D Day 2024

Last year, we covered some of the details of the landing … who was there, which commanders etc., followed by the way the day was not being treated the right way. 

Yesterday, Grandpa put up a post on it:

https://orphansofliberty.blogspot.com/2024/06/the-shores-of-normandy.html

I’d like to add something our army man across the way, Steve felt in remembering it:

Watched the drop over Normandy by the RAF this lunchtime. Near perfect conditions as they descended from the new A400M's (Atlas) - SAS still spitting nails over the loss of their rather special version of the C-130 (Hercules). Less oscillation with the new static line chutes but the PLF's (parachute landing falls) left a lot to be desired. One bloke actually lifted his legs to the horizontal and landed on his ass. That's not how you do it: feet and knees together, knees slightly bent, arms up and elbows in. Saw a DZ flash on one and it was 7 Para (RHA).

Overall it was disappointing. One aircraft, the first run-in dropped about a dozen and the second run just four. Is that the best we can do these days? In the 80's we did battalion drops over Fox Covert on Salisbury Plain. One of the longest DZ's in England, Sim 22's (simultaneous, port and starboard doors) times 10 aircraft, one after the other. That's 440 men, with equipment, in under 4 mins. High speed dispatch, alternate doors punching into 120 knots of air. Happy days :)

Plus:

I should clarify the 440 men would be 4 rifle companies, plus attachments - that's folk like me who are on the forward edge of the battle area (FEBA). You have to rally up quick and clear the DZ before the heavy drop comes in. You wouldn't want a Landover on your head or a pallet of mortar rounds. These drops include an entire gun battery plus all the men that serve them plus all the ammunition they fire and all the vehicles that tow each piece. Things get busy very quickly.

If you'd like to see a further commemoration, here tis:

https://nourishingobscurity.blogspot.com/2024/06/d-day-thursday-june-6th-1.html