Operation Overlord: D-Day, H-Hour

[Massacure]

Members of DU, the time in the United Kingdom is now approaching 5:00 AM on June 6, 1944. Dawn will be emerging in less than an hour. 60 years ago the first wave of landing craft was just off shore of France. 70,000 men exited these landing craft and began storming of Normandy. On the very east front was Sword Beach. West of Sword was Juno, and west of Juno was Gold. The British stormed Sword and Gold, the Canadians Juno. West of Gold is Omaha and Utah. The Americans took these two beaches.

Paratroops dropped behind German lines several hours before the invasion. They did a great job at raising hell. It made most of the assaults easier. However, the Americans got pinned down on Omaha to endure a blood bath.

As the day unfolds, please remember the sacrifices that spelled the beginning of the end for Nazi Germany. Remember that they won the freedom and liberty of the western world.

[JohnKleeb]

1. I think I'll watch Saving Private Ryan later

Thanks for inspiring me to do just that. That movie always gets me teary eyed.

[ewagner]

2. Thanks for the timely post

I remembered the paratroopers earlier today and wondered what they must have been thinking at that time 60 years ago. Iplan to spend my day thinking about the Beaches of Normandy and maybe watching The Longest Day

[CanuckAmok]

3. Ten years ago...

...I was fortunate enough to attend the Ceremony commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Invasion, at Southhampton, UK. President Clinton was there, and Chretien, and may other leaders. I took my mom, who's dad was a British agent in Denmark during the War. It was a very emotional event, and one I'll never forget.

The most memorable event had to be a tie between the Lancaster dropping a payload of poppies over the Channel, and the handful of D-Day Vets who loaded up into a landing craft in Southhampton and sailed to France, as they had exactly 50 years previous.

Peace.


Statistics, by Carl Sandburg:

"NAPOLEON shifted,
Restless in the old sarcophagus
And murmured to a watchguard:
"Who goes there?"
"Twenty-one million men,
Soldiers, armies, guns,
Twenty-one million
Afoot, horseback,
In the air,
Under the sea."
And Napoleon turned to his sleep:
"It is not my world answering;
It is some dreamer who knows not
The world I marched in
From Calais to Moscow."
And he slept on
In the old sarcophagus
While the aeroplanes
Droned their motors
Between Napoleon's mausoleum
And the cool night stars."

[CanuckAmok]

4. Ten years ago...

...I was fortunate enough to attend the Ceremony commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Invasion, at Southhampton, UK. President Clinton was there, and Chretien, and may other leaders. I took my mom, who's dad was a British agent in Denmark during the War. It was a very emotional event, and one I'll never forget.

The most memorable event had to be a tie between the Lancaster dropping a payload of poppies over the Channel, and the handful of D-Day Vets who loaded up into a landing craft in Southhampton and sailed to France, as they had exactly 50 years previous.

Peace.


Statistics, by Carl Sandburg:

"NAPOLEON shifted,
Restless in the old sarcophagus
And murmured to a watchguard:
"Who goes there?"
"Twenty-one million men,
Soldiers, armies, guns,
Twenty-one million
Afoot, horseback,
In the air,
Under the sea."
And Napoleon turned to his sleep:
"It is not my world answering;
It is some dreamer who knows not
The world I marched in
From Calais to Moscow."
And he slept on
In the old sarcophagus
While the aeroplanes
Droned their motors
Between Napoleon's mausoleum
And the cool night stars."

[Massacure]

5. bump

Don't let this thread die yet. Lets keep it up here for 24 hours.