D-Day

[pwd72s]

Some time ago, some people did something...it was the beginning of the end of a world domination plot.

[pwd72s]

[!pse203]

[Danimal16]

[tabs]

Everybody should be watching the movie the Longest Day..best dam war picture ever made..very accurate as the tech advisors were the veterans who fought there. Including the Krauts...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Longest_Day_(film)

[Baz]

Originally Posted by Danimal16

Thanks, Dan. The enormity of planning that went into this operation is astounding....
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The battle of San Pietro was a crucial event in the Allied Campagne to liberate Italy. The objectives of the Italian Campaign, executed by Generals Montgommery and Patton, were twofold. First, to secure the meditteranean which would permit the Allies to build up their strength for the Channel crossing in 1944. Second, to provide a mayor propaganda blow to the Axis powers by eliminating Italy from the war and liberating its capital Rome, which was conveniently presented as the World's historic hallmark of democracy.

[Baz]

The great deception...........

[Geronimo '74]

[Geronimo '74]

[Reiver]

Pretty good song by brit...

[!pse203]

Originally Posted by Reiver

Pretty good song by brit...

Moving stuff. The scale of the effort, and cost must never be forgotten.

[fred cook]

One of the lesser known reasons for the Allies staging D-Day was to pacify Stalin. He threatened to sign a peace accord with Hitler if the U.S. and Great Britain didn't open a new front against the Germans. Of course, that would allow the Germans to move vast amounts of aircraft, armor and men from the eastern front which, of course, the U.S. and GB did not want to happen. Actually, by the time D-Day (Operation Overlord) took place, the Allies had pretty much taken Italy from the Germans and could very well have pushed additional troops and materiel into Europe that way. However, as it turned out, the casualty percentage was less than had been estimated even though it was still quite high in some fronts like Omaha Beach, for example. Eisenhower had penned a letter to be sent to Roosevelt and Churchill taking the full responsibility if the landings failed. The landings were successful so the letter just quietly disappeared. It wasn't too long after the D Day landings that Patton and Montgomery finished off Italy and joined the other Allied armies in pushing the German troops out of France and then back into Germany. Those brave Americans and allies were indeed the greatest generation! Long live their memory!!!

[sc_rufctr]

To think D Day was their best option... Damn those boys were brave! RIP.

[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....

[GH85Carrera]

D-Day remains as one of the largest invasions ever on 6 June 1944.

Less than a year later the Americans conducted the invasion of Okinawa on April 1, 1945. It took 82 days to capture the island. 160,000 casualties on both sides: at least 75,000 Allied and 84,166–117,000 Japanese. 149,425 Okinawans were killed.

Compared to the deaths in Hiroshima of 146,000 Japanese and not one American. Of course it took one more bomb to convince Japan to surrender.

The death estimates of Americans and Japanese for a invasion of the main islands of Japan was staggering.

[pwd72s]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

D-Day remains as one of the largest invasions ever on 6 June 1944.

Less than a year later the Americans conducted the invasion of Okinawa on April 1, 1945. It took 82 days to capture the island. 160,000 casualties on both sides: at least 75,000 Allied and 84,166–117,000 Japanese. 149,425 Okinawans were killed.

Compared to the deaths in Hiroshima of 146,000 Japanese and not one American. Of course it took one more bomb to convince Japan to surrender.

The death estimates of Americans and Japanese for a invasion of the main islands of Japan was staggering.

Why President Truman said the decision to drop the bomb was one of the easiest wartime decisions he made.

[Baz]

77 years ago today........

[LWJ]

I am on a train in France about 1996. My wife and I chat up a French soldier. He tells me that his parents always told him “because of Americans, you are free.”

True stuff.

We went to Normandy to pay our respects.

[Pedro '84 Coupe]

My wife and I went on a tour in 2005. The train pulled into the station at Bayeaux and the beauty of the area was what struck me. Then we went to the various landing beaches and the American cemetery. It's hard not to get emotional there thinking of all those that gave their all to secure a foothold in Europe.

Pointe Du Hoc was closed off at this time because of erosion but we got to get pretty close. We got to go into the bunker where the invasion scene from "The Longest Day" was filmed and saw the mortar pits and other defenses. Unbelievable courage to overcome those.

One of the most poignant memories I have was a banner on one of the buildings that read "We Welcome Our American Liberators". The French have not forgotten the sacrifice of the American, British, Canadian and French and other Allied troops that day and are still grateful for their heroic efforts. The thing that really gets me is that Gen. Eisenhower had a letter written where he accepted full responsibility in case the invasion failed. Good thing he never had to use it.

[Racerbvd]