Podcast
D-Day: The Tide Turns
In the episode, naval historian Nick Hewitt was quoted to illustrate how the D-Day amphibious assault was the largest and most intricate operation ever attempted, likening it to a gigantic game of Tetris. He described the diverse fleet involved, from tiny landing craft to massive converted liners, drawing on insights from his book. The discussion highlighted the book’s detailed naval perspective without explicitly recommending it.
Episode: 6. The Armada Advances
Nick Hewitt, a naval historian, was quoted explaining that Neptune was the biggest and most complex amphibious operation in history, and that amphibious operations are the most complex that armed forces undertake because they are like a giant game of Tetris.
Neptune is still the biggest, most complex amphibious operation in history. And amphibious operations generally are the most complex operations that armed forces can do. Because it's like a gigantic game of Tetris. You're moving around ships and aircraft and soldiers and trying to get them all in the same place at the same time.
The fleet that's used for Neptune is ranging from tiny little assault landing craft of the kind that you see in Saving Private Ryan, right up to really significant size converted liners that are being used as landing ships.