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Winds, Waves, and Warriors: Battling the Surf at Normandy, Tarawa, and Inchon
Winds, Waves, and Warriors examines the oceanographic conditions that U.S. military planners considered, or should have considered, when landing troops and vehicles on the beach at three historic amphibious Normandy, Tarawa, and Inchon. Oceanographer Thomas M. Mitchell brings welcome insight into a little-studied yet extraordinary aspect of ground warfare by explaining why certain tidal and weather conditions existed at those specific places and times, and how they affected the Army and Marine foot soldiers fighting to get ashore.
Mitchell offers easy-to-understand descriptions of basic oceanographic concepts and applies them to actual amphibious operations. Winds and waves hampered the Allies’ efforts on D-Day but less than they would have had the soldiers attempted storming the beach at Normandy the day before or after. Coral reefs and tides contributed to high Marine casualties at Tarawa Atoll in the Pacific. General Douglas MacArthur used the element of surprise by attacking the North Koreans at Inchon despite treacherous soft mud bottoms and unfavorable tidal conditions.
Mitchell details how wartime necessity led to the development of clever methods to estimate such factors as water depth, beach slope, and underwater shoals, all of which affected troops’ assaults and potentially changed the outcomes of key battles. An Army Air Corps lieutenant, for example, dug a hole on the beach at Normandy to help him predict tides more accurately. The Army’s Beach Erosion Board and research groups such as the Scripps Institution of Oceanography exploited elementary principles of physical oceanography to develop crude but effective instruments and techniques for ocean remote sensing and forecasting. Indeed, soldiers, Marines, staff planners, commanders, oceanographers, meteorologists, and researchers all contributed to some of the largest and most important military invasions in history.
Winds, Waves, and Warriors tells of the U.S. military’s struggles with a foe that was sometimes just as formidable and unpredictable as the opposing army. When unheeded, unfavorable weather and ocean conditions could lead to tragic and avoidable deaths. The threat posed by the ocean at these three historic battles was an important factor not only in the outcomes of these operations but also to the survival of the troops who fought there.
Mitchell offers easy-to-understand descriptions of basic oceanographic concepts and applies them to actual amphibious operations. Winds and waves hampered the Allies’ efforts on D-Day but less than they would have had the soldiers attempted storming the beach at Normandy the day before or after. Coral reefs and tides contributed to high Marine casualties at Tarawa Atoll in the Pacific. General Douglas MacArthur used the element of surprise by attacking the North Koreans at Inchon despite treacherous soft mud bottoms and unfavorable tidal conditions.
Mitchell details how wartime necessity led to the development of clever methods to estimate such factors as water depth, beach slope, and underwater shoals, all of which affected troops’ assaults and potentially changed the outcomes of key battles. An Army Air Corps lieutenant, for example, dug a hole on the beach at Normandy to help him predict tides more accurately. The Army’s Beach Erosion Board and research groups such as the Scripps Institution of Oceanography exploited elementary principles of physical oceanography to develop crude but effective instruments and techniques for ocean remote sensing and forecasting. Indeed, soldiers, Marines, staff planners, commanders, oceanographers, meteorologists, and researchers all contributed to some of the largest and most important military invasions in history.
Winds, Waves, and Warriors tells of the U.S. military’s struggles with a foe that was sometimes just as formidable and unpredictable as the opposing army. When unheeded, unfavorable weather and ocean conditions could lead to tragic and avoidable deaths. The threat posed by the ocean at these three historic battles was an important factor not only in the outcomes of these operations but also to the survival of the troops who fought there.
168 pages, Hardcover
Published October 2, 2019
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April 3, 2020MWSA Review
Thomas M. Mitchell has provided an exhaustively researched and heavily annotated academic volume on a resolutely esoteric topic—the study of the developing discipline of oceanography and the new war-time skill of wave forecasting—and it often reads like a Michael Crichton thriller. He explains in authoritative but easily understood principles how knowing the nature and effect of ocean currents, winds, and waves helped the success of the World War II and key battles in Korea, saving actual lives.
"With very intricate planning, General Douglas MacArthur used the unfavorable bottom and tidal conditions at Inchon to surprise the North Koreans, who thought no one would dare attack at a location with so many natural obstacles."
This work trembles with the impressive weight of its research authority. The details are copious and vivid, and so extensive as to render this work as an important reference for future scientists, meteorologists, and history buffs alike. It is exhaustively well organized and, though the topic is necessarily technical in nature, the writing doesn't rely on pedantic recitation of wave science; instead, it offers a well-organized and accessible style that not only improves the reading experience but also improves the transfer of information. It's science, but it reads like a novel.
Before WWII, sea conditions were assessed using a system known as the Beaufort Scale that was developed in 1805 with anecdotal observations—based on what someone saw and reported. Hardly scientific. The U.S. Army saw the need to know more, and more reliable, information about winds and waves and how they interacted, and the first warrior meteorologists were commissioned. From Normandy to Tarawa to Inchon, their work affected not only how invaders came ashore during initial assaults, but also how essential follow-on tasks such as resupply and logistical needs were met.
The level of detail is as impressive as it is exhaustive, from tidal times to how many tanks made it to Normandy's Omaha and Utah beaches between 0540 and 0640 on D-Day (twenty-eight of fifty-seven skirted, dual-drive Shermans were swamped and lost).
A history buff will find a new favorite topic in Winds Waves & Warriors, and a new expert witness in Mr. Mitchell. Strongly, unequivocally recommended.
Review by Daniel Charles Ross (April 2020)
Thomas M. Mitchell has provided an exhaustively researched and heavily annotated academic volume on a resolutely esoteric topic—the study of the developing discipline of oceanography and the new war-time skill of wave forecasting—and it often reads like a Michael Crichton thriller. He explains in authoritative but easily understood principles how knowing the nature and effect of ocean currents, winds, and waves helped the success of the World War II and key battles in Korea, saving actual lives.
"With very intricate planning, General Douglas MacArthur used the unfavorable bottom and tidal conditions at Inchon to surprise the North Koreans, who thought no one would dare attack at a location with so many natural obstacles."
This work trembles with the impressive weight of its research authority. The details are copious and vivid, and so extensive as to render this work as an important reference for future scientists, meteorologists, and history buffs alike. It is exhaustively well organized and, though the topic is necessarily technical in nature, the writing doesn't rely on pedantic recitation of wave science; instead, it offers a well-organized and accessible style that not only improves the reading experience but also improves the transfer of information. It's science, but it reads like a novel.
Before WWII, sea conditions were assessed using a system known as the Beaufort Scale that was developed in 1805 with anecdotal observations—based on what someone saw and reported. Hardly scientific. The U.S. Army saw the need to know more, and more reliable, information about winds and waves and how they interacted, and the first warrior meteorologists were commissioned. From Normandy to Tarawa to Inchon, their work affected not only how invaders came ashore during initial assaults, but also how essential follow-on tasks such as resupply and logistical needs were met.
The level of detail is as impressive as it is exhaustive, from tidal times to how many tanks made it to Normandy's Omaha and Utah beaches between 0540 and 0640 on D-Day (twenty-eight of fifty-seven skirted, dual-drive Shermans were swamped and lost).
A history buff will find a new favorite topic in Winds Waves & Warriors, and a new expert witness in Mr. Mitchell. Strongly, unequivocally recommended.
Review by Daniel Charles Ross (April 2020)
May 25, 2020
Excellent technical discussion
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews