The frightened soldiers in uniform huddled under the battery to avoid the enemy's continuous shooting. Suddenly, they heard the sound of keel rubbing on the beach. The heavy iron gangway fell into the waves, and people rushed into the cold sea and headed for an uncertain fate.
The time is 6: 28 am on June 6th. 1944. The first LCVP-landing craft, vehicles and personnel-has just landed on Utah beach in Normandy. Normandy landing and allied invasion of Europe have already begun.
Our troops huddled together in their LCVP because it passed through the waves. In the distance is the Normandy coast. These ships were patented less than four months ago. 19411On February 8th, the day after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, andrew jackson Higgins put forward his ideas to the US Patent Office. Now, these 36-foot-long LCVP (also known as Higgins ships) are being built by thousands of people to help American soldiers, marines and sailors attack the enemy through amphibious attacks.
Higgins' invention had a great influence on the route of Normandy landing 75 years ago, and also influenced many other naval operations in World War II. The unique design of this ship, coupled with the inventor's tenacious determination to succeed, is likely to have handed the balance of victory to allies. At least, President Eisenhower thought so. "andrew higgins is the man who won the war for us," he told the writer Stephen Ambrose in an interview with 1964.
Andrew higgins's "lighter for mechanized equipment" was patented on February 5, 1944 (US patent 234 1866). "His genius lies in solving problems," said Joshua Hick, director of the National World War II Museum in New Orleans. Last month, the new D-Day exhibition opened, showing the comprehensive entertainment activities of Higgins yacht. Higgins applied it to everything in his life: politics, dealing with trade unions, getting workers, producing wonderful things or many things. This is his essence.
Higgins, a native of Nebraska, became a successful timber merchant in New Orleans. He began to build ships in the 1930s. He focuses on gondolas to meet the needs of customers who sail in the shallow waters of the Mississippi River Delta. He constantly revised this concept and tried to improve his ships to better meet his own ideals. What should these ships be?
The National World War II Museum in New Orleans showcased this comprehensive entertainment Higgins boat. During prohibition, Higgins signed a contract with the US Coast Guard to build a speedboat to hunt down rum smugglers. Rumor has it that he later went to a rum contest and offered to sell their faster boat. Hick did not confirm these stories correctly, but he did not deny them.
"Those things are always funny and funny, but no one has ever recorded what they did," he said diplomatically.
Higgins' innovative spirit led to a series of breakthroughs and finally designed a ship with the same name as him. First, the spoonbill crouched near the slope, pushed the boat to the shore under water, unloaded it and then retreated. Later, a ridge was added to the keel to improve stability. Then, the V-shaped keel was made so that the ship could sail higher in the water.
"There is no task that Higgins can't accomplish," Hick said. "He will try to do something and then try to do it better."
Inventor andrew higgins was awarded 18 patent. (National Inventor Hall of Fame) Higgins began to build the spacecraft of Randy Navy at the beginning of World War II. He built a 30-foot landing craft crew (LCP) according to the specifications of * * * *, but he insisted that a bigger ship would have better performance. The navy gave in, and he proposed a 36-foot version, landing craft crew (LCPL), which would be the standard for the rest of the war.
However, the Marine Corps is not completely satisfied with this ship. The design requires the removal of personnel and equipment from the side. 1942, the marine corps requested to add a slope at the bow of the ship in order to leave faster.
"Higgins took the LCPL, cut off the bow, put a slope on it, and then it became the bee LCVP, its famous Higgins ship," Schick said.
That landing craft, often called "the ship that won World War II", can quickly transport up to 36 people from the transport ship to the beach. It can also transport Willis jeeps, pickup trucks or other equipment with less troops. Higgins' early improvement and a clever propeller protection system were built into the hull, which enabled the ship to maneuver in only 10 inches of water.
This version became the basis of various designs and different configurations during World War II. LCA (landing craft attack), LCM (landing craft mechanization), LCU (landing craft utility tool), LCT (landing craft tank) and other models follow the same basic style, and are all manufactured by Higgins Company or with the permission of his company Higgins Industrial Company. Higgins was named 18 patents, most of which were adapted to his ships or different designs.
Commandos approach Omaha beach, June 6, 1944. At the height of World War II, Higgins Industries was the largest employer in New Orleans. More than 20,000 whites, blacks, women, the elderly and the disabled work in seven factories, which is one of the earliest modern comprehensive workplaces in the United States. They produced various shapes and sizes of landing craft, PT craft, supply ships and other special boats for war.
Higgins is famous for being able to do the impossible. Once, the navy asked him if he could finish the design of a new ship in three days. "Damn it," he replied. "I can build the ship in three days." This is exactly what he did.
"This person only cares about efficiency and completing tasks," said Schick. "The navy began to realize that if there was an impossible task, he would finish it as long as he gave it to Higgins."
The secret of Higgins' success may be his personality. He is eager for success and never lets any obstacles stand in his way. He often with a reckless attitude and a few harsh words, in front of bureaucratic quagmire, labor difficulties, material shortage and negative thinking people swaggering said:
"As long as Higgins is in power and doesn't have to rely on others, he can break through any obstacles that hinder his progress," Hick said. "This determination and hard-working attitude helped him solve almost all his problems."
During World War II, Higgins participated in many amphibious landing operations. In addition to Normandy, they are also used for cinema operations in countless beaches in Europe and the Pacific, such as Sicily, anzio, Tarawa, Iwo Jima, Saipan, Okinawa and Paley.
Visitors can step into the real Higgins ship on display in Alexandria, Virginia. (National Inventor Hall of Fame) Among the landing craft designed by Higgins, more than 20,000 were built from 1942 to 1945, and now there are less than 20. To commemorate D-Day, a surviving Higgins ship was exhibited in the garden outside the headquarters of the United States Patent and Trademark Office and the National Inventor Hall of Fame Museum in Alexandria, Virginia, and its legacy should not be underestimated. They changed the course of the war and provided the allies with the ability to attack anywhere quickly and effectively, all thanks to the amazing courage of the inventor Yingde.