D-Day

[2ndovc]

From General Eisenhower, D-Day.



Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Forces:

You are about to embark upon the 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 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 blessing of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking.



D-Day + 26,280 days.

[Sixgun]

My bud at Targetmaster were talking about that yesterday, over sips of Crown Royal. What a feeling that must have been.......to be in a landing craft, the door drops, bullets whizzing all over.....and the only thing you can do is run towards more bullets.


What a sacrifice those boys made.-----6

[piller]

One Uncle was in Patton's Second Armored Division. He was Infantry. Uncle Homer said that the seawater was still pink on D plus 3. A whole lot of those men made the ultimate sacrifice.

[JohndeFresno]

My bud at Targetmaster were talking about that yesterday, over sips of Crown Royal. What a feeling that must have been.......to be in a landing craft, the door drops, bullets whizzing all over.....and the only thing you can do is run towards more bullets.


What a sacrifice those boys made.-----6

May we never forget as a nation; may God bless the families of those brave men who risked or gave it all for our Liberty, and that of others.

[Old No7]

My daughter sent me this one...

I was very glad to hear she had shared it with all her friends and Fcbk contacts (who probably aren't as in tune with the bold sacrifices made by the few for the benefit of the many...)

Day At The Beach.jpg

Remember and Honor All Vets!

Old No7

[hfcable]

and todays PC administration would not let him say "great crusade' or mention the blessing of Almighty God.

[PriseDeFer]

And there was the other note Ike carried in his pocket...

"Our landings in the Cherbourg-Havre area have failed to gain a satisfactory foothold and I have withdrawn the troops. My decision to attack at this time and place was based upon the best information available. The troops, the air and the Navy did all that Bravery and devotion to duty could do. If any blame or fault attaches to the attempt it is mine alone."

That's how it's done by men.

[Rusty]

72 years ago today, my dad was going through basic training near Little Rock, Ark. He always remembered D-Day was the day he learned you don't fire a rifle grenade from an M1 while in the prone position. He carried that 1/2 moon scar in his right eyebrow for the rest of his life.

[MrMurphy]

I visited Normandy post-deployment (such as it was) in 2008.

I visited in the morning, at low tide, just as when the landings occurred, though I was there in March.

I walked down to the waterline, got down to grunt level (3 inches above the sand) and looked up towards the rest of France.

Every little bump was a fighting position on those cliffs, you could still see the trenchlines for communications trenches, and obviously all the bigger bunkers. I was a machine-gunner then, carried an M240 and an M249 for much of 3 years whenever needed.


How anyone got off those beaches alive, even under naval gunfire and air support, is most definitely a miracle.

Utah beach was slightly "less bad" in that the fighting positions didn't look down from so high up, but any of the beaches (US, British or Canadian) had to be hell on earth. I understand the Brits didn't have it quite so bad on one beach, but anyone who went ashore in the first 3 or 4 waves had a pair so big you'd need a wheelbarrow.

[J Miller]

D-Day .... my dad was a sailor on an LST. He was there. Never talked about his service when he and mom were married. Sadly he died before I could get together with him later.

Joe = son of a squid

[JohndeFresno]

D-Day .... my dad was a sailor on an LST. He was there. Never talked about his service when he and mom were married. Sadly he died before I could get together with him later.

Joe = son of a squid

Well, Joe, he may never have wanted to share anything that horrific, anyway. Telling is reliving it.

I honor your father, and others mentioned here.

[.45colt]

GOD BLESS THEM ALL.

[J Miller]

D-Day .... my dad was a sailor on an LST. He was there. Never talked about his service when he and mom were married. Sadly he died before I could get together with him later.

Joe = son of a squid

Well, Joe, he may never have wanted to share anything that horrific, anyway. Telling is reliving it.

I honor your father, and others mentioned here.

I understand that now. When last I saw him (1964) I didn't. I've done a heap of growing since.

Joe

[AJMD429]

I'm surprised that our POtuS didn't go on vacation to Germany for a photo-op so he could apologize for our 'invading' Europe back then. . .

[donw]

my uncle got two amphibians shot out from under him at Normandy...he survived and went on to end up in Germany for the end of the war.

my dad was in North Africa at the time...

neither would talk of what they went thru...

[Ysabel Kid]

And there was the other note Ike carried in his pocket...

"Our landings in the Cherbourg-Havre area have failed to gain a satisfactory foothold and I have withdrawn the troops. My decision to attack at this time and place was based upon the best information available. The troops, the air and the Navy did all that Bravery and devotion to duty could do. If any blame or fault attaches to the attempt it is mine alone."

That's how it's done by men.

Such a contrast to the so-called leaders of today, who can't blame everyone else fast enough!

My uncle was in the 29th, 116th Division, and hit Omaha the first day. Lots of his friends never made it to the beach, or off it. I'm not sure our country would be capable of such a needed sacrifice today.

[Ysabel Kid]

I'm surprised that our POtuS didn't go on vacation to Germany for a photo-op so he could apologize for our 'invading' Europe back then. . .

Me too!

[jeepnik]

I think the Brits have a song that pretty much spells it out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_KeeKs1SnE

[Ben_Rumson]

Reagan did go to Germany & laid a wreath at a SS graveyard back in may 85