D-Day: plane delivered by landing craft

[Grimebox]

Despite all my years of interest in WW2 I hadn’t noticed that there was an aeroplane on this landing craft. It looks like an L4 Grasshopper. Interestingly I can’t seem to find a lot about it on the internet and wonder whether anyone has some links that explains a bit more about it, or how many were delivered like this.
Unfortunately the footage isn’t dated, I can only assume it is after the 6th June as I can’t imagine that there was sufficient land that was flat for several miles from the coast.

https://youtu.be/-xD-6PZm2Yk?si=5KKGGiJrweEhjyyC

[Willmore]

Hi there.

This is really interesting and I had never seen an aeroplane on a landing craft before.

I did find this little bit of information about about the grasshopper -

On June 6, 1944, it was engaged to correct the shots of the Allied Navy. Throughout the battle of Normandy, it continued to inform Allied gunners while participating in the transport of authorities.

Piper L-4 Grasshopper - History, technical sheet and photos

This thread just reminded me about my grandad who was RAF groundcrew during the war. I remember him telling me that he came ashore in Normandy in early July, possibly the 7th (in a duck).

Kind regards,

Will.

[Grimebox]

It’s clearly going to be used for forward observations, and I’m aware that Grasshoppers (and similar light planes) were used in Normandy for that reason but what I find interesting are:

1.They land at what appears to be a cliff (although I’m aware that LCT’s weren’t the easiest to control so they may have gone slightly off course).
2. There doesn’t appear to be any means to get it off the LCT quickly, I.e. there doesn’t seem to be a truck or similar at the front.
3. Where did they intend to take off from (and in what time scale)?

[Willmore]

Yeah that is a really good point about the cliffs! Maybe it was light enough that it could be man handled from landing craft and in the link above there is actually a photo of one taking off from the beach.

[BlackCat1982]

According to the information on the Critical Past website the footage is taken on June 6th 1944 on Fox Green beach. The clip doesn't show if the aircraft made it off the landing craft or not.

[Grimebox]

Don’t get me wrong, everyone who landed on D-Day was extraordinarily brave, however, I think it’s a whole other level for a, presumably unarmed, pilot to land on the beaches by boat then take off in hastily prepared ( I can’t imagine they hung around), unarmed plane, from a beach which most likely couldn’t have been 100% confirmed as clear of mines, and then fly over an occupied country where there was as much risk as being shot down by your side as the other, and then have to try and find somewhere to land! Its amazing that there doesn’t appear to be more information about “them” (whoever they were and however many there were).

[BlackCat1982]

I agree Grimebox, this isn't something that I had noticed before although I must have seen it numerous times before. The whole premis of assembling, checking, fuelling, finding a flat field with no Rommel asparagus etc etc is daunting. There must be a story here, but it's not one I know.

[andy123]

A bit of a coincidence, but a couple of weeks ago there was a photo of Brixham harbour, in Devon on possibly a BBC site.
The photo shows various landing craft / ships being loaded in the days before D Day, and on a lorry is a dismantled Grasshopper awaiting loading.

[Grimebox]

Was it this one?

[andy123]

Yes, that's the one!