Omaha Beach: The Greatest Moment in American History

Vanity | June 6, 2016 | JewishRighter

[JewishRighter]

To my thinking, the Normandy invasion on June 6, 1944 was the greatest day in American history. Of course, the grand scale of American industrial and military might and organizational genius on display that day are worthy of tremendous admiration. But more importantly by far was the greatness of the quintessential American character that prevailed: bravery, sacrifice, heroism, nobility of spirit, love of freedom and hatred of evil. And nowhere was this character better revealed than Omaha beach. Bloody Omaha. If the mention of that place does not arouse a mixture of somber reflection and profound admiration in your heart, you either don't know the facts or you are morally deranged. As I have been told that the landing scene in Saving Private Ryan is the most realistic depiction of that event, it would be well for every patriotic American to watch it and to internalize what it meant for those young men to watch the ramp fall on the landing craft and stare straight into the face of death. And yet, they still went forward!

A footnote to this great day in American history: For me, the son of a concentration camp prisoner who was liberated from a Nazi Death March by American troops 10 months later, this is my personal Memorial Day. If not for those great American heroes, my father most probably would have been murdered like the rest of his family.

[miss marmelstein]

In many ways, it was a terrible day. To me it’s as close to seeing Pickett’s Charge or the slaughter at Antietam.

[NorthMountain]

What unit is that? I’m a bit surprised to see them all (but the sniper, with an ‘03 Springfield) armed with M1 Carbines.

[Night Hides Not]

Sorry, but my vote goes to July 20, 1969. That was an uniquely American day. Not discounting D-Day, but that was an allied effort.

[fella]

Maybe I’m just a bit paranoid but I think we’re in for a Good Fight right here at home in the near future. Remember the Boy Scouts motto, “Be Prepared”.

[JewishRighter]

I don’t discount their contribution one bit. One of Britain’s great moments was the Pegasus Bridge operation, an amazing feat of arms. I am only talking about what I think was the apex of American achievement, not to diminish anyone else.

[JewishRighter]

Washington’s feat getting to and achieving victory at Trenton is another of the greatest American moments. However, even if we were to agree that one was greater, I can’t see how anyone can say either one “pales” compared to the other. Both fantastic.

I have to give the nod to Omaha. The danger they faced hitting that beach with German machine guns, mortars, 88’s all carefully pre-aimed to provide plunging, enfilade and defilade lines of fire was truly the Valley of Death.

[Burma Jones]

Saturday (June 4) was the anniversary of the critical day at Midway. I would put the heroism of the men of Torpedo Squadron 8 up there with any in our history. When they took off that morning, they may not have known they were on a suicide mission, but by the time they reached the enemy (and had gotten separated from their fighter cover), I believe they did. Only one man survived: George Gay, who was later rescued out of the Pacific. TS-6 and TS-3 suffered casualty rates that weren’t far behind.

And it wasn’t simply heroic self-sacrifice. By drawing the Japanese fighters down close to sea level, the torpedo bombers allowed our dive bombers to deliver the blows that took out 3 Japanese carriers and turned the tide of the war and world history in the space of 5 minutes.

D-Day certainly hastened the end, but Nazi Germany was on the way out, even if D-Day had not succeeded. Before Midway, Japan was still on the offensive and could have won the war before we were able to bring our superior resources into play. After Midway, with most of their carrier fleet on the bottom of the ocean, Japan’s days were numbered. It would be 3+ more years of incredibly hard fighting, but from June 4, 1942, there was no realistic path for a Japanese victory.

[COBOL2Java]

That June 6 Omaha Beach landing at the beginning of “Saving Private Ryan” was riveting film making.

[dfwgator]

There were many similar landings in the Pacific Theater. According to one book, D-Days in the Pacific, there were 126 of them. Okinawa had an ever larger amphibious force than at Normandy.

Not to diminish the War in Europe, but imagine that plus the heat, an even more fanatical enemy, the deadly critters that were all over the place, threats of disease from mosquitoes, that was the Pacific Theater.

[Bull Snipe]

interesting assortment of weapons. I count 5 M1 carbines, 1 1903 Springfield, maybe an M1 Garand, and possibly a bolt action hunting rifle of some sort.

[poconopundit]

Good one, JewishRighter.

My Dad was at Normandy on one of the LST ships that landed tanks and artillery.

He told us once, "If you weren't scared, you weren't there."

And I think his tour was unusual because he was also present at the Battle of Okinawa when 1,450 Kamikaze planes were crashing on ships.

Thirty odd years later, he graciously welcomed my wife, a citizen of Japan.  Back at the Navy base in Sasebo, Japan, we had a reception at the Navy base where many Japanese friends of family were invited.

Never forget getting a Banzai salute with the raising of the arms in the air three times "Banzai".  Actually, the Banzai is not a military salute at all.  It is customary at weddings. It means, 10,000 years -- may you live 10,000 years.

[JewishRighter]

Thank you all for your excellent and thought-provoking posts. I have done a good deal of reading on the landings and battles of the Pacific theater and you really give me pause when you point out the difficulties faced in those campaigns. If the enemy wasn’t bad enough, the conditions were sheer hell. I am in awe of all of the fighting men of that war.

[Daffynition]

FWIW, you may be interested:

My uncle Joe Hartney USN, was the signalman on the USS Juneau and one of the ten survivors [out of 700] of the tragedy.

Fortunately, his amazing story was recorded for posterity: http://www.ussatlanta.com/stories/Juneasstoryfay.htm

You will weep, witness miracles, share his joy with the help he received from natives and be amazed at the courage and grit of this All-American hero. I think his story is worth the read.

An aside: He makes mention of looking at a photo of his wife in the linked account, before the torpedo hit; as a child, I recall him saying, that for some reason he uncharacteristically put his wallet in his shirt pocket. After the explosion and fire, his pants were blow away, and he would have lost his wallet; but as fate would have it, part of his shirt with his wallet remained.

Lue C. Hartney & Joseph Patrick Francis Hartney Sea2c Nov 1941

God Bless you Uncle Joe. Wherever you are.

I apologize that this is a raw narrative, recorded just before he passed. It could use an professional edit; but it just how he said it.

[Rockingham]

D-Day was inherently a turning point in the European Theater of WW II because, if the US and the Western Allies were strong enough and militarily competent enough to carry off and win D-Day, they plainly also could liberate France and drive on to Berlin to win the war. Yet that does not mean that at D-Day victory was assured, or even that the invading American GIs would make it to the beach.

Here is a D-Day survival story you might find illuminating. A lawyer in Orlando who is a family friend had a father who, as young American lieutenant, landed in the first wave at Omaha Beach on D-Day and then fought his way across Europe. To even get to the beach alive on June 6, 1944 though he had to pull a gun on and threaten the life of the British sailor who was piloting his Higgins boat.

Watching other boats, the lieutenant saw that due to heavy German machine gun fire, British sailors were disobeying their orders and, instead of running up and grounding on the beach, they were stopping in deep water and ordering the American troops to get out. The Americans then fell into water over their heads and drowned due to the heavy load of weapons and gear they carried.

When the lieutenant's boat slowed and the British sailor in charge started to lower the front ramp, the young American officer pulled out his .45, put it against the Brit's head, and ordered him to put the ramp up and drive forward to the beach. The Brit sailor complied. The lieutenant survived D-Day and the ensuing months in combat. Today, his son and other family regard those hours in combat in Normandy as a defining moment in his life.

[dfwgator]

D-Day was inherently a turning point in the European Theater of WW II because,

It was the second one, Kursk was the first.

[EternalVigilance]

https://archive.org/details/CMHPub741CrossChannelAttack

[fella]

Brave Men

[Rockingham]

In part, that is a rerun of the old argument about the relative importance of the Eastern and Western fronts in WW II. Yet, with a different ideology and war aims, the USSR was in the long run a competitor and adversary to the US and the Western allies. With that in mind, I am hard put to rate Soviet victories in WW II as highly as those of the Western allies.

[sleddogs]

My uncle Denver Miller was also on the Atlanta (sister ship) in the same battle. His whole gun crew was wiped out from a direct hit, Denver was the only survivor and spent 2 weeks on Okinawa in care of the Marines until he could be transported to Pearl Harbor. The Atlanta was so damaged that it was scuttled the next day.

[sleddogs]

Guadalcanal not Okinawa. Me bad.