75th Anniversary of Normandy

[Caustic Burno]

Wow what a day in history.
Amazing there a few participants of the historic battle left.
My dads task force was offshore that day with about 150k other boys, can't even imagine what they went through.
Marine uncle that made several beach landings in the Pacific commented that was a bad one to make. I can't imagine one that wasn't.

Thanks to those that served and especially those that paid the ultimate sacrifice.

 

[greybeard]

Had to have been a terrible day. I reckon they all were.

 

[Redgully]

Yeah when you see footage of those german mg.42 machine guns firing it puts a chill up your spine, and these guys were running straight at them. I think i would have dug a hole and not stopped until i hit China!!

 

[Son of Butch]

Does not seem like 25 years since celebrating the 50th anniversary.
Where does the time go?

 

[Son of Butch]

Morning news interviewed 96 yr old man from company A their motto was "To The Last Man."
He literally is the Last Man from D-Day's company A that landed on Omaha Beach.
He said he stopped for a cigarette on the beach. 3 feet away laid a soldier and he yelled
"Hey buddy got a match?" He got no response, so he lifted the guy's helmet to find his head was
missing. He said that guy's death might have saved his life, because it motivated him to get off
the beach and he started running straight for the cliffs no matter what.
2,400 Americans died that day on Omaha Beach, it was the bloodiest of the 5 landing beaches.

 

[NEFarmwife]

I was listening to radio with callers calling in and re-telling a few stories that their parents/grandparents had told them.

Just unbelievable. I couldn't imagine.

 

[hurleyjd]

The battle of the bulge was as costly as Normandy. There was 19000 American fighters killed in the battle to push the Germans back and not allow the Allies to be circled. It was also very costly to the Germans.

 

[greybeard]

The battle of the bulge was as costly as Normandy. There was 19000 American fighters killed in the battle to push the Germans back and not allow the Allies to be circled. It was also very costly to the Germans.

But that battle lasted for over 1 month.
The losses on June 6 1944, D-Day, 75 years ago today, (1 day) is what makes it such a historical and thought provoking date. If you look at the entire Battle for Normandy including the preps leading up to the beach landings and the breakout from the beachead, the overall casualties were even more severe.
https://history.stackexchange.com/questions/25/how-many-troops-died-on-d-day

And it is not the losses themselves..it's the sheer size and scope of the D-Day endeavor, and the immense courage required and so often exhibited to even attempt it, much less succeed. No turning back, no retreat possible. It truly was a succeed or die trying endeavor. It stands alone in what it was.

I had an uncle on Dad's side of the family that went ashore on D-Day and survived it. Never talked to him much at all, as right after the war and his Army discharge, he moved to and settled in Southern Calif and I only remember him and his family coming back to Texas when my pawpaw and mawmaw were buried. I do remember him commenting after my grandmother's funeral in the late 60s "I guess this will be my last trip back to Texas". Pretty sure it was.

 

[Caustic Burno]

The battle of the bulge was as costly as Normandy. There was 19000 American fighters killed in the battle to push the Germans back and not allow the Allies to be circled. It was also very costly to the Germans.

Total American casualties were near 90k of killed and wounded. Germans had good weapons.

 

[greybeard]

A photo I had never seen until today.
British infantry boarding gliders.
"The channel stopped you but not us. You had your time, now it's our turn you German schwienhunds (An English slur meaning pigdogs)

 

[Workinonit Farm]

The National D-Day Memorial, in Bedford Va., is quite the place! One part of it, if you stand there long enough, you get a slight hint of how terrifying it must have been for those guys. There's also another area which commemorates "The Bedford Boys". At one time, young men from same towns and area were put in the same outfits, thinking it would be good for their morale. On D-Day, all the men from Bedford, I believe it was 26 of them, were killed. After that, men from the same towns were not put into the same outfits again, in order to avoid such a large loss for small towns.

 

[Richnm]

My grandfather. 100% Native American, told me how he "ran up the beach, got shot, held his guts in , and returned fire." Two weeks later he returned to fight to the end. They were far greater MEN then we will ever be. Anyone that disrespects them needs a boot in the arse.

 

[Son of Butch]

It's foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God such men lived.
- General George Patton

 

[Richnm]

America . World war "Back to Back Champs!

 

[Redgully]

America . World war "Back to Back Champs!

No one wins in war!

 

[Dave]

America . World war "Back to Back Champs!

No one wins in war!

Some years back I sat beside an old veteran in church. On one of the holidays (Memorial day?) the pastor asked all the veterans to stand up. He never flinched. I thought it strange at the time as I knew he had been in the infantry during the war. A few weeks later I was helping him with some hay. Out of the blue he said, "he didn't know how people could be proud of killing people." War is hell. It is certainly important to win but it doesn't make it any less hell.

 

[Little Cow]

I did what I had to during the recent war, but now, it doesn't make any sense why our country did the things they did. Next time, send the politicians to fight.

But those guys back then...it was another world. Thank God they went and saw their duty through. The Axis powers were truly evil.

 

[f1tiger]

My dad and his two older brothers were about 20 miles apart on that day ,uncle Frank never came home (glider) uncle Charlie was wounded and received Purple Heart and Dad made it home , uncle Joe and uncle George did their time in Korea . Proud of those guys.....all gone now but not forgotten

 

[ALACOWMAN]

https://www.facebook.com/MancowMuller/photos/a.10150196522809380/10157239922599380?type=3&sfns=mo

 

[Little Cow]

These kids aren't all bad. We still have service members serving.