My father in law was an 18 year old sailor aboard LST-510 which shuttled troops and supplies to Normandy. Then returned to the UK with the wounded. He is with us at age 98. His ship was converted into a ferry (Cape Henlopen) which still provides service between Orient Point and New London.
My Dad was at Normandy in the Liberty Ship SS Lyman Hall (he was 4F for military service due to asthma). He was wounded when a German artillery shell exploded nearby and carried a piece of shrapnel in his head for the rest of his life (it wasn't worth the risk of surgery to remove). What many don't realize is the Merchant Marines had the highest per capita casualty rate of any service with 1 in 26 dead. The US Marines were in 2nd place with 1 in 34 dead, Army was 1 in 48. And as is typical Dad never talked about any of it. I had to learn about it from my Uncle.
My dad was on the bridge of (US made) HMS Essington on the night before the landing. Bristling with everything that could track submarines and also throw things at them, they were plodding back and forth along the English Channel. Nobody really knows what's going on because that's the way it is meant to be. Staring out over the bow and trying hard to avoid the many ships that were passing from right to left on their way to Normandy, he suddenly became aware of a complete blackout of any flickers of lighting immediately ahead of their destroyer escort. It was getting larger and consisted of nothing but pure darkness. He realised that it wasn't a ship. However, it was massive and only displayed one tiny red light as they headed directly towards its centre. My dad flashed "...Who are you...?" on his Aldiss lamp as a variety of expletives were expressed on the bridge and very specific orders were passed to the engine room to make everything go backwards and no longer go forwards. After a short pause, a small torch high up on the top of the blackness replied. "...I am a Mulberry..."
Nice piece of writing - don't ever stop jotting down. Write it all down. I will soon be 77, on June 6th. (Thank god, otherwise I'd forget my own birthday). Write down everything your Dad told you. Seniors and soon to be late folks in family and neighborhoods, and their surviving kin are worthy of note. My dad worked on the Manhattan Project, as an independent contractor for the Naval Research Laboratories, the procurement section of the MP. He died in 1994 long before google and social media and digital memories. If we have memories, as their custodian, we have an obligation to their preservation. Thank you.
Of all the thousands of ships of size that partook in Operation Overlord, there is only one that is still fully functional and available to the public for tours. That is the Liberty Ship SS Jeremiah O'Brien that did 5 Atlantic crossings and 11 shuttle trips between Southhampton UK and both Omaha and Utah beaches. She is open to the public for tours seven days a week and berthed at Pier 35 in San Francisco. Cargo and supply ships may not be glamorous like battleships and aircraft carriers, but it was these humble ships and their civilian merchant seamen crews that made winning WWII possible. Thank you for this video!
Although somewhat modernized, the Cape Henlopen, formerly LST 510, is in daily operation as a ferry between Long Island and Connecticutt. It has a room dedicated to its naval service. Amazing for an 80 year old D-Day participant!
Note that once or twice a year the J. O'Brien gets underway under her own power for day sailings around SF Bay. The memorial cruise in May is especially well attended and pays tribute to the Mariners lost.
Dad was in the Pacific… Chief MM on an LST (Large Stationary Target) as he called them. Shipped from Hawaii in 43 and “Island hopped” for 2 years. Was a diesel wiz and invented a use for all the extra corn starch to inject into the diesel engines cooling pipes to extend the tear down schedule from sea water, I still have his sketches he made on rice paper. Never received (or asked for) recognition. Just did his duty like everyone in “The Greatest Generation” did.🙏🙏🇺🇸
@@googacctapparently it kept the “electrochemical chemical reaction to sea water at a minimum the corrosion in the pipes would cause the engine to overheat. Being a child of the depression. He hated throwing anything overboard. So he put the abundant rations to use. It extended the engine life and being in the middle of the Pacific, he had the responsibility of keeping it ship moving.
Just buried my 97 year old dad Memorial Day weekend. He was an oiler in the Merchant Marine crewing on tankers. He told stories of running up the Rohn and seeing sub pens after VE Day.
His last trip to Europe was on the Seneca Castle. He came home and hired onto the Stanolind A. At the time, the fastest towboat on the river with it's 2 big Busch Sulzer diesels and 6' screws.
At the bottom of my road, we have an LST (just went and had a look - at it and it is, in fact, a landing craft tank) - the ship is the last surviving one that took part in D-Day - if you want I can send you some photos Sal
lol. do you live on the Scenic Ohio River Byway Road in Evansville, Indiana? Or NW 2nd street next to it?😂 oh oh oh did I guess correct?! Promise I’m not a stalker. lolz. But I did google the last surviving wwii lst and I dunno if there is another, but the google said LST-325 in Evansville, Indiana. Super sleuth! K not really.
General John J. Pershing, who led the American Expeditionary Forces in Europe during World War I, is credited with saying, “Infantry wins battles, logistics wins wars”. You clearly understand the decisiveness of logistics. Great episode!
Awesome video Sal. I’m a 65-year-old history buff I think from the day I was born and this is one of the best videos I’ve seen recently in my life. Thank you very much for making it.
Thank you for this story, my 99 year old Dad was an engineering officer on Liberty Ships. He volunteered for the crew of one of the ships sunk as a break water and when returned to his ship delivered jeeps to the port. He has Congressional Gold Medal that I applied for after I heard one of your stories.
Great shows, Capt !! I’m 71 yrs old, merchant mariner since I was 17. My uncle Henry was tug skipper. Murmansk (lend lease) then Normandy. He pulled the LSTs off the beach. Two bronze stars. We never knew till he passed.
PQ 17 was the code name for an Allied Arctic convoy during the Second World War. On 27 June 1942, the ships sailed from Hvalfjörður, Iceland, for the port of Arkhangelsk in the Soviet Union. The convoy was the first large joint Anglo-American naval operation under British command; in Churchill's view this encouraged a more careful approach to fleet movements. As the close escort and the covering cruiser forces withdrew westwards to intercept the German raiders, the merchant ships were left without escorts. The merchant ships were attacked by Luftwaffe aircraft and U-boats and of the 35 ships, only eleven reached their destination, delivering 70,000 long tons (71,000 metric tons) of cargo
Symonds is a great naval historian. I just completed his World War II at Sea: A Global History. A comprehensive overview of the naval war and the logistics of WWII. He brings home how the availability of shipping and LSTs shaped campaigns in Europe and the Pacific. Excellent book.
Not too long ago I helped care for someone who was a sailor in the arctic convoys to Russia. He was still with it mentally and had some great stories to tell. I kinda wish I was in a position to put him in touch with someone who could document his story.
You are the Best. My Dad was at the Battle of the Bulge and the battle at the Ramageon Bridge. His Dad was in WWI. Both of these men suffered from war. The only way I have found interest is through you. Honestly, you have brought me peace and understanding that had not found through books. Great books, but you put logic into these events. Thank you, Sal. ❤❤❤
Sal, Thanks for this video. Very informative. It always boggles my mind when I hear numbers of things associated with WW II. To think we built 1,000 LST's, 2,700 Liberty Ships and still built hundreds or thousands of military ships, thousands of airplanes, thousands of tanks, hundreds of thousands of trucks and Jeeps AND all the other little stuff - bullets, weapons, helmets, uniforms, mess kits, medical supplies. The list is endless. To think we had enough personnel in the states to do all that while simultaneously sending troops to fight."The greatest generation" definitely deserves that title.
The Little Joe fishing tackle company in tiny Isle, Minnesota, at the request of the war department, converted its machinery and workforce to making egg beaters! Gotta have 'em! Lots of them! 😎✌️
My father went from the hell of a couple Murmansk convoys on dry cargo ships to an elderly T2 supporting the Allied forces out on the Pacific "island hopping". It took him nearly two years to get back to Europe, Antwerpen was where he paid off, after hostilities finished out there. He never spoke much about it even when we were sharing the watch at sea together. And you know how sailors like to yarn. 🙂
Logistics: so utterly essential, yet so often overlooked. That's why I enjoy your channel so much. You draw attention to the absolute importance of logistics, and never more so than during D-Day. My grandfather was saved by logistics.
Sal, you’re THE BEST! That episode was superb. I’m proud to be made aware of all the heroic work behind the scenes by the unsung mariners (and shipbuilders and untold millions) of WW2. I REALLY think they’d say you did them justice. Thanks! Thanks!
Excellent. One can never have too much logistics. Both my father and uncle served in the Canadian Navy as the war started for Canada in Sept 1939. My uncle served on a Canadian corvette that sunk a German u-boat in mid Atlantic. My dad who could not function at sea due to seasickness worked in HQ in the directorate of trade and intelligence and was very involved with convoy planning some of which started from Halifax long before the US entered the war in Dec 41.The US was supplying a lot of material to the UK long before they entered the war. The Lend Lease act 50 old US destroyers lent to the UK and Canada for bases in Newfoundland/Labrador is one example. Thanks for yet another great video.
Your content is really valuable. I've come to really look forward to all the videos you are putting out. They are very enjoyable and easy to understand as someone who doesn't have much knowledge of shipping in general. Super interesting stuff, keep it up Sal!
The two Mulberys were a lesson in the two allied veiws of engineering. The US one was finished faster and started working days ahead of the UK one. The US one was finished faster by cutting corners on the anchoring and connections. The US one worked, and worked earlier. The UK one was finished as designed and survived the storm that they knew was possible. Without the early supplies from the US port the landing may have failed to hold the beach. Without the followup supplies from the UK port the move out from the beach would have failed.
Sal, your presentation is so interesting. I’ve been to the “beaches” a few times and am familiar with the DDay story. But your info today adds a whole new dimension to the experience. Thanks.
I was taught that most American naval vessels were deployed to Australia and the Brisbane line as a forward operating base, not as a defensive force. Brisbane became the biggest submarine base outside of the US, with over 70 submarines based there. Outside of the range of Japanese bombers, close enough to patrol the Coral Sea and western Pacific.
Great video! Thanks! 👍 Just a bit of info, as I’m a Great Lakes person. The Lee A Tregurtha is a ship that was in WW2. Still sailing on the Great Lakes. 😮 M/V Lee A. Tregurtha has a long and distinguished history since her construction as a World War II tanker. One of the most altered vessels on the Great Lakes, she also boasts two battle stars for WWII service as the Chiwawa. Her original dimensions were 501’8” x 68’ x 30’8” and her speed was 15 knots. Chiwawa served on both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans during the war and was present in Tokyo Bay during the September 2, 1945, surrender ceremony. The vessel was decommissioned on May 6, 1946, and transferred to the Maritime Commission shortly thereafter.
If you like the logistics side. Look the Berlin Airlift. To me it was the greatest moment in US Air Force history more then any bombing mission. And yes Britain was a big part of that success. Also the who helped off load the planes.
Great job Sal. Let us not forget that this is also the 80th anniversary of the Leyte Gulf operations and the beginning of the kamakaze attacks on Liberty Ships off Leyte in November 1944. My grandfather was the CM in USS Jeremiah Daly carrying an Army truck company and some 500 Army personnel when they were hit hard by a zero several hours after reaching their anchorage. The CM as well as all the senior Mariners and some 200 Army troops were KIA due to damage to the bridge and igniting fuel stores on deck. Through a heroic effort in fire and damage control, the ship was saved and towed back to SF.
Served in the Navy Cargo Handling Battalion (CHB) program (1984-85), Joint tour with Military Traffic Management Command-Eastern Area HQ (1985-87) and Newport-class LST (1987-88), so I really enjoyed your coverage and expertise of NEPTUNE/OVERLORD logistics and support. Well done!
You are my favorite person that can review various viewpoints and make logical sense of battles at sea. I wish my Dad had lived to enjoy your perspective. He would have, Sal. ❤❤❤
Great shows, Capt !! I’m 71 yrs old, merchant mariner since I was 17. My uncle Henry was tug skipper. Murmansk (lend lease) then Normandy. He pulled the LSTs off the beach. Two bronze stars. We never knew till he passed. By the way, thank God the Red Army had so much of the Nazi army tied up.
"The Victory at Sea," by Rear Admiral William Sowden Sims, published in 1920, does an excellent job of explaining the defeat of the U-boat in World War I. For a fictional account of the Battle of the Atlantic in World War II, I would suggest "The Cruel Sea," by Nicholas Monsarrat. Just some thoughts from from an old hermit.
Best of wishes on your upcoming WWII book. Please don't forget the US Navy Armed Guard that placed detachments of 10 enlisted and 1 officer aboard each Liberty Ship to fight the guns while the Merchant Marine sailed the ship. My Dad S1C was one of those 20mm Oerlikon AA gunners.
Just a week ago I visited SS Jeremiah O'Brien in SF! Amazing ship, still sails, and really amazing museum including a huge diorama of one of the beaches on Normandy 😮
I’ve always been told that she was the only ship to participate in D-Day AND the 50th Anniversary of Overlord in 1994. Sailed from SF to Europe and back. Easy to find her website. Amazing job the volunteers have done keeping her operational.
Sal, another good show. I am so glad I found your site about a year ago. Your explanations about the cargo ships stacking up at the ports was enlightening. Likewise your coverage of the Middle East turmoil and then the Dali was equally entertaining. You have parted the curtains on a subset of our society that is so under appreciated and yet so important. I have recommended your site to numerous friends. Some are interested and some not so much. Their loss in my book. But now with this dive into the logistics of D Day is outstanding. What a treat. With my interest in military documentaries, I have become fascinated with the behind the scenes logistics of many of the WW2 operations. You have further reinforced my interests. Thank you. Have you given any thought to doing a show or series on Operation Torch? I hope so. Thanks again for providing us with hours of interesting insight into the world of shipping. Keep it up, Pete Young.
This topic is enormous, I never realised. My goodness what a fount of information you have, and there is. I was born in 1940, and to think what was going on, as I was growing up. The mind boggles.
The only surviving LST in its wartime configuration is LST-325 based in Evansville, IN on the Ohio River. It is open daily for tours and is very interesting. They have a web site for more information. Also, every summer, they take a cruise on the inland waterways with several stops so that more people can enjoy this piece of history. Last summer they went up the Mississippi to Wisconsin and Minnesota, and this summer they are going up the Ohio in August and September with stops in Pittsburgh, PA; Wheeling, WV and Marietta, OH. Tours will be available to the public at each stop.
Excellent overview of D-day supply chain. My dad taught us that logistics is what lost the Battle of the Bulge for the Germans. They really had us on our heels until the diesel ran out. EDIT: Never knew about the pipeline. Very cool.
Great description and coverage, at last someone is covering LOGISTICS and the LSTs, I served in Vietnam in 1968 in the Australian Army and LSTS were playing a great role in supplying us, WELL DONE.
My father-in-law served on a DUCK crew in all of the US invasions except for D-Day. I was always fascinated by the logistics of just getting all the equipment to the shore and then staged and distributed. Just amazing.
Fantastic VLOG Sir, very good perspective of the shipping picture. Obviously, in 1944 things had turned around - battles during 1942-1943 when WW2 victory was uncertain tells so much how the US overcame the Nazi challenge. Your VLOG also illustrated the engineering & synchronization required concerning the LSTs & Liberty Ships with the tanks and cargo needed to ship. The logistics of the US - spanning 2 wars - the massive record-keeping and deployment of the equipment & cargo is mind-boggling to consider (ammunition, weapons, bombs, trucks, tires, socks, jackets, food, medical, tents, spikes, gas, oil, who it goes to, where it comes from, running tally of inventory stock, resupplies from the US, on and on) - MIND-BOGGLING.
Thank you so much. I've been listening to you since COVID because as an economist, the whole issue of trade and supply lines is just fascinating and you know your industry. But I wanted to thank you now because you've helped me understand my Dad a bit more. He managed truck convoys in Iran and then later in Marsa\eille. I was always grateful that he wasn't as traumatized by the war as my uncle, who was a field chaplin. This helps me get a better sense of the contribution my dad made.
I'm still in awww of the capability and capacity of D-Day. I'll watch as many documentaries as I can on it. The Battle off Samar, with Taffy 3 is another one I can watch over and over. They aren't called the Greatest Generation for no reason!
Nicholas Moran, aka the Chieftain identifies the most important part of the M4 Sherman Tank as the lifting eyes that allowed the M4 to be lifted by cranes into the hold of a ship. The Sherman weight could not exceed the lifting capacity of the dockside cranes as well.
Thank you. That was so very interesting. What a massive war that was. I'm in Australia and we have our own story. I used to know a lot of WW2 vets, including my father. They were wonderful brave people!!
Logs is generally ignored, I am delighted that you mentioned Pluto, the amount of fuel consumed by fighting vehicles is colossal and this was petrol as very few allied vehicles, if any, used diesel. Pluto was in my opinion the key to the breakout and charge across Europe before capturing and rebuilding a major port.
I do get tired of the deluge of information about artillery, tanks, planes whenever I hear the topic about armed conflict and war. Thank you for the deep dive into the logistics that made this world war successful for us today.
@@Lobonova glad to hear. There is plenty of that content on TH-cam; however, it is hard to find little if any about how logistics make the timely use of artillery, tanks & plane during military conflict.
Hello Sal I'm a new subscriber and have enjoyed your appearances on Ward Carroll's TH-cam channel. My dad was a signalman in the U.S. Navy at Normandy on LST 521. He passed in 2008. He would have loved your program! From what I remember him saying, they did most of their work unloading supplies at the British and Canadian beaches. I am very proud of his service and all those who have and continue to serve our country in uniform. It is great that some of these folks who accomplished the Herculean task of supplying our troops, and those of our allies, with the implements needed to fight, eat, and receive the much needed medical care they required can now get their moment of recognition too. It is best accomplished by doing what you're doing, which is to tell their story. Although there were high and some low points in this operation, overall it speaks for itself as an example of wonderful planning, team work, courage, and determination. Thank you again.
Thanks Sal for information on the background and the weeks and months after the June 6th invasion. First time I’ve seen these specific photos and logistical numbers. My dad was a T-Sgt. stationed in England on D-Day and later was in France & eventually Germany. My grandparents were from the Alps bordering France so he spoke enough French to translate for his superiors with the locals while in France. He briefly joined the Merchant Marines in February 1946 in order to return home after his 3 years of service was completed.
Thank you for this D-Day presentation. I devour WWII history - fascinated with The Greatest Generation (my parents' cohort.) Lots of details in here that I have missed - nice mention of Moran, of whom I was ignorant. Dad was in the Navy amphibs in Pacific (Seabee and APA-51). We visited LST-325 museum ship in Evansville. Interesting LST feature was the ballast water tanks, used to cool the diesel generators when beached high and dry (ventilation, lights, elevator, ramp, guns.) Stern anchors helped extraction after beaching, with tugs and landing craft if needed. When you have time for another history edition, perhaps an Okinawa 80-year anniversary next year. I hear it was the largest amphib operation in history - probably a slew of Liberty and Victory ships there. Another possible topic - the ships of the US Army in WWII. Most were leased and Merchant operated (cargo, tanker, troop, hospital) but there were many coastal freighters with Army crews. And maybe more landing craft than USN.
My Dad was on a "WW2 leftover" LST in the early 1960s, LST 1126 Snohomish County. He tells of being at sea empty and standing in the well deck watching the hull flex in the swells. That LST had the same EMD 567 diesel engines used by GM's EMD locomotives.
My great-uncle was the captain of LST-378 for D-Day. Previously, he as the XO for 378 in Italy and the navigator for 378 in North Africa. I was given my great-uncle's charts he used when he crossed the channel on June 6th.
The LST has always been a favorite of mine. My father served on an LST during Korea on supply shuttles from Japan. Thanks for a very informative episode.
If you are anywhere near Long Island, you can ride the Cape Henlopen, an active ferry between Orient Point and New London, CT. She began service 80 years ago as LST 510 at D-Day!
I live not far from Slapton Sands where this took place, there's a Sherman tank pulled from the sea a few years ago thats use as a memorial marker. More troops were lost in that disaster than were lost on Utah beach on 6th June.
Great episode. Not sorry if I sound like a broken record. I know a lot of this, but I learns loads and loads. Great to hear this within the context of the wider conflicts, geography, logistics, harbours, shipping etc etc (inc PLUTO). Useful nod to the Soviet demand on stores and logistics, plus their huge contributions in the east. We tend to quite rightly focus on the pointy end, but without the total contribution and support the pointy bit would have failed.
Fantastic, Sal! I really appreciated this and you are right… shipping’s contribution to WWII is underrated! Ryan Szmanski at battleship New Jersey should send you one of his Hawaiian shirts with the New Jersey on it.
Great video!!! My Dad landed on the 9th. But I honestly believe they learned/gained insight to do this from the earlier landings in the Pacific. Contested grounds or not. Somewhere someone got it!👍 0:000:00
Sal, you are a jewel. The knowledge and wisdom you impart to us is great and balances out all the crazy stuff on the internet. The logistics of D-Day are fascinating. Thank you.
And, all the ships, troops, vehicles, tanks, weaponry & supplies were coordinated through all those chains of command (without computers). Astounding !
Another excellent video Sal. My father was a radio officer in the Canadian Merchant Navy. He did multiple Atlantic convoy crossings and survived being torpedoed by a U-boat in the Indian Ocean in July 1943. He stayed in the Canadian Merchant until it faded away in the late 1940s. The best years of his life!
Hi Sal, Your half-hour video has massively expanded my understanding of the invasion of Normandy. I've listened to programmes about the D-day landings for 60 years. But I now think the focus on just that one day has distracted me. It's like having stared at a few pixels, whilst being oblivious of the picture they're a part of. I've been aware of aspects of the build up to D-day, but not of what happened after the landings - what it took to sustain, and increase people and equipment to enable the eventual breakout beyond Normandy. I think I've got some reading to do! Thank you. (From England.)
I have wanted to learn about this subject for YEARS! No logistics, no D-Day. I have searched for books with no luck. Still wondering. Thank you so very much. I'm grateful forever. And especially the sources. ❤❤❤❤
On today's episode of What's going on with shipping: shipping in the greatest generation with the hardest of our men, in WWII, thwarting the hidden Wolfpacks under the waves. On today's episode we have comment EDIT: What a great episode! SAL you need the ESPN-style shipping-play-analysis (where you draw on the screen as you talk, telling and showing us wtf, like for the Omaha image and the Mulberry, etc.), ehh love it
Hi Sal. Thanks for another excellent show. I try not to miss any of them, as they are so accurate and informative. Thanks also for mentioning James Holland. I have read most of his WW2 books and agree with your excellent description of them. BTW, my dad was a master in the British merchant navy during the whole duration of the war, sometimes Convoy Commodore. Thank God he survived, and me and my brother are the result of that.🙃🙃. Well done Sal, and look forward to your next edition.
D-day was my father's third opposed landing. His first was Sicily, having gone through the island he was sent on the first wave on the Italian beach at Solerno. He got to Rome and was returned to England and sent to Normandy, arriving on Gold ten minutes too late for the D-day medal but having to use his Bren Gun to survive the beach. He then went through France, Belgium, Holland and Germany. He was released in 1947 from Germany. He hadn't been home since 1940, they hadn't heard from him, no phones and he couldn't write. He got home to find his sailor brothers survived the Atlantic and Artic Convoys but we lost my uncle, killed in the corps I served in, the Royal Army Medical Corps.
The sheer enormity of the D-Day landings has always registered with me since I was a child during the 1960s, growing up in central Scotland. Unfortunately, a recent YouGov poll revealed that over half of UK adults do not know what D-Day is.
You can not forget about the Canadians and their contribution to the war and shipping during the start of the invasion of Europe. They always are overlooked. The Netherlands and the Schelt. That was key for shipping. N
If you are at all interested in the Normandy landings one of the key assets was the French Resistance. I can recommend a book 'Ten Thousand Eyes' by Richard Collier published by Collins in 1958 for a detailed account of how the resistance supplied maps of the coast and landing areas in the two years before the actual landings.
James Holland is certainly a man who appreciates logistics. 'Operational level 'is practically a catchphrase on "We have ways of making you talk" podcast
Thank you for this video. I cannot give enough thanks to the men and women who sacrificed to help us defeat Germany, Italy, and Japan. This video emphasizes the concerns about our current fleet and whether we have the capability to fight and supply a global war. Hopefully, the military planners watch your channel and understand how we are currently set up for failure. History is useless if you don't learn lessons from the past.
LST has the same general ballast system as a the US submarines, utilizing that system in a transport might be the single most important technological breakthrough of the war. This was vital to getting enough supplies quickly on the beach for the campaigns across the Pacific. LSTs can travel across the Pacific, they just need to be refueled (but so would destroyers or any smaller naval ship).
My father in law was an 18 year old sailor aboard LST-510 which shuttled troops and supplies to Normandy. Then returned to the UK with the wounded. He is with us at age 98. His ship was converted into a ferry (Cape Henlopen) which still provides service between Orient Point and New London.
LST was known to Navy personnel as Large Slow Targets.
That ship is still in service? Amazing.
I rode on that converted LST / car ferry last summer. It is in great shape and there is a plaque about her wartime service.
Wishing you the Best to father in law a happy Birthday. Tell him thx say, "We got this far"
Cape Henlopen still sails out of New London on a regular schedule.
My Dad was at Normandy in the Liberty Ship SS Lyman Hall (he was 4F for military service due to asthma). He was wounded when a German artillery shell exploded nearby and carried a piece of shrapnel in his head for the rest of his life (it wasn't worth the risk of surgery to remove). What many don't realize is the Merchant Marines had the highest per capita casualty rate of any service with 1 in 26 dead. The US Marines were in 2nd place with 1 in 34 dead, Army was 1 in 48. And as is typical Dad never talked about any of it. I had to learn about it from my Uncle.
Visit the SS Lane Victory in San Pedro, CA, if you get the chance.
german submariners had a 3 dead out of 4 sailers
german fighter pilot were about 4 out of 5 killed.
@@typxxilps When you include only those who actually went to sea and not the staff weenies it's closer to the 80-90% range.
Thank you for enlightening me.
The MM never got the recognition they deserved until very recently. Too little too late.😢
I’m here for it when you said history of WW2 and Normandy specifically.
May we never forget!
Doubt people will forget, just not something we think about normally
My dad was on the bridge of (US made) HMS Essington on the night before the landing. Bristling with everything that could track submarines and also throw things at them, they were plodding back and forth along the English Channel. Nobody really knows what's going on because that's the way it is meant to be. Staring out over the bow and trying hard to avoid the many ships that were passing from right to left on their way to Normandy, he suddenly became aware of a complete blackout of any flickers of lighting immediately ahead of their destroyer escort. It was getting larger and consisted of nothing but pure darkness. He realised that it wasn't a ship. However, it was massive and only displayed one tiny red light as they headed directly towards its centre.
My dad flashed "...Who are you...?" on his Aldiss lamp as a variety of expletives were expressed on the bridge and very specific orders were passed to the engine room to make everything go backwards and no longer go forwards.
After a short pause, a small torch high up on the top of the blackness replied.
"...I am a Mulberry..."
Wonderful story of typical wartime humor from brave men at a time of great danger. Thank you.
Thanks for that tail. These are the stories that sadly not told enough. I have said it takes 4 people in the rear to keep one man on the front.
As a Veteran for Peace I get it, we’re just guys trying hard to stay alive. Respect.
Nice piece of writing - don't ever stop jotting down. Write it all down. I will soon be 77, on June 6th. (Thank god, otherwise I'd forget my own birthday). Write down everything your Dad told you. Seniors and soon to be late folks in family and neighborhoods, and their surviving kin are worthy of note. My dad worked on the Manhattan Project, as an independent contractor for the Naval Research Laboratories, the procurement section of the MP. He died in 1994 long before google and social media and digital memories. If we have memories, as their custodian, we have an obligation to their preservation. Thank you.
Wonderful story! Love any of these memories that are shared.
Of all the thousands of ships of size that partook in Operation Overlord, there is only one that is still fully functional and available to the public for tours. That is the Liberty Ship SS Jeremiah O'Brien that did 5 Atlantic crossings and 11 shuttle trips between Southhampton UK and both Omaha and Utah beaches. She is open to the public for tours seven days a week and berthed at Pier 35 in San Francisco. Cargo and supply ships may not be glamorous like battleships and aircraft carriers, but it was these humble ships and their civilian merchant seamen crews that made winning WWII possible. Thank you for this video!
Although somewhat modernized, the Cape Henlopen, formerly LST 510, is in daily operation as a ferry between Long Island and Connecticutt. It has a room dedicated to its naval service. Amazing for an 80 year old D-Day participant!
Note that once or twice a year the J. O'Brien gets underway under her own power for day sailings around SF Bay. The memorial cruise in May is especially well attended and pays tribute to the Mariners lost.
Dad was in the Pacific… Chief MM on an LST (Large Stationary Target) as he called them. Shipped from Hawaii in 43 and “Island hopped” for 2 years. Was a diesel wiz and invented a use for all the extra corn starch to inject into the diesel engines cooling pipes to extend the tear down schedule from sea water, I still have his sketches he made on rice paper. Never received (or asked for) recognition. Just did his duty like everyone in “The Greatest Generation” did.🙏🙏🇺🇸
Amazing!
How was the corn starch used? Was it to plug small leaks, a leak detector or something else?
@@googacctapparently it kept the “electrochemical chemical reaction to sea water at a minimum the corrosion in the pipes would cause the engine to overheat. Being a child of the depression. He hated throwing anything overboard. So he put the abundant rations to use. It extended the engine life and being in the middle of the Pacific, he had the responsibility of keeping it ship moving.
@@christopherbradley4942 he was an amazing man who I miss everyday.
Just buried my 97 year old dad Memorial Day weekend. He was an oiler in the Merchant Marine crewing on tankers. He told stories of running up the Rohn and seeing sub pens after VE Day.
His last trip to Europe was on the Seneca Castle. He came home and hired onto the Stanolind A. At the time, the fastest towboat on the river with it's 2 big Busch Sulzer diesels and 6' screws.
At the bottom of my road, we have an LST (just went and had a look - at it and it is, in fact, a landing craft tank) - the ship is the last surviving one that took part in D-Day - if you want I can send you some photos Sal
Prove it!!!!!!!
lol. do you live on the Scenic Ohio River Byway Road in Evansville, Indiana? Or NW 2nd street next to it?😂 oh oh oh did I guess correct?! Promise I’m not a stalker. lolz. But I did google the last surviving wwii lst and I dunno if there is another, but the google said LST-325 in Evansville, Indiana. Super sleuth! K not really.
0:04 My uncle Don was a signalman on LST- 325
Pictures please
@@IamNiggler mummy must have really starved you of attention
General John J. Pershing, who led the American Expeditionary Forces in Europe during World War I, is credited with saying, “Infantry wins battles, logistics wins wars”. You clearly understand the decisiveness of logistics. Great episode!
Awesome video Sal. I’m a 65-year-old history buff I think from the day I was born and this is one of the best videos I’ve seen recently in my life. Thank you very much for making it.
Thank you for this story, my 99 year old Dad was an engineering officer on Liberty Ships. He volunteered for the crew of one of the ships sunk as a break water and when returned to his ship delivered jeeps to the port. He has Congressional Gold Medal that I applied for after I heard one of your stories.
Great shows, Capt !!
I’m 71 yrs old, merchant mariner since I was 17. My uncle Henry was tug skipper. Murmansk (lend lease) then Normandy. He pulled the LSTs off the beach. Two bronze stars. We never knew till he passed.
PQ 17 was the code name for an Allied Arctic convoy during the Second World War. On 27 June 1942, the ships sailed from Hvalfjörður, Iceland, for the port of Arkhangelsk in the Soviet Union. The convoy was the first large joint Anglo-American naval operation under British command; in Churchill's view this encouraged a more careful approach to fleet movements. As the close escort and the covering cruiser forces withdrew westwards to intercept the German raiders, the merchant ships were left without escorts. The merchant ships were attacked by Luftwaffe aircraft and U-boats and of the 35 ships, only eleven reached their destination, delivering 70,000 long tons (71,000 metric tons) of cargo
Symonds is a great naval historian. I just completed his World War II at Sea: A Global History. A comprehensive overview of the naval war and the logistics of WWII. He brings home how the availability of shipping and LSTs shaped campaigns in Europe and the Pacific. Excellent book.
Not too long ago I helped care for someone who was a sailor in the arctic convoys to Russia. He was still with it mentally and had some great stories to tell. I kinda wish I was in a position to put him in touch with someone who could document his story.
You are the Best. My Dad was at the Battle of the Bulge and the battle at the Ramageon Bridge. His Dad was in WWI. Both of these men suffered from war. The only way I have found interest is through you. Honestly, you have brought me peace and understanding that had not found through books. Great books, but you put logic into these events. Thank you, Sal. ❤❤❤
This is probably my favorite video of all you have produced these past couple of years. Thank you for this.
Sal, Thanks for this video. Very informative. It always boggles my mind when I hear numbers of things associated with WW II. To think we built 1,000 LST's, 2,700 Liberty Ships and still built hundreds or thousands of military ships, thousands of airplanes, thousands of tanks, hundreds of thousands of trucks and Jeeps AND all the other little stuff - bullets, weapons, helmets, uniforms, mess kits, medical supplies. The list is endless. To think we had enough personnel in the states to do all that while simultaneously sending troops to fight."The greatest generation" definitely deserves that title.
The Little Joe fishing tackle company in tiny Isle, Minnesota, at the request of the war department, converted its machinery and workforce to making egg beaters! Gotta have 'em! Lots of them! 😎✌️
My father went from the hell of a couple Murmansk convoys on dry cargo ships to an elderly T2 supporting the Allied forces out on the Pacific "island hopping". It took him nearly two years to get back to Europe, Antwerpen was where he paid off, after hostilities finished out there. He never spoke much about it even when we were sharing the watch at sea together. And you know how sailors like to yarn. 🙂
Logistics: so utterly essential, yet so often overlooked. That's why I enjoy your channel so much. You draw attention to the absolute importance of logistics, and never more so than during D-Day. My grandfather was saved by logistics.
Sal, you’re THE BEST! That episode was superb. I’m proud to be made aware of all the heroic work behind the scenes by the unsung mariners (and shipbuilders and untold millions) of WW2.
I REALLY think they’d say you did them justice. Thanks! Thanks!
Excellent. One can never have too much logistics. Both my father and uncle served in the Canadian Navy as the war started for Canada in Sept 1939. My uncle served on a Canadian corvette that sunk a German u-boat in mid Atlantic. My dad who could not function at sea due to seasickness worked in HQ in the directorate of trade and intelligence and was very involved with convoy planning some of which started from Halifax long before the US entered the war in Dec 41.The US was supplying a lot of material to the UK long before they entered the war. The Lend Lease act 50 old US destroyers lent to the UK and Canada for bases in Newfoundland/Labrador is one example. Thanks for yet another great video.
Your content is really valuable. I've come to really look forward to all the videos you are putting out. They are very enjoyable and easy to understand as someone who doesn't have much knowledge of shipping in general. Super interesting stuff, keep it up Sal!
I appreciate that!
My dad served on LST 496 one of the vessels in the opening shot. Great video, thanks.
The two Mulberys were a lesson in the two allied veiws of engineering. The US one was finished faster and started working days ahead of the UK one. The US one was finished faster by cutting corners on the anchoring and connections. The US one worked, and worked earlier. The UK one was finished as designed and survived the storm that they knew was possible.
Without the early supplies from the US port the landing may have failed to hold the beach. Without the followup supplies from the UK port the move out from the beach would have failed.
Sal, yes!!!
We so needed this lesson in this moment.
You are THE MAN
Sal, your presentation is so interesting. I’ve been to the “beaches” a few times and am familiar with the DDay story. But your info today adds a whole new dimension to the experience. Thanks.
Glad you enjoyed it
*I a student of World War II history... I've been addicted to WWII stuff lately so this is awesome. Thank you, Sal! Love from Baltimore, Maryland!!*
I was taught that most American naval vessels were deployed to Australia and the Brisbane line as a forward operating base, not as a defensive force. Brisbane became the biggest submarine base outside of the US, with over 70 submarines based there. Outside of the range of Japanese bombers, close enough to patrol the Coral Sea and western Pacific.
Great video! Thanks! 👍
Just a bit of info, as I’m a Great Lakes person. The Lee A Tregurtha is a ship that was in WW2. Still sailing on the Great Lakes. 😮
M/V Lee A. Tregurtha has a long and distinguished history since her construction as a World War II tanker. One of the most altered vessels on the Great Lakes, she also boasts two battle stars for WWII service as the Chiwawa. Her original dimensions were 501’8” x 68’ x 30’8” and her speed was 15 knots. Chiwawa served on both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans during the war and was present in Tokyo Bay during the September 2, 1945, surrender ceremony. The vessel was decommissioned on May 6, 1946, and transferred to the Maritime Commission shortly thereafter.
history is a welcome component here. thank you.
in particular, I appreciate you recommending the reading list of books at the beginning of your presentation. thank you.
If you like the logistics side. Look the Berlin Airlift. To me it was the greatest moment in US Air Force history more then any bombing mission. And yes Britain was a big part of that success. Also the who helped off load the planes.
Great job Sal. Let us not forget that this is also the 80th anniversary of the Leyte Gulf operations and the beginning of the kamakaze attacks on Liberty Ships off Leyte in November 1944. My grandfather was the CM in USS Jeremiah Daly carrying an Army truck company and some 500 Army personnel when they were hit hard by a zero several hours after reaching their anchorage. The CM as well as all the senior Mariners and some 200 Army troops were KIA due to damage to the bridge and igniting fuel stores on deck. Through a heroic effort in fire and damage control, the ship was saved and towed back to SF.
Served in the Navy Cargo Handling Battalion (CHB) program (1984-85), Joint tour with Military Traffic Management Command-Eastern Area HQ (1985-87) and Newport-class LST (1987-88), so I really enjoyed your coverage and expertise of NEPTUNE/OVERLORD logistics and support. Well done!
You are my favorite person that can review various viewpoints and make logical sense of battles at sea. I wish my Dad had lived to enjoy your perspective. He would have, Sal. ❤❤❤
Wow, thanks
Great shows, Capt !!
I’m 71 yrs old, merchant mariner since I was 17. My uncle Henry was tug skipper. Murmansk (lend lease) then Normandy. He pulled the LSTs off the beach. Two bronze stars. We never knew till he passed.
By the way, thank God the Red Army had so much of the Nazi army tied up.
"The Victory at Sea," by Rear Admiral William Sowden Sims, published in 1920, does an excellent job of explaining the defeat of the U-boat in World War I. For a fictional account of the Battle of the Atlantic in World War II, I would suggest "The Cruel Sea," by Nicholas Monsarrat. Just some thoughts from from an old hermit.
_The Cruel Sea_ is an excellent novel. The Audible version is excellent for anyone into audio books.
Best of wishes on your upcoming WWII book. Please don't forget the US Navy Armed Guard that placed detachments of 10 enlisted and 1 officer aboard each Liberty Ship to fight the guns while the Merchant Marine sailed the ship. My Dad S1C was one of those 20mm Oerlikon AA gunners.
USS LST-325 is available for tours, and cruises, in Evansville. Illinois. A really working ship.
That episode was absolutely fantastic, thank you.
Just a week ago I visited SS Jeremiah O'Brien in SF! Amazing ship, still sails, and really amazing museum including a huge diorama of one of the beaches on Normandy 😮
I’ve always been told that she was the only ship to participate in D-Day AND the 50th Anniversary of Overlord in 1994. Sailed from SF to Europe and back. Easy to find her website. Amazing job the volunteers have done keeping her operational.
Sal, another good show. I am so glad I found your site about a year ago. Your explanations about the cargo ships stacking up at the ports was enlightening. Likewise your coverage of the Middle East turmoil and then the Dali was equally entertaining. You have parted the curtains on a subset of our society that is so under appreciated and yet so important. I have recommended your site to numerous friends. Some are interested and some not so much. Their loss in my book. But now with this dive into the logistics of D Day is outstanding. What a treat. With my interest in military documentaries, I have become fascinated with the behind the scenes logistics of many of the WW2 operations. You have further reinforced my interests. Thank you. Have you given any thought to doing a show or series on Operation Torch? I hope so. Thanks again for providing us with hours of interesting insight into the world of shipping. Keep it up, Pete Young.
Fascinating. Thank you Sal for this historical insight. Much appreciated.
This topic is enormous, I never realised. My goodness what a fount of information you have, and there is. I was born in 1940, and to think what was going on, as I was growing up. The mind boggles.
More, more! I love the historical segments.
The only surviving LST in its wartime configuration is LST-325 based in Evansville, IN on the Ohio River. It is open daily for tours and is very interesting. They have a web site for more information. Also, every summer, they take a cruise on the inland waterways with several stops so that more people can enjoy this piece of history. Last summer they went up the Mississippi to Wisconsin and Minnesota, and this summer they are going up the Ohio in August and September with stops in Pittsburgh, PA; Wheeling, WV and Marietta, OH. Tours will be available to the public at each stop.
Utterly amazing, Sal. Rather incredible feats to solve all the problems with supply in planning and execution.
Stunning people.
Excellent overview of D-day supply chain. My dad taught us that logistics is what lost the Battle of the Bulge for the Germans. They really had us on our heels until the diesel ran out.
EDIT: Never knew about the pipeline. Very cool.
Your comment as to the design of the Sherman tank was very enlightening, thank you.
Great description and coverage, at last someone is covering LOGISTICS and the LSTs, I served in Vietnam in 1968 in the Australian Army and LSTS were playing a great role in supplying us, WELL DONE.
WW II and naval history. Excellent video on my favorite topics
Loved this just as much as I loved your talk about the six fleet oilers over on WW2TV (and somewhere on this channel now, for anyone interested).
Love this. Thank you
My father-in-law served on a DUCK crew in all of the US invasions except for D-Day. I was always fascinated by the logistics of just getting all the equipment to the shore and then staged and distributed. Just amazing.
Fantastic VLOG Sir, very good perspective of the shipping picture. Obviously, in 1944 things had turned around - battles during 1942-1943 when WW2 victory was uncertain tells so much how the US overcame the Nazi challenge. Your VLOG also illustrated the engineering & synchronization required concerning the LSTs & Liberty Ships with the tanks and cargo needed to ship. The logistics of the US - spanning 2 wars - the massive record-keeping and deployment of the equipment & cargo is mind-boggling to consider (ammunition, weapons, bombs, trucks, tires, socks, jackets, food, medical, tents, spikes, gas, oil, who it goes to, where it comes from, running tally of inventory stock, resupplies from the US, on and on) - MIND-BOGGLING.
Thank you so much. I've been listening to you since COVID because as an economist, the whole issue of trade and supply lines is just fascinating and you know your industry. But I wanted to thank you now because you've helped me understand my Dad a bit more. He managed truck convoys in Iran and then later in Marsa\eille. I was always grateful that he wasn't as traumatized by the war as my uncle, who was a field chaplin. This helps me get a better sense of the contribution my dad made.
Those convoys in Iran were essential to keep the Soviets in the war, much like Marseilles did for the US Army in France.
Thank you for this additional information.
I'm still in awww of the capability and capacity of D-Day. I'll watch as many documentaries as I can on it. The Battle off Samar, with Taffy 3 is another one I can watch over and over. They aren't called the Greatest Generation for no reason!
Nicholas Moran, aka the Chieftain identifies the most important part of the M4 Sherman Tank as the lifting eyes that allowed the M4 to be lifted by cranes into the hold of a ship. The Sherman weight could not exceed the lifting capacity of the dockside cranes as well.
Great episode! So applicable to the apparent inevitable conflicts.
Thank you. That was so very interesting. What a massive war that was. I'm in Australia and we have our own story. I used to know a lot of WW2 vets, including my father. They were wonderful brave people!!
Logs is generally ignored, I am delighted that you mentioned Pluto, the amount of fuel consumed by fighting vehicles is colossal and this was petrol as very few allied vehicles, if any, used diesel. Pluto was in my opinion the key to the breakout and charge across Europe before capturing and rebuilding a major port.
I do get tired of the deluge of information about artillery, tanks, planes whenever I hear the topic about armed conflict and war. Thank you for the deep dive into the logistics that made this world war successful for us today.
I think people believe it just magically shows up where it is needed.
I never get tired of tanks and planes
@@Lobonova glad to hear. There is plenty of that content on TH-cam; however, it is hard to find little if any about how logistics make the timely use of artillery, tanks & plane during military conflict.
Hello Sal
I'm a new subscriber and have enjoyed your appearances on Ward Carroll's TH-cam channel. My dad was a signalman in the U.S. Navy at Normandy on LST 521. He passed in 2008. He would have loved your program! From what I remember him saying, they did most of their work unloading supplies at the British and Canadian beaches. I am very proud of his service and all those who have and continue to serve our country in uniform. It is great that some of these folks who accomplished the Herculean task of supplying our troops, and those of our allies, with the implements needed to fight, eat, and receive the much needed medical care they required can now get their moment of recognition too. It is best accomplished by doing what you're doing, which is to tell their story. Although there were high and some low points in this operation, overall it speaks for itself as an example of wonderful planning, team work, courage, and determination. Thank you again.
John...Thanks for watching and I salute your dad!
Thanks Sal for information on the background and the weeks and months after the June 6th invasion. First time I’ve seen these specific photos and logistical numbers. My dad was a T-Sgt. stationed in England on D-Day and later was in France & eventually Germany. My grandparents were from the Alps bordering France so he spoke enough French to translate for his superiors with the locals while in France. He briefly joined the Merchant Marines in February 1946 in order to return home after his 3 years of service was completed.
Thank you for this D-Day presentation. I devour WWII history - fascinated with The Greatest Generation (my parents' cohort.) Lots of details in here that I have missed - nice mention of Moran, of whom I was ignorant. Dad was in the Navy amphibs in Pacific (Seabee and APA-51). We visited LST-325 museum ship in Evansville. Interesting LST feature was the ballast water tanks, used to cool the diesel generators when beached high and dry (ventilation, lights, elevator, ramp, guns.) Stern anchors helped extraction after beaching, with tugs and landing craft if needed. When you have time for another history edition, perhaps an Okinawa 80-year anniversary next year. I hear it was the largest amphib operation in history - probably a slew of Liberty and Victory ships there. Another possible topic - the ships of the US Army in WWII. Most were leased and Merchant operated (cargo, tanker, troop, hospital) but there were many coastal freighters with Army crews. And maybe more landing craft than USN.
My Dad was on a "WW2 leftover" LST in the early 1960s, LST 1126 Snohomish County. He tells of being at sea empty and standing in the well deck watching the hull flex in the swells. That LST had the same EMD 567 diesel engines used by GM's EMD locomotives.
Thank You Sal. i've been wanting something like this for years! Logistics is so under appreciated !:-)
I passed the Cape Henlopen a couple times this past winter but had no idea of its history. Thank you so much for sharing this!
My great-uncle was the captain of LST-378 for D-Day. Previously, he as the XO for 378 in Italy and the navigator for 378 in North Africa. I was given my great-uncle's charts he used when he crossed the channel on June 6th.
Excellent production Sal . Very interesting .
Excellent presentation, well done.
Quite superb, solid with facts but hugely entertaining...what a great mix. Thankyou
Thanks Sal. Fascinating
The LST has always been a favorite of mine. My father served on an LST during Korea on supply shuttles from Japan. Thanks for a very informative episode.
First Marine Division got to ride in on them, I believe.
If you are anywhere near Long Island, you can ride the Cape Henlopen, an active ferry between Orient Point and New London, CT. She began service 80 years ago as LST 510 at D-Day!
I'm always amazed at the number of ships that the US was able to build during WWII. Excellent vid.
spectacular episode. Thanks.
I recently saw a video on the disaster at Operarion Tiger, where a practice convoy was attacked by German E Boats
I live not far from Slapton Sands where this took place, there's a Sherman tank pulled from the sea a few years ago thats use as a memorial marker. More troops were lost in that disaster than were lost on Utah beach on 6th June.
Great episode. Not sorry if I sound like a broken record. I know a lot of this, but I learns loads and loads. Great to hear this within the context of the wider conflicts, geography, logistics, harbours, shipping etc etc (inc PLUTO). Useful nod to the Soviet demand on stores and logistics, plus their huge contributions in the east. We tend to quite rightly focus on the pointy end, but without the total contribution and support the pointy bit would have failed.
Fantastic, Sal! I really appreciated this and you are right… shipping’s contribution to WWII is underrated! Ryan Szmanski at battleship New Jersey should send you one of his Hawaiian shirts with the New Jersey on it.
Great video!!! My Dad landed on the 9th. But I honestly believe they learned/gained insight to do this from the earlier landings in the Pacific. Contested grounds or not. Somewhere someone got it!👍 0:00 0:00
Wow. Masterful. Thanks for making this video.
Sal, you are a jewel. The knowledge and wisdom you impart to us is great and balances out all the crazy stuff on the internet. The logistics of D-Day are fascinating. Thank you.
And, all the ships, troops, vehicles, tanks, weaponry & supplies were coordinated through all those chains of command (without computers). Astounding !
Thanks Sal !
Great episode, I'm glad you put it out for us to see!!
Another excellent video Sal. My father was a radio officer in the Canadian Merchant Navy. He did multiple Atlantic convoy crossings and survived being torpedoed by a U-boat in the Indian Ocean in July 1943. He stayed in the Canadian Merchant until it faded away in the late 1940s. The best years of his life!
Fascinating "bonus episode" sort of thing using your expertise to examine a historical event! Love to see more!
Hi Sal, Your half-hour video has massively expanded my understanding of the invasion of Normandy. I've listened to programmes about the D-day landings for 60 years. But I now think the focus on just that one day has distracted me. It's like having stared at a few pixels, whilst being oblivious of the picture they're a part of. I've been aware of aspects of the build up to D-day, but not of what happened after the landings - what it took to sustain, and increase people and equipment to enable the eventual breakout beyond Normandy. I think I've got some reading to do! Thank you. (From England.)
I have wanted to learn about this subject for YEARS! No logistics, no D-Day. I have searched for books with no luck. Still wondering. Thank you so very much. I'm grateful forever. And especially the sources. ❤❤❤❤
On today's episode of What's going on with shipping: shipping in the greatest generation with the hardest of our men, in WWII, thwarting the hidden Wolfpacks under the waves.
On today's episode we have comment EDIT: What a great episode! SAL you need the ESPN-style shipping-play-analysis (where you draw on the screen as you talk, telling and showing us wtf, like for the Omaha image and the Mulberry, etc.), ehh love it
All the folks back home working thier butts off for the war effort
Thanks for the history lesson, this cleared up a few things for me.
Hi Sal. Thanks for another excellent show. I try not to miss any of them, as they are so accurate and informative. Thanks also for mentioning James Holland. I have read most of his WW2 books and agree with your excellent description of them.
BTW, my dad was a master in the British merchant navy during the whole duration of the war, sometimes Convoy Commodore.
Thank God he survived, and me and my brother are the result of that.🙃🙃.
Well done Sal, and look forward to your next edition.
D-day was my father's third opposed landing. His first was Sicily, having gone through the island he was sent on the first wave on the Italian beach at Solerno. He got to Rome and was returned to England and sent to Normandy, arriving on Gold ten minutes too late for the D-day medal but having to use his Bren Gun to survive the beach. He then went through France, Belgium, Holland and Germany. He was released in 1947 from Germany. He hadn't been home since 1940, they hadn't heard from him, no phones and he couldn't write. He got home to find his sailor brothers survived the Atlantic and Artic Convoys but we lost my uncle, killed in the corps I served in, the Royal Army Medical Corps.
The sheer enormity of the D-Day landings has always registered with me since I was a child during the 1960s, growing up in central Scotland.
Unfortunately, a recent YouGov poll revealed that over half of UK adults do not know what D-Day is.
You can not forget about the Canadians and their contribution to the war and shipping during the start of the invasion of Europe. They always are overlooked. The Netherlands and the Schelt. That was key for shipping. N
If you are at all interested in the Normandy landings one of the key assets was the French Resistance. I can recommend a book 'Ten Thousand Eyes' by Richard Collier published by Collins in 1958 for a detailed account of how the resistance supplied maps of the coast and landing areas in the two years before the actual landings.
I absolutely dig your history videos. Great video Sal!
Great lesson, Sal!
James Holland is certainly a man who appreciates logistics.
'Operational level 'is practically a catchphrase on "We have ways of making you talk" podcast
Thank you for this video. I cannot give enough thanks to the men and women who sacrificed to help us defeat Germany, Italy, and Japan. This video emphasizes the concerns about our current fleet and whether we have the capability to fight and supply a global war. Hopefully, the military planners watch your channel and understand how we are currently set up for failure. History is useless if you don't learn lessons from the past.
Great episode Sal. Love this stuff 🗽🇺🇸
Jerry cans where a logistical innovation on par with containers a generation later. They really deserve their own video.
LST has the same general ballast system as a the US submarines, utilizing that system in a transport might be the single most important technological breakthrough of the war. This was vital to getting enough supplies quickly on the beach for the campaigns across the Pacific. LSTs can travel across the Pacific, they just need to be refueled (but so would destroyers or any smaller naval ship).