Safe as Houses
Cracking defences in Normandy

Norman buildings are built well, especially churches and farmhouses - as both sides discovered in Normandy.

This required creativity. /1
#WW2 #SWW #History
#DDay80





In short, there was no magic solution to cracking defences in Normandy, sure AVREs had massive 290mm petard mortars but these were specialist assets.

Not always available, or in the right place at the right time. /2

4 August 1944
“PIAT! PIAT! PIAT!"
Lt Donald Harvey, 244 Field Company Royal Engineers, alongside D Coy 1 Oxf & Bucks.

Probably the best PIAT related quote of the Normandy campaign, said as a Waffen-SS battlegroup appeared behind a British battalion. /1
#WW2 #SWW #History #DDay80





I could go into this action in much more detail, but it's almost unbelievable - saving it for another day...

Soon.

A genuinely ridiculous scrap.

Moving on... /2

Rhino Barges

One of the dullest, coolest, more bizarre and fascinating pieces of kit used in Normandy.

Which no one *really* cares abou5.

But I do, and you should too... /1
#WW2 #SWW #History #DDay80





Planning for Overlord and Neptune had a serious snag, how to get troops from LSTs onto the beach as simply ramming them up onto the beaches and dropping the ramp was known to damage the exceptionally vulnerable LSTs and felt to be unsustainable in the mid to long term. /2

Heavy plant is boring right?

I mean surely a bulldozer can't be a key component of Allied victory?

Wrong!

Let's have a look at the D-7 Dozer & Allied logistics in Normandy. /1
#WW2 #SWW #History #DDay80 First off, Normandy was a bit of a rural backwater.

The road network was no where near as developed as today, which incorporates many routes constructed/improved by Allied forces.

The land of William the Conqueror place for farming, fishing, market towns with a few railways. /2

Snapshots of Hill 112
The Pivotal Normandy Battle

What was it to fight in a 6 week battle of pure attrition, where all that mattered was the complete destruction of the enemy?

A battle where any movement could get you & your mates killed?

Well... /1
#WW2 #SWW #History #DDay80 Marksmen played a major role, as Ran Williams discovered when his 13 Platoon took over 7 Seaforths most exposed position.

Upon seeing the fresh lieutenant, the sergeant pulled out a machete, slicing off Ran's epaulettes and shoulder titles... /2

The Universal Carrier (Part One)

How did this piece of open topped herp-a-derp become the coolest piece of kit in infantry battalions scrapping their way through liberating North West Europe?*

I know you're curious...

Read on. /1
#WW2 #SWW #History #DDay80 The Universal Carrier came about in 1940 as a desire to streamline production processes & merge the Bren Gun and Scout Carriers' roles into a single AFV.

The former's name stuck and gained popular traction.

Bren Carrier (below) for Infantry Battalions' Carrier Platoons. /2

Throughout the Normandy campaign, Allied commanders anticipated that German soldiers would surrender in large numbers, but this... rarely happened.

The exception over predicted rule.

Why? /1
#WW2 #SWW #History #DDay80 Throughout the campaign this question vexed the Allies, not least as Intelligence Officers repeatedly felt the enemy was on the cusp of collapse.

Such problems coincided with confusion as to why Army Group B didn't just withdraw to the Seine.

Many didn't understand the enemy./2

The Churchill Tank in Normandy: Part One 40-44

Ratty Relic or Bocage Buster?

How did it go from a hated, atrocious POS tank worthy only of the scrapheap to a reliable, trustworthy, survivable and popular gun tank in action?

Another pertinent tale. /1
#WW2 #SWW #History At 38 tons the Churchill was clearly a beast but a manageable one, given concerns about railway loading gauge had informed development (even then you still had to remove the side air louvres for rail tpt).

As always, compromise & industrial limitations underpinned design. /2

So when it first appeared in Normandy, the Sherman Firefly and it's meaty 17 pounder represented an ideal combo of reliable chassis, great gun and devastating firepower right?

Ummm...

Truth is a bit more complex. /1
#WW2 #SWW #History #DDay80 Deliveries of Firefly to units only commenced in April 1944,
just a few weeks before Overlord & left minimal time for familiarisation.

Armoured Regiments mostly utilised Fireflies on a basis of 1 per troop of 4 tanks. /2

So, here it is.

Can the IWM *really* claim © on Crown Copyright images etc where copyright has long expired?

Surely these images should be out of copyright & free to use, right?

Right? /1
#History #Heritage #Museums So The National Archives guidance is pretty straight forward.

Out of ©

IWM was transferred all the Crown Copyright images of WW2 etc a few years ago, a vast amount of which were published during the war & over the following decades.

They became the core heritage custodian. /2

A quick look at 6 Pounder in Normandy

For those wondering, 1 Tyneside Scottish did use 6 Pounder APDS rounds to devastating effect at Rauray.

But why comment on the use of 6 Pounder Sabot rounds?

Surely they were common? /1
#WW2 #SWW #History
#DDay80
WO205/405 APDS was new in Normandy, it was also a very rare round with (it may be as much as most) use requiring Corps authorisation, occasionally Army.

This meant 6 pdr sabot tended to be issued for specific engagements, and no we don't have tank allocation data easily to hand. /2

So, let's look at societal mobilisation, conscription, strategic priorities, industrial strategy etc.

I'll be blunt, we are not even at a 1933/4 moment in terms of strategy. CERTAINLY not a 1937 or 1938 moment.

Britain was MUCH better prepared in the 30s. /1
#History

https://twitter.com/haynesdeborah/status/1750120522325668275

Rearmament was tricky as an island UK had to try and juggle Imperial commitments around the world, over the big blue wet thing, concerns another World War would destroy all civilisation, the threat of bombers slaughtering millions of civilians, against a poor economic picture. /2

A GREAT BRITISH VC IN NORMANDY
#OTD on 16 August 1944

Lieutenant Tasker Watkins leads B Company in an attempt to secure a railway crossing as Second Army battles for control of Falaise. /1
#WW2 #SWW #History





B Company tried to seize the railway crossing by St. Vigor de Mieux, with C Coy advancing on the left, with the Churchill tanks of A Squadron n 147 RAC providing fire support. /2

#OTD on14 August 1944
“PIAT! PIAT! PIAT!"
Lt Donald Harvey, 244 Field Company Royal Engineers, alongside D Coy 1 Oxf & Bucks.

Probably the best PIAT related quote of the Normandy campaign, said as a Waffen-SS battlegroup appeared behind a British battalion. /1
#WW2 #SWW #History





I could go into this action in much more detail, but it's almost unbelievable - saving it for another day...

Genuinely ridiculous scrap.

Moving on... /2

Relic Hunting
A long time ago friends sent me details of figures who scarpered over old battlefields with metal detectors.

Sometimes they found guns, usually scraps of metal, occasionally dead bodies... /1
#WW2 #SWW #History After a while pics of amateur excavations came up, the poster would show & tell their discoveries... then ask if their 'friends' were interested. /2

So what were conditions like in Hamburg in 1945?

A thread for #HolocaustMemorialDay

53rd Welsh Division arrived in the city to find it in complete ashen ruins from the firebombing, only one building - the Atlantic Hotel - still stood. /1
#WW2 #SWW #History There were over 400 camps around the city, containing around 100,000 malnourished, half-starved and desperately ill slave workers drawn from across Europe: "Displaced Persons" from across Europe.

In all honesty, no liberating Allied soldier could comprehend what had happened. /2

Winston Churchill, Sir Stafford Cripps, King George VI inspect HMS Victorious at Scapa Flow, 11 October 1942.

Inc Fleet Air Arm Martlets (British name for Wildcats) & Royal Marines.

Feel free to use!

Our shared heritage is best shared. /1
#WW2 #SWW #History King George VI leads the inspection of HMS Victorious ship's company. /2

I thought this SdKfz 250 neu numbered '416' looked familiar (or at least IDable given numbers), so dropped the amazing @Niels_1944 a line.

There's a SdKfz 251 behind it as well...

Turns out 416 is from 12th SS-Panzer-Aufklärungs, 12th SS-Panzer's recce. /1
#WW2 #SWW #History

https://twitter.com/ReassessHistory/status/1485659534186397696

Niels recognised it standing out in this @BritishPathe footage, in a rare full close up.

04.36 onwards, about 12 seconds. /2
britishpathe.com/video/invasion…

The exceptional 1945 diary of an Infantry Battalion's Medical Officer.

Captain Ross, 6 Royal Welch Fusiliers

Let's start with January 1945 & the Ardennes.

Now shared for the first time, I hope you enjoy it.

Our shared heritage is best shared./1
#WW2 #SWW #History /2

so it begins

wwii in color: victory in europe

https://twitter.com/ReassessHistory/status/1475785779343470599

color footage is crap quality

unclear colorizers checked more than 30 secs of girls und panzer

docu narrative appears hard conf bias

Welsh Spearhead
A History of the 53rd Reconnaissance Regiment 1941 - 1946
Philip Cowburn

More of our shared heritage, shared! /1
#WW2 #SWW #History





I hope you enjoy my content, if you particularly do so, feel free to sling me a coffee!

ko-fi.com/reassesshistory /2