Miguel Sánchez
PHOTOS 75 ANNIVERSARY DAY D: UNAI ONA
If gathering friends for a trip to the mountains is complex ... Imagine transport 160.000 soldiers in just a few hours, crossing the unpredictable waters of the English Channel at night to end up on the beaches of Normandy. There, the Nazi troops of the Atlantic Wall they awaited the Allies for a life or death combat by the end of World War II.
First, and in the middle of the night, the paratroopers. More than 1.200 aircraft entered the airspace of occupied France, dropping soldiers behind enemy lines. Hours later the amphibious operation with more than 5.000 ships it put an infinity of soldiers within range of the machine gun nests. As more and more men appeared, the bullets were spent, the German defenses diminished and by sheer insistence they managed to take beaches where waves of blood broke. Literally.
That was a carnage. But also the largest combined military operation in history. The first step in a deployment with more than three million soldiers over two months. And, above all, the end to Nazi barbarism in Western Europe as the Russians advanced towards Berlin, leaving millions of dead on the way.
The impact of historical events such as the Normandy Landings can only be measured over time. Now what have happened 75 years since that morning of June 6, 1944 It is a good time to take stock. To reflect on how fragile freedoms can be, and how difficult it is to recover them when we irresponsibly lose them to the sound of avid masses.
Leaving that debate for the conscience of each one, here we look at the mechanical dimension of D-Day. Planes, boats, boats, trucks, SUVs, motorcycles and even bicycles. Everything was worth to launch into battle, and everything was seen in the commemoration of it held a few days ago on the beaches of Normandy.
Some beaches where, fortunately for our photographer unai ona, reporters no longer have to suffer the same fate as soldiers.
HIGGINS BOATS: TRANSPORTATION TO THE BEACHES OF NORMANDY
Showing unwavering faith in your strength, Canadian soldiers from the 9th Brigade reached the French shores with their bicycles on their shoulders. Pure steel and about 20 kilos of weight to which to add weapons and supplies. Although today cycling is still one of the most sacrificed sports… The one with those guys was indeed the epic era of the pedal. However, D-Day had a characteristic sound beyond that of bullets: that of combustion engines.
If we think of a representative D-Day vehicle, the first thing that comes to mind is the LCVP boat. They are those in which the soldiers were thrown into the "Jaws of death" on the beaches. Also known as the Higgings Boat in homage to its designer, these boats, designed to disembark in shallow waters, had a flat bottom thanks to which they could approach the shore.
Once there, the front hatch would open. And as a curtain that opens, the panorama of war appeared. A war for which curiously they were not designed, since its development was carried out during the 30s with the Pacific in mind. The idea was that these serve for the occupation of islands near Asia from which to attack Japan. An intuition that the attack on Pearl Harbor made a necessary reality.
WELBIKE: THE MOTORCYCLE LANDING THROUGH THE AIR
Beyond the water, what is the most distinctive land vehicle on D-Day? Well obviously the easiest thing to do is to think of the Jeep Willys. But we'll talk about him later. Why… Do you remember those paratroopers thrown beyond enemy lines? How did they manage to move effectively over hostile terrain? The answer is simple: on a motorcycle.
Of course, not on any motorcycle. The most cinematic would be to think of a powerful Harley or Triumph. But the reality is quite different. How are you going to put one of those tremendous motorcycles in a capsule to be dropped from airplanes with the paratroopers?
The problem was solved with the Welbike.
Released in 1'30-long packages, these could be assembled by the paratrooper in a rush to leave the scene so as not to be discovered in just 20 seconds. They mounted a 98 cc Williers engine capable of covering 100 kilometers at 45 km / h on average. Something like one of the scooters that invade our sidewalks today ... But adapted to soldiers in war and not for trendy urbanites.
WILLYS AND JIMMY: TRAVELING IN GOOD COMPANY ON D-DAY
Now, going for four-wheelers, the truth is that the Jeep Willys takes the cake. In fact, we would say that it is the most successful military vehicle in history. Speaking of war vehicles that later had civil use, of course. If you like go out to party with your T-55 that's already up to you. Intended to be assembled as a kit, the Willys was shipped to the battlefields exploded in a box. That is a hard, simple and unbreakable car.
Following with the off-road vehicles, one less known than the Willys (but surely more appreciated by the troops) was the Dodge WC-54. Thought to be ambulance, this all-wheel drive was light and powerful. That way he could make quick forays in search of badly wounded soldiers. Its 214-cylinder, 6-liter, 3CV Dodge T8 engine saved many lives.
Curiously, one of the most iconic off-roaders during D-Day and the Battle of Normandy is not a 4 × 4, but a 6 × 6. Yes, and it is that with its three axles the GMC CCKw 6 × 6 Cargo “Jimmy”Was essential for the transport of troops, arsenal and supplies those days. Especially during the Red Ball Express. Thanks to her the Allies established their logistics in Western Europe, just after the liberation of Paris.
Its weight and drive system did not make the “Jimmy"A fast truck. But it was effective in making its way through the disaster that the Nazis were leaving in their retreat. Its engine was 4'4 liters and 104CV. But what you will not believe is the power reached by our "vehicle"D-Day favorite. Are you thinking of the Spitfire fighters and their Rolls Royce engines boosted up to 2035CV in some versions? Well, you are wrong. Our "vehicle"It does not have a motor.
FAIR TANKS: WE MISSED THEM ON THE 75TH ANNIVERSARY
The months leading up to D-Day were a game of cat and mouse between the Nazis and the Allies. The Germans believed that the landing would take place just off the coast of Dover. At the height of the French Calais. After all ... This is the point where the English Channel narrows.
The intention of the Allies was to confuse as much as possible the Berlin strategists, causing them not to discover the true intentions of Eisenhower and Montgomery. These were in the sense of taking the "Long route", storming France via Normandy.
Although beaches like Omaha were further removed from the British coast than Calais ... The truth is that the Nazis had not protected them as much. There was no doubt: the longest option was also the safest.
So that these plans were not discovered - reinforcing the Nazis in their error - cardboard and wooden buildings were installed around Dover, as well as hundreds of dummy tanks. They were actually just inflatable models! Of course, seen from the air by German spy planes ... They looked like a terrible army ready to jump the Channel towards Calais and not towards Normandy.
For all this those fake tanks are ours "vehicleD-Day favorite. Because even though they had neither motor nor wheels… Possibly they saved the lives of allied soldiers like no other transport did.
