Topic: D-Day

[Ecosse]

"D-Day has come. Early this morning the Allies began the assault on the northwestern face of Hitler’s European fortress. First official news came just after half past nine when Supreme Headquarters of the Allied Expeditionary Force, usually called "Shafe" from its initials, issued Communiqué No. 1. This said, "Under the command of General Eisenhower Allied naval forces supported by strong air forces began landing Allied armies this morning on the northern coast of France."

John Snagge
BBC HOME SERVICE REPORT
June 6, 1944

_______

SUPREME HEADQUARTERS ALLIED EXPEDITIONARY FORCE
Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force!

You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes 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 and devotion to duty and skill in battle. We will accept nothing less than full Victory! Good luck! And let us beseech the blessing of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking.

General Dwight D. Eisenhower
Order of the Day
June 6, 1944

________

Operation Overlord

OVERLORD - THE NORMANDY LANDINGS
A Chronology of Events
June 5, 1944


2200 H - commencement of Operation Neptune - 5 assault groups depart the English ports

June 6, 1944 - D-Day

0005 H Allied air forces begin bombing of coastal batteries between Le Havre and Cherbourg

0010 H reconnaissance groups dropped by parachute
Lieutenant Poole becomes first allied soldier to set foot on French soil

0020 H British commandos under the command of Major Howard arrive by glider and begin
attacks on Pegasus and other bridges over the River Orne

0100 H U.S. 82nd Airborne Division lands by parachute west of Saint Mere Eglise

0111 H first reports of American airborne assault reach headquarters of the German 84th Army Corps at Saint Lo

0130 H U.S. 101ST Airborne Division lands by parachute near Utah Beach

0150 H Main body of the British 6TH Airborne Division lands by parachute east of the River Orne

0245 H Troops bound for Omaha Beach board landing craft

0300 H Allied warships arrive at assigned positions for the assault

0320 H heavy equipment and reinforcements for paratroops arrive by glider

0325 H German naval observers report presence of Allied task force off the coast of Normandy

0350 H British paratroops begin attack on the village of Ranville

0430 H Sainte Mere Eglise captured by 505th Regiment, U.S. 82nd Airborne Division
Marcouf islets off Utah Beach occupied by Americans

0445 H Two miniature submarines drop off beachmasters and equipment for signaling landing craft
British knockout German shore battery at Merville

0530 H Allied warships begin shelling German coastal fortifications

0600 H Sunrise
Aerial bombardment of German fortifications along Utah and Omaha Beaches

0630 H American landings begin on Utah and Omaha Beaches

0652 H First reports of conditions on the beaches reach Admiral Ramsay

0700 H German radio broadcast initial report of the landing

____________

D-Day Tours

 

[gerhed]

A difficult time
--victory was not assured
--and we were fortunate to have many good men step up.
--In some more recent engagements quite a few have not stepped up
   and frankly it pisses me off.

Ecosse-Thanks for posting

[KeithTurk]

I heard somewhere that we are loosing over a 1000 men a day that were in WW2....  it's sad... and it's Good... they ended up living wonderful lives...  no heart ache with the BS whiners that the pinko media loves to project....   Just honest men who loved their country...

We owe them....  

K

[Inigo Montoya]

Going off topic a little here.
So Keith, if a person is not gung ho for every war, then they are BS whiners?

I am not belittling the men and women from ww2 in any way. WW2 was truly a war for freedom. This crap in Afghanistan and iraq is a bunch of BS that has nothing to do with freedom. If we truly supported out troops, we would not have sent them to that sandbox in the first place, based off erroneous and blatantly wrong "intelligence".

Again, I fully support the people in WW2.   

[KeithTurk]

I'm not gung ho for any war....

But as a soldier, you don't pick your battles... you simply fight them.

that's about it...

Folks chatting on the side lines are simply .... Noise...  

( and yes I categorize the 1 percent who the Media focus's on as BS whiners....  )

[Inigo Montoya]

You might fight them but wouldn't you care about the cause? And those people on the side lines are the conscience. Sorry but NO country ever survives on military force alone.

[KeithTurk]

Nope don't care.... not our issue... our issue is to win them in spite of the side line garbage...

Ever try and survive without a Military?  Don't be silly...  

Outside the civilized world... the only thing that is respected is Strength.... and since we've "softened" our stance... the world has used us as a door mat....

But that is what our current president wants.... and it's the military's job to oblige...

That's my last word on this here....  I come here for fun...  If you chose to dishonor our soldiers in the current day.... feel free... they give you that right....  but I'm not interested in partaking ....

[demon78]

Ecosse, the Regina Rifles landed just after 0800 at Juno beach and then the Rgeiment Chaudiere,the North Shore Regiment, the Queens Own Rifles, The Royal Winipeg Rifles and the Canadian Scottish.
Bill the Demon.

[IndyFour]

I spent yesterday remembering my Grandpa who passed away back in 2003.  It wasn't until I was an adult that I even found out that he had been in the Army, let alone involved in the Normandy landing as well as the Battle of the Buldge.  He spent most of his life living peacefully without talking much about the war as many of these men do.  This ordinary guy from Kentucky had earned two Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star among others awards.  Thankfully I found all of this out in his last years and was able to tell him thank you and that he was a true hero in my eyes.

A pic with platoon members.  He is second from the left on the top row.

[Inigo Montoya]

Ah keith, one of the mindless I see. The "if you are not with us, you are against us" clones.

That's my last word on this here....  I come here for fun...  If you chose to dishonor our soldiers in the current day.... feel free... they give you that right....  but I'm not interested in partaking ....

Kinda hard to have friends that are soldiers if you dishonor them isnt it?
The point is, the 1st amendment does not get sidelined for war. War gave it to us and to let it go or suppress it as you seem to think we should ( no heart ache with the BS whiners that the pinko media loves to project.), would be the true dishonor.
And before you stick your foot in your mouth again, I had a grandpa in the army air corp, My dad was AF. I have an uncle that was AF. Another uncle went to vietnam. A friend went to kosovo and 2 others went to afghanistan.

My problem is sending out men and women to fight in wars that is not worth their lives. If you think it is dishonoring to troops sent to some hellhole country by a corrupt president, then I guess I am dishonoring them. I guess I feel their lives are worth more than that.

I will end here too. Know this though. I support our troops 100%. I also support keeping them home unless they are truly needed to maintain our freedoms such as they did in ww2.

[le_sterls]

Informative post. More than I learned in my history class. Ironically enough I trailered my bike to my house D-day last year...

[Duke McDukiedook]

I sat in on a Corps of Engineers persentation on this at University.
What a tremendous feat of engineering this undertaking was, they literally created an artificial harbour with sunken ships and caissons built in England they brought in before the landing.

Truly amazing, if you don't know much about this day I suggest doing some more reading on this day in history.

[Ecosse]

indy, your story literally got me choked up. i'm so glad you got to know about your grandfather's service. two purple hearts and a bronze!!

thanks for sharing.

dukie, you're spot on! what those guys accomplished was incredible. of course i didn't find out about it in school... thank you history channel.  

demon, i'm humbled by the substantial contributions of our great friends to the north, right up to the present day.  

[Ecosse]

Informative post. More than I learned in my history class. Ironically enough I trailered my bike to my house D-day last year...

very cool. being as sentimental as i am that would always stick in my head. 

[fastbroshi]

   This discussion makes me want to watch Saving Private Ryan again.  Up to this point one of the best war movies I've seen.  The shell shocked state Tom Hanks was in a couple times was very well done.  It really brought me into the picture.

   And politically speaking about other comments here; I was in my Marine Corps military occupational specialty training school a little over a month when 9/11 occurred.  At that point I was all about going over there for retribution.  But then it transformed into Iraq...WTF?  And my fellow Marines were just as bothered as I.  It's the reason I served only 4 years.  And whaddya know, gas prices skyrocketed. 

   The politics behind why we went there and why we're staying are a sham.  Hiding behind the facade that is freedom for their people.  Maybe, but it's not our business.  Rome fell because they scattered themselves too thin.   The record player is starting to skip a bit.

[traveler]

The reasons why we went into Iraq have already been documented.  EVERYONE, including Bill CLinton, and the ranking Democrats in the Senate....ALL beleived Saddam had WMD's.....the fact that this truth is inconvenient from the Dem's does not make it any more untrue.  President Bush made a decision based on intel he had been given and was deemed factual at the time.

BTW, Saddam DID have WMD's, and in fact we did find "Yellow Cake" and it is now in our hands......the WMD's that he did have....well, we conveniently let him have enough time to get them across the border before we went in after him.  Saddam had int he past actually gassed his own people and had kicked out the UN inspectors, and their reports were that he had been in violation for quite some time......this is a part of the official record, not some imaginary trick congered up to try and protect Bush from fault.

Also, Saddam WAS providing safe haven for terrorist training cells to come and get supplied and trained.

But, since 90%+ of the populace wants to believe that all of these facts didn't happen, I guess it was "all Bush's fault".

P.S.  Thanks for your service.

~Joe

[fastbroshi]

   Thing is, there's horrible stuff happening all over that continent and the world for that matter, not just Iraq.  True WMD's pose a bigger threat than gangs controlling pitiful African governments, but who said he was going to use them?  Where's the beef?  He's probably had them for YEARS.  All just speculation of course on my part. 

   I'm not one to cry conspiracy and believe hokey crap, but isn't it too convenient that the area is one of THE hubs for oil in the world? 

   Democrat, Republican, lesbian or Vulcan, I dont care.  Just for the record. 

[BeSeeingYou]

The reasons why we went into Iraq have already been documented.  EVERYONE, including Bill CLinton, and the ranking Democrats in the Senate....ALL beleived Saddam had WMD's.....the fact that this truth is inconvenient from the Dem's does not make it any more untrue.  President Bush made a decision based on intel he had been given and was deemed factual at the time.

BTW, Saddam DID have WMD's, and in fact we did find "Yellow Cake" and it is now in our hands......the WMD's that he did have....well, we conveniently let him have enough time to get them across the border before we went in after him.  Saddam had int he past actually gassed his own people and had kicked out the UN inspectors, and their reports were that he had been in violation for quite some time......this is a part of the official record, not some imaginary trick congered up to try and protect Bush from fault.

Also, Saddam WAS providing safe haven for terrorist training cells to come and get supplied and trained.

But, since 90%+ of the populace wants to believe that all of these facts didn't happen, I guess it was "all Bush's fault".

P.S.  Thanks for your service.

~Joe

Geez, you sound just like Collin Powell giving his bullsh!t speech at the U.N.  Yeah there was a terror group in Iraq.  Ansar al Islam based in northern Iraq in the U.S. protected no fly zone.  Saddam was our guy, provided arms, funds, and support by the Reagen and 1st Bush administrations until 1990 when he went off the "reservation".  The gassing at Halabja happened in 1988 while he still enjoyed the support of the U.S.  The whole WMD story line is such a load that it does not even require comment.  Sorry to go off track but it's hard to let a load like that go by without comment.  Here is a great video with good old Rummy and Saddam.

"

[BeSeeingYou]

The total of Brits, Canadians, Poles, and French soldiers going ashore actually outnumbered the U.S. on D Day.  We tend to think of it as  a mostly U.S. show.  Another aspect that few in the U.S. know about is Operation Bagration launched on June 22 by the Russians.  This was the largest military operation in history and broke the back of the Wehrmacht.  It was the wost defeat suffered by the German armed forces in WWII.  It tied down units that could have been in Normandy during D-Day so it had a big role in the success of the invasion.  Just as much credit and honor needs to go to our allies as well as to all of our men and women who served during WWII..

[traveler]

The reasons why we went into Iraq have already been documented.  EVERYONE, including Bill CLinton, and the ranking Democrats in the Senate....ALL beleived Saddam had WMD's.....the fact that this truth is inconvenient from the Dem's does not make it any more untrue.  President Bush made a decision based on intel he had been given and was deemed factual at the time.

BTW, Saddam DID have WMD's, and in fact we did find "Yellow Cake" and it is now in our hands......the WMD's that he did have....well, we conveniently let him have enough time to get them across the border before we went in after him.  Saddam had int he past actually gassed his own people and had kicked out the UN inspectors, and their reports were that he had been in violation for quite some time......this is a part of the official record, not some imaginary trick congered up to try and protect Bush from fault.

Also, Saddam WAS providing safe haven for terrorist training cells to come and get supplied and trained.

But, since 90%+ of the populace wants to believe that all of these facts didn't happen, I guess it was "all Bush's fault".

P.S.  Thanks for your service.

~Joe

Geez, you sound just like Collin Powell giving his bullsh!t speech at the U.N.  Yeah there was a terror group in Iraq.  Ansar al Islam based in northern Iraq in the U.S. protected no fly zone.  Saddam was our guy, provided arms, funds, and support by the Reagen and 1st Bush administrations until 1990 when he went off the "reservation".  The gassing at Halabja happened in 1988 while he still enjoyed the support of the U.S.  The whole WMD story line is such a load that it does not even require comment.  Sorry to go off track but it's hard to let a load like that go by without comment.  Here is a great video with good old Rummy and Saddam.

"

Like I said....90%+

The fact that all the dem's were on board is an inconvenient fact.

I've noticed you're not big on giving the USA much credit about anything, huh?  Now you wnat to give the french credit for D-Day.....If I remember correctly, they rolled over when Hitler showed up.


~Joe

[ryder60]

The total of Brits, Canadians, Poles, and French soldiers going ashore actually outnumbered the U.S. on D Day.  We tend to think of it as  a mostly U.S. show.  Another aspect that few in the U.S. know about is Operation Bagration launched on June 22 by the Russians.  This was the largest military operation in history and broke the back of the Wehrmacht.  It was the wost defeat suffered by the German armed forces in WWII.  It tied down units that could have been in Normandy during D-Day so it had a big role in the success of the invasion.  Just as much credit and honor needs to go to our allies as well as to all of our men and women who served during WWII..

-------------

Thanks for posting that.

I watched Saving Private Ryan and thought it was sh*t.  I won't watch a war movie.

My father, his brother and two cousins served in the Canadian navy in WWII.  Another cousin was never heard from after the Japanese capture of Hong Kong and another died over Germany in a Lancaster.  I did 3 years US Army, 82nd Airborne (Dominican revolution) and 5 years Canadian, QOCH of C (Queens Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada (militia) and PPCLI (Princess Patricias Canadian Light Infantry (regular).  My eldest son served in the gulf on the USS Nicholson, my second in the USAF, Seaforth Highlanders of Canada (militia), the Wa. National Guard, did a year in Afghanistan and is presently in Iraq.  My youngest is at 20+ years Canadian Hussars and Lord Strathcona's Horse with Bosnia (very early when they had to fight), Bosnia a second time and then commanded tanks in Afghanistan.  I've put all this sh*t down to lay the claim that we have a say on a subject like this and I think I can easily speak for all of us.

The difference isn't between the soldiers of earlier generations and the present soldiers.  It isn't between the youth of yesteryear and the youth of today.  The difference is in the wars.  Both World wars and Korea made sense.  The first gulf war made sense because it was to check the aggression of a tyrant.  All the other wars America has been involved in were imperialistic wars.  They weren't about anyone's  freedom, they were about expanding the playing field for corporatism.

Someone above said that it isn't the soldier's business who he fights against, it's just his job to fight.  That's Bullsh*t.  Proof of that is the alarming number of soldiers, young and old, suffering from the stresses of combat.  It isn't the fear that gets you, and that can be unbelievable, it's the betrayal by your country, your elders and all those who you thought wouldn't lie to you, and all you held dear and gave your life meaning.   All war means killing but the crisis comes when you can't avoid any longer asking yourself and your buddies when killing becomes murder and why you at re doing it, what difference does it make and you have to ask yourself who it is benefiting.  I never thought the GI was a very smart animal but when guys in the platoon looked at each other and said 'you know, we are on the wrong side here' I had a whole higher opinion of them.

You can make yourself believe the bullsh*t about freedom and democracy and fighting for the right, if it's true.  You can try to bullsh*t yourself about it only so long if it isn't true.  Then the bottom falls out.  Anybody that sings the praises of warring, as it presently is being conducted, has yet to grow up.

[demon78]

Right on Ryder, right on,traveller how about we give as much credit as you give us, Oh sorry you've got Hollywood on your side so we'll never get any #$%*ing credit.
Bill the demon.

[BeSeeingYou]

I've noticed you're not big on giving the USA much credit about anything, huh?  Now you wnat to give the french credit for D-Day.....If I remember correctly, they rolled over when Hitler showed up.


~Joe

[/quote]

    There ya go throwing out a strawman again.  It's the old talk radio trick that works with low information types and politicians.  I did not give the French credit for D day.  Just happened to mention the FACT that the troops of our allies outnumbered our own troops on D-Day.  The Brits and Canadians together outnumbered the U.S. by about 6,000 with the French and the Poles making much smaller contribution.  Sorry your sense of national pride is hurt by correct history and the facts.  It in no way takes away from the U.S. contribution.  I am more concerned with the truth than hurt feelings or wounded national pride.
    Another thing you may not know from U.S. history books is the contribution of the Soviet Union.  75% of the total German war effort was directed against the Russians.  The U.S. contributed large amounts of material support to the Red Army but it was they who did a vast majority of the fighting and played the major role in the defeat of Hitler's Germany.  It's a FACT, look it up, but I suppose I am a commie lover now for stating it.
    If you knew your history you would know that the German's pretty much rolled over everyone in the early stages of the war.  The French were not the only ones still fighting WWI against a modern integrated and mechanized armed forces.  

[traveler]

As a 3X combat vet....I can say that SOME of you are suffering from a lack of guts.

The Candain military guys are good....they are my brothers....the populace who wants to shout down Ann Coulter just for having a different opinion?  They deserve all that Karl Marx has for them.

It's to easy to stand back and cast stones....if you have seved, then I appreciate it....if you have not served, then your opinion means absolutely ZERO to me.


Saddam was a bad guy...Saddam is dead.  Bin Ladin is a rich guy....he is a rich guy living in a  cave for fear of coming outside....he will soon be dead.

We will eventually win this war....even with all you hand wringers muddying things up.

This fight would already be over if the military was allowed to take care of it....our way, instead of worrying about somebody getting hurt.

If you are the baddest mother f'kr on the block nobody messes with you.  If the military took care of things like we CAN, people on our shores would live safer.  These sand dwellers can NOT beat us in a straight on fight.

In short, get in the fight WITH ME, or STFU.

But, I know that it is easier for everyone on here to jsut say I am a racist, or whatever makes you feel like you are above me.  As soon as people FINALLY wake up to the fact that the muslims don't want to make friends, and it's time to go into a$$ kickin' mode, the better.

Oh, and as we speak a Mosque is being built on the 9-11 site...think they care about hurt feelings?  


The mistake Bush made....was thinking that the Americans of today are the same as the Americans of the 1940's.  The men back then did what was necessary....the "men" of today are a bunch of dumbed down, scared little P.C. pu$$ies.

The friends I have left in the middle east were men of honor.....many of you are not fit to look upon them.  Many more will go, and all everybody back home will care about is the Lakers game.

~Joe

[BobbyR]

Back on point.

My late Father in law was first wave at Normandy. He was a kind and gentle man who saw and was made to do things that was completely outside his nature. He lost the hearing in one ear and suffered multiple shrapnel wounds.  He came back home and went back to work, got married and raised a family. He never mentioned that day until a year before he died.
My Son was watching the History channel and it was about Vietnam.

My Father in law turned to me and said "did you see the peoples faces". I told him no, just objects through the windscreen.

He then just looked straight forward and like a tape spoke about getting off the LST and the water being red, and having to push bodies out of the way to get on the Beach, laying among the dead on the sand and firing forward. He was ordered to advance and saw a German soldier in front of him looking at him, he fired and the German went down. He shot several more. A Mortar shell landed off to his right killing the men next to him and blowing out his ear.

I could see he was back on that beach at that time, decades later it was as real as it was at the time. He told me that each night he prayed for forgiveness, for what he had done, and for the souls of the men he killed. I never loved him more than I did that night.