"D-Day Landings Are Brought To Life In Stunning ...." Topic

…Restored Colour Images.

"The anticipation, horror, and chaos of the D-Day landings are brought to life in rare colour photos shot throughout the operation that changed the course of European history.

They show Allied soldiers in Britain preparing to ship out for France, landing on the beaches of Normandy and fighting their way through enemy lines, and getting a heroes' welcome from liberated civilians.

Other photos capture German prisoners of war, towns bombed to ruins, wrecked planes and equipment, and Allied commanders celebrating the successful invasion.

Most of the photos taken in World War II were black and white as was the predominant technology at the time, but a small number were snapped with early colour cameras…"
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Amicalement
Armand

Cool stuff

Note the photos of US forces show some units in khakis and some in OD's. No, I am not building two US France 1944 armies.

Glad you enjoyed it my friend!. (smile)

Amicalement
Armand

None of the troops in the pictures are wearing khaki. Most of the pictures aren't color they are just poorly colorized. For example the picture of the artillerymen. They appear to be wearing black shoes and leggings in some odd color. US troops did not wear black shoes in WWII. Also they appear to be wearing the M43 uniform which wasn't worn by the troops in Normandy. They look to be glider riders during Market-Garden or the Buldge. The following picture has the men wearing a uniform in a shade of green also not used in WWII.

A few pictures further down of men from the 1st infantry posing in a group, is a color picture I believe from Life magazine.

A variety of uniforms were worn by US troops on D-Day. Here is an interesting link to a "typical" uniform
link

But there were variations. For example rangers were known to wear the OD Field Jacket and the first pattern M1943 Herringbone Twill (HBT) trousers.

One other thing to keep in mind. In anticipation of possible use of chemical weapons quite a few uniforms for D-Day were impregnated with CC-2 Chloramide (CC2). Universally abhorred by the troops this process tended to darken the color of the fabric.

I took a closer look at the picture and I was wrong about them
wearing the M43 uniform. What they are wearing is the 1943 pattern HBT uniform which was used by some o D-Day. Still doesn't explain the colors in the picture, yes Chlorimide darkened uniforms, but it didn't darken them that much.

BTY the jacket in the link identified as "M-1943 battle dress Herringbone Twill" is in fact a badly faded M1941 HBT jacket which is what the Rangers Sometimes used. The M-43 uniform didn't start showing up in the ETO until September '44.

This one was interesting

The Sherman to the right, the one with the wading equipment fitted, seems to be an M4A1 cast hull. I hadn't realised there were any of those around by 1944.

There's some colour film of US infantry going past in trucks.
The backs are open and you can clearly see the uniform colours.
I was surprised when I first saw this to see just how varied those colours were.

Some great pictures. Particularly interested in the shots of Weymouth, knowing the area very well.

The Sherman to the right, the one with the wading equipment fitted, seems to be an M4A1 cast hull. I hadn't realised there were any of those around by 1944.

Not sure what you mean by this? That they had all gone by 1944 or that they were not yet in service by 1944?

Was wondering too.

If talking about the M4A1 being around in June of 44 a total of 6,281 M4A1(75) were produced with the last ones rolling off the production line in December of 43. A total of 946 were allocated for lend lease so still plenty around for US forces.

From Jan 44 to the end of the war production was switched to the M4A1(76). A total of 3,426 were produced with 1,330 going to lend lease.

The M4A1(75) took part in the Normandy landings with deep wading kits. The M4A1(76) was available for D-Day but for a variety of reasons not used. Its first real use in Normandy came in Operation Cobra.

At the end of the war it wasn't uncommon for to find Shermans that had survived the entire war.

My impression, clearly inaccurate, was that the M4A1 was producible in only limited numbers and for a short time, and that welded hull variants were much commoner.

Happy to learn otherwise, as I am emotionally attached to my stash of Monogram 1/32 M4A1s.

I was also delighted to learn here that Firefly Ic became progressively more common after D-Day because the supply of Mark Vs to convert was drying up. I am in the middle of accurising some Airfix Shermans, and very pleased to find that I can legitimately put 17-pounder turrets on them and have them in the same troop as 75mm Mark I.

"At the end of the war it wasn't uncommon for to find Shermans that had survived the entire war."

The Paraguayan Army have them… (smile)

Amicalement
Armand

US Army forces saw the M4A1 (cast hull) and M4 (basic M4 -- welded hull) as largely interchangeable at the unit level. They may have looked different, and the ammo stowage was a little different, but other than that they were outfitted the same. Most importantly they had the same engine and drive train, which meant the flow of spares and training for maintenance were the same.

By 1944 the M4A3 was the US Army's preferred version, due to the superior automotive performance of the Ford GAA engine.

New units formed after about Q4 1943 usually got M4A3s. But the Overlord invasion forces were all in the UK by that time. So the US Army tanks that went ashore on D-Day were all M4s and M4A1s, as were most (all?) of the follow-up waves during the Normandie campaign. It was only in about August or September that units with M4A3s started to show up in ETO.

The M4A1 stayed in production, proceeding not only to a 76mm version but also to an HVSS version (ie: M4A1E8).

The M4 was not upgunned to 76mm, but there was a 105mm assault gun version made of the M4, which also kept it in production through most of 1944. The M4 105s went to the units otherwise equipped with M4A1s (again, that whole "interchangeable" thing). So a late war US armored unit might have had M4 75, M4A1 75, M4A1 76 and M4 105 tanks all in operation at the same time, while the next one down the line might have had all M4A3s with 75, 76 and 105s. And sometimes the A3s got mixed with the M4s or M4A1s. But that was less common.

Or so I believe. Could be wrong. Been known to happen.

-Mark
(aka: Mk 1)

Interesting pics.

Good to see Daily Mail accurate as always – Ex Tiger attacked by submarines and German prisoners apparently kept in Liberty ships in the English Channel for the rest of the war…

US Army forces saw the M4A1 (cast hull) and M4 (basic M4 -- welded hull) as largely interchangeable at the unit level. They may have looked different, and the ammo stowage was a little different, but other than that they were outfitted the same.

That is the way I understood it. And the cast hull was not rare.

Most importantly they had the same engine and drive train, which meant the flow of spares and training for maintenance were the same.

Yes, that is a very important point. If it is not easy to maintain and repair. If it can't shoot, move and communicate … it's just a very big paper weight … The German "Big Cats" suffered from this it appears.

"At the end of the war it wasn't uncommon for to find Shermans that had survived the entire war."

Many M4s ended up in other armies after WWII. One gentleman I know was an M4A?E8 TC @ 1959 in the US ARMY in West Germany. If his memory serves him right.

The Egyptians had some in the '48 War.

The IDF was using upgunned/modified versions even in the '73 War. And IIRC you'll still see the hull in use for other AFVs than an MBT. E.g. SPFA, SP Mortar, etc., for years after the '73 War.

Uganda even got some from the IDF in '72, IIRC …