Allied landing craft in World War II
During World War II, the Allies faced an unprecedented challenge with numerous landing operations required both in the Pacific and Europe.
The listing here prioritizes the craft involved in the initial stages of operations, attacking beaches and deploying the first waves of Marine infantry.
[1] In addition to amtracs, a series of wheeled amphibious vehicles called DUKW, commonly known as "ducks", was developed by GMC, based on a three-axle truck.
[4] The basic amphibious vehicle used to transport the first wave of infantry to the beaches was humorously referred to by Marines as a shoe box pretending to be a motorboat.
[6] However, this was soon replaced by a larger 36-foot version, ordered by the British in 1940, designated LCP(L) (Landing Craft Personnel (Large)), of which 2,140 were built in the US.
[6] These craft had many flaws, including cramped space, water splashing over the low sides, leaks from the loading ramp, and poor visibility from the helmsman's position, yet they were widely used.
[6] The armament included two M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle 7.62 mm machine guns and, in the LCA/HR support variant, four Hedgehog launchers, each with six grenades.
[7] The steel pontoon with railings – that's how British designers praised their prototype of the Landing Craft, Mechanized (LCM), which was first developed in 1929.
[5] This initial version was 12.8 meters long, could reach speeds of 5 knots, and was capable of delivering a 12-ton light tank to the landing site.
In 1940, the Thornycroft company delivered the production model LCM(1), which was slightly longer (14.8 meters), had a displacement of 36 tons, was a bit faster (7 knots), and could carry a 15-ton tank or 100 soldiers.
[8] However, their use during Operation Overlord surprised the Germans, who did not have a similar capability and did not expect tanks in the first wave of the Normandy beach landings.
[3] A total of 560 Sherman DD tanks were built, but production ceased after the liberation of the Netherlands when they were no longer needed to cross the flooded areas of the Scheldt and other large water obstacles.
[9] Overall, these tanks proved to be of limited combat utility – their psychological impact was more significant when they appeared on a beach defended by infantry with light weapons.
These were typically converted freighters or passenger liners, appropriately equipped (especially with communication apparatus) and armed (with strong anti-aircraft artillery).
In this role, it participated in the landing operations in Sicily, Salerno, Normandy, and Okinawa; it also played a part (as one of the escorting ships) in the signing of Japan's surrender in Tokyo Bay.
Meanwhile, American high-speed transports (APD), converted from old four-funnel destroyers, could carry up to 150 soldiers, 4 amphibious vehicles, four 75 mm howitzers, and 255 m³ of supplies.
[14] In 1940, following the evacuation of British troops from Dunkirk, Winston Churchill demanded the construction of ships capable of transporting weapons and vehicles across beaches anywhere in the world.
[b] However, designers faced technical difficulties in creating a large, ocean-going vessel that was also flat-bottomed and equipped with a long enough loading ramp for vehicles to drive straight onto the shore.
[15] The Boxer project units, which reached a speed of 17 knots and could carry 20 medium or 13 heavy tanks, or 27 trucks with cargo and 193 soldiers, proved to be much better.
Four radio antennas provided excellent communication and the ability to direct aircraft to targets,[15] which is why they were reclassified in 1943 as LSF (Landing Ship Fighter-direction).
The British-Canadian LST(3), faster than its predecessor by 3 knots and with greater carrying capacity (5 LCAs or 15 heavy/27 medium tanks, or 14 trucks and 168 soldiers), was a further development.
[20] The American LCT(5), designed at the British request, measured 34.8 meters in length, had a displacement of 283 tons, and lacked a stern gate.
[6] The slightly larger LCT(6) featured a rear ramp, allowing tanks to pass through from an LST ship; 965 units were built.
[6] Both types of craft were smaller than their predecessors, allowing them to be transported on the upper deck of an LST landing ship and launched into the water before loading personnel and military equipment.
[26] These were built on the same hulls as the LCFs, with anti-aircraft armament replaced by powerful artillery (e.g., 120 mm guns from old destroyers) or unguided rocket launchers.
[27] While work on landing craft was underway in future Allied countries long before the outbreak of World War II, it was the heavy losses suffered by the British on the beaches of Dunkirk that significantly spurred interest in such vessels, leading to numerous orders placed in the US under the Lend-Lease agreement.
This, along with growing awareness of the looming war with Japan, pushed the Americans to ensure they had the proper combat means to seize island territories should they fall into enemy hands.
[28] In fact, by the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, American engineers had already gained considerable experience in constructing basic types of ships, vehicles, and landing craft.
These were members of the US Navy and Home Fleet, but they were treated as second-class sailors, even though they risked their lives equally with the infantry attacking the beaches.
On the Western Front, their first large-scale use (and general rehearsal) took place on 19 August 1942 during the raid on Dieppe, where 9 LCI and 10 LCT were used for the landing, along with 179 other (civilian) barges and boats.
