Free Republic

The two most ardent boosters of the Normandy invasion were Stalin and Harry Hopkins ... Churchill famously urged that the advance on Germany continue from already-won bases in Italy and elsewhere in south-central Europe. Stalin’s demand for the big U.S.-British push in northern France, however, prevailed. According to the tally of one peeved letter to the editor in the New York Times, this would put the Allies on track to open their ninth front. Of course, in order to gather sufficient forces for the June 1944 D-Day invasion, men and equipment, particularly landing craft, had to be withdrawn from the...

U.S. Paratroopers with Mohawks - World War II

Early in the morning of June 6, 1944, Americans heard on their radios that thousands of American and British soldiers had landed on the beaches of northern France. They were fighting German soldiers. This day marked the beginning of the end of one of the bloodiest wars ever: World War II. The American and British invasion of France was a top-secret mission called "Operation Overlord." When they landed on the beaches of Normandy on June 6, the goal of every soldier was to drive the German military back. Thousands of men died during that effort, either in the churning...

Cary Lee Jarvis, 84, reflects on his experiences on Omaha Beach and about the D-Day invasion. "It seems like 10 lifetimes ago," the Virginia Beach residents says. Rich-Joseph Facus / Special to The Virginian-Pilot Cary Lee Jarvis in 1943 Click the button below to hear Jarvis describe his experience during the invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944. Free Flash player required. VIRGINIA BEACH - Cary Lee Jarvis, 84, knows D-Day. He knows why mines were called "bouncing betties" and how booby traps worked. He knows about being a staff sergeant whose lieutenant was newly dead, leading men in...

At 6:30 in the morning, on June 6 1944, American troops landed on Utah and Omaha beaches on the Cherbourg Peninsula. By nightfall some 5,000 of them lay dead on the blood drenched beaches. Earlier that morning, the 101st and 82nd U.S. Airborne Divisions were dropped behind the German lines where they also suffered heavy casualties. The world learned of the invasion from a simply worded communiqué that gave no hint of the carnage on the Normandy beaches or behind the lines. It read: ''London, Tuesday, June 6, 1944; Under command of General Eisenhower, Allied naval forces, supported by strong...

The republic's inglorious military history leaves it on the wrong side of debate about proper use of force, writes Gerard Henderson. Sunday marks the 60th anniversary of the D-Day landings at Normandy in north-west France, which began the liberation of much of Western Europe from Nazi Germany rule. The US President, George Bush, and the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, will be present at the commemoration. The Prime Minister, John Howard, will have a minor role (about 3000 Australians were involved in the invasion of France, primarily as air crew). Naturally, France will be represented on June 6 by its...