# Marines scrambling down cargo nets into landing craft **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 22, 2011, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marines-scrambling-down-cargo-nets-into-landing-craft/593610 "2011-08-22T02:25:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2011, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marines-scrambling-down-cargo-nets-into-landing-craft/593610/41 "2011-08-23T17:21:32Z")
> [@Chickenwrangler](#): > > Looks awfully dangerous Hell, even [Gomer Pyle](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48ZjNITBEQg&feature=player_detailpage#t=574s) had difficulties with this. mmm ---
**Author:** ![paperbackwriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@paperbackwriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/paperbackwriter)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2011, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marines-scrambling-down-cargo-nets-into-landing-craft/593610/42 "2011-08-23T18:37:00Z")
> [@detop](#): > > \ Because of the reefs at Tarawa, they didn’t use landing **crafts**. They used amphibious tractors like [this](http://www.amphibiousvehicle.net/amphi/L/LVT-1.jpeg) and at Iwo Jima they used a mix of amtracs and landing crafts and ships.\ Nitpick to nitpick: While the [2nd Amphibious Tractor Battalion](http://www.tarawaontheweb.org/amtrac2ndbatt.htm)did bring their LVT’s to Tarawa, most of the ship-to-shore lift was planned to use [LCT’s and LCVP’s](http://pwencycl.kgbudge.com/G/i/Gilbert_Islands.htm). Planners scheduled the invasion at a time they thought the tides would provide enough clearance for the landing craft to go over the reef, but unappreciated [neap tide](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neap_tide#Range_variation:_springs_and_neaps) effects meant that the tide did not rise enough. The landing craft grounded on the reefs and the Marines were forced to wade into shore under heavy fire. This was the primary reason that “Terrible Tarawa” earned its bloody reputation. ---
**Author:** ![Spavined\_Gelding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@Spavined\_Gelding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spavined_Gelding)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2011, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marines-scrambling-down-cargo-nets-into-landing-craft/593610/43 "2011-08-23T20:10:50Z")
Regarding the removal of casualties, an acquaintance from my childhood , a collogue of my father’s, was a casualty clearing station surgeon who went ashore on Omaha Beach at mid-morning on June 6. He set up his clearing station under a burnt-out bulldozer. For the next ten days all he did was apply tourniquets, pour sulfa powder into open wounds, close wounds with safety pins and get people on the next out-bound landing craft. He said that the only surgery he did was to open penetrating wound enough to get the sulfa powder well into the cavity or tie off a blood vessel. It was pretty crude medicine. ---
**Author:** ![Labtrash](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/labtrash/32/528_2.png) [@Labtrash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labtrash)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2011, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marines-scrambling-down-cargo-nets-into-landing-craft/593610/44 "2011-08-24T23:49:15Z")
> [@detop](#): > > Don’t you mean “Large Slow Targets” ? Also “Last Ship There” 22 knots top speed ! Labtrash, EM3, Bow Ramp operator, USS LaMoure County LST-1194, 1988-1992 I think the life expectancy of the ship after a beach landing was supposed to be four minutes… ---
**Author:** ![Capitaine\_Zombie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@Capitaine\_Zombie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capitaine_Zombie)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2011, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marines-scrambling-down-cargo-nets-into-landing-craft/593610/45 "2011-08-24T23:53:28Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > By the time the Normany invasion took place, the Navy and the Army had at least some experience under their belts from the North Africa and Sicily campaigns. The African amphibious landings were largely a disaster because of nearly zero training in amphibious landings. Men plunged into the ocean, were crushed between the boats and the ships, and drowned when the landing craft discharged them on sandbars that were mistaken for shallow beach approaches. Soldiers were carrying some 80 pounds of gear, so if a mistake was made, they went straight to the bottom. > > Some of the landings were attempted in heavy seas (for an LST), so some boats capsized and the landing troops were often too seasick to stand. Many landing craft simply turned back to the ships rather than attempt a landing. Tons of equipment such as tanks, vehcles, food, medical supplies and commo equipment went to the bottom of the ocean or never made it out of the ship holds. It’s a wonder that the allies were able to prevail, really. The part underlined refers to the N Africa and Sicily landings or to Normandy? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marines-scrambling-down-cargo-nets-into-landing-craft/593610.md?page=2)