN.

Narrator: AT FIRST,

TANK CREWS PRACTICED ON THE CALM WATER OF INLAND LAKES.

THEN THEY MOVED TO THE SOLENT,

A 20‐MILE STRAIT OFF THE ISLE OF WIGHT.

Pearson: SOMETIMES THE CREWS ARRIVED ON THE BEACH

WITH THE DRIVER UP TO HIS CHEST IN WATER,

THE THING JUST ABOUT AFLOAT.

Narrator: SEVERAL CREWS WERE NOT SO LUCKY.

AT LEAST 10 DD TANKS

ARE KNOWN TO HAVE SUNK OFF THE BRITISH COAST

DURING TRAINING EXERCISES.

Pearson: I CAN'T IMAGINE HOW ANYBODY

COULD RISK THEIR LIFE IN ONE OF THESE.

YOU'RE ACTUALLY HANGING BELOW THE WATER SURFACE IN A STEEL BOX

WHICH IS SUPPORTED ONLY ON CANVAS.

Narrator: BY JUNE 1944,

MOST DUPLEX DRIVES WERE NOW MODIFIED AMERICAN SHERMAN TANKS.

THE NORMANDY INVASION

WOULD SEE THEM USED IN BATTLE FOR THE FIRST TIME.

THE NIGHT BEFORE D‐DAY,

TANK LANDING SHIPS, OR LSTs,

CARRIED 290 DDs ACROSS THE CHANNEL

AND CLOSE TO THE NORMANDY COAST.

THE FINAL FEW THOUSAND YARDS

WOULD BE UP TO THE TANKS THEMSELVES.

Craig Symonds: IT WAS A GOOD IDEA

BECAUSE IT COULD GET TANKS ASHORE

BEFORE YOU HAD TO RISK THE BIG LSTs

UNDER THE ARTILLERY OF GERMAN SHORE BATTERIES.

Narrator: AT 5:50 THE FOLLOWING MORNING,

THE FIRST 29 DD TANKS WERE LAUNCHED BY THE AMERICANS

OFF OMAHA BEACH.

Pearson: GUNFIRE, SHOTS, CASUALTIES, BOMBING...

IT WOULD BE A TERRIFYING EXPERIENCE.

[EXPLOSION]

Narrator: THEN TERROR TURNED TO DISASTER.

THE TANKS HAD BEEN LAUNCHED ALMOST THREE MILES OUT,

AND THE SEA WAS ROUGH.

WAVES OFF OMAHA REACHED 6 FEET IN HEIGHT.

27 OF THOSE FIRST 29 TANKS SANK LIKE STONES.

Symonds: THE PROBLEM WAS THE WEATHER WAS SUCH

THAT THEY COULD NOT FUNCTION.

THEY WERE FINE IN THE TESTS IN STILL WATER,

BUT THIS WAS NOT STILL WATER,

AND MOST OF THEM WENT STRAIGHT TO THE BOTTOM

WITH THEIR CREWS INSIDE

AND NEVER MADE IT TO SHORE.

Narrator: ON THE BRITISH AND CANADIAN BEACHES,

THERE WAS GREATER SUCCESS.

Pearson: THE BRITISH BROUGHT THEM MUCH CLOSER INSHORE,

AND THEY LOST ONES AND TWOS,

AND, UM, THEY WERE SUCCESSFUL

IN THE SENSE THAT THE TROOPS HAD HEAVY SUPPORT

WITH THEIR INITIAL CONTACT WITH THE GERMANS.

Man: ON THE BEACH I GAVE ORDERS TO DEFLATE THE CANVAS SKIRT,

AND WHAT HAPPENED NEXT

WILL ALWAYS REMAIN VIVID IN MY MEMORY.

THE GERMAN MACHINE GUNNERS IN THE DUNES

WERE ABSOLUTELY STUPEFIED TO SEE A TANK EMERGING FROM THE SEA.

SOME OF THEM RAN AWAY,

SOME JUST STOOD AND STARED, UNABLE TO BELIEVE THEIR EYES.

WE MOWED THEM DOWN LIKE THEY WERE CORN ON THE COBS.

Narrator: RACING TOWARDS THE COASTLINE,

TENS OF THOUSANDS OF ALLIED SOLDIERS

PREPARED TO STORM THE BEACHES.

ON THE MORNING OF JUNE 6, 1944,

NEARLY 3,000 VESSELS WERE GETTING INTO POSITION

OFF THE NORMANDY BEACHES.

THE D‐DAY INVASION WAS ABOUT TO BEGIN.

AND UNTIL FRENCH SOIL WAS REACHED,

THE FATE OF THOUSANDS OF MEN

RESTED WITH THEIR LANDING CRAFT VEHICLE AND PERSONNEL‐‐

THE HUNDREDS OF BOATS KNOWN AS LCVPs.

THE MOST FAMOUS OF THE D‐DAY VESSELS

WAS ALSO AMONG THE SMALLEST.

AND ITS ORIGINS LAY 5,000 MILES AWAY,

IN THE WETLANDS OF LOUISIANA.

THE LCVP WAS DESIGNED BY ANDREW HIGGINS.

BY 1944, IT WAS SAID HIS SHIPS WERE SO IMPORTANT,

ADOLF HITLER CALLED HIM "THE NEW NOAH."

HIGGINS SUPPOSEDLY HAD AN ARMED GUARD

OUTSIDE HIS NEW ORLEANS HOME

TO PROTECT HIM FROM GERMAN ASSASSINS.

Symonds: ANDREW JACKSON HIGGINS

WAS AN INTERESTING PERSONALITY.

HE HAD CREATED SHALLOW‐DRAFT BOATS,

WHICH HE CALLED EUREKA BOATS,

FOR TRAPPERS WHO WORKED IN THE LOUISIANA BAYOUS.

AND THE U. S. MARINES SAW THESE AND SAID,

OH, THESE WOULD BE INTERESTING,

AND ORDERED A BUNCH OF THEM.

ORIGINALLY, THEY WERE SIMPLY PLYWOOD BOXES

WITH AN EXTERNAL MOTOR, 36‐FEET LONG,

THEY COULD HOLD 36 SOLDIERS AT A TIME,

WHO WOULD CLIMB OUT OVER THE THWARTS

AND THEN RUN ASHORE.

Narrator: BY 1943,

THE DESIGN FEATURED A MORE SOPHISTICATED EXIT STRATEGY.

FOR THE GIs, THEY WERE KNOWN SIMPLY AS HIGGINS BOATS.

♪

THE LCVP WAS DESIGNED TO PUSH UP ONTO BEACHES,

PROTECTING ITS OCCUPANTS WITH ITS BULLET‐PROOF FRONT RAMP,

UNTIL THE TIME CAME FOR IT TO DROP.

[THUD]

BUT IT WASN'T DESIGNED

FOR THE ROUGH SEAS OF THE ENGLISH CHANNEL.

MOST OF THE INVASION TROOPS WERE IN BAD SHAPE

AS THEY APPROACHED THE SHORE.

Gordon: SOME OF THESE BOYS HAD BEEN IN THEIR LANDING CRAFT

FOR MANY, MANY, MANY HOURS.

SOME OF THEM WOULD NOW BE BEYOND SEASICK‐‐

SOME OF THEM PROBABLY TO THE POINT,

THEY WERE SO SICK, ACTUALLY, THEY'D ALMOST GIVEN UP CARING.

Man: LOADED DOWN LIKE PACK MULES,

WE WERE BOUNCED AROUND AND THROWN ABOUT

WHILE THROWING UP EVERYTHING WE'D EATEN FOR DAYS.

SCARED AS HELL AND SICKER THAN THE DEVIL,

WE WERE DRENCHED WITH SALTWATER

WITH EVERY DIP AND BOB OF THE LANDING BOAT.

Narrator: THE LCVP WASN'T THE ONLY HIGGINS DESIGN AT D‐DAY.

THE U. S. NAVY HAD ASKED HIM TO PRODUCE A SIMILAR VESSEL,

WHICH WOULD GIVE DIRECT BEACH ACCESS

TO A STANDARD TANK.

THIS TIME,

HIGGINS TOOK HIS INSPIRATION FROM A RIVER BARGE.

HIS MEN PULLED IT APART,

GAVE IT A RAMP,

AND ONLY THREE DAYS LATER,

DEMONSTRATED ITS PROTOTYPE TO THE NAVY.

THE RESULT WAS THE LANDING CRAFT TANK.

THE NAVY WAS SO IMPRESSED WITH THE LCT

THAT MORE AND MORE WERE DEMANDED.

SO HIGGINS TOOK OVER THE STREETS AROUND HIS FACTORY.

LANDING CRAFT WERE EVEN BUILT ON THE PAVEMENT.

BUT HIGGINS' RELATIONSHIP WITH THE U. S. NAVY

COULD BE FICKLE.

HE WAS A MAN WHO WAS USED TO GETTING WHAT HE WANTED.

Symonds: HE OFTEN FEUDED WITH THE NAVY,

WHICH HE THOUGHT CLOSED‐MINDED AND NOT, NOT VERY INNOVATIVE.

IT WOULDN'T ACCEPT MANY OF HIS IDEAS.

BUT, NEVERTHELESS, THEY MANAGED TO GET ALONG ENOUGH

SO THAT HE COULD PRODUCE 5,000 OR 10,000

OF THESE HIGGINS BOATS FOR THE VARIOUS INVASIONS,

NOT ONLY AT NORMANDY AND D‐DAY,

BUT THE MANY INVASIONS ON THE ISLANDS IN THE PACIFIC AS WELL.

Narrator: ALONGSIDE THE LCVPs AND LCTs

WERE MANY DIFFERENT TYPES OF LANDING CRAFT.

SOME CARRIED 120,000 TONS OF CARGO,

SOME CARRIED MORE THAN ONE TANK,

AND SOME, OVER 200 SOLDIERS.

AND FOR TWO DAYS, THESE VESSELS WAITED FOR THE X‐CRAFT CREWS

TO GUIDE THEM SAFELY

TO THE BRITISH AND CANADIAN BEACHES.

Booth: WE REALIZED THAT IT WAS SO EASY

FOR ALL THOSE TANK LANDING CRAFT TO HAVE HIT THE WRONG BEACH,

HAVING COME ACROSS THE CHANNEL.

IT'S A VERY STRONG TIDE UP AND DOWN, EAST AND WEST,

AND THEY HAD TO CROSS NORTH AND SOUTH, OF ALL THINGS,

AND THEY HAD NO NAVIGATION EQUIPMENT TO SPEAK OF.

JUST HIT THE WRONG BEACH, AND IT WOULD HAVE BEEN...

I MEAN, THEY WOULD PROBABLY HAVE WON IN THE END, GOT ASHORE,

BUT IT WOULD HAVE BEEN CERTAINLY A LOT MORE CASUALTIES.

Narrator: THE HIGGINS BOATS WERE SUCCESSFUL

IN BRINGING TROOPS TO THE BEACH.

BUT THEY OFFERED ONLY LIMITED PROTECTION.

THE MEN WHO LANDED AT OMAHA BEACH

AT 6:30 A. M. ON D‐DAY

FACED DANGER ON ALL SIDES.

Gordon: ONCE THE RAMP GOES DOWN, YOU'RE FACED WITH SURF,

AND THE LANDING CRAFT IS STILL MOVING FORWARD.

UM, ONE MISSED STEP, IT COULD RUN OVER YOU.

THERE'S WATER SPOUTING WITH MACHINE‐GUN BULLETS.

YOU HAVE A BACKPACK WHICH IS WEIGHING YOU DOWN.

YOU STAGGER INTO THE SURF,

YOU'VE GOT TO GET ACROSS THAT BEACH,

AND YOU'VE GOT TO DO IT IN THE MACHINE‐GUN FIRE.

[GUNFIRE]

BUT YOU CAN IMAGINE THE CASUALTIES

AND THE DROWNINGS.

AND EVEN SOME OF THOSE WHO WERE THERE, I GUESS,

SPENT THE REST OF THEIR LIVES

JUST AMAZED THAT THEY DID IT AND SURVIVED.

I THINK IT'S QUITE EXTRAORDINARY.

QUITE EXTRAORDINARY.

Narrator: DESPITE THE CASUALTIES,

D‐DAY WAS A SUCCESS.

BEACHHEADS WERE SECURED ALONG THE 50‐MILE FRONT.

BY MIDNIGHT,

OPERATION NEPTUNE HAD BROUGHT 150,000 MEN,

9,000 VEHICLES,

AND 2,000 TONS OF SUPPLIES TO FRANCE.

IT WAS THE CRITICAL START NEEDED

THAT WOULD SET UP OPERATION OVERLORD

AND THE LIBERATION OF EUROPE.

Symonds: THE KEY TO HAVING MARITIME POWER, NAVAL POWER,

IS NOT THAT YOU CAN DEPOSIT 100, 150,000, 200,000 MEN

ON A DEFENDED BEACH

AND SEIZE THAT BEACH.

YOU THEN HAVE TO SUPPLY THEM.

YOU HAVE TO BRING THEM AMMUNITION AND FOOD

AND WATER AND SUSTENANCE,

AND YOU HAVE TO REINFORCE THEM

AND BRING IN ANOTHER 100,000, 200,000,

500,000, A MILLION, A MILLION AND A HALF,

AND YOU HAVE TO DO IT ON A CONSTANT BASIS,

BACK AND FORTH ACROSS THE ENGLISH CHANNEL,

DAY AFTER DAY, WEEK AFTER WEEK, MONTH AFTER MONTH,

AND IT'S THAT CAPABILITY THAT IS REALLY STUNNING.

Narrator: D‐DAY IS RIGHTLY REMEMBERED

FOR THE BRAVE TROOPS

WHO BATTLED FOR A FOOTHOLD ON THE NORMANDY BEACHES.

BUT THEIR HEROISM WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE

WITHOUT THE YEARS OF PLANNING AND PREPARATION

THAT BROUGHT THEM THERE.

THE DIVERSE AND INGENIOUS VESSELS

THAT BRAVELY CROSSED THE CHANNEL ON JUNE 6th

CHANGED THE COURSE OF THE WAR.

D‐DAY REMAINS AN EVENT UNPARALLELED IN HISTORY.