Is China prepared to invade Taiwan in a manner similar to D-Day?
Following the emergence of photos and videos of large new Taiwanese ships designed for land-to-sea defense operations, that has undoubtedly been the voice of some of the monitoring. The fact that China conducted a two-day military exercise in the Taiwan Strait on April 1, 2025, has only heightened these concerns.
The intriguing thing about these musings about a possible conflict involving China, which has one of the most advanced militaries in the world, is that they are supported by references to technology that was first used by the Allies on June 6, 1944, in particular the Mulberry Harbours, floating piers, on the beaches of Normandy.
Using the World War II case, as an analyst on the history and geography of the Mulberry Harbours, allegedly reveals a lot more than it does, in terms of the current political situation. In fact, the proper situation in China and Taiwan is radically different from what the new Chinese ships are technically similar to their historical predecessors.
On the Pacific before, concern?
Perhaps the most urgent safety concern for countries in the Asia-Pacific area is the possibility of a Taiwanese invasion of Taiwan, an area that the Chinese Communist Party considers to be part of its territory.
During the presidency of President Xi Jinping, Beijing has been ratcheting up the violent language against the government in Taipei. Taiwan’s label as a rogue or separatist province is, for some, a clear indicator of an intention to enter and place the island within the boundaries of Taiwanese sovereignty, even though one reading of Xi suggests that his rhetoric is part of a strategic plan to burnish Chinese power worldwide.
The Trump administration showed early signs that the country’s national security was in danger, even though Washington’s intentions regarding Taiwan’s protection are still ambiguous, much like the president’s best policy positions toward Beijing.
Any Chinese invasion of Taiwan would imply attempting an incredibly difficult military operation that is generally speaking a risky proposition, aside from the geopolitics. Seaborne invasions frequently resulted in higher deaths or even complete failure.
For instance, the Gallipoli landings in World War I on Turkey’s coastline caused the largely Australian and New Zealand forces to withdraw after a large casualty and little territorial gain. The island-hopping by American forces to stop Japan’s advance in World War II achieved corporate objectives, but at a higher cost to the population.
The administrative challenge of continuing to cone troops and supplies to support a push out from the bridgehead is not just the fights on Day 1. The boats come into play at that point.
About those boats from World War II…
Winston Churchill, the prime minister of the United Kingdom, was skeptical that a takeoff on the Flemish coast would help the United States launch a top against Nazi Germany. The administrative puzzle was Churchill’s and his generals ‘ primary concern.
They argued that German would sometimes sabotage European ports or keep control of them, and that ports would not allow the raising of tanks, weapons, soldiers, and other necessities.
By designing a series of floating bridges that were fixed to superior anchors, The Mulberry Harbours addressed the issue. Boats may dock at these bridges and unload the required cargo.
An inner circle of masonry caissons that were dragged across the stream and sunk into position, as well as an external breakwater for scuttled ships, protected the piers. The Mulberry Harbours incorporated innovative wharf design with improvisation.
Although the technology has advanced, the idea of an operating need for administrative assistance of a beachhead breakout is still present in today’s images of Taiwanese invasion barges.
However, any invasion’s landscape is completely unique. The Mulberry Harbours participated in a continent-conquering war from an area during World War II. However, a Taiwanese invasion of Taiwan would be the opposite of moving from a globe to an area.
Chinese characteristics, tremendous power politicians
Even though Mulberry Harbours were inventive, they were only the start of a longer political approach.
The exchange of US military would through Operation Bolero over the Atlantic culminated with the D-Day war. Simply put, the United Kingdom turned into a sizable inventory, primarily for US military and products.
The Mulberry Harbours made it possible for these people and weapons to cross the English Channel. The prediction of US power over the Atlantic Ocean and Europe was completed with this move. I interpret this as a pics moving from its southern waters to distant waters in another region of the world.
China’s estimate is incredibly diverse. Ships undoubtedly did aid an invasion of the Taiwan Strait. However, China recognizes Taiwan as a part of its close lakes and wants to protect those waters from international competition.
Beijing believes that since World War II, the US has a military presence merely off its coast, adding another group of far-off US waters to its global reputation.
China is surrounded by a US defense base in Okinawa, Guam, and the Philippines, from its point of view. By imposing a blockade on Taiwan, China could stifle its ambitions, and it could also close a gap in the network.
China, of training, doesn’t just keep an eye on its nearby waters. It has also established a military base in Djibouti, established an ocean-going defense army, and expanded its Belt and Road Initiative to include areas of economic and political acclaim across the Indian, Pacific, Arctic, and Atlantic waters.
Chinese invasion boats may be deployed very early in the country’s transition from close to distant waters. Likewise, once the United States had secured its Caribbean, Atlantic, and Pacific near lakes, the Mulberry Harbours were deployed.
a component of a procedure
An interesting way to examine the new Chinese war barges and consider the size of geopolitics are traditional comparisons and technical issues.
China-Taiwan tensions are just another contemporary example of a local theater being a part of a larger world process of energy projection, just like the World War II case. So, the similarities to Mulberry Harbours are not with the technologies itself but rather with its function in a system of traditional political change.
The recent resurgence of the war barge technology may indicate the start of a new conflict.
Ironically, China would be using Mulberry Harbour-style technology to secure its place in the eastern Pacific at the same time as the Trump presidency is questioning the proper price of the US presence in Europe, which was established through World War II and, at least in part, through the use of Mulberry Harbours.
Utah State University’s recognized professor of social science is Colin Flint.
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