Ramp down, 30 seconds!" Omaha Beach, June 6th, 6-45am, 'Dog Green Sector'. Vierville
I made a trilogy on here a few years back based on the landings at Omaha, but never had a go at the initial 'ramp down' stage, so here goes......
Bit of a prelude and info. for anyone who's not visited this beach.
My wife and I toured down the Normandy coast doing all the familiar place names including Omaha beach, cemetery and museum.
It's only when I walked from the water's edge to the bluffs below the American Cemetery, that it hit home just what the 1st, and following waves of infantry had to endure that awful day.....
Here's a few pictures of the beach etc.
The huge cemetery is behind the trees. The bluffs were riddled with M.G. nests, some are still visible but you have to look carefully!
A dull day. The cemetery is along the bluffs to the left of this picture.
The soldiers had no idea that these big 'Lakes' were present and so deep. The landing craft grounded before these and the poor soldiers running in ankle deep water, suddenly found themselves in up to 6/8ft of water. Many were drowned.
This fisherman was only knee deep - at the edge.
These next two shots show just how steep the sand was by these 'pools'. Remains of an L.C.T. in the foreground.
I estimated this bank as around 8ft tall. Imagine being shot at and trying to run for your life or at best quickly walk and stumble, only to slide down one of these, fully laden with your kit.....
Shots of some of the defences.
...above the beach at Vierville (Dog Green)
The view from the above
There were dozens of these M.G. slits along the dunes and undergrowth etc. Very hard to spot.
A gun emplacement at Vierville with the remains of the American Mulberry Harbour behind, The 'harbour' was wrecked during a violent storm shortly after D. Day and never re-built. The Americans decided to ride their landing craft etc. directly onto the beach.
Roughly halfway along the 'Prom', this area marks the spot where all the dead from the landings were temporarily interned.
Some low life had stolen the plaque....
A big gun emplacement
...and the commanding view. Pity, but the tide was in.
The American Cemetery above Omaha Beach.
The Memorial on Omaha Beach.
There you go. A bit of an insight as to what the Americans had to endure at Omaha on June 6th 1944.
The photos were taken during my last visited to Normandy in 2013. If anyone has more of their own pictures of Omaha, please feel free to post them on this thread.
Next the build.
Initially, because I don't really like modelling violence, I was a bit twitchy about starting this dio., but I sort of look at it as a sort of tribute to the people who went through that awful day on that awful beach........
As usual, I have only a rough, basic idea as to how to go about it! I'll just let things develop as I go along, but here are the main players.
Cheers all.
Ron
The reason being, on D. Day the troops were embarked into their L.. C.'s 12 miles from the beaches.
