WW2 stands out to me as a time of great imagination where any idea could gain traction, find adherents, and find its way into combat. These were the days of cross-channel fuel lines, radar, and bombs based on atoms. I understand that they even considered ice-based aircraft carriers, bats fitted with incendiary devices, and other things that never took hold.
I was wondering. Why don't we hear anything about any kind of ballistic protection for soldiers landing on the beaches of Omaha? I mean even in the early planning stage.
I understand that they took the beach without it (and that taking Omaha was more difficult than expected) but success was not guaranteed and it seems unlike planners to ignore the idea. Perhaps they didn't and their thoughts just aren't well known.
I understand that steel is heavy but having a guy drag a shield isn't the only way to use it. What about a steel plate on a float that wading soldiers could push off the boat's ramp and hide behind as they went ashore? I understand that it would be big and come at the expense of men and other equipment. However, even if it displaced one guy, it would pay for itself with the first man it saved.
How about a shield that could convert to a wheeled version and be advanced up the beach by waves of men? I understand that they wouldn't help much against fire from the side or by plunging fire or by mortars etc. However, planners still didn't really know what they'd find. Perhaps engineers could use the cover as protection from sniper fire. Let the guys be creative.
Or maybe the guys would find it useless and ditch it as soon as they hit the sand.
Is there anything out there we haven't really heard about yet?
I don't think you appreciate how heavy steel is. A German 7.92mm ball (not armor-piercing) round can go through 5mm of steel. A shield 5mm thick and large enough to cover a man would weigh around 120-150lbs. That's in addition to the 80lbs of gear he's already carrying. Such a shield would be completely unwieldy on level ground, let alone in the surf. And that only covers his front, he's still vulnerable to flanking fire and artillery while he struggles with his burden through soft sand.
Even the current body armor and helmet at 30lbs is considered pretty heavy for combat.
Balistic shields were used in ww2 albeit not in the way you described. A lot of anti-tank/aaguns/fieldguns had a steel shield on the front to protect the crew from shrapnel and small arms fire(they are still used on manned-weapon systems mounted on vehicles today.).
Weight constraints are a constant issue in the military, and they are continouisly looking to increase the amount of stuff soldiers carry. A Ballistic shield would simply be to heavy to consider bringing with you. Even when wheeled or on a float, it would be a monumental pain to make it to the beach and then to get it moving on sand.
Having only cover directly in front of you is not always enough, having a few of these shields would not protect you from artillery fire/mortar fire. Which would be just as dangerous as machinegun fire. As you say, maybe some engineers could try to use it(if it got in position), but i am afraid that some concentrated mortar fire would make them a death trap. A single person working on barbed wire or laying breaching charges can be quite hard to spot, a large steel shield would attract mortar fire like no tomorrow.
The difficult landing at omaha is an amalgamation of problems(loss of amfibious tanks, failed bombing raid, not being able to clear a path for the tanks that did eventually land,etc). A ballistic shield for the infantry wouldn't have helped in the slightest i am afraid.
Even in modern times the aplication of ballistic shields are niche. Stopping full power rifle rounds(like7.92*57 mauser, the standard german ammo of the time) is very hard and requires a hefty shield(even with modern materials like kevlar and ceramics). The result is that they are almost only used in breaching situations with the likes of swat and counter-terrorist organisations. Where the user can pickup/dropoff the shield at the place where he needs to be, and not carry it for a couple of hours.