Issues with your account? Bug us in the Discord!
Lest We Forget - June 6, 1944
ShadowDancer
When I say, "Why aye, gadgie," in my heart I say, "Och aye, laddie."London, UK
in Zocalo v2.0
Today is of course the 60th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy. So I think it appropriate that we all take a moment to honour the sacrifices made on our behalf to ensure our freedom. And to remember all those killed on all sides.
We shall remember them
We shall remember them
Comments
The world couldn't have asked more from hundreds of thousands troops willing to give their life to save and liberate countries they know nothing about (paraphrased from a line from Ike: Countdown to D-Day).
Over 2,500 Americans died in the early morning hours of the invasion. Most of the first assault wave was annihilated (or otherwise incapacitated) when they hit the beaches and the ramps were lowered. Many died within seconds of stepping out while others didn't even make it that far.
World War II should be a lesson no one forgets not now...not ever.
[IMG]http://www.radiusco.com/chase/omahabeach.jpg[/IMG]
It's amazing any did...
Lest we forget.
[B]We shouldn't forget the first troops who were also part of the Operation, the British Paras, and the US troops of the 82nd and 101st Airborne, plus the British troops who took Pegasus Bridge to try and prevent Panzer reinforcements from attacking the beaches.
Lest we forget. [/B][/QUOTE]
I figured I'd leave the European info up to one of our European members. =) Only fitting.
I think its sometimes hard for us to realize just how mad the world had become in those dark days, it was a faliure of humanity as a whole. We were heading in the complete opposite direction of what we had built for the past 6,000 years. WWII was a turing point in history and Dday was its climax.
Thank God for the brave souls who stood up against the night, got on a transport, and with rifle in hand hit the beach of evil, and tore down the wall of tyranny and hate.
i really wish i could have made the trip to Normandy this weekend to have honoured them.
it was just incredible to listen to them talking about their experiences. proud of what they had done, but so modest about it all.
My grandpa said that when he got to where the paratroopers landed, one was stuck on a church stepal, alive. No one shot him. He was finally taken down a couple days later after the area was secure, still alive. Never got hit.
He also knew a guy that shot himself in the leg to get out (After DDay) He earned a purple heart for getting shot, and was sent back to his same division after he was healed up. No one really liked him after that. ;) My grandpa earned a purple heart, but refused it. (Apparently it wasn't much damage, but enough to earn one...)
His division was the same as the one shown in "Saving Private Ryan". The 29th, that landed on Omaha beach, the second wave in.
another story, My grandpa NEVER talked about the war, not to anyone. It was a part of his life he wanted in the past. He eventually accepted an interview a few years ago from a local newspaper reporting on the local veterns. When they got to DDay, her first question was "Did anyone get hurt?" :mad: I think everyone in the family, including the extended family and inlaws, wanted to smack her when they heard that.
The last few years he started talking about the war, most of members of his division had already died, and slowly the stories started to emerge.
He's gone now, died of Cancer of all things. Odd to have survived Omaha beach, and the rest of WW2, and die of that.
my grandad was a Royal Navy ships doctor on either a destroyer or a cruiser (cant remember which) that was torpedoed and sunk in the Mediterranian. I think it was the George Cross he was awarded for disobeying orders and pulling survivors out of the wreckage as it was sinking.
i just wish i could have heard it from him, but he died of a heart attack when i was 1.:(
Most of my uncles served in the armed forces too, either RAF or Army, I don't think any were in the RN. One of them assisted in liberating one of the concentration camps.
Sadly there are still things going on today that parallel those events.
Humans! :angryv:
I still maintain that they should have put field guns in a couple of the landing craft... bring them to bear on the pillboxes, drop the landing ramp and give those friggin bunkers hell... the Spandaus and rapidfire stuff is what killed most of the assaulting force... if a couple of makeshift 'assault tanks' where in the mix it may have given them half a chance to the infantry to get off the beach. Mind you... you would have needed tungsten nuts to man those 24 pounders in the landing craft... cos man would you draw fire from the Krauts, even with the slight side protection of the landing craft, and also, Heaven help you if they managed to get a Panzerfaust into position without your knowledge.
(I use the term Kraut in context, no offence to the german people.)
And not to try to stir up any kind of trouble, but let's also remember the people on the opposing side who didn't want anything more than to go home to their families and regular lives. It was a terrible time for everyone.
[B]where does the term Kraut come from? [/B][/QUOTE]
I swear I've heard the reason before - it was the WWII equivalent of "Freedom Fries."
Kraut: Think Sauerkraut or Cabbage. You know that stuff you can have on a hotdog.
As for SB's comments about the tanks and bombardment - that was all planned. But - in war the best plans... ...well you know how it goes. The majority of the DD Shermans (swimming tanks) sank. Something along the lines of 20 out 28 of them. The bombardment of the pill boxes didn't happen because of bad weather. You know the spectacular video of the rockets being launched from barges in barrages - those rockets were supposed to hit the beach and give the GI's cover in the form of craters. However, ALL of the rockets fell way short and hit the water.
There is a great PBS special on all of this.
as for practicing the invasion, they did that too. they sealed off and evacuated the civilians from a pocket along the coast of either Devon or Cornwall about 10miles long and something like 20 miles deep because the beaches there were very similar to what they would be facing in normandy. security was obviously very tight; even civilian mail was censored for a lage area around the practice beaches.
it was a good job that they did practice, because when they practiced the landings only 6 weeks before D-Day, it was a complete shambles, with something like 20-30 soldiers killed when the naval bombardment fell short and hit the beaches where the troops were rehearsing. and then another 60 or so killed when the 'defenders' were mistakenly ordered to fire on the 'invaders' with live ammo. this caused Ike (who was watching the whole thing) to have serious doubts as to whether they could do it on the day
[B]it was a good job that they did practice, because when they practiced the landings only 6 weeks before D-Day, it was a complete shambles, with something like 20-30 soldiers killed when the naval bombardment fell short and hit the beaches where the troops were rehearsing. and then another 60 or so killed when the 'defenders' were mistakenly ordered to fire on the 'invaders' with live ammo. this caused Ike (who was watching the whole thing) to have serious doubts as to whether they could do it on the day [/B][/QUOTE]
Also, some of the LST's used in the practice were intercepted by a pack of Kriegsmarine E-Boats.
the british beaches were luckily much calmer, and all of their tanks made it.
THAT ssaved alot of human life on the allied side.
According to some of hte brits the history channel interviewed, they landed the tanks, took out the guns with those, and then the commanders had to force the guys to clear the beach for the landing craft.
Apparently, they were trying to make tea right after the landing. :)
[B]lol, were u watching the same documentary i was? [/B][/QUOTE]
LOL, I must have been.
Regarding the DD Tanks, I heard that the Landing craft on the US beaches deployed their tanks too early, and that even with the DD skirts deployed it was still too deep and rough for them to get onto the beaches.
The United States Army Air Corps and the Royal Air Force were to hit Normandy with several hundred precision ground support strikes while the men were assaulting the beaches. Sadly, very few were able to do it due to adverse weather conditions.
BTW, Konrad mentioned the rocket barges. B-17 and Lancaster Bombers were supposed to drop bombs the night before along the beaches to create craters for protection. Sadly, most were off target and there was little protection when the men came ashore.
If everything had gone exactly as planned, the Normandy beach would have been smoking for miles from the combined naval and air strikes and there wouldn't have nearly been as much resistance as there was. In order to deceive the Germans the respective air forces launched 2 strikes at Calais for every strike against Normandy (weeks and months leading up to D-Day). They successfully convinced the Germans that Calais was the target and not Normandy.