The Decimation of the 741st Tank Battalion

06 June, 1944, a day that changed the world. The largest amphibious invasion in history. Forces from almost every allied nation worked together to break Hitler's Fortress Europe and crack the Atlantic Wall. On one beach, Omaha, American Infantry fought hard to take the beach, but they were not alone. The 741st and 743rd Tank Battalions were there to support them, but on the way in, tragedy struck that took more than half of the 741st's tanks. But what happened?
#History #Disaster #WW2
Work's Cited:
WW2 armor researcher Erik Albertson
741st Operation's Report
741st Tank Battalion Unit Journal
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/741st_T...)
WW2 Armor:
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[@MaritimeHorrors]

Attention all hands! I now have merch! My channel artist has made up some merch on her teepublic. All funds go to paying her for the wonderful work she does. So if you want to show your support for the channel and the great art she does, pick something up! www.teepublic.com/user/dragonrise_studio/albums/146205-maritime-horrors

[@richardmann6724]

U.S Navy was told where to launch DD Tanks as on other beaches . The captain's should of been disciplined launching them so early . The bravery of the American tank crews to keep launching while watching their mates sink , is humbling . Lest we forget

[@kscorp5176]

Cool - I'd never considered how the tanks got on the beach and couldn't have predicted the gigantic rubber duckies (as we call those inflatable thingies in Australia). And don't feel you need to stick strictly to boating horrors; Plainly Difficult has done plenty of videos outside of industrial havoc and they're all great :-)

[@MaritimeHorrors]

Much obliged, shipmate. I mainly stick to Maritime incidents just because it's what I know best.

[@aussiepilot7886]

@@MaritimeHorrors if you do maritime stuff how about you do the story of HMAS Sydney II

[@vanringo]

Yeah, I have seen models of the duplex drive and a skirt over the Sherman. It definitely did not look like it would be floatable. I think they perfected this for their Pacific invasions.

[@michaelcampin1464]

@@vanringo problem was a lot were disembarked too far offshore into heavy seas than they were designed for

[@vanringo]

@@michaelcampin1464 true. In the south Pacific they could go forever, but the seas pretty much anywhere in the north Atlantic and especially the north sea are not good even for the current Marine AAVs.

[@koflynn2159]

The DD Shermans were so valiant. And tragic. Just the thought of drowning in a tanks is horrifying.

[@MaritimeHorrors]

As someone who has been inside a Sherman's crew compartment... It's definitely not a place I'd like to see fill with water.

[@darthXreven]

if water is your hangup try burning alive in a tank?? IDK what's worse drowning or burning alive, both sound horrible

[@rogerodonohue3034]

@@darthXreven I'm sure the survivors then were able to get burned to death.

[@johnwolf2829]

It was a rotten idea, use LSTs or don't go at all. The Bradley has idiotic system for crossing revers, and hopefully they will never have to use it in combat.

[@torinjones3221]

You think that's bad. The night before D-Day gliders flew across the channel some carrying Tetrarch light tanks. One of these tanks broke free from it's shackles and rolled forward, smashed through the cockpit of the glider and out the front send both itself and the glider falling into the sea. The worst part being the tank crew were all already inside the tanks (they wouldn't be able to drive out otherwise) so they likely had no idea why they were suddenly falling several thousand feet into the ocean all in pitch blackness.

[@charlesoppland7778]

Those 29 tanks that sank would have made a huge difference had they made it ashore.

[@jimmyhaley727]

yeah, probably another 60 seconds

[@McPh1741]

I remember watching documentary on this years ago. The tank crews were initially told to locate a particular landmark at Omaha beach amd steer for it ensuring that they would land where they were needed. This put the course at odds with the waves and that’s why the tanks were swamped.had they been told to steer into the waves and land where possible, more tanks may have made it to shore. There were so many variables, not just in regards to the DD tanks, that were allowed for that day. Like, the Rangers that were supposed the scale the cliffs at Pointe de Hoc, didn’t take into account that the ropes for the grappling hooks would get soaked in sea water increasing thier weight. When the grappling hook were fired they didn’t go near as high as planned. With all the things that weren’t planned for on that day and the night before, it really is a testament to all those involved that it was a success.

[@socratesgeorgekazolias]

My Dad was there on June 6, 1944, 741st Tank Battalion: Nicholas P. Kazolias, Purple Heart. I'm glad he survived the war, Saint Lo, the Bulge, march through Germany, all the way to Prague. I hesitate to say he was lucky as I am sure he preferred to be somewhere else. I am very proud of Dad.

[@boowiebear]

I didn’t realize that any made it to shore. I always found the DD Sherman story so tragic as each tank could easily save so many infantry lives and the operation was planned assuming they would be there. Good to know it was only the 741st that lost so many.

[@williamtraynor-kean7214]

They were released too far from shore, the British, and Canadians did not have the same problem.

[@williamtraynor-kean7214]

@@constitution_8939 Do you think the “suckering in to a war on Germany” may have had something to do with Germany declaring war on the US? Your grasp of history seems tenuous to say the least.

[@bruleebois2046]

@@constitution_8939 Germany declared war on USA you know they werent gonna join till Germany honoured the triparthied pact

[@ZaiketsuKumori]

@Maritime Horrors is this kind of stuff allowed on your channel? Personally I'd rather not be known as a place where weird racist kooks can congregate

[@ZaiketsuKumori]

@@constitution_8939 "If they saw their countries 60 years later they'd join Hitler" Cope and seethe about it harder, gay marriage isn't going anywhere, and Trans Rights are Human Rights.

[@Man2quilla]

Drowning sounds plenty terrible. Drowning while trapped IN A TANK sounds even worse

[@watsonmatt2]

I have had the honor and privilege of scuba diving on many of the Normandy Wrecks including a couple of the DD tank wrecks. All of the Normandy wrecks have an atmosphere unlike any other wrecks that I have dived on before. I have personally laid a wreath on the wreck site of the SS Amsterdam II a hospital ship lost on the 7 August 44, which I would offer for consideration or even the voyage of the SS Ohio to the resupply of Malta Jul - Aug 1942. Either way, fantastic video and I look forward to many more.

[@blank557]

The launching of those DD tanks so far from the beaches, in clearly choppy sea, was a crime. The landing craft officers had to know that, but I think were too afraid of the incoming fire.

[@johntanucilli9358]

My uncle was part of the 741 tank battalion on that day! He told me his tank sunk in the channel and he was picked up by the the Brittish and taken back to a hospital in England. He latter served with Patton and won a silver star?.

[@MaritimeHorrors]

A very common occurances for the unit. Very fortunate for your Uncle to make it through. I'm sure he had some pretty incredible stories to tell.

[@johntanucilli9358]

@@MaritimeHorrors he also told me that what saved his tank during some tank battles was that some of the Germany tank shells were duds do to the fact of sabatage of slave labor prisoners.

[@MaritimeHorrors]

Really? Wow, I've never heard that! That's really interesting. It does make sense though. Very cool!

[@achillebelanger9866]

Czechoslovakian Slave Workers Sabotaged the Ammunition and Gun Barrels after Production and Final Inspection. I knew one of them who had worked at the Mauser Factory 🏭 in Czechoslovakia. They ran a broken End Mill into Cannon and Rifle Barrel's Muzzles,just before the Barrel's Crown...to make the Shell's tumble and miss or keyhole the target.

[@tribalteuton7256]

old blood and guts, very cool.

[@danielkorladis7869]

1:20 Soviets, not just Russians. The part of the USSR that took the worst losses (compared to population) was Belarus.

[@bigblue6917]

Actually the 741st tanks were a lot closer to the beach then was thought. The crews had been given a maker point to aim for, a church spire I believe, when the tanks were nearing the shore and realising they were further west then the were supposed to be the tanks turned towards the beach. This is when the tanks started to be overwhelmed by the waves which had not been a problem until they turned and this caused them to sink. Unfortunately the crews training did include anything about how to deal with the seas state otherwise they could have taken steps to deal with it. Also thought some of the tanks were launched much further out then they should have been many were a lot closer to the beach when they were launched. The raid part of the Dieppe Raid was actually a success. Originally Dieppe was a raid by British Army Commandos on some German coastal gun positions which did succeed. The actual landing by the tanks and infantry was tacked onto that raid but not part of it. Unfortunately Lord Mountbatten, who was in charge of the commando raid was unfairly blamed for what happened to the Canadians despite the fact he was not responsible for that part of the raid. One consequence of the raid which is often missed was that a special group called the Combined Operation Pilotage Party were tasked with surveying the beaches which were chosen for D-Day to ensure that heavy vehicles such as tanks could operate on the beaches. This is a story in itself.

[@achillebelanger9866]

My family friend John" Jack"Goodman Commanded the Donald 🦆 Duck Tanks. The LST Commander didn't want his Long Slow Target shot up....so he ordered the Duplex Drive Crews off his Ship thousands of yards from the Drop Zone that was planned. Jack was extremely Seasick and vomiting in the Ship's Head when it happened. He came out to seeing his Tankers drowning in their Tanks. He held a .45 to the LST Captain's Head and forced him to bring the remaining Tanks closer to Shore. Col.John Goodman became the Ranking Officer on the Beach for six Hours. He established a Command/ Communications Tent around his Ford Radio Jeep and Trailer. The Jeep came back with him when he moved to Maine. The Radio Mast( from the LST and used on the Beach) is in Harrison ,Maine. John Goodman moved to Louisiana to be near his Wife's Family and the National D-Day Museum. He wrote his Memoirs before he died. He was also a Monuments Man in Italy and Sicily.

[@fapangel7771]

Very pleased to see someone talking about the duplex-drive tanks and explicitly acknowledging the vital role they played in the landings despite the number that floundered - to say nothing of acknowledging that the DD Shermans on other beaches reached the beaches mostly unscathed.

[@julians7268]

A lot worse than a decimation.

[@BobSmith-dk8nw]

It was my understanding that the LCT's launching the 743rd DD Battalion at Omaha did not in fact launch their tanks - but took them on into the shore. They had looked at the sea state and were horrified when they realized the LCT's with the 741st in them were going to launch. It is my understanding that the reason so many tanks sank at Omaha was the nature of the off shore waves and the direction they were blowing from that caused them to break down or over top the screens for the tanks. The other beaches didn't have that problem with their off shore waves. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DD_tank#Omaha_Beach so it was a combination of distance and wave direction that was the problem. Of the two that made it ashore from the 741st - their commanders had small boat experience and they knew to head into the waves rather than let them hit from the side. It's unfortunate that tank commanders or at least drivers weren't selected for these units from men with boating experience. .

[@sydlemon5285]

I did read that the Brits and Canadians manned their lead tanks with soldiers who had small boat experience which enabled them to handle the difficult conditions better. They did not head straight for the beach and being dropped where they were supposed to be had a very high survival rate.

[@BobSmith-dk8nw]

@@sydlemon5285 The main reason was the sea state - which was different at Omaha than the other beaches. Yes - if they had the lead tanks crewed by people with boat experience and the other tanks followed them - that would certainly help. The reason they lost all but two of the ones that tried to swim in though - was because the waves were hitting them from the sides more so at Omaha than the other beaches. I don't know if they lost any tanks at the other beaches but if they did - it was more like they lost a few but most of them made it - where as with Omaha they lost most of them and only a few made it. .

[@c3aloha]

The recent AAVP tragedy was caused by the track being pushed sideways to the waves and swamping the vehicle through the open hatches.

[@BobSmith-dk8nw]

@@c3aloha Thanks. I had heard about that but not the reason why. .

[@oceanhome2023]

I’ll bet a lot of us here could suggest some modifications or upgrades to these tanks to prevent them from being swamped . The idea I have would be to ring the tank with life preservers (not inflatable) and they should have tested that out . Also perhaps using 4 fake inflatable tanks 1 teathered to each corner ! Any other thoughts ?

[@ripwednesdayadams]

My grandfather landed on Omaha beach on D-Day. He also fought in the battle of the bulge. My grandfather and a few other soldiers were separated from the other allied forces and were surrounded by Germans. I don’t know what happened exactly- he never spoke about it with me because I was too little. After he died, a few of the men he served with told my family that he had been responsible for saving the lives of numerous men without a thought for his own safety. General patton even commended his selflessness, bravery and grit. I wish he was still alive, I have so many questions about the war and his experiences. He didn’t really talk to anyone about his time in the service except for one of the soldiers he fought with in the Ardennes forest. They would speak every year on Christmas Eve and that was one of the rare times that he would talk about the war. ♥️

[@BritanniaPacific]

Discussed on the battle of Normandy episode of greatest tank battles, albeit not as detailed. The episode talks about the battle after the landing on Juno beach. Some of those Canadian tanks were sunk by sea mines, other flooded with multiple waves.

[@MaritimeHorrors]

It was rough going on all of those beachheads. The tankers do not get enough credit for what they did that day.

[@peterwright4647]

Mark Zuehlke’s Juno beach book covers this very well and compares the difficulties from the different beaches. His trilogy covers the whole Normandy invasion very well. His other trilogy on the Italian campaign is excellent as well as he uses both records of the units involved as well as first person accounts in both sets.

[@richardsawyer5428]

How about the Penlee Lifeboat disaster? The station is still preserved by the RNLI and I pass it when getting the boat the the Isles of Scilly.

[@cneterer]

In school, my lessons skimmed over this tragedy. This provides some appreciated detail.

[@minecraftfan101ish]

Super high-quality video, as always. Keep up the good work!

[@Straswa]

Great vid MH. Thanks for the great coverage of the DD Shermans.

[@BHuang92]

The sinking of almost all of the tanks at Omaha beach in Normandy was one of many aspects that the D-Day invasion almost failed.

[@blessingo7449]

The quality of your videos are amazing! I'm glad I'm hear before you inevitably reach 1 mill subscribers

[@partygrove5321]

The Jarheads had been using armored amphtrak landing crafts since Tarawa, but no one in the Army had enough brains to use them on D-Day. Even if one got knocked out on the beach, it could still provide cover for the infantrymen.

[@KJAkk]

There were not enough LVT's for both the Pacific and European theaters of operation. If the LVT's had been sent to Europe all if the amphibious operations in the Pacific would have to have been halted.

[@hungryhedgehog4201]

Throwing your new heavy tank that haven't been field tested into a naval invasion where many of them got lost due to pebbels is just a really bigbrain move

[@norml.hugh-mann]

Still kicked your sides ass

[@hungryhedgehog4201]

@@norml.hugh-mann did you just call me a nazi?

[@KowboyUSA]

Attempting to float over 30-tons of steel by means of a canvas skirt any distance on the English Channel - what could possibly go wrong.

[@robertnicholson7733]

Actually, not that much went wrong, as long as they operated within the parameters for which they were designed.

[@superdave577]

Loved this story!!! I have always been curious about the DD's and you did a great job.

[@jonotto1997]

I recently reenacted at an event in Illinois where I had the pleasure of meeting a WW2 vet from the 741st, if I remember correctly. His story was astonishing and it's a moment I'll always cherish. He wasnt a part of the initial invasion in the 6th of June, but he went into France soon after. If you ever have the chance, talk to one.

[@Strelnikov403]

I just want to point out that the last four letters of your randomly-generated URL perfectly spell "Evil", which I thought was pretty neat.

[@williamashbless7904]

Nicely done!

[@llskitll]

Why do they have to drop the tanks so far away? Why not drop them with the infantry??

[@Emptybee]

A Landing ShipTank (LST) is necessarily a much larger vessel than a Landing Craft Infantry (LCI). The Germans knew that and would direct their fire accordingly.

[@TrickiVicBB71]

Earned a subscriber from this vid and your Halloween Philadelphia Experiment today

[@wazza33racer]

who could of guessed that hobbyist skippers would make great tank commanders..........at least on beach assaults.

[@shawnbaraw2637]

I absolutely LOVE your channel keep making more awesome videos please great narrator voice also

[@sdfxcvblank5756]

This is the 12 vid and KZbin still refuses to auto suggest any of your vids still

[@Drone_Solo]

My great Uncle William J. Testa died in one of those tanks on D-Day. I still have the original membership card my Great Grandmother got for Gold Star Mother's for him being KIA that day. My grandfather and his three brothers all participated in combat operations in WW II

[@TonyHobbs]

Brilliant channel thanks

[@christopherseivard8925]

Thanks for this. Until listening, I had a much weaker perception of the DD Tanks. Could you consider the Pendleton lifeboat rescue in Orleans? Visited often,a worthy tale!

[@The_Viscount]

Late to the party, but this really is such a tragedy. The US should have pushed for the adoption of the LVT series. The Landing Vehicle, Tracked series were amphibious vehicles purpose built for beach assault. LVTs were tracked, armored, and designed to drive right out of the shallows. The Landing Vehicle, Tracked (Assault) series in particular were armed with heavier ordinance to help support infantry landing ashore. LVT(A)-1 featured a 37mm turret copied from the Stuart Light Tank while the LVT(A)-4 featured a 75mm, snub nosed howitzer copied from the M8 Howitzer Motor Carriage. While neither of these were as powerful as the M4 Sherman, they were far more seaworthy, and had proven themselves in the waters of the Pacific against Imperial Japan. But inter-branch rivalry and politics saw the LVT series rejected for European use. Their lower firepower and armor ratings were part of that decision, but so was the fact that the US Army didn't want to use a vehicle the US Marine Corps recommended. The crews of over two dozen vehicles paid for this pride with their lives. And while it's true that the Sherman was superior as a fighting vehicle, during a beach assault like Normandy any tank is better than no tank at all. But that's my opinion. And it is true many of the tanks worked as intended. But that isn't much consolation to those men or their families.

[@42cerberus]

If you make it to the Tamk Museum in Bovington, England you can see the only remaining DD Sherman that still has its original skirt. It sits on display in the Tank Story exhibition just next to the last Churchill tank to be built. Interestingly, this Churchill is mocked up to represent a Crocodile flame thrower, another of 'Hobart's funnies'.

[@Bendejo301]

Awesome video! Insta-sub from my end. And thanks for the shout-out from WW2 Armor!

[@MaritimeHorrors]

WW2 Armor is absolutely fantastic and I can't sing your guy's praises enough. Rob runs a great group and everyone is beyond friendly and helpful. Hope to see you guys at another event soon!

[@mikehouk2448]

@@MaritimeHorrors I agree with my brother, truly solid video! Our guys, and the owner, really appreciate your shout out!

[@Bendejo301]

@@MaritimeHorrors Thanks so much! Stay tuned!

[@siegmundwaelsung2217]

Interesting WHAT IF: what if 25 or so of the lost tanks had instead made it ashore. Would the extra firepower and shielding for infantry to advance behind have made Omaha Beach a less deadly and perilous battle for the US Army?

[@alecblunden8615]

Tragic because they were misemployed. The were intended to be deployed close to the beach in relatively sheltered water. This was how they were employed at the British and Canadian beaches. But they were launched well out to sea in rough water at the American. I often wonder in human lives should be entrusted to the powers that be. By the way, "decimation" refers to the Roman military punishment where one in ten members of a unit, chosen at random, were killed by the others. It does not mean virtual annihilation.

[@AlexLostInWonderland]

I was lucky enough to go to Normandy and see some of the beaches when I was a kid. I wasn’t really old enough to fully understand the gravity of the location but did have a grasp of WWII and some of the fighting on the beaches. I’d assume that the rusted tank shell my sister and I got fairly close to on Omaha (before mom got nervous about tetanus) would likely have been one of these tanks that actually made it to shore. I’m glad to have finally learned their story, even though it is such a sad one.

[@raycearcher5794]

Can a tank be a boat? Yes, but not a very safe one, as it turns out.

[@patwest1815]

Decimation sounds cool and horrific to those who don't understand the word, but a loss of 10% of your forces is small by any standard and nothing compared to what the D-Day first wave encountered.

[@PronatorTendon]

I'd wager he intended the primary, and not the archaic definition: _kill, destroy, or remove a large percentage or part of_

[@parkerguy3601]

Let's think of some more appropriate words: devastate, destroy, obliterate, eliminate. Not decimate.

[@benjaminc8789]

Meh …semantics who cares 🤷‍♂️

[@red_head_ginger562]

Decimation comes from the old Roman army. where a punishment could be inflicted upon a Legion by having the men kill every 10th man in the Legion. This, if you do the math, is 10% of the legion. 10% is literally decimation

[@benjaminc8789]

Yeah in your wargaming world

[@jsplicer9]

Amazing video. As much as I've heard about DD tanks I've never heard about their failings when pushed outside their limits. I'm sure you might be able to find comparable stories from the American crews of LVT amphibious armored vehicles, as well as the Japanese crews of Ka-Mi tanks, which had detachable hull pontoon sections that really made them resemble full on boats.

[@justlucky8254]

It seems that the failures and shortcomings lay at the feet of those who chucked them out from so far in order to save themselves.

[@Skreezilla]

During mock landings on a beach named Studland a few of the Val's sunk, can still find them while diving there in Dorset.

[@stanbodle6410]

I love the fact you give credit where credit is due!🙂

[@mbryson2899]

Fascinating video, great details. Do you know anything about the various DUKW disasters in civilian service? I remember one suddenly sinking and I think another caught fire. When I was a kid in the 70s my father wouldn't take us on the Duck tour at Wisconsin Dells because he thought they were accidents waiting to happen.

[@michaelcampin1464]

The same thing happened on the Thames in 1980s

[@mbryson2899]

@@michaelcampin1464 it burned down, fell over, and then sank into the swamp?

[@michaelcampin1464]

@@mbryson2899 not quite but it caught fire and sank into the River Thames. Luckily all the tourists were rescued

[@b-chroniumproductions3177]

Most of the DUKW 'disasters' were simple automobile accidents on land, funnily enough

[@ostrich67]

Brick Immortar did some extensively detailed videos on the Ride the Ducks disasters including the sinkings in the Ozarks and Philadelphia, and the road accident in Seattle which killed four people on a bus.

[@sbibbity_bobbity_bup]

all my homies watch videos that start with "on the (morning/afternoon/night) of......"

[@MrChainsawAardvark]

Great channel, thank you for your excellent presentations and research. Have you ever read considered doing a video on Exercise Tiger - a rather problematic dress rehearsal for D-day.

[@adamfrazer5150]

That would make for an excellent video 👍👍

[@DidMyGrandfatherMakeThis]

I worked for a couple of seasons at Pendennis Castle, which overlooks the entrance to the Fal and the Fal estuary (Falmouth in Cornwall) which was one of the gathering stations for the dday flotilla. Although a clear mile mile from Pendennis to St Mawes, we had an old lady who told us she had been a child at the time and she had seen the muster of boats at the time and it seemed as though you could have walked across from one to the other without getting your feet wet there were so many. Also, if you haven't, operation Tiger I think it's called ? The training for dday that become a huge horror would be an interesting story to cover.

[@ALRIGHTYTHEN.]

Please do a video on the largest seaborne invasion in non human history. That's got to be interesting as well.

[@robertnicholson7733]

One of the better known of Hobart's Funnies, look them up. Even the British thought them, umm, unusual (perhaps like Hobart himself (well, he was an engineer). Other countries' military types did not take them seriously, even when they were demonstrated and shown to be very useful. My favourite was the Crab AKA the Flail Tank.

[@Carlton-B]

For what it's worth 2400 is the number of killed, not "casualties." There were around 5000-6000 casualties on Omaha on D-Day. Using "casualties" and "killed" interchangeably is one on my personal peeves. You can find a good definition of "casualties" on Wikipedia.

[@robbabcock_]

Interesting!

[@ZKP314]

Expanding on the Italian and Soviet stuff for additional context- The Italian capitulation would’ve likely seen a quicker end of the war, as by that point the Italians were tired of the war, and started to turn on Mussolini himself (which would result in his death in 1945), but Hitler had other ideas. He moved a portion of his strained manpower to defend Italy, and prevent Allied movement from the South. This ended up being effective enough that, by 1945, they were the most intact front. As for the Soviets-they were in preparation for Operation Bagatrain, which would result in the collapse of Army Group Center, and give the Soviets control over a lot of territory (for comprehension purposes-they pushed the front from just out of Modern Day Ukraine and the Baltics all the way to Western Poland when it was all said and done).

[@DDrew67]

Gonna do the Goya?

[@RainbowDash2101]

Very interesting, a subject not many touch on. Hope most of those tankers made it out of their tanks in time.

[@J0K32R]

Awesome video man! This is great content. Hope this comment helps your channel grow

[@Diezerg117]

I don’t know why they just didn’t utilize the marine corps LVTs

[@harmdallmeyer6449]

Maybe because they were too light? They were quite large profile and not greatly armored for that size, making it a target for artillery. The armament was also probably lackluster for the job, either being a 37mm gun, or on open topped version with a 75mm Howitzer.

[@benjaminc8789]

Some may fall , so others can stand

[@jimmyhaley727]

yea, the politicians/rich

[@hastyswept5486]

anyone know if he has done a vid on operation tiger?

[@shatbad2960]

You can't help but be stunned by Churchill's utter disregard for human life. His only saving grace truly was his eloquence.

[@ethan9868]

Why weren't amtracks used at Normandy?

[@evamiller4886]

Those poor kids

[@pilotbug6100]

What would you name your DD Sherman? I would name mine SS Tank

[@huntergray3985]

Ah, D-Day! 156,000 allied troops landed to liberate La belle France, 177 of them were French.

[@brt-jn7kg]

The invasion of Okinawa was larger than the invasion of Normandy

[@0mn0mable]

@ 5:53 _towing the line_ *badumtss* me: nice

[@MARKE911]

What about the 742nd? Did it exist?

[@greywood84]

That was the worst idea I've heard. And, I thought Sherman DD was tested out in the invasion of Italy.

[@harrisonclark3799]

It was a good idea but poorly executed. Should’ve launched closer to shore and steered into the waves

[@owlgirl1998]

This video reminds me VIVIDLY of almost a decade ago when the local national guard drove their tank into the flooding from Irene and got stuck

[@Mr.VaughanYT]

Do the USS Cyclops

[@davidharing6475]

Is there water? Yes? Is it a horror story? Yes? Congrats, I think you can call it a maritime horror and put it on your channel.

[@dougreid2351]

Sounds a bit like the charge of the Light Brigade to me... DOUGout

[@johnsemeniuk8230]

Since Dieppe was mentioned, I think it's also worth note that, while I'm not sure of their veracity, I've seen plenty of documentaries that analyze the Dieppe Raid, including what it's main goal likely was, being the capture of a German code machine.

[@briantaylor9285]

That Sgt. and Pfc. were real ones.

[@k3D4rsi554maq]

Those skirts don't inflate.

[@sayhey7482]

11:33 what is that tank destroyer ? looks like a grenade launcher mounted on it

[@harmdallmeyer6449]

It's an American M18 'Hellcat', with two 0.50 cal machine guns mounted on the turret, one for the commander and one for the loader.

[@32Raychel]

My papaw was in 741 Tank battalion

[@kimba381]

This was not a decimation. FAR worse than that.

[@goodsolonius7305]

... why not use LVT?

[@Matthiasthehillbilly]

That was mainly used in the pacific

[@PrimevalDemon]

Jesus, MILLIONS?!

[@grimtea1715]

Do a video on the USS Indianapolis, The HMS Jersey, or Japanese Hell ships. All three are true Maritime horrors.

[@reefermadnezz9819]

Well armoured?

[@09huangr]

Why use Donald Ducks when the Marine Corp already has LVTs with turret and cannon?

[@robertnicholson7733]

Supply issues - not enough for all theatres of war, much easier to modify a high production volume vehicle than increase the output of a (relatively) low production volume vehicle. Also, this was a continental assault, not an island assault, a tank that swims is more useful if you are going to use it 100s of miles inland with 99% of its use as a tank and a very short time as an amphibious vehicle. Many decisions that seem to not make sense do so if you look at the "big picture".

[@nl-oc9ew]

I think you're doing a disservice to the fording M4s. Just because the tank isn't "boaty" enough, the issues occured at sea. I definately consider it maritime.

[@jamesesparza6893]

Very good video, although I hope you have learned what decimation means since you made this video. Because the amount of men one loses in a decimation is about 10%. A decimation was used as a punishment where 10 percent of the army would be beaten to death by the other 90 percent.

[@johnny2hats329]

In modern English the word is more often used to simply mean 'reduce something by a large portion'

[@jamesesparza6893]

​@@johnny2hats329 Thats the websters definition. Did you just google this?

[@johnny2hats329]

​@@jamesesparza6893 Nah, no need, I've always been good with remembering spelling and definitions and so on. The only context you would use decimate as you did above is when talking about Romans or other military that used the punishment.

[@PolakInHolland]

The Americans launched them too far out. The DD's worked just fine on Canadian and British beaches.

[@kyledean4512]

Imagine the surprise of the German infantry when that boat turns into a tank lol

[@SmallHoleInTheForest]

Decimation means 1 in 10.

[@robertdole5391]

Decimation means: “To reduce by 1/10th”…. Deci is the Latin prefix used in the metric system and means 1/10th of a standard unit of measure. The Roman Legions famously used the punishment of Decimation on cowardly legions where they selected every 10th man and had the other 9 men beat him to death.

[@greedlike]

Normandy was a idiotic tactical move

[@johndaniels4623]

*girls und panzer intensifies*

[@bluezebra2759]

Whats wrong with Detroit? Its the only place you cam buy a whole neighborhood for $1