D-Day

[DonDavis]

My long time best friend and I are hosting a seafood boil with about 20 family and friends today to recognize the Day.

He was Army, I was Navy.

The Allied Forces commitment and sacrifice will forever be on my mind.

[recycled sixtie]

As an ex Brit I would like to thank the Americans for the help in WW2. It would have been a hard slog without you.

Cheers, Guy

[pwd72s]

Originally Posted by recycled sixtie

As an ex Brit I would like to thank the Americans for the help in WW2. It would have been a hard slog without you.

Cheers, Guy

Sorry we were so late to the Party. Bless the Brits for hanging tough until FDR got off the fence.

[recycled sixtie]

I watched 1917 last night. Unbelievable what the young soldiers went through in both WW2 and WW1. Being borne in the UK in 1946 I missed all the wars. My dad was a Lancaster pilot and my grandfather was a cavalry officer. I cannot imagine what they went through.

The military might of the US is amazing and may it continue...

[rattlsnak]

I'm watching the 8 part series of WWII on NetFlix right now. There is lots of film clips and photos. It's very hard to understand the magnitude of the invasion force..

[abisel]

From Colleville American Cemetery, Normandy, France, July 2007. A very humbling experience.

[Racerbvd]

[p911dad]

Thanks all for remembering and posting these tributes to the sacrifices of all involved. We are still free because of them.

[Coverman]

Baz that famous Churchill speech was made years before D Day in the Autumn of 1940, to thank the RAF pilots who defeated the Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain. About 3000 Allied pilots took part, about 20% of them foreign nationals incorporated into the Royal Air Force. Hitler had attempted to soften up Britain preparatory to an invasion by destroying our Air Force and destroying morale, but failed miserably.

[pwd72s]

Originally Posted by recycled sixtie

Yes I agree the US and allied landings were impressive but cost in the number of lives was substantial. I often wonder if more airborne troop landings were made inland there might have been less loss of life.

Landings on Omaha beach for instance were met with huge resistance and much courage was needed. Lest we forget....

Thanks to Dick Winters and those under him, The Utah beach landing was made easier, when Easy company and men from other paratrooper companies of the 101st ABN took out a battery of German artillery. Here's the story:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Br%C3%A9court_Manor_Assault

[drcoastline]

Thank you to all who served on D-day. One day I will make it to Normandy and pay my respects personally, until then.

[Brown747]

Visited the US cemetery at Cambridge today. Thanks to all that serve.

[Baz]

79 years ago today......

[Seahawk]

Originally Posted by Baz

79 years ago today...

And then we came home, helped rebuild Europe and got busy living. Just like Europe.

It is a remarkable story often poorly told...

[pwd72s]

^ This...

[GH85Carrera]

Originally Posted by recycled sixtie

As an ex Brit I would like to thank the Americans for the help in WW2. It would have been a hard slog without you.

Cheers, Guy

As a kid, the history of WW2 was taught to us, that the US entered the war and whipped Hitler with just a little little help from some allies. As an adult I learned just how bad the history of what we were taught really was.

It still is amazing that all of Europe fell to the Nazis, France just let the Germans walk into Paris without a shot fired. The Vichy French even became allies for the Germans. The Germans pushed the British off the continent, back to a rather small island. And the British fought on, mostly on their own, because it was the right thing to do.

With a lot of supplies from the USA, Brittan fought on, bombing the German industry and finally won the battle of Brittan to give Hitler a black eye. Hitler just bombed the hell out of the civilians. They kept destroying Hitler's factories and kept Hitler from becoming unstoppable.

[pwd72s]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

As a kid, the history of WW2 was taught to us, that the US entered the war and whipped Hitler with just a little little help from some allies. As an adult I learned just how bad the history of what we were taught really was.

It still is amazing that all of Europe fell to the Nazis, France just let the Germans walk into Paris without a shot fired. The Vichy French even became allies for the Germans. The Germans pushed the British off the continent, back to a rather small island. And the British fought on, mostly on their own, because it was the right thing to do.

With a lot of supplies from the USA, Brittan fought on, bombing the German industry and finally won the battle of Brittan to give Hitler a black eye. Hitler just bombed the hell out of the civilians. They kept destroying Hitler's factories and kept Hitler from becoming unstoppable.

Spot on...if Pearl Harbor hadn't been attacked, we may not have entered the war at all.
But once we entered, and our untouched industrial might was cranked up...

[Deschodt]

I think the Churchill quote above was re: the battle of britain and the royal air force holding the luftwaffe at bay, NOT D-day. Though that applies too on principle, of course (just less "so few", it was a lot of people)

Originally Posted by pwd72s

Spot on...if Pearl Harbor hadn't been attacked, we may not have entered the war at all.
But once we entered, and our untouched industrial might was cranked up...

Both you guys are spot on indeed.. American history books often forget the war started in 1939, not dec 41 - it was *quite* a while before the US decided to join, also with the benefit of being an ocean away with over 2 years to prepare - but once they did, the rest is history...It always annoys me how people single out how France fell (with a common border to Germany and zero time and old equipment), ignore that the rest of europe folded even faster, and somehow never joke about the countries who joined the wrong side - "haha french white flag, LOL" - "s'all good Italy and Spain! no worries" (study italy's war debacles in africa, there's so much material for jokes there). Or switzerland - "we take no sides, but we'll hoard your gold teeth and stolen art". Lots of interesting stuff to be read, like for instance the French air force, woefully underequipped with antique stuff yet still managed in those few weeks to blunt the luftwaffe enough that it needed a break and did not succeed carrying on to conquer the british skies (I'm paraphrasing the intro of Adolf Galland's book here, general of the luftwaffe, not my opinion).. Also all the weird stuff where the Vichy fleet was sunk by England in the harbor somewhat treacherously (fair enough, in war, but weird how you brush stuff aside after), or the embarassing stuff where people all over europe collaborated under the nazis (easy to judge people 80y later when you know who won, I guess)... and let's also not bring up some of the Hitler sympathies all over the world at the time, from Henry Ford to... the duke of windsor in britain (ex king, no less)! I find it interesting to look back with the benefit of knowing how it ends and who wrote the books.. Lots of super interesting less black and white tales if you study history from all sides..

[jamesnmlaw]

Visited the US cemetery in Tunis 45 yrs ago. Moving. A beautiful place to rest. The Tunisians I met were very grateful.

Had a client 15 yrs ago who parachuted into Normandy on June 5th. 82nd, 506th. He had the t-shirt, all the proof. Broke his ankle on landing. I asked him if he was treated in the field. He looked at me like I was an idiot (I am). Said you either killed or were killed. There was no aid station. He talked about killing two German soldiers, an old man and a young kid (his words). Said he came up on them without warning. Said he had to kill them as there were no provisions for taking prisoners. He was haunted by their faces, said he sees them in nightmares all the time. Started to cry a bit, both him and me. Went on to become a NYC policeman (Bronx). Saw him in a restaurant a few years later, chatting up his date, she was probably 40 yrs than him. Gave me the smile and wink telling me that I should move on, not interrupt as he was trying to get some. Tough guy. Said he wouldn't wish war on anyone.

[steve185]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRi80cukb6g
Just some Maritimers at the beach.