Let's try again... Right, today I visited the lovely nature and naturist reserve (is that a thing?) of #Studland just down the road in #Dorset . Here's me and the Mrs in warmer days...

But today I wanted to thrill her with some history and the weather was shocking anyway. So we visited Fort Henry, situated above Middle Beach overlooking the bay. It's named after the hometown of the Canadian Engineers who built it in 1943.

That was the photo fucking everything up. I can only upload it from my phone, not the laptop. This is going to take a long time...

In April 1944 the "fort" was witness to 2 events that would affect the invasion of France in June: D-Day. On the 18th King George VI, Churchill, Eisenhower & Montgomery watched Exercise Smash, the largest live firing exercise to date, from here.

However 14 days previously at the start of the exercise, 50 DD tanks launched into a growing swell off shore. DD tanks - duplex drive tanks - then Valentine tanks but later Shermans, were amphibious and designed to support quickly initial landings with armour

They raised flotation screens and drove off landing craft some 3000 yards from shore, pushed along by 2 propellers. They had been tested at Studland quite successfully since late 1943 but on this day were launched much further out

An excellent description of the events of that day was done by Bournemouth University here http://bumaritime.org/projects/duplex-drive-tanks/exercise-smash/ so I won't try and better it. Suffice to say 7 tanks were overwhelmed by the sea and 6 crew members lost. This photo gives an idea of their seaworthiness...

These men were from the 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards. 14 days later the whole regiment launched in front of the King et al. This time they all made it. On D-Day they unloaded directly onto Gold beach but their colleagues on Juno & Sword launched a massive 5000 yards out...

...Most made it to the beach, providing invaluable support. Their story, and that of their American counterparts, is told here: http://www.duplexdrivetanks.co.uk/DUPLEXPAGES/DDAY1.html

The media (strangely the otherwise reliable Mail and Sun ) have portrayed the dignitaries as witnessing the loss of the tanks. This is just hype, they didn't. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6881291/Disastrous-D-Day-rehearsal-saw-six-British-soldiers-drowned-remembered-new-exhibition.html

Rather than the A-listers I prefer to remember the 6 ordinary men who gave their lives developing the tools to free Europe. A freedom that lasts to this day but is threatened by the resurgence of nationalism #NeverForget #rip #History #WW2

Ends