d-day today

When I was a kid Dday was a big deal. We don't hear so much about it anymore. I know generations pass and memories fade, but this was a very important day in history. It kicked off our invasion of western Europe, an event that still effects us today. And of course we owe gratitude and respect to our vets! Just another reminder of that.
 
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I heard, this year, the DDay crowd in France was "rather small". Well, it was 77 years ago. It's history to us, and out fathers were there. So, how well do we remember the Great War, in which our grandfathers fought? WWII is ancient history to a kid in school today. It's somewhere after the Roman Empire, and the American Revolution. Americans aren't great historians. One of my best stories comes from a Certified Guide at Gettyburg. Somebody asked him which way the German tanks came..
 
fuzzybuddy said:
I heard, this year, the DDay crowd in France was "rather small". Well, it was 77 years ago. It's history to us, and out fathers were there. So, how well do we remember the Great War, in which our grandfathers fought? WWII is ancient history to a kid in school today. It's somewhere after the Roman Empire, and the American Revolution. Americans aren't great historians. One of my best stories comes from a Certified Guide at Gettyburg. Somebody asked him which way the German tanks came..
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I think covid restrictions played a large part in that.
 
Gaer said:
These were REAL MEN!
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Absolutely!! No doubt about that.
Gaer said:
This turned the tide in WW!!, didn't it!
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It was important, but I believe second to the Russian front in terms of defeating Hitler. I suspect the Russians could have done it without DDay and the Normandy invasion. But it would have taken a lot longer, and cost them a lot more lives. It would also have meant all of western Europe falling under Stalin and the Soviets... A very bad outcome for a lot of people. Just my non-expert opinion. It does not take anything away from the accomplishment, or the bravery of our troops.
 
If it weren't for the Russians, I doubt an Allied invasion of France would have happened. And while it may not have been the factor in going forward with DDay, Russians gobbling up Eastern Europe was one. of them. DDay, now, belongs to history. While it is a significant moment in history, it joins other significant moments in history. The courage, and willingness to give all, in making DDay successful, is not always remembered.
 
I am sorry that I missed posting here, but I did take time during the day on 6/6 to remember those who stormed the beaches at Normandy. I have watched the reels that were available on the History Channel, the Military Channel and the Smithsonian Channel. Such a tremendous sacrifice by our men that cared enough to give the ultimate sacrifice.

Can any of us imagine storming a beach and knowing that machine guns were bunkered along the coastline. The first one that hit the beach had a very small chance of making it.
 
911 said:
I am sorry that I missed posting here, but I did take time during the day on 6/6 to remember those who stormed the beaches at Normandy. I have watched the reels that were available on the History Channel, the Military Channel and the Smithsonian Channel. Such a tremendous sacrifice by our men that cared enough to give the ultimate sacrifice.

Can any of us imagine storming a beach and knowing that machine guns were bunkered along the coastline. The first one that hit the beach had a very small chance of making it.
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Yesterday I watched an interview with the guy tasked with getting them to the beach (an old man now). Every man among the first over was killed, he said - the ones on his craft, that is - and he was told to not pick any of them up on the way back for more troops because that would slow everything down; get as many on the beach as possible in as little time as possible.
 
the question oft in my mind is why there were gun emplacements still on the hills above? didnt the ships shell them or the aircraft bomb them before the landing or was it to preserve the precious french coast line??
 
I can't recall who said it but he said after visiting the Normandy American Cemetery & Memorial it was the most moving experience of his life. For me I don't think I could hold up either visiting there.
 
I still can't believe the Germans had no clue, nobody blabbed. So how on earth did they keep a huge event like this secret with all those countries involved - UK, Canada, US, Australia, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, France, Greece, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway and Poland. Amazing.
 
mellowyellow said:
I still can't believe the Germans had no clue, nobody blabbed. So how on earth did they keep a huge event like this secret with all those countries involved - UK, Canada, US, Australia, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, France, Greece, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway and Poland. Amazing.
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The Germans knew it was coming but where and when was the issue. Several of Hitler's generals believed it was Normandy but they dared not to disagree with Hitler. But to your point of the invasion being kept secret is short of a miracle.
 
cdestroyer said:
the question oft in my mind is why there were gun emplacements still on the hills above? didnt the ships shell them or the aircraft bomb them before the landing or was it to preserve the precious french coast line??
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I'm no military authority. never been in combat, But bombing and shelling doesn't do the damage you think it should. With all the bombing in WWII, yes, there seemed to be great devastation, but it was mostly housing, which doesn't have a real effect on the war.. They had round-the- clock shelling of those Japanese held island for over a month, hardly killed any Japanese. I do know why bombs, and shellings don't work that well, but they don't.
 
fuzzybuddy said:
I'm no military authority. never been in combat, But bombing and shelling doesn't do the damage you think it should. With all the bombing in WWII, yes, there seemed to be great devastation, but it was mostly housing, which doesn't have a real effect on the war.. They had round-the- clock shelling of those Japanese held island for over a month, hardly killed any Japanese. I do know why bombs, and shellings don't work that well, but they don't.
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Understand bombing like constant artillery fire is meant to demoralize citizens and troops. The bombsites in the early stages of WWII were far from accurate. The bomb over Nagasaki was off target. Houses in Germany were bombed so industrial factory workers would quit there jobs because they no longer had a place to live. Keep in mind lived close to their place of work. In Japan houses were hit because they were easy to go up in flames and entire towns disappeared. The heat got so intense they actually had fire tornados.
 


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