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http://rthstewart.livejournal.com/ ([identity profile] rthstewart.livejournal.com) wrote in [personal profile] rthstewart 2012-01-08 01:57 pm (UTC)

Thanks so much!!! That's really interesting about the air gunner and how they didn't know the scope and size. From Ambrose's book, I learned that Howard wasn't brought in on the outlines of what they were doing until April 18. He doesn't learn the actual targets until May 2 and can't tell anyone except his 2IC (or is it S I/C in Brit speak?) who doesn't learn until May 21. Sometime right after that they move Company D to Tarrant Rushton and only then do the officers and then the NCOs get briefed. But here the briefing is very, very extensive -- they threw a lot of resources into the 6th's Operation Tonga and even more into Deadstick. When you are paras landing and gliding into Nazi-controlled Normandy they are obviously wondering "Us and what Army behind us?" and their strategic targets all involved eliminating or holding things to allow for the advance up from the beaches. So they knew the size and scope -- though I am wondering if they knew about the Yanks? Shrug. I'll just assume they did but you can bet a reader will call me on it if I get it wrong.

That about about try not to hit anything is SO hilariously British. Amazing. Being from where you are, I assume you know about Lord Lovatt, Billy Mullin, and the commandos march across Pegasus bridge? "But those are British orders. We're Scottish!"

I'm concluding that some got lots of briefing, some got a little, but that in a lot of instances, the briefing was really, REALLY late. The glider pilots, for instances, knew the targets and trained for months since they were supposed to you know land the gliders on top of the bridges.

There are plenty of speeches that indicate the scope and the "give em hell" which leads me to conclude that not everyone was as in the dark for as long as the air gunner. Bu, including Patton's infamous speech,

I'm not supposed to be commanding this Army. I'm not even supposed to be here in England. Let the first bastards to find out be the Goddamned Germans. Some day I want to see them raise up on their piss-soaked hind legs and howl, 'Jesus Christ, it's the Goddamned Third Army again and that son-of-a-fucking-bitch Patton'. We want to get the hell over there.' The quicker we clean up this Goddamned mess, the quicker we can take a little jaunt against the purple pissing Japs and clean out their nest, too. Before the Goddamned Marines get all of the credit.

Charming. I actually used that speech to figure out what swear words Tebbitt would use back in TQSiT. So, some men undoubtedly knew they were part of something huge. I mean, when suddenly command gives you 30 sappers, 2 additional platoons, your CO starts disappearing, the General draws up your own exercises himself, and then the whole 5th Airborne does an exercise involving 700 planes and landing all over 3 counties, yeah, the assault on Fortress Europe is in the offing.

By the by, if you know the story, then you know who Billy Gray, Wally Parr, and Den Brotheridge were.... hence my periodic OMG what the hell am I doing???

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