D-DAY LANDING CRAFT

Over 4,000 Allied landing craft took part in the Normandy Landings with a huge range of designs created for specific roles and capabilities

- ANDREW WHITMARSH

LANDING CRAFT, VEHICLE, PERSONNEL LCVP

Often referred to as a Higgins Boat after its designer, Higgins Industries of New Orleans, the LCVP was the standard American assault craft on D-Day. The three crew were a coxswain (steering), an engineer and a deck hand. Over 800 LCVPs were used at Normandy, about half of them in fact by British forces, not in the assault but for unloading follow-up troops. The British equivalent was the LCA (Landing Craft, Assault).

Both types had pros and cons but each nation tended to prefer the homedesigned craft. The largest US transport ships (designated APA: Auxiliary Personnel, Attack) could carry 25-30 LCVPs, though that was only enough to land a proportion of the 1,200 or more troops on board. US-crewed LSTs (Landing Ship, Tank) each carried up to six LCVPs, and those from LSTs arriving earlier on D-Day were an important addition to the available assault craft.

Landing craft had a crucial role in the Normandy Landings, beginning on 6 June 1944 (D-Day). Although today they tend to be overlooked, that was certainly not the case at the time. Allied political and military leaders frequently debated how best to build or source sufficient landing craft for this vital operation.

An amphibious landing on an enemy-defended beach required specialist landing craft. These types were generally designed to be driven ashore, and then withdrawn after unloading troops or vehicles. Some types had other functions such as control or fire support.