70th Anniversary of D-Day

[essdee1972]

On this day, 70 years ago, the Allied Expeditionary Force landed in Normandy in Operation Overlord. British, American, Canadian, French, Polish, and yes, Indians, charged onto the beaches of Normandy. The previous night, the US 82nd and 101st and British 6th Airborne Divisions had parachuted or glider-landed onto enemy held territory. They helped clear the roads and keep German armoured forces at bay.

The beaches will forever remain etched in the memory of mankind as long as the spark of freedom glows, however faintly, in the hearts of man.

Omaha - the killing ground - where the American 1st Div got massacred, and yet found resources within themselves to climb a steep bluff and take out the MG42s and bunkers. Shattered units, wounded, shocked men, led by a few young Lieutenants and Captains and Sergeants somehow faced the hail of bullets and shells, and won through, leaving the sea red with their blood.

Utah, where Brig. General Theodore Roosevelt (the son of the late President "Teddy" and cousin of the then president, FDR) personally led his men in the first wave (this was a guy who had had a heart attack). Due to a miscalculation in the tidal forces, the landings happened 3 km away, and hence the troops were spared the hail of bullets which greeted their comrades at Omaha.

Pointe-du-Huc, where the Rangers climbed a sheer cliff to capture enemy 155 mm howitzers, under fire. Imagine climbing a sheer cliff while someone shoots at you with a MG42 or two!

Gold and Juno, the British beaches, and Sword, where the lumberjacks and hunters from Canada faced the elite of the 3rd Reich, and came out on top.

These men came to liberate, not conquer. Most of them were civilians, forced into a war they did not want. Their enemy was indoctrinated in war, in their own racial supremacy. And these young men literally beat the c*** out of the master race!

My salute to these brave young men. In US they are known as the "Greatest Generation"...... and so they are!