Military Model Scene

Title:  D-Day Training Pocket Manual 1944

Editor: Chris McNab

Publisher:  Casemate Books

ISBN:  978-1-61200-733-5

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This is a rather neat addition to this series of books from Casemate.  It isn't a single training manual that was actually published for D-Day, but a collection of different training notes and manuals from both British and US sources, which all relate to D-Day operations. The Introduction provides a helpful context and this is followed by 5 chapters which group the training notes into groups on Intelligence, Planning & Preparation: Naval and Air Support: Airborne Support: Amphibious Assault: and finally, Consolidation.

By 1944, Allied forces had learnt a lot from their experiences at Dieppe, North Africa, Sicily and Italy, as well as US landing in the Pacific. There is a wide variety of that experience presented in these training notes. They include things such as intelligence of the planned landing beaches and their defences. They have notes on German minefield layout and markings, beach defences and suchlike. Add the plans of using specialised landing craft, and that they land at dawn due largely to the benefits of darkness to conceal the approach of the assault ships. Then for airborne forces there are notes on how to drop a stick of paratroopers and the pros & cons of glider operations. Once down, there are notes on the ground signals that could be laid out to supporting air force units (fighters, bombers and supply drops).

For anyone interested in the D-Day operations there is a lot to be discovered here, which all helps highlight the level of detail which went into such a large and complex operation. For the battlefield visitor this will help explain things, and for the modeller there is a lot which can help add those extra authentic touches to a diorama. Plenty of interesting detail to be found in here.

 

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Published by Casemate Books, who kindly provided my review copy.

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Robin