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...
extra extra.... how the papers covered the invasion
http://www.buzzfeed.com/andrewkaczynski/newspaper-front-pages-covering-the-d-day-invasion-70-year
I noticed some of the first headlines about the invasion including a bit of propaganda
“Allied losses less than expected”
Did we really expect to lose more than 85% in the first wave?
Some of the first reports said they had already reached 10 miles inland... When they were actually still stuck on the beach
Maybe some of the parachute guys made it 10 miles I guess...
The yellow sands where the invasion happened:... Omaha Beach, in Normandy, France, where Allied troops first came ashore on June 6, 1944
Oh wow!.... that was interesting to see and read...4000 ships they said....Guess that’s your answer to how many....
About 1,000 of those were LST’s
Thank you for posting the photos and info.
We need such heroes now.
And I think there are some like them, they just are not yet in evidence.
Looks like the reporters then goof up just as they do now...ha!....
My dad died from War wounds when I was just four so my mother had some Army books with pictures of the war I use to wade through growing up. It was not til later years I became interested again when from time to time I’d see a photo that reminded me of those I knew as a child.
This led then to the past years, since Iraq and being a lurker then on Free Republic, that I really got interested in History, Wars, Maps and why it is things are today what they are.
It’s so fascinating investigating and learning more and more about these happenings.
I do believe they knew the losses would be great......there were of course problems with communications as well....but the drive continued. I imagine if our soldiers today were allowed to be soldiers we’d see the end to much of the conflicts in the world today....go in and clean house...done deal.
I really can’t get my head around that many ships etc at sea....coming from so many directions etc. Just the navigation of these had to have been mind-boggling! Let alone cordinating the airplanes and where to go once on land!
bump
get in, do the job and get out
On a smaller scale it was the same with the Inchon landing during the Korean war.
still there after all this time. wow
“German strongpoint’s were “knocked out by either by superbly directed vigorous gunfire from destroyers steaming as close as 800 yards offshore”
That’s a largely forgotten part of the battle. Around 9:00 am destroyer captains off of Omaha beach realized that something was going very wrong with the landing. Their decision to bring their ships right up to the beach in order to pick off strongpoints may well have decided the battle:
Destroyers at Normandy: Naval Gunfire Support at Omaha Beach
http://www.history.navy.mil/library/online/destroyersatnormandy.htm
That looks really close to the water
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