My father was a 24 year old Navy man - who was a Boatswain in WWII - he ferried soldiers to the shore of Normandy Beach on D-Day in a Higgins Boat - this is a special video - made me think of my dad who has been gone 16 years now
Terrific documentary! I learned a lot. Much respect for those that preserved our freedom!! Anyone who violates the law and commits a crime today is disrespecting those that sacrificed and gave it all ! God Bless!
My grandfather drove 1 of those boats back and forth taking troops to Omaha until a round went through a piece of metal and struck him in the teeth and tongue but it wasn't fast enough to go all the way through.
The photo of Andrew Higgins sitting on a PT boat with a flag waving behind him, was on the wall of our house all my youth. My mother was Mr. Higgin's personal stenographer and my grandfather was a Coast Guard volunteer who guarded the Higgins docks at night. The boats had to disappear, they were made of mahogany plywood and it would not take too long after they were retired for the wood to begin to separate. Mr. Higgins died soon after the war and his son took over the business. He had tons and tons of mahogany stored which his father had bought even before the war as he was a visionary and could see the Japanese taking over the areas of the Pacific and cutting us off from the supply of mahogany. So the son had the idea that he could sell the wood as precut wooden floors for the hundreds of thousands of houses being build for the GIs who could buy a house costing $6000.00 with a GI Loan. They were installed and not long after that they began to shrink and curl, and of course this destroyed Higgins Industries.
why didn't Spielberg donate at least one or two of the Higgins boats he had to have made to produce Saving Private Ryan? While the ones used in the movie may not have been exact replicas, they were similar enough and strong enough to withstand actual usage in the rough waters depicted in the movie.
The design on these boats are suicidal. Should've had rear door models in D-day Omaha beach. With the gunman upfront. The Brown-Higgin design is safer for the soldiers and battle ready. The engineers actually protected the vehicles better than the soldiers.
My father was a 24 year old Navy man - who was a Boatswain in WWII - he ferried soldiers to the shore of Normandy Beach on D-Day in a Higgins Boat - this is a special video - made me think of my dad who has been gone 16 years now
God bless brother
American genius, and grit , not forgotten over here in the UK , thanks for the everything
Terrific documentary! I learned a lot. Much respect for those that preserved our freedom!! Anyone who violates the law and commits a crime today is disrespecting those that sacrificed and gave it all !
God Bless!
What a guy, this Higgins. Even Eisenhower gave him a salute.
My grandfather drove 1 of those boats back and forth taking troops to Omaha until a round went through a piece of metal and struck him in the teeth and tongue but it wasn't fast enough to go all the way through.
I'm pretty sure the famous actor Eddie Albert was a Higgins boat driver during WWII.
My father was a carpenter 's mate on the APA ELMORE and was part of Higgins boat crew in the liberation of the Philippines in WW2
21,000 Higgins Boats x 36 men per TRIP. That's a crapload of men and materials could NOT have gotten there without Higgins.
The photo of Andrew Higgins sitting on a PT boat with a flag waving behind him, was on the wall of our house all my youth. My mother was Mr. Higgin's personal stenographer and my grandfather was a Coast Guard volunteer who guarded the Higgins docks at night. The boats had to disappear, they were made of mahogany plywood and it would not take too long after they were retired for the wood to begin to separate. Mr. Higgins died soon after the war and his son took over the business. He had tons and tons of mahogany stored which his father had bought even before the war as he was a visionary and could see the Japanese taking over the areas of the Pacific and cutting us off from the supply of mahogany. So the son had the idea that he could sell the wood as precut wooden floors for the hundreds of thousands of houses being build for the GIs who could buy a house costing $6000.00 with a GI Loan. They were installed and not long after that they began to shrink and curl, and of course this destroyed Higgins Industries.
Outstanding!!
The Greatest Generation, Amen.
why didn't Spielberg donate at least one or two of the Higgins boats he had to have made to produce Saving Private Ryan? While the ones used in the movie may not have been exact replicas, they were similar enough and strong enough to withstand actual usage in the rough waters depicted in the movie.
I Liked the USMC LVT- 4 Amtrack, More.
He’s my great great grandfather so that’s nice I guess
Andrew Higgins Is your great grandfather!!!!!!
We are related then? Because this my husbands great great grandfather.
part of Higgin's boat came from the Japanese design.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daihatsu-class_landing_craft
Higgins💯
U have a line of clients
The design on these boats are suicidal. Should've had rear door models in D-day Omaha beach. With the gunman upfront. The Brown-Higgin design is safer for the soldiers and battle ready. The engineers actually protected the vehicles better than the soldiers.
John Fitzgerald how praytell would you design that? Thousands of men would have drowned.