"'The Navy Saved Our Hides'" Topic

With U.S. soldiers pinned down on Omaha Beach, American destroyers steamed in close to shore, opened fire on German positions, and helped turn the tide of invasion…

link

Well, one-fifth of the "tide of invasion"…

Yes, everyone then and afterwards liked Naval Fire Support … And still does I'd think.

What's not to like about 3-16in shells hitting enemy targets ?

Or today Cruise missiles, that can fly thru a window …

Same at the Sicilian landings. The HG panzer division
was attacking the Army troops ashore when the USN
began providing fire support. The attack lost whatever
impetus it had gained and the HG withdrew.

Almost 30 years ago when I was working as a jailer we had a crusty old sgt who was a Navy vet of Korea & Viet Nam. He told one story where he was out on a mission and the USN couldn't pick them up because the tide was out.
Need help Yank? radio call came from the Royal Navy
They intentionally grounded their ship, picked them up and used the powerful engines to back out.
I won't repeat what the RN said about the USN ;-)

Legion 4, not so much the BB, but DD that are at less than 1000 yards and expending all 5" stores.

On account was the DD was close enough that it just fired at the same spot a Sherman on the beach was shooting at. Once the Sherman realized it truly became a team effort.

Yeah, the image of the DDs cruising as close to shore as they could without grounding, blast away with every 5", 40mm, and 20mm gun they could bring to bear is one that sends chills down my spine. Way to go Navy!

I read about the DDs firing direct support at Normandy.

But I also I read about the prep bombardment by BBs, etc., at Normandy, the ETO and in the PTO.

When I was a 1LT in the 101. I was cross-trained at USMC BAT at Norfolk NAB in '82 to call in Naval gunfire. But never had the chance to do it for real. And it was not long after that BBs were deactivated.

Let's not forget the cruisers that targeted the crossroads so that little or no ammo reached the beachfront for the Germans.

I worked with a guy who was on a DD in Vietnam that did fire support missions as well. He said one time they were so close to shore that their radar antenna was damaged by return fire. It was his job to go fix the damage.

Certainly anything that had the range … DEs, DDs, CLs, CAs, and BBs. Would all be welcomed support.

I too have read about fire from the coast hitting USN ships in Vietnam.

I read an account of a German officer who got a little wide-eyed as he watched an American destroyer turn all four of its 5" guns on a German 75 position. He basically couldn't believe the Allies had that much firepower to spare!

I too have read about fire from the coast hitting USN ships in Vietnam.

I know someone who was on a destroyer that fought a duel with an NVA tank. The destroyer won, but he said it freaked him out, as it wasn't the sort of scenario the Navy had prepared him for.

I know someone who was on a destroyer that fought a duel with an NVA tank. The destroyer won, but … it wasn't the sort of scenario the Navy had prepared him for.

I have occasionally wondered about how effective tanks might have been as shore defense.

Imagine a battery of US M7 Priests, or a company of JS-2s or SU-152s serving in coastal defense. We are talking about the gunpower of a DD or a CL, without the advanced fire control, with armor beyond a DD (M7) or even beyond a CA (JS-2 or SU-152), able to disburse widely for defense against return fire. Once you get into gun range, I am actually inclined to like the tanks' odds better than the ship's.

An M7 might not be too well protected against a DD's 4.5 to 5.9 inch gun fire, but a JS-2 or SU-152 will be hard to kill with 5-inch HE and even the SAP. A DD or even a CL is not going to be happy taking return fire from 6 to 10 guns that must be targeted individually. And if you do "get their range" they can simply displace and re-appear later, particularly if they have any sort of bluff to work with.

Just pondering …

-Mark
(aka: Mk 1)

Do a search on "shore"

Korean War
link

WWII:
link

Wolfhag

IIRC, a US DD(?) in Vietnam took NVA fire from shore. And it turned out it was from a German WWII 88mm !

I can see Russians capturing an 88(s) in WWII. Than later somehow it ended up in with the NVA. The NVA did get T34/85s from the USSR … maybe an 88 or two was delivered as well ?

Good intel Wolf ! But I think the second link is the same as the first ?

Oopps!

WWII
link

My recruiter was Marine Force Recon and claims that while near the DMZ one night the NVA was bringing supplies through a valley on elephants. He had a heavy cruiser with a battery of nine 8" guns he used to elephant hunt during the night. I have not been able to verify it.

Wolfhag

I found a fascinating article on Naval Gunfire Support, which I posted on the modern boards, so in case anyone missed it, here's the TMP link

It was incredibly accurate and the army loved it, though they always wanted to know which ship would provide it. HMS Glamorgan, in particular, had a very good reputation: "Our salvos always landed where and when they were wanted. British troops were quite happy to call down fire from Glamorgan a bare 150 yards away".

During the Falklands campaign a "barrage of twenty-five rounds of 4.5" NGS would be dispersed within an area that was smaller than a tennis court".

The article is well worth a read.

Sorry, should have mentioned – the article concentrates on the Falklands War

A friend and colleague of my late father told this story. He was a jg on a 110' subchaser off Normandy (don't recall which beach). His ship was engaged by a German shore battery and in short order was straddled. The crew knew what that meant and that a wooden subchaser did not have a chance against a German 15cm. At this exact moment an officer on USS Arkansas spotted the battery and engaged it. His 5" section fired and landed rounds on the battery-a first round hit. So my father's friend went on to a distinguished academic career.

Legion 4, stranger things have happened but would put money on the gun being a Russian 85 rather than a German 88.

I agree Marc … but I'm "reporting" as I had heard or read about it. So …