Trivia Question - Normandy Beach Designations

[Michael Dorosh]

What happened to that hour?

Juno Beach Centre is about - M27? Looks good.

www.gamesquad.com

Was going to add this in the thread above, but there were worries about the game conversation being derailed so I'll do it here.

The Juno Beach sectors were sub-divided into Green, White and Red. I believe the same system was used on the other invasion beaches.

The Dieppe Beaches were divided into Blue, Green, Red, White, Yellow and Orange.

So why were the Normandy beaches divided into Green, White and Red?

Just found this out myself last summer during the 75th anniversary commemorations, when the historian Mike Bechtold laid it on us.

It might be very obvious and well known, but it was news to me.

Anyone care to give the answer?

 

[R Hooks]

Mexican map maker?

 

[Michael Dorosh]

Mexican map maker?

Amazingly close.

 

[Ric of The LBC]

What happened to that hour?

Juno Beach Centre is about - M27? Looks good.

www.gamesquad.com

Was going to add this in the thread above, but there were worries about the game conversation being derailed so I'll do it here.

The Juno Beach sectors were sub-divided into Green, White and Red. I believe the same system was used on the other invasion beaches.

The Dieppe Beaches were divided into Blue, Green, Red, White, Yellow and Orange.

So why were the Normandy beaches divided into Green, White and Red?

Just found this out myself last summer during the 75th anniversary commemorations, when the historian Mike Bechtold laid it on us.

It might be very obvious and well known, but it was news to me.

Anyone care to give the answer?

because Chartreuse, Lilac and Rose' were confusing.

 

[Michael Dorosh]

because Chartreuse, Lilac and Rose' were confusing.

Very true, but not the correct answer.

 

[Ric of The LBC]

Very true, but not the correct answer.

Oops. Sorry Alex.

WHAT IS Chartreuse, Lilac and Rose'?

Better?

 

[Michael Dorosh]

Oops. Sorry Alex.

WHAT IS Chartreuse, Lilac and Rose'?

Better?

I'm picturing you writing that in a large yellow foam cowboy hat.

 

[Ric of The LBC]

I'm picturing you writing that in a large yellow foam cowboy hat.

View attachment 12383

vox:Sean Connery "That's what your mom said last night Trebek. "

LOL!

 

[R Hooks]

The suspense is killing us.

 

[Michael Dorosh]

I'll give it a few days, this is a low traffic forum. I'm sure someone will know, if not I'll post the answer after a reasonable time.

 

[dlazov]

Well I do know that the original code names for the beaches were named after fishes; Goldfish, Swordfish and Jellyfish and the short names; Gold. Sword and Jelly, but Churchill did not like Jelly and had it changed to Juno.

But no idea on Green, White or Red.

 

[Michael Dorosh]

Well I do know that the original code names for the beaches were named after fishes; Goldfish, Swordfish and Jellyfish and the short names; Gold. Sword and Jelly, but Churchill did not like Jelly and had it changed to Juno.

Yes, true. Jelly Beach Centre would not have had the same ring to it.

 

[dlazov]

IIRC I think Churchill did not like the name Jelly as a name where so many men may die and either he or someone else changed the name to the more dignified Juno.

As far as Green, White or Red, I have always just assumed that either they (the British and Canadians) adapted the use of colors from the USMC (from all the PTO amph operations) or the US adapted it from the Europeans. Maybe using the colors has gone back to older times, but I don't think so cause it may not have been till WW2 for the more complex military operations. Even though one of the first was at Galipoli via the NZ and French. But I don't now if they code named the beaches.

 

[Michael Dorosh]

All of which is possible, but there is also a specific - and practical - reason those colours were picked. I'd be surprised if @Paul M. Weir isn't aware of it.

 

[bendizoid]

Colorblind stuff

 

[Michael Dorosh]

Colorblind stuff

No, but getting closer. Red-Green is the most common form of color blindness, so if they were doing something with that in mind, they would probably pick different colours.

 

[rottenroller]

Color of the markers used to draw the beach sectors on a map.
Grease pencils most likely on a lamenated map.

 

[Michael Dorosh]

Color of the markers used to draw the beach sectors on a map.
Grease pencils most likely on a lamenated map.

No to the colors. You are correct that grease pencils were used on maps. I think then they used talc paper, or other overlays, and not laminate. The Germans tended to write directly on the paper maps, which is a bit of trivia of its own. But most planning documents were done in plain typewriter text and mimeo'd, which I think used purple ink. Color maps also used purple ink to mark out enemy defences. I believe at one briefing in Italy a Canadian general announced "gentlemen, we are about to advance into the deep purple" in reference to the overprint.

 

[dlazov]

That seems legitimate, watching a Vietnam documentary a LTC grabbed a lime color marker cause it was handy and it became obj Lime. iIRC

 

[rottenroller]

Primary colors: red, blue, yellow
Secondary colors: purple, green, orange
Plus brown and black
These are the colors included in a 8-count crayon pack.
And they also added white to the list of potential names.