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Allied Assault Training Center
Friday Afternoon at 3:00 PM - Conneaut Beach

D-Day Conneaut is pleased to present a recreation of the tactics employed by US Army's Assault Training Center for the amphibious operations of D-Day.  Our 1st annual "ATC" feature our allied force of British, Canadian, Polish and U.S. Infantry training upon the beaches of Conneaut.  In preparation for the largest amphibious operation in history, over a year of comprehensive training in weapons, demolition, troop loading and debarkation from every landing craft imaginable was taught prior to eventual assault of France codenamed "Operation Overlord".

The US Army's Assault Training Center was located near to and around the small villages surrounding Woolacombe, Devon, England and the adjacent Atlantic coastline.  Residents of the area which have visited the shores of Omaha Beach remark to how similar in appearance the two beaches are to one another.  Some have said that our beach here at Conneaut appears to closely resemble Omaha.  So I guess one could say that Conneaut looks like Woolacombe. 

Never-the-less of how good your vision is, allied infantry at D-Day Conneaut will engage in training of various disciplines taught to the men who would have made the amphibious landings on Normandy beaches codenamed Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword.  At the Assault training center at Wollacombe these soldiers were trained to fight not as a squad, platoon, or company, but as a 30 man boat team. Each rifle company was divided into six teams, each capable of fighting independently as its own self-contained unit.  At the center in England, servicemen of the 1st, 4th, 28th, and 29th Infantry Divisions learned these specialized skills and tactics.

Functioning practically as a mini combined arms team, the boat team members were trained to function as their own engineers, artillery, and anti-armor force, in addition to their primary role as infantry.  Each boat team was led by a junior officer, and contained men divided up into sub teams, each team with a specific role:    

The Demolition Team      -      The Rocket Launcher Team       -      The Gap Assault Team


The Assault Boat Team                      The Rifle Team  
Flamethrower Mortar and Machine Gun Team


Embarkation                                  Debarkation  

Training for Victory

Allied leaders knew assaulting a defended beach was a difficult task. Communication, control, and logistics in the first crucial hours were near impossible. They knew that the first soldiers on the beach had to function independently, and had to function well if the invasion was to succeed. 

Yet even in training, still many casualties resulted.  One such landing exercise, code named Operation "Tiger", held just a month before D-Day resulted in the deaths of 638 servicemen.  German E-Boats, similar to allied PT Boats, torpedoed and sunk a number of transport ships laden with men.  During the real landings on Utah Beach, US casualties were less than a third of that number. 

These training sessions and mock landings proved invaluable to the allied command.   They exposed weaknesses in how the allies communicated, especially between allied navies, the ability of the men to survive in the water burdened with equipment thus leading to the development of a new life vest and a better strategy on how to rescue survivors in the water.

At D-Day Conneaut, on Friday, 3:00 PM, as spectators alike you will have an opportunity to learn some of what these men learned over 65 years ago.  Some of the activities planned include:

Specific training on the sub teams; the weapons, mission, and equipment these men used.
Boat loading and how the LCVP (Higgins Boat) was loaded in a very specific way.
Boat team assault course where we will conduct a boat team assault on a fixed fortification.

Participants of the Friday assault training will be invited to a special photo session using Higgins Boats on Saturday Morning.  A recreation of those famous motion pictures of amphibious troops engaged in debarking a landing craft will be simulated upon the shores of Conneaut.  This unique experience will surely be a highlight of your reenacting experience.
  
As reenactors, to participate as part of our ATC course, all you need is the standard infantry uniform and gear:  Wool Shirt and Trousers, Combat Jacket, Helmet, Rifle, Cartridge Belt, Canteen and Leggings forming up at 2:15 on the parade ground under the trees nearest to the beach.

Unit commanders: if members of your unit would like to participate, contact Mike Boyle, Infantry Training Coordinator.

Join us on the beach at 3:00 PM on Friday for our ATC training demonstration.

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