Latest news with #M4Sherman
Times
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Times
Parade live: Trump appears at military display in DC
The parade has moved into its Vietnam War section, led by contemporary troops from the 1st Cavalry Division. The unit fought in 13 named campaigns during the conflict. Several aircraft used in the war, including the Cobra helicopter, fly above. The US army in Vietnam reached its peak strength of 364,200 soldiers in January 1969. By 1973 it had fully withdrawn from the nation after its failure to defeat the Soviet-backed North Vietnamese forces. The war is considered one of the US army's most humiliating military losses. From Katy Balls in Washington Loud cheers for President Trump from the crowd in DC as he takes to the stage on his 79th birthday. Officially, however, this is about the armed forces's 250th birthday and that's why the majority of attendees I have spoken to so far say they are here first and foremost. As the parade gets under way, the crowds are applauding the soldiers — of whom many are dressed in costumes from the First World War to the Civil War to mark the United States's major conflicts. Now the tanks have started to roll in — leading to cries of 'oh my god' from enthusiastic attendees. Light rain has started to fall but so far it is not dampening spirits. The Second World War segment of the parade is now beginning its march down the National Mall. It includes the iconic Ford Jeep, which was used for nearly every military activity, and the M4 Sherman tank, renowned for its reliability on the battlefield. The M4 remained in American service from 1942 to 1957 and continued to serve with US allies into the 1970s. In mobilising for the Second World War, the US army expanded in size from 174,000 in 1939 to nearly 11 million by the war's end. B25 bombers, which served in all theatres of the war, fly above as President Trump gets to his feet to salute a unit of troops passing in front of him. Troops on horseback, representing the Civil War era, are up next. The unit is followed by a white wagon. This segment of the parade is made up of soldiers from the 4th Infantry Division, which was established in 1917 and first served during World War One. The US Army Parachute Team, known as the Golden Knights, have taken to the skies above the parade. Smoke billows out from behind them as they twist and turn against a backdrop of grey clouds. The camera pans to President Trump, who is smiling and clapping. Today's event realises one of the president's long-standing ambitions to stage a military parade. A marching band is leading the procession made up of trombones, trumpets and percussion drums. Behind them are troops from the 3rd Infantry Regiment dressed in period uniforms from the Revolutionary War and armed with muskets used by soldiers in the late 18th century. Most soldiers carried smoothbore muskets, not rifles, during the conflict. The rifle was more accurate, but took longer to load and could not mount a bayonet. Originally established in 1784, the 3rd Infantry Regiment is the army's oldest infantry unit. Its troops went on to serve in several US conflicts, including the Mexican War and World War Two. The parade has begun 30 minutes ahead of schedule due to the threat of heavy rain and thunderstorms. The umbrellas are up as light rain starts to fall. With the national anthem now over, we're moving into the first era-themed 'package' of the parade: the Revolutionary War. The parade is officially under way as members of the US army cross Arlington Memorial Bridge and begin to march down Constitution Avenue, which runs in between the White House and the Washington Monument. The crowd cheers and a band plays while several senior members of the army and the cabinet move into their place on a central viewing platform. President Trump has now arrived. President Trump is en route from the White House to the parade, which will be beginning shortly. He's joined by the first lady Melania Trump. The president, who turns 79 today, is also due to give a speech around 8.30pm. From Katy Balls in Washington DC It's one hour to go until the festivities get under way but the crowd is already gathering here in the mall in Washington DC. While the attendees so far are mostly a mix of military veterans and supporters plus Make America Great Again enthusiasts, some dissenting voices have made it in. Tim Pohle, 60, is here as a peaceful protester — with a placard that reads 'Dystopia — we're not going to have a country anymore'. He says he supports the military but is unhappy with the idea of a military parade: 'I just don't feel it is an American thing to do. It's the kind of thing you would see in Soviet Russia or North Korea.' While Pohle says most attendees have been civil, one man interrupts to shout 'Trump is my king' in our direction. Minnesota authorities say they believe the man suspected of shooting two Democratic state politicians, one of them fatally, is trying to flee the area. Drew Evans, superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, said authorities are looking for 57-year-old Vance Boelter and that he had not yet been caught. Authorities displayed a photo of Boelter wearing a tan cowboy hat that was taken in Minneapolis on Saturday and asked the public to report sightings. Evans said investigators have obtained video as well. Speaking at a press conference, he did not give details on a possible motive. Military parades are a rare sight in the US. Since the end of World War Two, the nation has staged only one major military parade: the National Victory Celebration, held in 1991 after America's successful interventions in the Gulf War. However, military displays are far more common elsewhere. In Britain, Trooping the Colour is held every year to celebrate the birthday of the monarch. It involves gun salutes, cavalry processions and music. Russia's Victory Day parade, which marks the Soviet Union's victory over the Nazis, is also held every year. In last month's parade, nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missiles rolled through Red Square, in Moscow, while rocket launchers and flamethrower systems used in Ukraine were also on display. France marks Bastille Day, the national day of France, with a military parade that President Trump described as 'one of the greatest parades I've ever seen'. North Korea holds several military parades each to celebrate various holidays. While today's protests have remained largely peaceful, there have been some reports of confrontations between demonstrators and police. In one heavily Hispanic neighbourhood of northern Atlanta, tear gas was thrown into a crowd of protesters who were headed toward a highway. A chemical irritant has also been sprayed at demonstrators attempting to move past a line of officers with bikes in Charlotte, North Carolina. It appears that the confrontation took place as several hundred people remained in the area after the the city's official rally ended at 1pm. Protesters at President Trump's parade marking 250 years of the American military held placards displaying the numbers '86 47' on Saturday, a symbol of resistance that has been associated with violence. The significance of the numbers was highlighted in May when James Comey, the director of the FBI between 2013 and 2017, was put under investigation after posting an image to Instagram of sea shells on a beach spelling out the four protests on Saturday were organised by 'No Kings', a national movement made up of Americans who oppose the Trump administration. • Read the full story here Authorities in Texas have warned of 'credible threats' made against legislators planning to attend protests in Austin. An alert was sent out by the state's Department of Public Safety (DPS) on Saturday afternoon — just hours after two Democratic lawmakers in Minnesota were shot in their homes. The Texan DPS said it was working with 'all local, state and federal law enforcement partners to ensure the safety of our citizens and state property, as well as to protect individuals exercising their constitutional rights to assemble and free speech'. Dan Patrick, the lieutenant governor of Texas, said: 'I urge everyone to take appropriate precautions and heed the warning of Texas DPS until the threat is no longer active.' Protests have been planned across several cities in Texas, a staunchly Republican state. Protests in Minnesota have been cancelled after a Democratic state lawmaker and her husband were assassinated on Saturday in an attack described by officials as politically motivated. Police said they are searching for Vance Boelter, 57, after Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were shot dead in their homes. Boelter is also suspected of shooting Democratic Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette. The couple survived and have since undergone surgery. It's believed Boelter gained access to the politicians' homes by impersonating a police officer. 'Given the targeted shootings of state lawmakers overnight, we are asking the public to not attend today's planned demonstrations across Minnesota out of an abundance of caution,' State Patrol posted on social media on Saturday morning. President Trump has threatened a strong response to the 'No Kings' protests being held across the US today. Tens of thousands have already taken to the streets of New York, with protests also under way in Washington and Los Angeles, where unrest has rocked the city's Downtown district since last weekend. Demonstrators are out in full force in Springfield, Ohio, Seattle, Nashville and Miami. Earlier this week, Trump warned: 'People that hate our country … they will be met with very heavy force.' Despite the name of the 'No King' protests, which imply Trump is behaving like an aspiring autocrat, the president said earlier this week: 'I don't feel like a king … I have to go through hell to get stuff approved.'
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Here's everything headed to DC for the Army's 250th birthday parade
As the Army prepares for its 250th birthday parade, the service is hauling in millions of pounds worth of military equipment into Washington, D.C. The parade is designed to tell the history of the service, highlighting uniforms and equipment that date back to the Revolutionary War up until the present day, Col. Chris Vitale, an officer in charge of Army birthday week planning, told reporters in May. Army equipment will be showcased at a staging area in the heart of downtown D.C., while others will be part of the parade as soldiers march down Constitution Avenue, dressed in historical uniforms that are being supplied by a production company. 'What's unique about this parade is that the march units are going to be all designed around that specific conflict area, so you'll see the ground platforms or aviation platforms that will be associated with that time period that will be timed with when that march unit passes through,' Vitale said. Some of the armor and aircraft headed to the nation's capital are the poster children of the U.S. military's World War II campaign, like B-25 bombers or the M4 Sherman tanks, which were the most common ones used by Allied forces. North American B-25 Mitchell bomber planes were used to bomb Japanese airfields in the Pacific and are famous for their use by Gen. Jimmy Doolittle in the Tokyo Raid on April 18, 1942. There will also be a P-51 Mustang, a single-seat fighter aircraft used during World War II and the Korean War, and a Douglas C-47 Skytrain aircraft, which was used to carry paratroopers jumping into combat. Here's a list of the equipment that the Army is bringing in and using for the parade: Two M4 Sherman tanks One North American B-25 Mitchell bomber Four P-51 Mustangs One Douglas C-47 Skytrain One M4 Tractor One CCKW 2.5-ton truck One 37mm anti-tank Gun Six WWII-era Jeeps Three M151 Jeeps Two M35A2 2½-ton cargo trucks One M274 Mule utility truck 26 M1 Abrams tanks 28 Bradley Fighting Vehicles 27 Stryker vehicles Four M109 Paladins (self-propelled Howitzers) Five Joint Light Tactical Vehicles Seven M777 lightweight Howitzers Nine M119 smaller Howitzers Multiple variants of crew-served mounted weapons on different vehicles 17 Infantry Squad Vehicles One HIMARS battery with six trucks One MH-6 Little Bird helicopter, a small troop-transport helicopter used by the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment One AH-6 Light Attack helicopter, the 160th SOAR's gunship version of a Little Bird One MH-60 helicopter from the 160th One MH-60L DAP (Direct Air Penetrator) helicopter, the 160th's gunship version of the MH-60 17 Black Hawk helicopters 18 Apache helicopters 10 Chinook helicopters Four Bell UH-1 Iroquois or 'Huey' helicopters Two Bell AH-1 Cobra helicopters One Hughes OH-6 Cayuse helicopter One Renault tank (a French-made light tank primarily used during WWI) 34 horses An Australian Blue Heeler dog named Doc Holliday, who is part of the 1st Cavalry Division's Horse Cavalry Detachment Additionally, 64 aircraft will fly over D.C., including modern-day Chinooks, Apaches, Blackhawks, and historic bombers. The Army tanks and heavy vehicles are arriving by train from Fort Cavazos, Texas, and will be driven by truck to the staging area in downtown D.C. The Army estimates it will cost the service between $25 and $45 million. It's unclear how much the whole-of-government cost will be for extras like D.C. city workers and security personnel with the Department of Homeland Security. This amount doesn't include any potential damages that the heavy equipment could cause to DC streets, although Army planners aren't expecting any, Col. Jess Curry, executive officer to the Army Chief of Engineers, told reporters in May. 'If there's any damage, the Army will be responsible for any damage and the cost,' Curry said. 'This staging area and the routes have been selected to really minimize the risk from weight and damage.' The only areas of concern are where tracked vehicles might have to make sharp turns or 'where the surface of the pavement would typically receive an exaggerated level of stress,' Curry said. To address those concerns, engineers are putting down metal plates that are similar to those seen on the streets of New York City, which are less than one inch thick and range from four by eight feet to eight by 20 feet. The Army is sending around 6,200 soldiers to D.C. for the parade. This includes soldiers from six bands, two equestrian units, seven historical formations, vehicle crews, and color guards. Trump will also be giving the oath of enlistment to 250 soldiers who are re-enlisting and other new enlistees. An earlier version of this article incorrectly described the P-51 Mustang, which is a World War II-era single-seat fighter aircraft A Marine Corps reply-all email apocalypse has an incredible real-life ending Army shuts down its sole active-duty information operations command Army plans to close more than 20 base museums in major reduction Former Green Beret nominated to top Pentagon position to oversee special ops The Navy's new recruiting commercial puts the 'dirt wars' in the
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Yahoo
10 American inventions that helped win D-Day
American inventions proved their worth in the Normandy campaign that began on June 6, 1944. They allowed Allied forces to shoot, move and communicate in the arduous D-Day landings. From floating trucks to walkie-talkies, evolved versions of these inventions remain in use today. While June 6 marks the 81st anniversary of D-Day, the preparations and planning that went into the Normandy landings — a pivotal World War II turning point, and one of the largest amphibious assaults in history — were years in the making. Getting nearly 160,000 Allied troops to storm a 50-mile stretch of heavily fortified French coastline called for an unprecedented level of coordination among American, British, and Canadian soldiers and equipment. It also put new technologies to the test. "You have to control the air, the water, and the land all at once and come ashore with an inherent disadvantage," says National WWII Museum curator Cory Graff about Operation Overlord." To do so successfully meant deploying not only manpower, but also a host of pioneering technologies and inventions — many of them American-made — from specialized landing craft to underwater breathing equipment to amphibious trucks. "This idea of combined arms integration requires military formations to do three things: shoot, move, and communicate," adds John Caratola, senior historian at the National WWII Museum. The Normandy invasion required the US Army, Navy, and Army Air Force to collaborate in a unified manner for a singular objective, while also working with counterparts for the cross-Channel invasion, he says. These are some of the inventions that helped Allied troops win D-Day, all of which have evolved into systems still in use today. M4 Sherman The M4 Sherman was the backbone of the Allied armored force during World War II. Weighing roughly 40 tons, it was fast, reliable, and built by the thousands. Sherman tanks proved key in helping the Allies break through German defenses at Utah and Omaha Beaches. Some were equipped with a bulldozer blade on the front that could cut through the defenses on the beach — and that would later function as hedgecutters used to break through wall-like hedges throughout Normandy. Other Shermans were converted into Duplex Drive (DD) tanks — an amphibious design pioneered by the British. Outfitted with canvas flotation skirts and rear-mounted propellers, the DDs were meant to hit the beach alongside the first wave of infantry. While rough seas and weather doomed many off Omaha, those that made it ashore at Utah and Gold Beaches delivered crucial early support. "Everybody thinks the Germans had the coolest tanks, and I categorically reject that," says Cartola. "The Shermans are relatively easy to maintain. The crews can fix them. They're relatively reliable with simple parts, and you're basically overwhelming the Germans with armor." Invented by: Developed by the U.S. Army Ordnance Department in 1941 and mass-produced by automakers including Chrysler, Ford, and General Motors. The US manufactured 50,000 throughout the war. Modern connection: While the Sherman was retired from combat decades ago, its simple, rugged design shaped post-war tank development and reinforced the importance of armored vehicles. Cartola considers the M1 Abrams tank that the US Army uses today the "grandson" of the Sherman. 'Walkie Talkie' Nicknamed the "Walkie-Talkie," the Signal Corps Radio 300 was the first backpack radio for mobile infantry communication — and one of many radio varieties used on D-Day. Initially issued to US infantry in 1943, a soldier carried the nearly 40-pound SCR-300 transmitter and receiver on their back. With a three-mile range and 41 channels, the SCR-300 came in handy for real-time battalion-level communication during the highly chaotic, noisy beach landings Invented by: Engineer Daniel E. Noble and his project team at Galvin Manufacturing Corporation. Originally founded by brothers Paul and Joseph Galvin pre-war to develop early car radios, Galvin became Motorola in 1947. Galvin engineers also developed a handheld, single-channel AM radio — the SCR-536, or "Handie-Talkie" — for battlefield communication at the platoon or company level. Modern connection: The SCR-300's pioneering use of frequency modulation (or "FM") technology paved the foundation for future portable communication devices, including cell phones. Higgins boats The Landing Craft, Vehicle, Personnel was a 36-foot landing craft made famous in the opening scene of the 1998 film, "Saving Private Ryan." Known as Higgins boats for its American inventor, 1,000 LCVPs were used to deliver troops across all five beaches during the Normandy landings, which marked the single largest deployment of LCVPs. Without these shallow-bottomed boats, landing directly on the open beaches with armor and troops would've been logistically impossible. Invented by: New-Orleans-based shipbuilder and entrepreneur Andrew Higgins of Higgins Industries. He is said to have borrowed the front ramp idea from Japanese boats after seeing photos from the Sino-Japanese War. Gen. Dwight Eisenhower called Higgins "the man who won the war for us." Modern connection: The front-ramp design has continued to inspire modern amphibious landing craft, including the US Navy's Landing Craft Air Cushion and Landing Craft Utility. Landing ship, tank The LST was a large cargo vessel used to land troops and armored vehicles without docking to a pier. Its large bow doors were designed to open to a ramp that let tanks and trucks drive directly from the ship to land. "To liberate continents, you need bulk. You need throughput…so you can do operations inland. And the LST allowed the Allies to do that without a fixed port," Cartola says. Invented by: The LST was designed by American naval architect John C. Niedermair in response to Prime Minister Winston Churchill's request for a ship that would carry some 500 tons worth of tanks following the Dunkirk evacuation. Modern connection: In a matter of hours, Niedermair sketched the design for a ship regarded as one of the most successful in the history of the US Navy. The DUKW amphibious truck The DUKW (pronounced "duck") was a 6-wheel-drive amphibious truck capable of transporting about 5,000 pounds of cargo (or 24 troops) on land and water; a propeller could chug it through water with a max speed of 6 mph. "The beauty of this thing is, not only is it amphibious, but it can drive inland and provide supplies to troops well beyond the beach at up to 50 miles an hour," says Cartola. Invented by: The DUKW was a product of collaborations among GMC, the naval architecture firm Sparkman & Stephens, and a Michigan-based bus manufacturer. Modern connection: The DUKW pioneered a feature that allowed drivers to change the tire pressure from inside the cab to accommodate different terrains, which remains a common feature on military vehicles today. Douglas C-47 transport The C-47 Dakota, nicknamed "the workhorse," had many uses in both World War II theaters, from cargo and troop transportation to casualty evacuation and towing. More than 800 C-47s were used in the D-Day campaign to insert thousands of paratroopers and huge amounts of equipment behind enemy lines. Invented by: Douglas Aircraft Company adapted its pre-war commercial airliner, the DC-3, for military use. It was relatively quiet and could carry up to 28 troops or 6,000 pounds of cargo. The US produced more than 10,000 C-47s. Modern connection: Valued for its versatility, the C-47 was used in the Vietnam War. Variants are still in use for civilian cargo transport. A rebreather for divers The Lambertsen Amphibious Respiratory Unit was a closed-circuit rebreather designed to recycle exhaled air by removing carbon dioxide and adding oxygen. The apparatus enabled divers to operate underwater for prolonged periods without leaving a trail of bubbles. Lambertsen, working for the Office of Strategic Services, trained OSS commandos to use the LARU for underwater reconnaissance and demolition missions in support of D-Day and other key landings. Invented by: Christian Lambertsen, who, as a University of Pennsylvania medical student in the early 1940s, designed the LARU as a self-contained breathing device ideal for covert underwater missions. Modern connection: Lambertsen himself coined the acronym "SCUBA" (Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus). His equipment and techniques paved the way for rebreathing technologies still used by military divers, including Navy SEALs. He's considered "the father of US Combat Diving." Dummy paratroopers These burlap, straw-stuffed mannequins were relatively small, lightweight decoys that could be dropped from planes to give the illusion of incoming paratroopers. A form of psychological warfare, the dolls were used to confuse and mislead the enemy. Dummies were sometimes equipped with noisemakers that sounded like gunfire or explosive charges that detonated on landing, adding to the illusion. On the night of June 5, 1944, Allied planes dropped hundreds of these fake paratroopers, along with inflatable tanks, across the French countryside to give off the impression of airborne troops landing in areas far from the real drop zones. In several cases, German units responded to these fake drops. Invented by: Inspired by the British "Rupert" paradummy, the American version, nicknamed "Oscar," was more compact, with the 3-foot-tall ones used on D-Day mainly manufactured in the UK. Modern connection: While today's military decoys are generally more technologically advanced (e.g., electronic signature emitters), the principle of deception through false targets and diversionary tactics remains. Proximity fuze The proximity fuze — an electronic fuze for bombs, shells, or missiles that explodes when approaching a target — changed the rules of artillery in warfare; instead of needing a direct hit, anti-aircraft shells could suddenly detonate when they got close. They made Allied anti-aircraft fire far more effective in taking out German planes, helping protect the beachhead. Invented by: Developed beginning in 1940 by American scientists at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, with critical contributions from British researchers. Key to the design was the miniature radio transmitter and receiver inside the shell that sensed nearby targets and triggered detonation. Modern connection: The proximity fuze was a major step toward today's precision-guided weapons. Its combination of electronic sensing and remote detonation paved the way for modern guided bombs and missiles. The Jeep From the moment the first Allied troops hit the beaches of Normandy, this newly introduced American 4x4 was in motion, hauling supplies, ferrying wounded soldiers, towing anti-tank guns, and zipping across shell-scarred roads. Compact, reliable, and endlessly adaptable, it proved essential to the invasion of Normandy, along with many other battles. Invented by: In 1940, facing the likelihood of entering the war, the US Army issued an emergency contract for a lightweight reconnaissance vehicle, prompting the development of the first Jeep prototype by Bantam Car Company in just 49 days. With Bantam lacking production capacity, Willys-Overland and Ford were tapped to manufacture the final design, cranking out hundreds of thousands of units over the course of the war. Some Jeeps were waterproofed for the landings, sealed tight and fitted with snorkels to wade ashore behind the infantry. Others were dropped by parachute into French fields with the 101st and 82nd Airborne, ready to drive the moment they hit the ground. Modern connection: After the war, Willys began selling civilian versions, branding them as Civilian Jeep models and kickstarting America's obsession with off-road vehicles and SUVs. Katie S. Sanders is a journalist based in New York City. Her reporting has brought her to prisons, the CIA, and the White House. Follow her at @KatieSSanders. Mara Storey is a Nashville-based people analytics manager and World War II history enthusiast. Follow her at @mtruslowstorey. Read the original article on Business Insider
Business Insider
06-06-2025
- Automotive
- Business Insider
10 American inventions that helped win D-Day
M4 Sherman The M4 Sherman was the backbone of the Allied armored force during World War II. Weighing roughly 40 tons, it was fast, reliable, and built by the thousands. Sherman tanks proved key in helping the Allies break through German defenses at Utah and Omaha Beaches. Some were equipped with a bulldozer blade on the front that could cut through the defenses on the beach — and that would later function as hedgecutters used to break through wall-like hedges throughout Normandy. Other Shermans were converted into Duplex Drive (DD) tanks — an amphibious design pioneered by the British. Outfitted with canvas flotation skirts and rear-mounted propellers, the DDs were meant to hit the beach alongside the first wave of infantry. While rough seas and weather doomed many off Omaha, those that made it ashore at Utah and Gold Beaches delivered crucial early support. "Everybody thinks the Germans had the coolest tanks, and I categorically reject that," says Cartola. "The Shermans are relatively easy to maintain. The crews can fix them. They're relatively reliable with simple parts, and you're basically overwhelming the Germans with armor." Invented by: Developed by the U.S. Army Ordnance Department in 1941 and mass-produced by automakers including Chrysler, Ford, and General Motors. The US manufactured 50,000 throughout the war. Modern connection: While the Sherman was retired from combat decades ago, its simple, rugged design shaped post-war tank development and reinforced the importance of armored vehicles. Cartola considers the M1 Abrams tank that the US Army uses today the "grandson" of the Sherman. 'Walkie Talkie' Nicknamed the "Walkie-Talkie," the Signal Corps Radio 300 was the first backpack radio for mobile infantry communication — and one of many radio varieties used on D-Day. Initially issued to US infantry in 1943, a soldier carried the nearly 40-pound SCR-300 transmitter and receiver on their back. With a three-mile range and 41 channels, the SCR-300 came in handy for real-time battalion-level communication during the highly chaotic, noisy beach landings Invented by: Engineer Daniel E. Noble and his project team at Galvin Manufacturing Corporation. Originally founded by brothers Paul and Joseph Galvin pre-war to develop early car radios, Galvin became Motorola in 1947. Galvin engineers also developed a handheld, single-channel AM radio — the SCR-536, or "Handie-Talkie" — for battlefield communication at the platoon or company level. Higgins boats The Landing Craft, Vehicle, Personnel was a 36-foot landing craft made famous in the opening scene of the 1998 film, "Saving Private Ryan." Known as Higgins boats for its American inventor, 1,000 LCVPs were used to deliver troops across all five beaches during the Normandy landings, which marked the single largest deployment of LCVPs. Without these shallow-bottomed boats, landing directly on the open beaches with armor and troops would've been logistically impossible. Invented by: New-Orleans-based shipbuilder and entrepreneur Andrew Higgins of Higgins Industries. He is said to have borrowed the front ramp idea from Japanese boats after seeing photos from the Sino-Japanese War. Gen. Dwight Eisenhower called Higgins "the man who won the war for us." Landing ship, tank The LST was a large cargo vessel used to land troops and armored vehicles without docking to a pier. Its large bow doors were designed to open to a ramp that let tanks and trucks drive directly from the ship to land. "To liberate continents, you need bulk. You need throughput…so you can do operations inland. And the LST allowed the Allies to do that without a fixed port," Cartola says. Invented by: The LST was designed by American naval architect John C. Niedermair in response to Prime Minister Winston Churchill's request for a ship that would carry some 500 tons worth of tanks following the Dunkirk evacuation. The DUKW amphibious truck The DUKW (pronounced "duck") was a 6-wheel-drive amphibious truck capable of transporting about 5,000 pounds of cargo (or 24 troops) on land and water; a propeller could chug it through water with a max speed of 6 mph. "The beauty of this thing is, not only is it amphibious, but it can drive inland and provide supplies to troops well beyond the beach at up to 50 miles an hour," says Cartola. Invented by: The DUKW was a product of collaborations among GMC, the naval architecture firm Sparkman & Stephens, and a Michigan-based bus manufacturer. Modern connection: The DUKW pioneered a feature that allowed drivers to change the tire pressure from inside the cab to accommodate different terrains, which remains a common feature on military vehicles today. Douglas C-47 transport The C-47 Dakota, nicknamed "the workhorse," had many uses in both World War II theaters, from cargo and troop transportation to casualty evacuation and towing. More than 800 C-47s were used in the D-Day campaign to insert thousands of paratroopers and huge amounts of equipment behind enemy lines. Invented by: Douglas Aircraft Company adapted its pre-war commercial airliner, the DC-3, for military use. It was relatively quiet and could carry up to 28 troops or 6,000 pounds of cargo. The US produced more than 10,000 C-47s. A rebreather for divers The Lambertsen Amphibious Respiratory Unit was a closed-circuit rebreather designed to recycle exhaled air by removing carbon dioxide and adding oxygen. The apparatus enabled divers to operate underwater for prolonged periods without leaving a trail of bubbles. Lambertsen, working for the Office of Strategic Services, trained OSS commandos to use the LARU for underwater reconnaissance and demolition missions in support of D-Day and other key landings. Invented by: Christian Lambertsen, who, as a University of Pennsylvania medical student in the early 1940s, designed the LARU as a self-contained breathing device ideal for covert underwater missions. Modern connection: Lambertsen himself coined the acronym "SCUBA" (Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus). His equipment and techniques paved the way for rebreathing technologies still used by military divers, including Navy SEALs. He's considered "the father of US Combat Diving." Dummy paratroopers These burlap, straw-stuffed mannequins were relatively small, lightweight decoys that could be dropped from planes to give the illusion of incoming paratroopers. A form of psychological warfare, the dolls were used to confuse and mislead the enemy. Dummies were sometimes equipped with noisemakers that sounded like gunfire or explosive charges that detonated on landing, adding to the illusion. On the night of June 5, 1944, Allied planes dropped hundreds of these fake paratroopers, along with inflatable tanks, across the French countryside to give off the impression of airborne troops landing in areas far from the real drop zones. In several cases, German units responded to these fake drops. Invented by: Inspired by the British "Rupert" paradummy, the American version, nicknamed "Oscar," was more compact, with the 3-foot-tall ones used on D-Day mainly manufactured in the UK. Modern connection: While today's military decoys are generally more technologically advanced (e.g., electronic signature emitters), the principle of deception through false targets and diversionary tactics remains. Proximity fuze The proximity fuze — an electronic fuze for bombs, shells, or missiles that explodes when approaching a target — changed the rules of artillery in warfare; instead of needing a direct hit, anti-aircraft shells could suddenly detonate when they got close. They made Allied anti-aircraft fire far more effective in taking out German planes, helping protect the beachhead. Invented by: Developed beginning in 1940 by American scientists at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, with critical contributions from British researchers. Key to the design was the miniature radio transmitter and receiver inside the shell that sensed nearby targets and triggered detonation. Modern connection: The proximity fuze was a major step toward today's precision-guided weapons. Its combination of electronic sensing and remote detonation paved the way for modern guided bombs and missiles. The Jeep From the moment the first Allied troops hit the beaches of Normandy, this newly introduced American 4x4 was in motion, hauling supplies, ferrying wounded soldiers, towing anti-tank guns, and zipping across shell-scarred roads. Compact, reliable, and endlessly adaptable, it proved essential to the invasion of Normandy, along with many other battles. Invented by: In 1940, facing the likelihood of entering the war, the US Army issued an emergency contract for a lightweight reconnaissance vehicle, prompting the development of the first Jeep prototype by Bantam Car Company in just 49 days. With Bantam lacking production capacity, Willys-Overland and Ford were tapped to manufacture the final design, cranking out hundreds of thousands of units over the course of the war. Some Jeeps were waterproofed for the landings, sealed tight and fitted with snorkels to wade ashore behind the infantry. Others were dropped by parachute into French fields with the 101st and 82nd Airborne, ready to drive the moment they hit the ground. Modern connection: After the war, Willys began selling civilian versions, branding them as Civilian Jeep models and kickstarting America's obsession with off-road vehicles and SUVs. Katie S. Sanders is a journalist based in New York City. Her reporting has brought her to prisons, the CIA, and the White House. Follow her at @KatieSSanders.
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Remains of World War II soldier missing in action identified, to be buried in Dayton
The remains of a World War II soldier from Ohio who was missing in action have been identified. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] U.S. Army Pvt. James G. Loterbaugh of Roseville, Ohio, killed in World War II, was accounted for on Sept. 20, 2024. TRENDING STORIES: 'We've lost everything;' Families comb through destruction after 4 houses catch fire Chance to see northern lights returns to the Miami Valley $207 million Powerball jackpot won; Here are the winning numbers Loterbaugh was born on March 25, 1909 Hocking, Athens, Ohio, and was killed in service to his country on Dec. 11, 1944, in Germany's Hürtgen Forest, according to his obituary. In January of 1944, Loterbaugh joined the Army and served in Company C, 774th Tank Battalion, during World War II. In December 1944, he was a crewmember on an M4 Sherman tank. On Dec. 11, his platoon was separated from the rest of the company during a battle near Strauss. Germany in the Hürtgen Forest. By midday, the entire platoon, including Loterbaugh's tank, was reported missing in action, according to his Obituary. He was not reported as a prisoner of war, and Army personnel who searched the battlefield found no leads regarding his fate. An presumptive finding of death was issued by the War Department in December 1945. On Sept. 20, 2024, Loterbaugh was identified by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) using DNA and anthropological analysis and accounted for. His name is inscribed on the Walls of the Missing at the Netherlands American Cemetery, along with others still unaccounted for from World War II. A rosette will be placed next to his name now that he has been accounted for. A public visitation will be held from 4-6 p.m. on Monday, June 2, at Routsong Funeral Home located on E Stroop Rd in Kettering. Loterbaugh will receive full military honors and be buried at Dayton National Cemetery on June 3, 2025. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
