D-Day 70 years ago today

[ScottM]

Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force! You are about to embark upon a great crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty loving people everywhere march with you. In company with our brave Allies and brothers in arms on other fronts, you will bring about the destruction of the German war machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of Europe, and security for ourselves in a free world.
Your task will not be an easy one. Your enemy is well trained, well equipped and battle hardened, he will fight savagely.

But this is the year 1944! Much has happened since the Nazi triumphs of 1940-41. The United Nations have inflicted upon the Germans great defeats, in open battle, man to man. Our air offensive has seriously reduced their strength in the air and their capacity to wage war on the ground. Our home fronts have given us an overwhelming superiority in weapons and munitions of war, and placed at our disposal great reserves of trained fighting men. The tide has turned! The free men of the world are marching together to victory!
I have full confidence in your courage, devotion to duty and skill in battle. We will accept nothing less than full victory!
Good Luck! And let us all beseech the blessings of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking.

-- Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower

This is a video of Omaha Beach that I shot a day ago. The beach would not be near as peaceful as it is in these few seconds of video 70 years ago. The bucolic coats would be a savage killing field. On the top of this beach is the final resting place for many men that would not see the end of the war.

The two picture attached show the decorations of the town all up and around the Normandy Coast. Celebrations are everywhere. With each little town celebrating their liberation. Not everyone became free on 6 June. So the celebrations are staggered.

The other picture is of two re-enactors visiting the American Cemetery, reading the many headstones in the garden.

 

[EppyGA]

Thanks Scott

 

[Bill]

I sent this to another group I frequent:

I hope we all stop and ponder, for a moment, what it must have been like to be a young kid, scared ****less, sent to storm a beach half a world away. By the end of this very first day, over 12,000 of these brave Americans, Brits, and Canadians were injured, and over 4,000 lay dead. These young men changed world history, and we owe them a debt that can never be repaid.

THE greatest generation indeed.

Godspeed, boys.

 

[JeffDG]

Churchill's address to Parliament 70 years ago today:

The battle that has now begun will grow constantly in scale and in intensity for many weeks to come, and I shall not attempt to speculate upon its course. This I may say, however. Complete unity prevails throughout the Allied Armies. There is a brotherhood in arms between us and our friends of the United States. There is complete confidence in the supreme commander, General Eisenhower, and his lieutenants, and also in the commander of the Expeditionary Force, General Montgomery. The ardour and spirit of the troops, as I saw myself, embarking in these last few days was splendid to witness. Nothing that equipment, science or forethought could do has been neglected, and the whole process of opening this great new front will be pursued with the utmost resolution both by the commanders and by the United States and British Governments whom they serve.

 

[JeffDG]

These young men changed world history, and we owe them a debt that can never be repaid.

I have serious doubts that we can even count the debt, let alone begin to repay it.

 

[Geico266]

Can't say it any better Bill.

Thanks Scott.

 

[FastEddieB]

Maybe time to watch "The Longest Day" again.

 

[Matthew]

I just read this article. Someone asked Ike, "Gen. Eisenhower, what was the greatest decision you had to make during the war?"

http://www.cnn.com/2014/06/05/opinion/lauder-eisenhower-d-day-anguish/index.html?hpt=hp_c2

 

[Blackhawk]

One of the craziest DDay stories i heard was the one about my uncle, Col. Ralph "Baz" Bagby.
He was a "RIO/WSO" in WWI and worked with Billy Mitchell after the war at Langley. After getting out he got to know Doolittle on the air race circuit.
WWII broke out and he tried to to come back but was deemed to be too old. He called in some favors from Doolittle and was brought back on active duty to work with the troop transport command.
He was appalled at the airborne fiasco at Sicily when many of our transports were shot down by our own ships. During Overlord he was on Eisnehower's staff planning the British/American airborne portion and was afraid the same thing would happen again. So he did the logical thing- he went AWOL and jumped into Normandy with the pathfinders from the 505th. He knew Gen Galvin and Galvin made it happen. This was his first jump, a night combat jump.
Eik was furious when he got back and did not know if he should court martial him or give him a medal. So he got a letter of reprimand and a bronze star.
He always said the greatest honor was the 505th including him on their official roster and inviting him to their reunions. He was killed in a car crash enroute to one of the reunions in the 1960s.

 

[flyingron]

I was flying from CJR to NC26 this morning. I saw a notam for parachute jumping 18 miles west of Lynchburg and wondered what it was. As I was talking to ROA on the way down I heard (Your United States Army Parachute Team) The Golden Nights doing their jump. Circling over New London was a C47, a P51, and a flight of four North American somethings (probably more P-51's I wasn't close enough to see) for their fly by. Then it occurred that this was the D-Day anniversary and the D-Day memorial is out there west of Lynchburg.