Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

D-Day: Three presidents, one of the great battles of history, and the heart and task of a nation
Liberty Unyielding ^ | June 6, 2014 | J.E. Dyer

Posted on 06/06/2014 6:49:32 PM PDT by LibertyGirl14

A couple of years ago, I wrote a piece about the fading sentimental connection of today’s generations with World War II, the defining event of the 20th century. There is some oddity in living through the transition: in seeing the soldiers whom FDR called “our sons” become our grandfathers and great-grandfathers, and then the ghosts of history commemorated on tombstones.

One of the most important transitions is the fading of the grand narrative by which we defined and guided our nation for so many decades. The hindsight of history has its rewards. But it has its drawbacks as well, as immediacy and personal connection disappear behind us...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Government; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: dwightdeisenhower; military; normandy; worldwarii
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 61-8081-100101-120121-133 next last
To: caww
Reinforcements continue to land...


101 posted on 06/06/2014 11:34:02 PM PDT by caww
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 99 | View Replies]

To: caww
The German positions dominating the shore are captured one by one and 'at the beginning of afternoon', the slauther stops on Omaha...... The vehicles are then again authorized to land, thanks to the sappers who have opened five new exits. 6 exits out of 16 were opened.

At the end of the afternoon, the beach is under control, but regularly German snipers open fire on the landing troops or on the casualties awaiting their evacuation towards England.


102 posted on 06/06/2014 11:40:09 PM PDT by caww
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 100 | View Replies]

To: caww

At Omaha beach none of the German strongpoints had been taken out by the pre-invasion bombardment. The bombers had dropped their loads farther inland and the naval guns hadn’t found them either. For the first few hours Omaha beach was a shooting gallery. Everything that landed was piling up near the shore. The sea literally turned red at the shoreline.

Around 9 am our destroyers came up within a thousand yards of the shore, trained their guns on the bluffs and blasted them for half an hour.


103 posted on 06/06/2014 11:40:32 PM PDT by Pelham (If you do not deport it is amnesty by default.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 94 | View Replies]

To: caww
Reinforcements on the way towards Normandy in order to protect the fragile American beachhead.


104 posted on 06/06/2014 11:44:59 PM PDT by caww
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 102 | View Replies]

To: caww
On the evening of June 6, 1944,... nearly 30,000 men and women landed on Omaha Beach. .....3,000 American soldiers lost their life, were wounded or were reported missing or were made prisoner in the first hours of the attack.

On June 6 at midnight, The beachhead is extremely fragile and the Allies are in a weak position in Omaha:.... one massive counter-attack with tanks could abruptly stop the operation Overlord....... The next 24 hours are decisive in this sector for the global success of the Allied invasion in western Europe.


105 posted on 06/06/2014 11:48:53 PM PDT by caww
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 104 | View Replies]

To: caww

“The German Leadership did say that they had just one chance to win...and that was while we were in the water, “

What they definitely didn’t want is a two front war. Fortunately for us the Eastern Front had been going on since 1941 and the Germans had lost many of their best troops in that fighting. The troops we ran into at Normandy were 50% teenagers without a lot of training. If they had all been well trained and older Normandy would have been much bloodier.


106 posted on 06/06/2014 11:51:38 PM PDT by Pelham (If you do not deport it is amnesty by default.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 91 | View Replies]

To: Pelham

....”For the first few hours Omaha beach was a shooting gallery. Everything that landed was piling up near the shore. The sea literally turned red at the shoreline”......

Really makes you pause to consider doesn’t it.....I remember before seeing Tom Hanks film on D-Day someone said don’t go because it’s too bloody. Well, from what I read the veterans had said after they went that those scenes were pretty much just how it was. I saw the movie...and have watched it many times since.

I also understand that because of the smoke, not just from the military but the fires set by the rockets, that visibility was horrible.... then you add that the boats just kept on bringing men in, and the Germans kept right on shooting them..even before they landed.. some never made it to shore.

Horrible how brutal it was...but then the Nazi’s are just that....bloodthirsty brutes...and then some even today.


107 posted on 06/06/2014 11:59:48 PM PDT by caww
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 103 | View Replies]

To: Pelham

.....”The troops we ran into at Normandy were 50% teenagers without a lot of training. If they had all been well trained and older Normandy would have been much bloodier”....

Heck the Nazi’s had been killing people at random, not to mention the Holocaust, before our guys had to deal with them, so they knew their brutality. Those kids might not have been experienced but I don’t imagine they were any less brutal if they had the chance, just not as accurate nor as capable of fighting strategically.

When you fill young peoples head full of hate as the Nazi’s did...there could be nothing more than bloodshed. The one will always lead to the other.


108 posted on 06/07/2014 12:07:26 AM PDT by caww
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 106 | View Replies]

To: caww
Landing crafts which took the soldiers to shore


109 posted on 06/07/2014 12:11:50 AM PDT by caww
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 108 | View Replies]

To: caww
Aerial view


110 posted on 06/07/2014 12:13:26 AM PDT by caww
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 109 | View Replies]

To: caww
Landing at Utah Beach


111 posted on 06/07/2014 12:15:53 AM PDT by caww
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 110 | View Replies]

To: caww
American medics arriving


112 posted on 06/07/2014 12:17:34 AM PDT by caww
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 111 | View Replies]

To: caww
Omahau Beach Bunker today


113 posted on 06/07/2014 12:21:59 AM PDT by caww
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 112 | View Replies]

To: caww

114 posted on 06/07/2014 12:24:40 AM PDT by caww
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 112 | View Replies]

To: caww

115 posted on 06/07/2014 12:26:10 AM PDT by caww
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 114 | View Replies]

To: caww

116 posted on 06/07/2014 12:28:40 AM PDT by caww
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 115 | View Replies]

To: caww
Medics at Omahau


117 posted on 06/07/2014 12:30:26 AM PDT by caww
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 116 | View Replies]

To: caww
Paratroopers getting final instructions before leaving


118 posted on 06/07/2014 12:32:40 AM PDT by caww
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 117 | View Replies]

To: caww
Rangers scale Pointe-du-Hoc


119 posted on 06/07/2014 12:38:01 AM PDT by caww
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 118 | View Replies]

bkmk


120 posted on 06/07/2014 12:40:24 AM PDT by AllAmericanGirl44
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 118 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 61-8081-100101-120121-133 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson