Beaches Painted Red
The first wave of landing craft was met with stiff German defenses, with sniper, machine gun, and artillery fire raining down on allied soldiers as they struggled to fight their way up the beaches and face the German troops face to face. The second wave of landing crafts was met with even more formidable German defenses. When the battle ended, the landing craft that made it to shore described the carnage as “a sea of blood.” Defending ground targets against aircraft attacks with barrage balloons is a common practice. Barrage balloons raise steel cables into the air, posing a serious collision risk to aircraft and making the attacker’s approach more difficult.
Beaches Painted Red
Packed Like Sardines
The Allied generals were well aware of the high casualty count they would face at the start of the battle and made the decision to overcrowd each landing craft in the hope of winning by sheer force of numbers. These brave men had no way of knowing what they were about to face, no matter how much training they had.
Packed Like Sardines
