Impedimenta.

This is coolbert:

From the memoirs and writings of General William Depuy a series of blog entries, extracts and commentaries as originally seen at the Isegoria Internet web site

General William Depuy a rather significant general officer from that era of the Second Indo-China War. Chief of Staff for the Military Assistance Command Vietnam [MACV] at that exact moment when American involvement in that conflict became massive!

General Depuy not to be confused with Colonel Trevor Dupuy. The latter a distinguished American military historian and theorist.

As has been noted and commented on by various authorities, those soldiers going ashore on 6 June at Normandy excessively and dangerously overloaded.

Those troops first to land on the beaches at Normandy, 6 June severely over-loaded to the extent that the ability of the soldiers to accomplish their mission compromised, SOLDIERS HAVING TRAINED IN ENGLAND TO CROSS ONE HUNDRED METERS [YARDS] OF BEACH IN TWENTY SECONDS IN A FEW INSTANCES REQUIRING WHILE UNDER FIRE THREE HOURS TO DO SO!!

"The Basic Load for an Infantryman Landing at Normandy"

"What was the basic load for an infantryman landing at Normandy just after D-Day?"

Think rather those troops carrying on 6 June what is more properly called the existence load. Blanket, shelter half, rations and additional rations as required for sustained operation, but not necessary during a frontal assault from an amphibious landing.

A fighting load as better defined consisting of:

* Uniform with helmet and boots.

* Rifle with about one hundred rounds of ammo.

* Four hand grenades.

* Bayonet.

* Pistol belt and suspenders [web gear] with four ammo pouches.

* Full canteen and entrenching tool.

All beyond that an existence load and superfluous to the "first-wave" combat assault troops.

AND even far better would have been those initial troops going ashore at Normandy to have conducted the NIGHT ASSAULT! American Ranger and British commando units eliminating to the greatest extent possible in the hours just before dawn those German defenses immediate adjacent to the landing beaches.

But the light-laden soldier "stripped" to the minimum or the special operations troop executing the night assault neither did occur, those casualties on D-Day rather heavy, almost at least on Omaha Beach catastrophic.

coolbert.