WWII Army practice invasion on my home town

[scottmandue]

Hope this link works, note the small child playing around the artillery and people picnicking on the beach:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2294636387449011&type=1&l=f361fe2cf6

[KNS]

Great pictures. Isn’t Fort MaCArthur near Cabrillo Beach? We used to go there as kids.

The pictures were most likely taken late in the war, those are M4A3E8 (Easy Eight) Shermans which were late production. I’ll bet those boys had great memories climbing up on those tanks (they may still be alive today...).

[Tobra]

Yeah, that would be cool AF to be a kid climbing around on honest to goodness real live Sherman tank.

I am pretty sure I have been to that beach. There is one shot with the marines running up the beach, sailors just chilling in their landing craft, unperturbed by what looks to be an explosion close by the foremost part of their ramp, spectators spectating


WTF? Is that an explosion as close to that little kid as it appears to be?

[scottmandue]

Originally Posted by KNS

Great pictures. Isn’t Fort MaCArthur near Cabrillo Beach? We used to go there as kids.

The pictures were most likely taken late in the war, those are M4A3E8 (Easy Eight) Shermans which were late production. I’ll bet those boys had great memories climbing up on those tanks (they may still be alive today...).

Yes, Fort MacArthur is just above Cabrillo beach. At one tine Fort Mac took up half to two thirds of San Pedro with tunnels connecting miles of gun emplacements scattered along the coast.

Most of that land has now been converted into parks... the old Fort is still in place above Cabrillo beach but has been given to the Air Force.

[eastbay]

Originally Posted by Tobra

Yeah, that would be cool AF to be a kid climbing around on honest to goodness real live Sherman tank.

I am pretty sure I have been to that beach. There is one shot with the marines running up the beach, sailors just chilling in their landing craft, unperturbed by what looks to be an explosion close by the foremost part of their ramp, spectators spectating


WTF? Is that an explosion as close to that little kid as it appears to be?

Staged photo, plenty of books explain how the majority of WWII pictures were staged, on all sides.

[Tobra]

Hitler had Leni Reifenstahl, we had Huston, Ford and Capra making propaganda films.

Even staged, using compressed air instead of explosives, can you imagine getting that close in this day and age.