The main challenge was to get the DD tanks as near as possible to the beach as quickly as possible while making sure they wouldn’t sink with their crew! DD Tanks were designed solely for the initial assault on June 6th, so it wouldn't make sense for any of them to be hitting the beaches three days after D-Day.Duplex Drive Amphibious Tank D-Day Challenge - Omaha Beach This scene occurs on D+3, which is June 9th. Furthermore, he appears to be talking to someone about offloading some DD Tanks on the beach that are needed for a combat operation. Assuming that he is talking about the 741st Tank Battalion, those numbers aren't quite accurate. Col Anderson makes mention of expecting 32 tanks on the beach, but indicates that 27 were lost. Miller's comments would have been quite appropriate to describe the 741st Tank Battalions lack of success, but he should not have been aware of what was happening on the other side of Omaha Beach. Tanks of the 743rd Tank Battalion were able to land around Dog Green Sector, but those that made it ashore quickly became prime targets for the Germans. The 741st and 743rd Tank Battalions also landed various LCT(A)'s that carried two waterproofed M4 Sherman tanks and a tank dozer each.Ĭaptain Miller's comment that "all of the armor is foundering in the channel" was not correct in regards to his sector of the beach. 743rd Tank Battalion, Company B Landing Craftħ43rd Tank Battalion, Company C Landing Craft Four of Company B's tanks were quickly destroyed when their LCT was sunk by an artillery shell just as it hit the beach. Seeing how choppy the channel waters were, the LCTs carrying the 743rd Tank Battalion brought their DD tanks to shore and landed them directly on the beach around 6:40 a.m. Other 3 landed directly on the beach.ħ41st Tank Battalion, Company C Landing Craft 741st Tank Battalion, Company B Landing Craft Three others were taken directly to the beach. Of the 29 DD tanks that were launched only 2 made it to the beach. Thirty-two DD tanks from Company B and Company C (16 per company) were intended to support the 1st Infantry Division at Easy Red, Fox Green and Fox Red sectors. Although the design was generally considered to be a success, many of the tanks that were assigned to Omaha Beach that launched from out at sea (6,000 yards out) foundered and sank in the choppy channel waters. The DD tank was used by ten tank battalions of British, Canadian and American forces during the Normandy landings on June 6th, 1944. Once the screen was deflated the tank had full use of its turret and could operate as a normal tank. This system could be inflated in 15 minutes, and could be quickly deflated when the tank reached a depth of 5 feet or less. The screen itself was attached to a boat-shaped metal framework welded to the tank's hull. The tubes were attached to a collapsible canvas screen which, once air was pumped into the system via a pneumatic pressure system, would expand to provide the necessary buoyancy. Navigation was accomplished by moving the propellers in conjunction with a simplified rudder/tiller arrangement on the rear of the tank.įlotation was provided by thirty-six rubber air tubes/pillars. Propulsion in the water was achieved by a pair of propeller screws which could move the tank at a speed of 4 knots. British Major General Percy Hobart, tasked with creating specialized tanks (often known as "Hobart's Funnies") to cope with German defenses, used a design originally conceived in 1941 by Nicholas Straussler and successfully used on Valentine and Tetrarch tanks. Based on the standard American M4 Sherman medium tank, the DD tank, so named for its "duplex drive," was modified to allow the vehicle to travel on water as well as land.
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