"Since D-Day, Amphibious Operations Have Become ..." Topic

…More Complex.

"On June 6, 1944, Allied forces from the United States, United Kingdom and Canada launched the largest seaborne invasion in history by landing nearly 160,000 troops on the beaches of Normandy in a single day. This opened the long-awaited second front in the war against Nazi Germany and started the chain of events that ended in the fall of Berlin in May 1945. D-Day was the longest day in that assault and a pivotal moment of the war.

In the intervening period, amphibious assaults have been exceedingly rare. Were one to be carried out today, revolutionary shifts in technology and strategy would make a contemporary amphibious operation radically different.

Comprehensive amphibious assaults like that which touched off the invasion of Normandy are perhaps the most difficult military operations possible. Defenders are often concealed in strong fortifications while attackers are exposed in open fields of fire along the shoreline. Landings require rigorous planning, detailed intelligence and impeccable logistics. Troops must be well trained, motivated and audacious to storm beaches and airdrop behind enemy lines. And in the end, unpredictable weather conditions can easily derail the whole operation. In nearly all cases, casualty rates are high and failure leads to significant strategic consequences…."
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Amicalement
Armand

Today we try to not do "Forced Entry" Ops … but we still train for it regardless. And think about … No way should we/could we/allow the huge losses that attacking a fortified beach, DZ,LZ, etc. that would occur. Even with the advanced tech, etc., we have today.

Admittedly we wouldn't need to use the large number of forces as we saw at Normandy, Okinawa, etc. But there are generally better ways to do things today. With both better weapons systems and better TTP, etc., …

TTP?

Tactics, Techniques, Procedures … sorry I should have made that clearer …

Thanks. Too many TLAs on TMP!

Roger that !

Try taking an island nation, or even one with no neighbors friendly to your cause, without an amphibious assault. Even today. That's why they're still trained for.

New landing craft don't need the tide to be right or worry about eor even much of a beach They can strike over a 60 miles area in an hour and have their own close air support. Of course the other side will have advanced systems too. But trying to guess where and hold the shore would be hard.

As I said we still train for it … TTP and tech has progressed since the big landings in WWII and Korea. But again, Forced Entry Ops are avoided. Just like landing in a Hot LZ or DZ …

Even Gen Mac in the PTO during WWII, generally preferred to land where the enemy wasn't. Or very week. More like "by passing" than Island Hoping some historians say.

But again, it was the US Airborne Generals' standard to drop on the Objective rather than near or next to it. E.g. the UK Paras at Arnhem, but it seemed they had little to no choice(?). As you may take more losses trying to get to the Objective than landing on. The advantage is if you jump on the OJB, you just have to secure it. Not fight to get to it. E.g. The 503d at Corregidor., in '45 … link

Now that being said, today we, for a number of reasons, should not, would not, could not, etc., take the massive losses that were generally incurred with Forced Entry Ops, by air, sea, etc. in WWII, Korea or even Vietnam … [Thank the Lord !]