Clearly this is recorded some time before release, so you will not have seen my comment on Episode 3, which I re-post below. Thank you for (pre-)addressing the issue of my comment, which is the overdue recognition of the quietly operating forces, which enabled much of the landings' success. [Previous post - ' The airborne landings are all cracking good stuff, but let's hear it for the Royal Navy. I used to live in Suffolk, next to Peter Mutimer, a very quiet man who used to keep his garden immaculately. We both happened to be in our gardens about the time of the 60th anniversary of D-Day. "I was there, you know" he said. He was a naval diver tasked with clearing underwater mines and obstacles before the landings took place. "I saw some terrible sights that day." When he died, there was an obituary in the local paper, and it turned out he had a string of bravery awards after his name. You never hear about these guys, because it was a quiet courage displayed in darkness, without fuss or excitement.']
In the Overlord/Neptune planning “literally no stone was left unturned”. Was it a regiment or a division that was allocated the job of turning over all these stones?
This episode was an epiphany for me. We wring our hands about Germany's genius with respect to their wonder weapons, but they could never have dreamed of making mulberries.
They did. Over 40% of troops landed by glider. Taking the bridges wasn't the issue really, it was holding them. They needed to hold the bridges so XXX corps could roll over them (they were the Garden part, Market were the landings or "airborne carpet"). Gliders also landed a huge amount of equipment, vehicles and more importantly, ammo and artillery. The allies got to Arnhem but whilst they sort of took the road bridge or at least held one end of it it was impossible to hold. They also couldn't take Oosterbeek and the Germans managed to blow it. The "Bridge too far" kinda sums it up but there were many, many problems with the plan. Using Glider borne troops and equipment was not one of them.
Clearly this is recorded some time before release, so you will not have seen my comment on Episode 3, which I re-post below. Thank you for (pre-)addressing the issue of my comment, which is the overdue recognition of the quietly operating forces, which enabled much of the landings' success. [Previous post - ' The airborne landings are all cracking good stuff, but let's hear it for the Royal Navy. I used to live in Suffolk, next to Peter Mutimer, a very quiet man who used to keep his garden immaculately. We both happened to be in our gardens about the time of the 60th anniversary of D-Day. "I was there, you know" he said. He was a naval diver tasked with clearing underwater mines and obstacles before the landings took place. "I saw some terrible sights that day." When he died, there was an obituary in the local paper, and it turned out he had a string of bravery awards after his name. You never hear about these guys, because it was a quiet courage displayed in darkness, without fuss or excitement.']
Thank you Al and James.
In the Overlord/Neptune planning “literally no stone was left unturned”. Was it a regiment or a division that was allocated the job of turning over all these stones?
There is one of the Mullberry blocks in Portland harbour. It is enormous.
This episode was an epiphany for me. We wring our hands about Germany's genius with respect to their wonder weapons, but they could never have dreamed of making mulberries.
Question for the experts, why did they not use gliders to capture the bridges during Op Market Garden ?
They did. Over 40% of troops landed by glider. Taking the bridges wasn't the issue really, it was holding them. They needed to hold the bridges so XXX corps could roll over them (they were the Garden part, Market were the landings or "airborne carpet"). Gliders also landed a huge amount of equipment, vehicles and more importantly, ammo and artillery. The allies got to Arnhem but whilst they sort of took the road bridge or at least held one end of it it was impossible to hold. They also couldn't take Oosterbeek and the Germans managed to blow it. The "Bridge too far" kinda sums it up but there were many, many problems with the plan. Using Glider borne troops and equipment was not one of them.