Pitlab77

iTrader: (3)

1944 : D-Day

On this day in 1944, Supreme Allied Commander General Dwight D. Eisenhower gives the go-ahead for largest amphibious military operation in history: Operation Overlord, code-named D-Day, the Allied invasion of northern France.

By daybreak, 18,000 British and American parachutists were already on the ground. At 6:30 a.m., American troops came ashore at Utah and Omaha beaches. At Omaha, the U.S. First Division battled high seas, mist, mines, burning vehicles-and German coastal batteries, including an elite infantry division, which spewed heavy fire. Many wounded Americans ultimately drowned in the high tide. British divisions, which landed at Gold, and Sword beaches, and Canadian troops, landing at Juno beach, also met with heavy German fire, but by the end of the day they were able to push inland.

Despite the German resistance, Allied casualties overall were relatively light. The United States and Britain each lost about 1,000 men, and Canada 355. Before the day was over, 155,000 Allied troops would be in Normandy. However, the United States managed to get only half of the 14,000 vehicles and a quarter of the 14,500 tons of supplies they intended on shore.

Three factors were decisive in the success of the Allied invasion. First, German counterattacks were firm but sparse, enabling the Allies to create a broad bridgehead, or advanced position, from which they were able to build up enormous troop strength. Second, Allied air cover, which destroyed bridges over the Seine, forced the Germans to suffer long detours, and naval gunfire proved decisive in protecting the invasion troops. And third, division and confusion within the German ranks as to where the invasion would start and how best to defend their position helped the Allies. (Hitler, convinced another invasion was coming the next day east of the Seine River, refused to allow reserves to be pulled from that area.)

Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, commander of Britain's Twenty-first Army Group (but under the overall command of General Eisenhower, for whom Montgomery, and his ego, proved a perennial thorn in the side), often claimed later that the invasion had come off exactly as planned. That was a boast, as evidenced by the failure to take Caen on the first day, as scheduled. While the operation was a decided success, considering the number of troops put ashore and light casualties, improvisation by courageous and quick-witted commanders also played an enormous role.

gman3

I went to Normadie a couple of years ago. Really somethiing to see. Thanks to the brave guys who went. I met a paratrooper from one of thoese wooden gliders they used. I asked him if he was scared when he jumped. He said he was just glad to be out of the ******* plane. Guy was like 83 got captured immediately. Ill be honest, I woould have **** myself if I had been on one of those landing crafts

neogenesis2004

iTrader: (12)

I watched band of brothers episodes 1-5 last week. Does that count?

Braineack

iTrader: (62)

I was really good at Medal of Honor: Allied Assault.

Newbsauce

iTrader: (2)

I am getting really good at call of duty 3 online. I killed many germans last night.

steelrat

Actually watched some of the A&E movie on Ike recently again. Still thought it was done well......

Dave,

ST2udent

iTrader: (1)

Those guys are heroes and what I consider the last generation of true men. I respect every one of them.

Philip

Real cool "invasion tech" episode of modern marvels on today on the history channel.
hats off to those that served then and now.

96rdstr

iTrader: (4)

My next door neighbor was part of the Allied Invasion on 6/6/44. He survived that, then spent the rest of the war liberating France and the rest of the occupied territories of Europe. After WWII he fought in the Korean War before he retired from the military. He has some great stories

He is, in my book, a great man of courage. So are all the all the rest of the US Military personnel, whether they are active, in the reserves, discharged or retired...

Another area of history that I love is the US Civil War. Brother vs Brother....still to this day, it dumbfounds me. Only to think it ended only a little over 140 years ago.

kotomile

iTrader: (24)

Hooah.

cueball1

iTrader: (13)

All you band of brothers fans, Don Malarky is a close family friend. Guy's the real deal. Have had several friends that were WW2 veterans. One Navy guy got 2 boats shot out from under him on the same day. My neighbor was a P-38 pilot. He came back, got his phd and literally became a brain surgeon. After retiring from medicine he took up academia and became poet lauriat of a major university.

Can't imagine living with what those guys went through. After living in hell they came back, manned up, went to work, got educated, all to better themselves and the country. Definetly America's greatest generation.

Newbsauce

iTrader: (2)

I love watching the history channel about wars/weapons/fights. My favorite is the stuff about like knights. Those were the days of cool fights :( Sword fights> gun fights.

jwarriner

It was a different time for sure. Now nobody takes responsibility for themselves, let alone the rest of the country. These guys were plucked out of their homes and sent to war, some even joined as young as 16 by lying (my grandfather joined at 17 this way). Not to get political but any mention of a draft (which I don't agree with personally) garners tremendous amounts of whining and talk of fairness, do people think WWII was fair? And could you imagine 18-year-old emo kids with 26" wastes going through basic training? They'd be crying and cutting themselves between jumping jacks. We'd be fucked and a half if we had to rely on this country in a full scale war such as WWII was. In WWII Ford and Chevy shut down so they could supply the war machine. If that happened today everyone who's lease was up would protest in the street because they can't get a 2008 Canyonaro for $239 a month. We really are a country of self serving, self important pansies.

neogenesis2004

iTrader: (12)

Just so you totally don't discount the US, we didn't do it alone. The, then, USSR was one of the biggest reasons we won the war in europe. Approximately 20 million Soviet soldiers died in WWII compared to the ~400K US soldiers. Thats a little statistic that you might not find in you US history book.

jwarriner

I realize you're right but it still doesn't change the fact that the country gave 110% and I don't think we're capable of that now.

xturner

My dad was a marine, did the South-Pacific island-invasion deal, got shot twice and can't close his left hand. My father-in-law was army infantry in Italy, got shot up at Anzio and has a permanent limp. These guys both enlisted, both had major *****, and neither one will talk about it - except occasionally to each other when nobody's around.

They are both serious pacifists, because of what they saw and did. I was lucky - just too young for Viet Nam. I'd like to think I could have the guts to do what they did.

gman3

I think it was a much different war than any other since. North Vietnam did not attack us directly nor though admittably debateable did Iraq or Afghanistan as Japan did. Germany openly declared war against the United States. I think completely different circumstances, and under the same circumstances today I like to think Americans would step to the plate

jwarriner

Me too but I'm afraid we wouldn't. In disposable America we don't care about or value anything. I suppose we'd really be up in arms if a foreign country came into everyones houses, took our LCD TVs, computers, cell phones, SUVs AND closed down all the McDonald's and Starbucks PLUS ended all Hollywood gossip, THEN people might be willing to make sacrifices to get it all back...

I sound way more cynical than I am. D-Day just got me thinking about stuff.