SEVENTY YEARS AGO TODAY, tens of thousands of American soldiers, sailors and airmen, along with thousands of allied troops, stormed the beaches of Normandy in Operation Overlord — D-Day — and saved the world. We remember, and give thanks.
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The invasion forces began landing in Normandy at about 6:30 a.m. on June 6 along a 50-mile sweep of rocky beaches. British troops spearheaded operations against sectors codenamed Gold, Juno and Sword, while Americans attacked Utah and Omaha beaches. The fight for Omaha was the most horrific. There, the veterans of the 1st Infantry Division teamed with the 29th Infantry Division and two battalions of rangers for the assault. ... Known as the “Big Red One” for their shoulder patch, the soldiers of the 1st Infantry Division had no monopoly on courage, sacrifice or sheer agony, but they were in the thick of the most critical minutes on Omaha Beach. Having come ashore too far east and stumbled into a killing zone of enemy crossfire, the division’s 16th Infantry Regiment stalled until regimental commander George Taylor exhorted, “Only two kinds of people are going to be on this beach: those who are dead and those who are about to die. Let’s get the hell out of here.”
They did, blasting their way through barbed wire, machine gun nests and concrete bunkers to gain the high ground atop Colleville Draw. Supporting fire from offshore destroyers aided the effort and helped the men on Omaha Beach break out of the beachhead via other heavily defended gullies.
The price for the Overlord invasion on June 6 was 4,413 Allied dead, of whom 2,499 were Americans. ... Second only to the awe due the courage and sacrifice of these brave men is the tremendous industrial might that made the Normandy invasion possible. In 1943 alone, American steel plants and shipyards built 1,949 ships and 68,600 aircraft. Onto the beaches of Normandy came thousands of the landing craft and tens of thousands of the tanks, jeeps and trucks churned out by American factories and frequently produced by American women manning the assembly lines of the home front. ... The number of men still alive who waded ashore, jumped from the air or sailed the choppy English Channel that June morning is dwindling. By the time the 75th anniversary of D-Day is celebrated five years hence, few will be left. Out of their collective experience, the central lessons of the Normandy invasion are the importance of personal courage in the face of great uncertainty and an entire generation’s can-do attitude to accomplish the seemingly impossible. The qualities of these remaining heroes that echo the loudest are commitment to mission, collaborative teamwork and unshakeable resolve. May we never forget them or their ideals.
I believe this is one of those things that without a doubt falls into the catagory of
"To one who knows, no explanation is necessary, to one who doesn't, none is possible."
I seriously doubt that anybody on this board was there, so none of us can truly understand what it must have been like, but I also believe that any and all of us can show our appreciation to those who were. I know there are folks here who have been in harms way on numerous occasions, and been in what may have been or seemed like similar situations, but there was only one "D-Day at Normandy, as far as I know. There's a reason they were tagged as "the greatest generation" I'm sure a subject for debate with some, but that describes my personal feeling toward them to a "T".
John Keegan, eminent British historian who wrote Six Armies in Normandy, stated the following concerning the Canadian 3rd Division on D-Day:
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“At the end of the day, its forward elements stood deeper into France than those of any other division. The opposition the Canadians faced was stronger than that of any other beach save Omaha.
The first unit into the beachead was a reinforced company from the British Airborne division. They landed at the Pegasus Bridge just after midnight and took the bridge. This was the bridge shown in "The Longest Day" where the commander had orders to Hold until Relieved.
When I was at the University of Oklahoma, back in 73, my Tactics instructor within the AROTC program was a glider pilot who had flown a glider into the 101st operational area.
May these men and their accomplishments never be forgotten.
Jim H
[This message has been edited by J-Holland (edited 06-06-2014).]
Imagine being 18 or 20 years old, wading ashore, with machine gun bullets flying all around you and your friends getting shot dead right in front of you. I had to be terrifying! and for what? For the pure filth thats in office now. I never imagined that Communism would ever take over the United States, and now t has. I feel so sorry for those men, and all the men defending America and now for nothing.
My father was in the Army and served in Africa, Middle East and European theaters. I know he was in Paris after the liberation. I'm not sure where he was on D-Day, though. He was in a support role, thankfully, but he still rarely talked about his service.
To put D-Day in perspective, the number of Allied casualties on that one day was comparable to all U.S. casualties during the entire Iraq war.
[This message has been edited by Formula88 (edited 06-06-2014).]
Imagine being 18 or 20 years old, wading ashore, with machine gun bullets flying all around you and your friends getting shot dead right in front of you. I had to be terrifying! and for what? For the pure filth thats in office now. I never imagined that Communism would ever take over the United States, and now t has. I feel so sorry for those men, and all the men defending America and now for nothing.
The battle never ends.
[This message has been edited by 2.5 (edited 06-06-2014).]
My father was in the Army and served in Africa, Middle East and European theaters. I know he was in Paris after the liberation. I'm not sure where he was on D-Day, though. He was in a support role, thankfully, but he still rarely talked about his service.
To put D-Day in perspective, the number of Allied casualties on that one day was comparable to all U.S. casualties during the entire Iraq war.
My father served in France. Drove a tank recovery vehicle. (Essentially, a Sherman with a wrecker boom instead of a turret.) Like your father, he never talked about it much. In retrospect, I imagine it was quite the horror show.
The only story that he ever related was that one morning he took off his glasses to shave. Set them on the tread of a tank, that he was standing next to. Of course, the tank drove off and ran over his glasses. He said that he didn't mind too much. He was just thankful that he wasn't wearing them at the time.
My thanks to all who served.
[This message has been edited by Raydar (edited 06-06-2014).]
The only story I remember my Grandfather telling, was one of sadness. A half track driver had his head exploded by enemy fire. The half track, full of servicemen, continued on the path the driver was on. As the machine rolled across the battlefield, soldiers were being crushed by its weight.
I also recall him telling of just how harsh the sand was on the beach. He was not able to pull his shovel out, and had to dig his foxhole by hand. He told of grinding his finger tips off.
We will never feel what those soldiers felt. It is due to them, and the continued service that we are who we are. Thank you all again.
My father didn't relate many serious stories. He'd talk of kidding around with the guys in his unit and the camaraderie. He mentioned the kid from Florida who had never seen snow in his life jumping out of the train at one stop and practically disappearing into a snow drift - in his skivvies. (I think this was in Scotland in Janurary) He mentioned the coffee. A pot belly stove with a pot of coffee on it - all day as anyone walked by, they'd add some more coffee and top it off as they drank so it never really ran out. He said by the end of the day, it was like drinking tar. I notice he still drank it.
When the serious topics came up, he just got quiet. The only stories he would tell were the good memories.
I was reading in the news today about German representatives and vets attending the D-Day ceremonies in Normandy. I think it's a wonderful commentary on how far we've come for once mortal enemies to be able to share in rememberance one of the bloodiest days between them.
[This message has been edited by Formula88 (edited 06-06-2014).]
