80th Anniversary of D-Day Landings 6th June 1944

It was eighty years ago that the liberation of Europe began with Operation Overlord and the Normandy landings on the 6th June 1944.

In the depths of the Nothe Fort in Weymouth (as well as a civillian nuclear bunker (now abandoned)) there is a really beautiful 54mm scale model of the D-Day landings. Lots of different models in there including an Horsa glider.

Landing on the beaches

Landings

Horsa Glider

It is a representative model and does not reflect an actual beachhead.

Landing on the beaches

Churchill Tank

D-Day

More photographs of the evocative 54mm scale D-Day model at the Nothe Fort in Weymouth.

Landing Craft at D-Day

Beachead

Landing...

Sherman Crab

The iconic image of D-Day often features landing craft disgorging infantry and the thundering advance of tanks. Yet, less celebrated but equally important, were the specialised vehicles that paved the way for this advance. Among these was the Sherman Crab, a modified M4 Sherman tank designed for a singular, brutal purpose: detonating landmines.

This Sherman Crab was on display at The Tank Museum at Bovington.

The brainchild of a South African officer and developed by the British, the Sherman Crab was a testament to battlefield pragmatism. Its most recognisable feature was the rotating drum mounted on its front, equipped with heavy chains. As the tank lumbered forward, the drum whipped the chains against the ground, detonating any buried mines in its path. This unglamorous but essential task reduced the threat of mines crippling the Allied assault.

The Sherman Crab wasn’t without its limitations. Its flailing mechanism was slow, limiting its speed to a walking pace. Additionally, the flailing process created a massive dust cloud, obscuring the battlefield for both sides. Unlike earlier flail tanks, the Crab’s genius lay in its power source.  It didn’t rely on a separate engine, but cleverly drew power from the tank’s own powerful drivetrain, making it more efficient and reliable. While vulnerable when flailing, the Crab retained its main gun, offering some defensive capability. Though the gun was reversed when flailing reducing the capacity to fight back if attacked.

Despite these drawbacks, the Sherman Crab proved its worth on D-Day.  The D-Day landings in Normandy on June 6th, 1944, were a defining moment of the war. Allied forces faced heavily fortified German defenses, including extensive minefields protecting the beaches. This is where the Sherman Crab came into its own. Several Crab flail tanks were among the first vehicles to land on the Normandy beaches. Their job was critical: to clear a path for the following infantry and armored units.  Despite their slow speed (around 1.25 miles per hour while flailing), the Crabs effectively detonated mines, creating a safer passage for the main assault. Clearing pre-laid minefields was crucial for establishing beachheads and allowing follow-on forces to move inland.  The Crab’s effectiveness helped pave the way for the bloody but ultimately successful Allied landings in Normandy.

The Sherman Crab proved to be a valuable asset for the Allies, particularly in Western Europe. While overshadowed by the more famous Sherman tanks in battles, the Crab played a crucial, if unglamorous, role in clearing the path to victory.  Its design influenced future mine-clearing vehicles, showcasing the ingenuity employed  to overcome the challenges of modern warfare.

54mm D-Day on display at the Nothe Fort

It was seventy-eight years ago that the liberation of Europe began with Operation Overlord and the Normandy landings on the 6th June 1944.

In the depths of the Nothe Fort in Weymouth (as well as a civillian nuclear bunker (now abandoned)) there is a really beautiful 54mm scale model of the D-Day landings. Lots of different models in there including an Horsa glider.

Landing on the beaches

Landings

Horsa Glider

It is a representative model and does not reflect an actual beachhead.

Landing on the beaches

Churchill Tank

D-Day

More photographs of the evocative 54mm scale D-Day model at the Nothe Fort in Weymouth.

Landing Craft at D-Day

Beachead

Landing...

Imperial Guard Tank Landing Craft – Scrapped

Back in 2004 I discussed using an 1/72nd Airfix kit of the WWII LCVP Landing Craft as the basis for an Epic scale Imperial Guard Tank Landing Craft .

Imperial Guard Tank Landing Craft

1/72nd Airfix kit of the WWII LCVP Landing Craft

I saw this post as I was updating some other stuff, so I thought I would add an update. Alas this never got further than the ideas stage and the kit was eventually sold on eBay a few years ago.

Then and Now

I’ve always found the comparative photographs showing photographs from the 1940s and how those same locations look today. In the past you would have needed to physically go the locations to take those comparative photographs, however with tools such as Google Street View you can now find the same locations online.

The harbours of Weymouth and Portland were one of the biggest departure points for US troops with over 500,000 military personnel, including support staff, and 144,000 vehicles.

This is a circa late May or early June 1944 photograph of U.S. Rangers marching through Weymouth in Dorset, en route to board landing ships for the invasion of France.

Weymouth in 1944

Using Google Street View you can get a similar contemporary view of Weymouth.

contemporary view of Weymouth

You can actually see very little has changed since 1944, the hotel has changed its name and the buildings have been repainted, but the substance of the buildings have changed very little.

54mm D-Day

The final set of photographs of the evocative 54mm scale D-Day model at the Nothe Fort in Weymouth.

Landing Craft at D-Day

In the depths of the Nothe Fort in Weymouth (as well as a civillian nuclear bunker (now abandoned)) there is a really beautiful 54mm scale model of the D-Day landings. Lots of different models in there including an Horsa glider.

Beachead

Landing...

It is a representative model and does not reflect an actual beachhead.

First set of pictures, second set of pictures.

More 54mm D-Day

In the depths of the Nothe Fort in Weymouth (as well as a civillian nuclear bunker (now abandoned)) there is a really beautiful 54mm scale model of the D-Day landings. Lots of different models in there including an Horsa glider.

Landing on the beaches

Churchill Tank

D-Day

Here are some more photographs that I posted earlier. It is a representative model and does not reflect an actual beachhead.

Boarding

Military vehicles prepare for boarding prior to Operation Overloard.

Preparation for Operation Overlord
Preparation for Operation Overlord
Preparation for Operation Overlord
Preparation for Operation Overlord
Preparation for Operation Overlord
Preparation for Operation Overlord
Preparation for Operation Overlord
Preparation for Operation Overlord
Preparation for Operation Overlord
Preparation for Operation Overlord
Preparation for Operation Overlord
Preparation for Operation Overlord
Preparation for Operation Overlord
Preparation for Operation Overlord

From the Nailsea and District Model Railway Club Show.