'Aussie Rick'’s Comments (group member since Jun 12, 2009)

'Aussie Rick'’s comments from the THE WORLD WAR TWO GROUP group.

"The Armoured Campaign in Normandy June - August 1944" - The author mentioned this incident at Juno Beach - C Squadron, Fort Garry Horse, 2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade:

"Two tanks from LCT 313 were lost after launching, one fell into a shell hole after having deflated its canvas screen and another was swamped after the tank's motors failed. LCT 37 went all the way in to the beach, and two tanks drove off, but the LCT was then hit repeatedly by shell and mortar fire and drifted back out to sea. Three tanks were still aboard, one of which caught fire and drove into the water (flooding the engine) to extinguish the flames. From this half-submerged position, the tank began to fire 75mm HE (high explosive) in support of infantry until an AP (armour piercing) round struck the barrel of the 75mm gun, putting it out of action. The crew continued to fire their machine guns until the rising tide forced them to abandon their tank. The crews of the remaining two tanks swam to shore from the damaged landing craft to try and organize a tow for their tanks off the landing craft, but this was not successful and several crew members were killed in the process."

The Armoured Campaign in Normandy June - August 1944 by Stephen Napier

Dj wrote: "Doing it all over again
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/b..."

Great news, my daughter and her partner are currently over in Normandy, but I don't think they will still be there when this happens.

KOMET wrote: "For the June theme, I choose the book "D-Day: The Air Battle" by Ken Delve.



"In the weeks and months leading up to D-DAY..."

Nice one Komet!

Jonny wrote: "I'll make a start with something local, 50 Div In Normandy:: A Critical Analysis Of The British 50th (Northumbrian) Division On D-Day And In The Battle Of Normandy

[bookcover:50 Di..."

Excellent choice Jonny!

Tom wrote: "I’ll be reading James Holland’s “Normandy ‘44 D-Day And The Battle For France”

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6..."

A good book for the theme Tom!

Derek, I'm waiting for Nick Hewitt's book to be released here in Australia. I hope its an excellent account, keep us all posted.

For this month's theme read I am going to be reading this book on the subject; "The Armoured Campaign in Normandy June - August 1944" by Stephen Napier.

The Armoured Campaign in Normandy June - August 1944 by Stephen Napier

Hi folks, the June 2024 theme read covering D-Day or the Normandy campaign is up and ready for discussion:

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

The June 2024 theme read is any book or books of your choice that covers D-Day or the Normandy Campaign 1944.

carl wrote: "Purchased this one at the Texas Military Forces Museum for US Memorial Day, Camp Mabry. Home of the Texas Guard. (Plenty of Armor in the museum).

General Fred Walker led the Texas "T-Patchers" 36..."

Nice purchase Carl, should be a pretty interesting account!

Very thoughtful review Jonny on the first book, sorry to hear it was so bad.

Here is a June release (Australia) that may interest some group members; "Skies of Thunder: The Deadly World War II Mission Over the Roof of the World" by

Skies of Thunder: The Deadly World War II Mission Over the Roof of the World by Caroline Alexander
Description:
In April 1942, the Imperial Japanese Army steamrolled through Burma, capturing the only ground route from India to China. Supplies to this critical zone would now have to come from India by air-meaning across the Himalayas, on the most hazardous air route in the world. SKIES OF THUNDER is a story of an epic human endeavor, in which Allied troops faced the monumental challenge of operating from airfields hacked from the jungle, and took on "the Hump," the fearsome mountain barrier that defined the air route.They flew fickle, untested aircraft through monsoons and enemy fire, with inaccurate maps and only primitive navigation technology. The result was a litany of both deadly crashes and astonishing feats of survival. The most chaotic of all the war's arenas, the China-Burma-India theater was further confused by the conflicting political interests of Roosevelt, Churchill and their demanding, nominal ally, Chiang Kai-shek.

Caroline Alexander, who wrote the defining books on Shackleton's Endurance and Bligh's Bounty, is brilliant at probing what it takes to survive extreme circumstances. She has unearthed obscure memoirs and long-ignored records to give us the pilots' and soldiers' eye views of flying and combat, as well as honest portraits of commanders like the celebrated "Vinegar Joe" Stillwell and Claire Lee Chennault. She assesses the real contributions of units like the Flying Tigers, Merrill's Marauders, and the British Chindits, who pioneered new and unconventional forms of warfare. Decisions in this theater exposed the fault-lines between the Allies-America and Britain, Britain and India, and ultimately and most fatefully between America and China, as FDR pressed to help the Chinese nationalists in order to forge a bond with China after the war.

A masterpiece of modern war history.

Perato wrote: "As I have less and less time to read, I continue to buy less and less books. Maybe someday again. YET I still was missing the last book from Stahels Eastern Front and it was finally available again..."

Glad you managed to find a copy at a reasonable price, you won't be disappointed in the book Perato!

Some excellent books there Jonny! I have a copy of "Sword Beach" on order as well :)

Marilyn wrote: "The Civil War: Volume I by Shelby Foote - There are 3 Volumes. This is the most detailed history I have ever read. I’m in chapter 2 and my Kindle says I’m only 14% into it. I doubt seriously if I w..."

It's a great read, you might find yourself continuing with the next volume before you know it, Marilyn!

Some excellent eBook and audio books for sale, thanks for those details Mike!

Not too sure I'd be keen on that Pam Am flight, but I suppose when you consider the U-boat hazard it starts to look a bit more attractive!

Interesting post MR9. I better remember to take a hat when I visit Portugal in 2025!

Thanks for posting those details, Jerome, a book to keep an eye-out for!

I wonder if that was a missed opportunity on Ireland's behalf or was De Valera correct in his belief that Britain could never guarantee Ireland's unity?