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Landing Craft Assault (LCA) - D-Day


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Landing Craft Assault LCA

Used to land 47 (Royal Marine) Commando, 4th Special Service Brigade on Gold Beach

Operation Neptune, Normandy, 6 June 1944.

Armageddon 1/72


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On D-Day, LCAs were used to land troops on Juno Beach, Gold Beach, and Sword Beach. Royal Navy manned LCAs also landed the elite US infantry formations on either flank of Omaha Beach and the Rangers who assaulted Pointe du Hoc. The westernmost landings by US forces on Utah Beach and the pre-dawn landing on Îles Saint-Marcouf were also conducted from LCAs.


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FredT :)


7 Cdo landed on Gold Beach at 09:50 hours on the 6 June. Five of the LCAs were sunk by mines and beach obstacles with the loss of 76 of the 420 men in the Commando. These losses delayed their advance to the primary objective the port of Port-en-Bessin. Leaving the beaches after noon they fought through La Rosiere and dug in around Escures for the night prior to their planned assault on Port-en-Bessin on the 7 June.


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Most available landing craft kits seem to focus on the ubiquitous US LCVP and LCM3 designs used by US troops. However it was the more sophisticated British LCA that was used by British and Commonwealth troops on D-Day, as well as being used to land the elite US units that were expected to encounter more difficult beach conditions. Kits of the LCA are relatively hard to come by and this "Armageddon" branded kit by the French firm Mach2 is not cheap. As with all Mach2 kits it is a short run mould which requires a lot of tidying up to complete, but builds into a nice example of this very important vessel type.


The Thorneycroft LCA alongside a US LCVP Higgins Boat:


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Edited by gengriz
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