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General Dwight D. Eisenhower arrived in London January 2, 1944 to command Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF) and to direct the last five months of planning for D-Day; the most difficult and complicated military operation ever attempted. He brought with him a confident, battle tested team that had led successful landings in North Africa, Sicily, and Italy. He was able to expand the landing front from three to five divisions, to select his own division commanders, to enlist the help of the French Resistance, and to direct the strategic bombers for a campaign isolating the area of assault by...

RUSH: Let me try another way of putting D-Day in perspective. Now, numbers are hard to remember on the radio. The number of soldiers landed on the beaches at Normandy on D-Day was 129,710. By the time you add the paratroopers and the pilots of aircraft that were flying over, bombing, transport, and all of the crew that were on the ships that crossed the channel, we’re looking at a total of 150,000 Allied troops who were part of the mission. 150,000. That number was outmanned and outgunned by the Germans. There was a lot of deception. I’m gonna get...

============================================================ Although the idea might sound ridiculous at first, concrete ships have played an important role in naval warfare. When shortages of timber and steel threatened the supply of ships, using concrete provided a solution. Concrete ships use ferrocement in place of wood and some of the steel that is usually required. Ferrocement is made from mortar or plaster which is applied over a finely woven metal mesh. The mesh is usually made of iron (Latin: Ferrum) which gives it its name. Early models One of the earliest concrete boats was seen at the Paris Exhibition of 1855. Designed by...

As you likely know, it’s the 75th anniversary of D-Day, when 160,000 Allied troops invaded the beaches of Normandy, undertaking the largest from-the-sea invasion in the history of human warfare and marking the beginning of the end for the Axis. The actual business of getting over 100,000 soldiers and a metric crapton of vehicles and equipment from the ocean on to land is a decidedly non-trivial problem, one that the Allies solved with a brilliant but simple patented plywood boat: the Landing Craft, Vehicle and Personnel (LCVP), also called the Higgins Boat.      The Higgins Boat, named after its inventor, Andrew...

President Donald Trump delivered a moving address during the 75th-anniversary commemoration of D-Day in Normandy, France, on Thursday. The president took the stage shortly after French President Emmanuel Macron and addressed the crowd, which included 60 American veterans who were present on D-Day when the American forces stormed the beaches of Normandy. “You are the pride of our nation, you are the glory of the republic, and we thank you from the bottom of our heart,” Trump said to applause. The president honored the troops from other countries before asserting, “And finally, there were the Americans.” “They came from the...

The meaning behind the "D" in D-Day has to do with military terminology. On the morning of June 6, 1944, Allied forces staged an enormous assault on German positions on the beaches of Normandy, France. The invasion is often known by the famous nickname “D-Day,” yet few people know the origin of the term or what, if anything, the “D” stood for. Most argue it was merely a redundancy that also meant “day,” but others have proposed everything from “departure” to “decision” to “doomsday.” According to the U.S. military, “D-Day” was an Army designation used to indicate the start date...

After World War I, Germany's economy suffered from depression and a devaluation of their currency. On January 30, 1933, Adolph Hitler was elected Chancellor of Germany by promising hope and universal healthcare. Less than a month later, on February 27, 1933, a crisis occurred -- the Rheichstag, Germany's Capitol Building, was suspiciously set on fire. Hitler was quick to use this crisis as an opportunity to set aside Germany's Weimar Republic and seize emergency powers as a dictator. He suspended basic rights and accused his political opponents of conspiracy. He ordered mass arrests followed by executions, even ordering his SS...

Mikey McBryan, youngest son of 'Buffalo' Joe McBryan both of Buffalo Airways and 'Ice Pilots' fame undertook a D-Day DC3 restoration project in DEC 2018...

The United States, along with its allies, invaded continental Europe seventy-five years ago on June 6, 1944, thus ensuring the defeat of the worst tyranny in human history. But is this magnificent nation capable of mustering the same effort and resources if Donald Trump is defeated and the current iteration of the Democratic Party ever assumes power in perpetuity?

Over 160,000 troops from America, Britain, Canada, free France, Poland and other nations landed along a 50-mile stretch of the Normandy coast of France. It was the largest amphibious invasion force in world history, supported by 5,000 ships with 195,700 navy personnel and 13,000 aircraft. On that day, the sea along the heavily fortified beaches of Omaha, Utah, Gold, Juno, Sword and Pointe du Hoc ran red with the blood of almost 9,000 killed or wounded. It was a significant turning point in World War II. The steps which led up to D-Day deserve serious examination. After World War I,...

As we mark the 75th anniversary of one of the greatest moments in history, we should counter the defeatism and cynicism so characteristic of our times and look back at heroes proved—then up at Almighty God in gratitude for them. If the idea of gratitude toward God is off-putting to anyone, or seems somehow inappropriate, I would simply note how a famously liberal Democratic president approached matters on national radio as June 6, 1944, was drawing to a close. Roosevelt became America’s pastor for a moment, as he prayed:"Almighty God: Our sons, pride of our Nation, this day have set upon...

[link to 24 excellent photos, with captions.]

Joseph DiTonno’s LST transport ship was about halfway across the English Channel to Normandy when the captain’s voice cut through the dark over the speaker. “It’s too rough, we’re going back,” said the captain, to the recollection of DiTonno, now 94 and a resident of a state veterans’ home in Queens, but then the ship’s 19-year-old cook. “We’re going to see what [Supreme Allied Commander Gen. Dwight] Eisenhower wants to do.” It was just after midnight on June 5, 1944, and inclement weather conditions had scuttled the D-Day invasion after months of planning. The next day didn’t bring conditions that...

“These are the boys of Pointe du Hoc. These are the men who took the cliffs. These are the champions who helped free a continent. These are the heroes who helped end a war.” Ronald Reagan, June 6, 1984 Standing on a craggy overlook jutting into the English Channel Ronald Reagan delivered those words 35 years ago on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the beginning of the D-day invasion. By then the “boys” were already boys no more. The few who are still with us are now all in their 90’s. Some have come to today’s anniversary...

Seventy-five years ago today, heroes stormed the beaches to start the fight to free Europe from the evils of Nazi Germany. We owe those men a debt the world will never be able to repay. But in many ways, we are squandering their sacrifice by taking for granted the freedoms they protected and embracing the ideology they helped defeat. Have we forgotten the sacrifice of D-Day? Tens of thousands of men were killed or wounded in the invasion to retake continental Europe from the Nazis, yet as their friends and brothers in arms fell beside them on those cover-less beaches,...

I’d like to think I always felt pride in our nation. I’d like to think I always displayed respect for our flag and the men and women who serve in our military.  I thought I’d seen some great parades, fireworks, and pre-game ceremonies displaying true patriotism in the past. But I have to be honest.  I had to go to Europe to “get it.”Only one percent of us serve in our nation’s military today.  That’s not many who have an immediate family member serving.  Only they deeply know and internalize what being a part of that selfless fraternity is all about.American...

President Trump planned to join other world leaders in Europe on Thursday to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the D-Day invasion, a monumental event that was largely responsible for shaping the outcome of World War II. The ceremony was to take place on the edge of Omaha Beach in Normandy where thousands of American and Allied soldiers lost their lives. Trump, continuing the tradition of his predecessors, will stand alongside leaders from Britain, Canada, France, and even Germany to pay homage to the troops who stormed the fortified Normandy to help turn the tide of the war.

President Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron attend a commemoration ceremony for the 75th anniversary of D-Day in the American cemetery of Colleville-sur-Mer in Normandy on June 6. Subscribe to The Washington Post on YouTube: https://wapo.st/2QOdcqK

PORTSMOUTH, England – President Donald Trump read from a prayer delivered by President Franklin D. Roosevelt as he joined other world leaders and veterans Wednesday in marking the 75th anniversary of D-Day. Roosevelt went on national radio on June 6, 1944, to address the U.S. for the first time about the Normandy invasion. Trump, with images of an American flag and Roosevelt projected behind him, read to the crowd: "Almighty God, our sons, pride of our nation, this day, have set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our republic, our religion and our civilization and to set free...

Russia told the West on Wednesday the Normandy landings on D-Day in 1944 did not play a decisive role in ending World War II and that the Allied war effort should not be exaggerated. Moscow's comments might irk war veterans in Britain where the 75th anniversary on Wednesday of the largest seaborne invasion in history was marked at a ceremony in Portsmouth attended by Queen Elizabeth and world leaders including Donald Trump and Angela Merkel. Speaking at a weekly news conference in Moscow, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova offered a tribute to those who died on the western front of...