Why were they in the general assault? I thought the Rangers went in ahead of the main assault wave, by stealth, and attacked special objectives?
What are they doing? Why do they come here?
Some kind of instinct, memory, what they used to do.
My understanding (from others who have posted here before) is that this was modeled after an actual Ranger assault. The large bunker and the draw (Dog 1) next to it were their "special objective".
TNSTAAFL
LOL the US Army totally *beep* up Omaha beach. The preliminary bombardment was useless. The men had no close in air support or naval gunfire support. They didn't even use amphtraks, unlike the Marines were using them since 1943.
But the rest of the Normandy landings went quite smoothly with few casualties.
What are they doing? Why do they come here?
Some kind of instinct, memory, what they used to do.
Not entirely true. There were British destroyers near off shore providing supporting fire. Also, Overlord was a much bigger operation than typical Marine landings in the PTO, and the beaches at Normandy much more heavily defended. Amphibious tracked landing craft were much more expensive, and therefore less plentiful in the Allied arsenal than the relatively cheap Higgins boat.
TNSTAAFL
Force 'O' faced stiff resistance at Omaha. There were more casualties at Omaha because more men landed there against the most occupiers. Several other beaches didnt go quite smoothly either and didnt luck out with few casualties. The Brits and Canadians had difficulty as well. The only beach that went off almost without a hitch was Utah. And the resistance there was significantly less.
Force O had plenty of NGFS, from prior to the landing to during the landings. Battleship and Cruiser fires did considerable damage and significantly affected the organization and morale of the Omaha Defenders. Try reading some of the testimonies from German soldiers of the 353nd ID and see how they liked the Naval Bombardment.
The Air Bombardment, Operation Point Blank, actually wasnt to destroy the Normandy beach defenses. There needed to be deception right up to H-Hour as to where the beach landings would actually occur. Bombing the Normandy beaches the day before the assault or even a few hours before the assault would give away the element of surprise. Instead Operation Point Blank was intended to bomb further inland to affect supply lines and reinforcements.
LVTs or Amtraks, as has been said, were in short supply. Most available Amtraks were in the Pacific with the USMC Landing Forces. Amtraks are not the bees knees or fashizzle as you would like to dream they are. The beaches and over-the-beach areas of Normandy are not the same as the Pacific. The only vehicles you want ashore at Normandy are the ones you can take over the beach. LVTs were not suitable to go over the beach and face the possibility of German armor. The same Dog 1 that C/2 Rn was to take, was fully intended to an entry point for follow on armor. The topography of Normandy also makes the idea of LVTs unsuitable. Normandy is faced with many bluffs and cliffs that tower above the beaches, in many cases just over the beach at the shingle. This provides the defenders with the high ground advantage. In turn the Germans can shoot right down at the assaulters. The LVT is open topped so you do the math on that one.
You are taking a dump and they call GQ do you pinch it off or finish your business?
The naval and aerial bombardments were pretty ineffective. While the Army didn't have the luxury here like the Marines in the Pacific, of surrounding and cutting off an island, then bombing it at leisure. They weren't pressed for time either. The German rate of movement was incredibly slow since not only did most of their men march and most of their supplies were horse drawn, our complete air supremacy and Maquis and paratrooper action inland almost strangled their rate of movement, especially in the day. Also, it was almost 2 weeks before OKW and Hitler realized NORMANDY was the landing zone, not a diversion.
What about having close in air support too, like dive bombers and rocket firing Typhoons? One salvo of rockets from a couple of FBs could have blown the insides of that bunker apart since it had that big open firing slit. And yes you are right, the Amphtraks were no match for German tanks, but there were no German tanks in the beach areas. Even a knocked out Amphtrak could have at least provided cover for the men on the beach. They would have been able to drive up on the beach then disgorge the men FROM THE REAR. Unlike the LCVPs where the men were almost in a target gallery when the ramp dropped. The Brits offered us some shallow draft monitors for close in naval gun fire support. But the Army refused them. Thank god a few naval destroyer men on their own, not in the plan, brought their ships in as close as they could get to the beach to provide direct fire support.
I say this since the Army planned for years for this landing and had the luxury of first call on all the US & UK military resources and supplies. It wasn't a shoe string operation like Anzio, where needed resources were pulled away for the almost useless Southern France landing, Dragoon.
They weren't pressed for time either.
What about having close in air support too, like dive bombers and rocket firing Typhoons?
And yes you are right, the Amphtraks were no match for German tanks, but there were no German tanks in the beach
They actually did send Rangers ashore in real life as depicted. Their objective was considered to be high priority and difficult to take so they decided to use them.
shareof course they did, but that was done at night before the main wave.
What are they doing? Why do they come here?
Some kind of instinct, memory, what they used to do.
You should change your SN to Jakeass. Ready to learn something? Close your mouth, open your eyes, read and comprehend:
-The movie fictionalized the landing of C Company/2nd Ranger Battalion at Landing Sector 'Charlie' immediately adjacent to Vierville with the task of securing Dog 1 (D-1).
-64 Rangers from C/2 Rn landed in 2 Royal Navy Auxiliary LCAs (Hull #'s 1045 and 1046) from HMS Prince Leopold LSI(S) at H-Hour plus 3 Minutes in the First Wave on D-Day.
*Note* the landing table states C/2 Rn was slated for Dog Green, Charlie is a sub sector of Dog Green. Charlie was a creation specifically for Charlie Company 2nd Ranger Battalion to eliminate confusion in the Landing Plan. Both C/2 Rn and A/1/116 from the 29ID were assigned to take Dog 1 and Vierville together.
http://www.americandday.org/Landing_Table/Omaha_Beach_H+03.html
https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/USA-A-Omaha/maps/USA-A-Omaha-V.jpg
You are taking a dump and they call GQ do you pinch it off or finish your business?
The Rangers of past and present bear little semblance to each other except for claimed lineage.
The Ranger Battalions of WW2 were used extensively in WW2 in Amphibious Operations in ETO and supplemented traditional Infantry Battalions fighting right along side them. Rangers were typically assigned by Company to standard Regimental Combat Teams. RCTs used them typically to assault fortified/dug-in troops. Soldier for Soldier, Rangers were 'Leg Infantry'. There was nothing 'stealth' about Ranger operations in most cases.
The 75th Ranger Regiment represents Rangers as we know them today. Stealth still isn't really involved in there gameplan either. In a nutshell, the 75th is the Conventional and Go-Loud Component of US Army Special Operations Command. The 75th while claiming the WW2 lineage, can also claim lineage to Airborne and Air Assault units, as well as LRRP units. It operates almost entirely in the Airborne/Airmobile envelope. The 75th carries almost no mission that would relate to neither WW2 Ranger Battalions nor LRRPs. Go-Loud is one of the centerpieces of present Ranger Operations. Use as much force and noise as you can to overwhelm.
You are taking a dump and they call GQ do you pinch it off or finish your business?
They were not in the main assault, but like in the second wave, as you can tell by the already numerous amount of dead bodies everywhere. And Miller was from Company C from the 2nd Ranger Battalion:
When Captain Goranson's C Company (Force B) of the 2nd Rangers landed, many of the men preceding them in the landings lay dead or maimed. Almost always, the first Rangers out of each boat were mowed down. The men following them flung themselves over the sides of the crafts, hoping to swim ashore. Some men drowned and even more were shot to death by the German guns above. The survivors swam or waded ashore and got into the battle.
It's evident that Spielberg used several books and first-hand accounts as the blueprint for the Omaha Beach scenes. 'D Day' by Stephen Ambrose in particular, as well as Capt Ralph Goranson's well documented accounts. The men catching fire and throwing themselves in the water. The Navy UDT divers screaming at troops to get clear before detonating the obstacles as they were ordered. Assaulting Pointe Du Hoc was the ultimate objective of every Ranger who landed on D-Day. Most had to amend their plan and assault wherever possible once the situation on the ground deteriorated.
I'm the guy who does his job. You must be the other guy!
They most assuredly were not in the 2nd Wave.
From H Hour -10 (H-10) to H Hour +220 (H+220) there were multiple waves. However even though the Waves are in numerical order, they are only so from the Line of Departure. For Instance the first 2 Waves were entirely tanks but they were not the first to actually land. The first wave to hit the beach was actually the 3rd Wave. The Tanks were slow to get to the beach if at all because the swimming DD Tanks floundered or had to be launched directly from the LCTs. Even though they were late or didnt arrive at all, the tanks were never supposed to be there first.
The C/2 Rangers were in the 4th Wave. They were by design supposed to land at H+3 but they actually landed nearly at the same time as A/116 in the 3rd Wave.