Tag: Operation Overlord

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Mulberry Harbor & The Delta Works

Our topic today is inspired by a trip we took to the Netherlands in May 2023. One of the excursions was to the Delta Works, a massive decades-long engineering project to protect the Dutch from devastating floods in the southern part of the Netherlands.

Little did I know when I signed up for the excursion that the museum we would tour was connected to the Normandy invasion on 6 June 1944 and the ensuing deployment of men, armaments, and supplies used to support the Allies as they broke out of Normandy on the path to Germany.

The museum, Watersnoodmuseum, or “Flood Museum” is located inside four concrete caissons built to be used as part of the two artificial Mulberry Harbors at Arromanches-les-Bains (or simply, Arromanches) and Saint-Laurent-sur-mer, France.

Commemorative plaque at the Watersnoodmuseum identifying the “Monument Watersnood 1953.”
Commemorative plaque at the Watersnoodmuseum identifying the “Monument Watersnood 1953.” Photo by Rene1971 (2 September 2006). PD-CCA-Share Alike 3.0 Unported. Wikimedia Commons.

Did You Know? 

Did you know that we recently ran across rats in the Tiergarten during our visit to Berlin? Yep, it was a similar experience from years ago while we were walking in a Parisian park next to the Seine. After I returned to the states, I found out there was an organized movement in Paris to befriend those friendly furry rodents and I wrote a blog in 2018 on Paris rats (click here to read the blog, Paris Therapy Pets). Fast forward now to several months ago when the newly elected mayor of New York City created a new position and appointed someone to deal with the city’s massive rat problem. (Mayor Adams has been fined several times because his house is infested so I figure he wanted a hot line to someone who could come right away and get rid of his invasive rodents.)

Well, what do I see the other day? No, not more rats but rather a CNN article entitled “Can humans and rats live together? Paris is trying to find out.” It seems to be a bona fide question the Paris politicians are trying to answer. Mayor Hidalgo has formed a committee to study “cohabitation” with the rats while the center-right party is calling for more aggressive action against the proliferation of rat populations. They argue that rats are harmful to the quality of life. The pro-rat organization, Paris Animaux Zoopolis (PAZ), disagrees as do senior members of the Paris government. Paris rats do not pose a public health risk and “we need scientific advice,” says the deputy mayor. I guess she never studied the history of medieval Europe.

So, what does “cohabitation” with the rats mean? According to PAZ, “. . . making sure (rats) don’t suffer and that we’re not disturbed.” I suppose that is what is meant by “having your cake and eating it too.” That is, until the rats eat the cake first. At that point, the old French saying, “Let them eat cake” becomes relevant and solves the problem.

Rats can often be seen on the streets of Paris despite extermination efforts. Photo by Christian Hartmann (date unknown). Reuters/CNN.
Rats can often be seen on the streets of Paris despite extermination efforts. Photo by Christian Hartmann (date unknown). Reuters/CNN.

The Invasion and Mulberry Harbor 

I think everyone is familiar with D-Day and the invasion of Normandy on 6 June 1944 (Operation Overlord, or simply “Overlord”). However, not everyone knows about the two artificial harbors (“Mulberry”) used to facilitate unloading supply ships with the materials necessary to sustain an advancing army. I’m also pretty sure most don’t know the story of Operation Fortitude which was a series of Allied deception plans intended to make Hitler and his senior staff think Normandy was a diversion and the real invasion would take place at Pais de Calais. (Click here to read the blog, The Double Cross System.) Read More Mulberry Harbor & The Delta Works

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He Led From the Front

I’m sure that during your career, each of you have reported to multiple supervisors with leadership skills ranging from the “boss from hell” to being a trusted “mentor” (probably more of the former). Everyone over a career has experienced the depths of contempt to a high of ultimate respect toward their superiors. The best boss was someone for whom everyone would gladly jump off a cliff. The bad boss was someone who led their troops to the edge of the cliff and pushed them over while retreating to safety in the end.

In major wars, there are two types of generals: “stay-at-home” and “front-line.” Please don’t get me wrong, I’m not passing judgement on either type. Gen. Dwight “Ike” Eisenhower never really had any front-line combat experience. However, his talents (i.e., political and managerial) were crucial to winning World War II. Considered to be Ike’s second-in-command, Gen. Walter Bedell Smith (1895−1961) was an administrative genius. Gen. George C. Marshall (1880−1959) turned down an overseas battlefield assignment because President Roosevelt considered him too important in his role as U.S. Army Chief of Staff.

Many of us who have been to the American Cemetery overlooking Omaha Beach have seen the grave of Brigadier General (BG) Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (1887−1944), the only American general to land and go ashore on D-Day, the morning of 6 June 1944. He was very popular with his men and well-respected by his superiors. Our story today is about another American general who, like Roosevelt, led from the front.

MG Maurice Rose. Photo by anonymous (date unknown). Post-World War II 3rd Armored Division government publication, “Spearhead in the West,” published by the division in occupied Germany. PD-U.S. Government. Wikimedia Commons.
MG Maurice Rose. Photo by anonymous (date unknown). Post-World War II 3rd Armored Division government publication, “Spearhead in the West,” published by the division in occupied Germany. PD-U.S. Government. Wikimedia Commons.

Did You Know?

I’ll bet half of you recognize the name of Hedy Lamarr and the other half have no idea who she was. Hedy Lamarr (1914−2000) was an Austrian-born actor, and film maker best known for her role in the 1949 film, Samson and Delilah. While she may be recognized for her movies, most people don’t know that Hedy was an inventor. She and her Hollywood neighbor-musician, George Antheil, developed a radio guidance system using wireless frequency-hopping, or spread spectrum technology. They called it “Secret Communication System” and a U.S. patent (#2,292,387) was issued on 11 August 1942. (Hedy was married at the time to Gene Markey.)

Hedy Lamarr and schematic diagram for her “Secret Communication System” patent. Photo by anonymous (date unknown).
Hedy Lamarr and schematic diagram for her “Secret Communication System” patent. Photo by anonymous (date unknown).

Frequency-hopping was used to avoid jamming in torpedo guidance systems. Hedy and George gave the patent to the United States government to assist in the defeat of Hitler. The U.S. Navy opposed the idea and did not use it during the war. However, in the 1950s, the navy commissioned a project using the technology to acoustically detect submarines using remote-controlled sonar buoys. The “Secret Communication System” was not fully implemented until 1962 when it was used by military ships during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Unfortunately, the patent had expired by then. Hedy and George never received a penny for their invention. It is thought that the torpedoing of the SS City of Benares inspired Hedy to develop the system to jam torpedo frequencies. (Click here to read the blog, The SS City of Benares.) Howard Hughes was so impressed with Hedy that he hired her to improve the aerodynamics of his airplanes.

Click here to watch the video clip Hedy Lamar: Hollywood Star & Inventor.

Today, Hedy and George’s invention serves as the basis for modern spread-spectrum communication technology (e.g., Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, etc.) used in cell phones, wireless internet, and defense satellites. Hedy was posthumously inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2014 and is sometimes referred to as the “Mother of Wi-Fi.”

In 1997, Hedy was the first woman to be awarded the Invention Convention’s BULBIE Gnass Spirit of Achievement Award. It was commonly called the “Oscar of Inventing.” Hedy never won a filmdom Oscar but then, I suppose winning the “Oscar of Inventing” probably has a higher intellectual quotient.

Victor Mature and Hedy Lamarr as “Samson and Delilah” (1949). Photo by anonymous (c. 1949). PD-Expired copyright. Wikimedia Commons.
Victor Mature and Hedy Lamarr as “Samson and Delilah” (1949). Photo by anonymous (c. 1949). PD-Expired copyright. Wikimedia Commons.

Maurice Rose

Maurice Rose (1899−1945) was born in Connecticut to Rabbi Samuel Rose and Katherin (née Bronowitz). His parents emigrated to America from Poland and three years after Maurice was born, the family relocated to Denver, Colorado. From the earliest age, Maurice knew he wanted to pursue a military career. Lying about his age, Maurice enlisted in the National Guard in 1916 with the hope he could join the Pancho Villa Expedition. His true age was discovered, and Maurice was discharged. Read More He Led From the Front