June 6, 1944: D-Day

[haukehaien]

I just got back from New Orleans, where I visited the National WWII museum (formerly the D-Day museum). Very interesting and moving. Here are a couple of relevant pictures:

Ephemera from the Higgins Boat company. Andrew Higgins, a native of Louisiana, had designed a small boat for operating in shallow waters; he modified the design into the familiar drop-ramp landing craft we've seen in all the films.

Models of Higgins' original boat (top) and the support and landing craft versions.

Engineering drawings

Not sure if the pics will show this way, if not, the links should work.

[KD Burke]

On June 6, 1944 Winston Churchill addressed the House of Commons. I believe that an excerpt of his remarks would not be amiss:

"I have also to announce to the House that during the night and the early hours of this morning the first of the series of landings in force upon the European Continent has taken place. In this case the liberating assault fell upon the coast of France. An immense armada of upwards of 4,000 ships, together with several thousand smaller craft, crossed the Channel. Massed airborne landings have been successfully effected behind the enemy lines, and landings on the beaches are proceeding at various points at the present time. The fire of the shore batteries has been largely quelled. The obstacles that were constructed in the sea have not proved so difficult as was apprehended. The Anglo-American Allies are sustained by about 11,000 firstline aircraft, which can be drawn upon as may be needed for the purposes of the battle. I cannot, of course, commit myself to any particular details. Reports are coming in in rapid succession. So far the Commanders who are engaged report that everything is proceeding according to plan. And what a plan! This vast operation is undoubtedly the most complicated and difficult that has ever taken place. It involves tides, wind, waves, visibility, both from the air and the sea standpoint, and the combined employment of land, air and sea forces in the highest degree of intimacy and in contact with conditions which could not and cannot be fully foreseen.

There are already hopes that actual tactical surprise has been attained, and we hope to furnish the enemy with a succession of surprises during the course of the fighting. The battle that has now begun will grow constantly in scale and in intensity for many weeks to come, and I shall not attempt to speculate upon its course. This I may say, however. Complete unity prevails throughout the Allied Armies. There is a brotherhood in arms between us and our friends of the United States. There is complete confidence in the supreme commander, General Eisenhower, and his lieutenants, and also in the commander of the Expeditionary Force, General Montgomery. The ardour and spirit of the troops, as I saw myself, embarking in these last few days was splendid to witness. Nothing that equipment, science or forethought could do has been neglected, and the whole process of opening this great new front will be pursued with the utmost resolution both by the commanders and by the United States and British Governments whom they serve. I have been at the centres where the latest information is received, and I can state to the House that this operation is proceeding in a thoroughly satisfactory manner. Many dangers and difficulties which at this time last night appeared extremely formidable are behind us. The passage of the sea has been made with far less loss than we apprehended. The resistance of the batteries has been greatly weakened by the bombing of the Air Force, and the superior bombardment of our ships quickly reduced their fire to dimensions which did not affect the problem. The landings of the troops on a broad front, both British and American- -Allied troops, I will not give lists of all the different nationalities they represent-but the landings along the whole front have been effective, and our troops have penetrated, in some cases, several miles inland. Lodgments exist on a broad front.





The outstanding feature has been the landings of the airborne troops, which were on a scale far larger than anything that has been seen so far in the world. These landings took place with extremely little loss and with great accuracy. Particular anxiety attached to them, because the conditions of light prevailing in the very limited period of the dawn-just before the dawn-the conditions of visibility made all the difference. Indeed, there might have been something happening at the last minute which would have prevented airborne troops from playing their part. A very great degree of risk had to be taken in respect of the weather.

But General Eisenhower's courage is equal to all the necessary decisions that have to be taken in these extremely difficult and uncontrollable matters. The airborne troops are well established, and the landings and the follow-ups are all proceeding with much less loss-very much less-than we expected. Fighting is in progress at various points. We captured various bridges which were of importance, and which were not blown up. There is even fighting proceeding in the town of Caen, inland. But all this, although a very valuable first step-a vital and essential first step-gives no indication of what may be the course of the battle in the next days and weeks, because the enemy will now probably endeavour to concentrate on this area, and in that event heavy fighting will soon begin and will continue without end, as we can push troops in and he can bring other troops up. It is, therefore, a most serious time that we enter upon. Thank God, we enter upon it with our great Allies all in good heart and all in good friendship."

[Mark R]

Mixed emotions as it is one of the greatest days in history but also reminds me of the passing of almost every American who participated in the liberation of Europe.


Had the pleasure of meeting an elderly gentleman while having breakfast in Knoxville, TN on the morning of May 20th before going to the Smoky Mnt Highland Games. Noticed his army hat decorated with more medals than I could count so, as I always do, I thanked him for his service and we struck up a conversation.

Turns out he served with the 26th Infantry Division, the "Yankee Division." He received 2 purple hearts and more decorations than I could mention while seeing extensive action in the European theater from France, to Luxemborg, to the Battle of the Bulge, to Oppenheim, to Linz and to the liberation of the concentration camp at Gusen. He was very open and shared numerous stories about his service career. Only regret was not having enough time to spend talking with him but he did allow me to pick up his tab.

Another one of America's Greatest Generation who will soon be gone.


PS: Wanted to say thank you to our Canadian and European allies who were also large contributors to the events of D-Day and the subsequent liberation of Europe.


An article some may be interested in:

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/06/06...-day-invasion/

D-Day medic still haunted by 'the boy on the beach'


The passage of 68 years has not dimmed Army medic Bernard Friedenberg's memory of "the boy on the beach."

Friedenberg was just 22 when he took part in the storied invasion of Normandy, hitting Omaha Beach with the 16th Regiment of the 1st Infantry Division, or “The Big Red One” on June 6, 1944. Moments after reaching the heavily-fortified French coastline, and as Nazi artillery rained down from the cliffs above, Friedenberg found a young, mortally-wounded soldier gasping his last breaths.

“He was shot through the chest and as he would breathe, the air would blow out of his chest, so I had to seal off the wound,” Friedenberg told FoxNews.com. “At the same time, I was hearing ‘medic, medic,’ from other soldiers. It was a massacre, an absolute massacre, and I was in the middle of it.”

Faced with the dilemma of continuing to treat the wounded soldier or turning to others, Friedenberg gave the soldier morphine and moved on. It’s a decision that still haunts the 90-year-old New Jersey man long after the invasion that allowed the Allies to gain a foothold in Normandy and begin the march across Europe to defeat Adolf Hitler.

“It was really rough,” he said. “I have some terrible memories. I was patching up guys right and left, on all sides of me.”

More than 5,000 ships and 13,000 aircraft took part in the D-Day invasion, which Gen. Dwight Eisenhower called a crusade that necessitated “nothing less than full victory.” By day’s end, more than 9,000 Allied soldiers were killed or wounded. But more than 100,000 soldiers survived, including Friedenberg, who would eventually trek through England, Algeria, Tunisia, Belgium, Germany and Czechoslovakia, earning two Purple Hearts, two Bronze Stars and two Silver Stars along the way.

"I lost so many friends on that day. God only knows how I came through without getting hit. But I did get through."

- WWII medic Bernard Friedenberg

Friedenberg, of Margate, N.J., visited a local school in Atlantic City on Tuesday to commemorate the anniversary, sharing his experiences with students who hung on his every word.

“The day is very significant to me,” he continued. “I lost so many friends on that day. God only knows how I came through without getting hit. But I did get through.”

Friedenberg, as a way of treating his post-traumatic stress disorder — "they called it 'shellshock' in those days" — chronicled his experiences as a near-sighted soldier who nearly wasn’t accepted into the service to his return to Normandy on his 80th birthday. The book, “Of Being Numerous: World War II As I Saw It,” published by Stockon College’s Holocaust Resource Center, is now mandatory reading at area college courses on the war, he said.

Despite the book’s near-universal praise for its candor and humor, Friedenberg does not enjoy recounting his war stories.

“He still gets nightmares, and he thinks back to the men he couldn’t save,” Friedenberg’s wife, Phyllis, told FoxNews.com.

“I have scars on my body, and scars in my head as well,” he said. “They will never heal.”

Other soldiers interviewed by FoxNews.com who took part in the D-Day invasion, including Rufus Broadaway, a paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne Division, recall the day in a much different light.

“I had forgotten that [today] is D-Day,” Broadaway told FoxNews.com when reached in Gainesville, Fla. “We don’t have any plans but to have our flag on our lawn.”

Sixty-eight years ago today, Broadaway leaped from his "hit" plane from the lowest altitude he had ever jumped — maybe 300 feet, he said — and landed on an apple tree.

“The roadway was covered with debris, a lot of dead bodies, injured soldiers, and soldiers so petrified that they couldn’t even move,” Broadaway said. “The air was full of shots and shells. But my captain had us going along. It was a miracle that we got across that causeway. By that time, the Germans had retreated.

“I wouldn’t take anything back,” Broadaway continued. “I will forever be proud of it and hold that experience close. I’m so thankful that I was a part of it.”

[tulloch]

I have been working in my office all day catching up on administrative things. I have been listening to recordings of radio broadcasts of the 6th of June, 1944. It is very interesting to see what the world learned and when. I have talked with my mother about what they learned and how they perceived it. Hindsight is very reassuring. Back then it was not clearly known how bad the world situation was. Nor was it clearly known that we would prevail. It was the most amazing single event in history. I have never lost interest in how it worked and what happened. Wow.

[creagdhubh]

OPERATION OVERLORD (THE NORMANDY LANDINGS): D-DAY 6 JUNE 1944. The British 2nd Army: Commandos of 1st Special Service Brigade landing from an LCI(S) (Landing Craft Infantry Small) on 'Queen Red' Beach, SWORD Area, at la Breche, at approximately 8.40 am, 6 June. The brigade commander, Brigadier the Lord Lovat DSO MC, can be seen striding through the water to the right of the column of men. The figure nearest the camera is the brigade's bagpiper, Piper Bill Millin.

***

[creagdhubh]

Mixed emotions as it is one of the greatest days in history but also reminds me of the passing of almost every American who participated in the liberation of Europe.


Had the pleasure of meeting an elderly gentleman while having breakfast in Knoxville, TN on the morning of May 20th before going to the Smoky Mnt Highland Games. Noticed his army hat decorated with more medals than I could count so, as I always do, I thanked him for his service and we struck up a conversation.

Turns out he served with the 26th Infantry Division, the "Yankee Division." He received 2 purple hearts and more decorations than I could mention while seeing extensive action in the European theater from France, to Luxemborg, to the Battle of the Bulge, to Oppenheim, to Linz and to the liberation of the concentration camp at Gusen. He was very open and shared numerous stories about his service career. Only regret was not having enough time to spend talking with him but he did allow me to pick up his tab.

Another one of America's Greatest Generation who will soon be gone.


PS: Wanted to say thank you to our Canadian and European allies who were also large contributors to the events of D-Day and the subsequent liberation of Europe.


An article some may be interested in:

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/06/06...-day-invasion/

D-Day medic still haunted by 'the boy on the beach'


The passage of 68 years has not dimmed Army medic Bernard Friedenberg's memory of "the boy on the beach."

Friedenberg was just 22 when he took part in the storied invasion of Normandy, hitting Omaha Beach with the 16th Regiment of the 1st Infantry Division, or “The Big Red One” on June 6, 1944. Moments after reaching the heavily-fortified French coastline, and as Nazi artillery rained down from the cliffs above, Friedenberg found a young, mortally-wounded soldier gasping his last breaths.

“He was shot through the chest and as he would breathe, the air would blow out of his chest, so I had to seal off the wound,” Friedenberg told FoxNews.com. “At the same time, I was hearing ‘medic, medic,’ from other soldiers. It was a massacre, an absolute massacre, and I was in the middle of it.”

Faced with the dilemma of continuing to treat the wounded soldier or turning to others, Friedenberg gave the soldier morphine and moved on. It’s a decision that still haunts the 90-year-old New Jersey man long after the invasion that allowed the Allies to gain a foothold in Normandy and begin the march across Europe to defeat Adolf Hitler.

“It was really rough,” he said. “I have some terrible memories. I was patching up guys right and left, on all sides of me.”

More than 5,000 ships and 13,000 aircraft took part in the D-Day invasion, which Gen. Dwight Eisenhower called a crusade that necessitated “nothing less than full victory.” By day’s end, more than 9,000 Allied soldiers were killed or wounded. But more than 100,000 soldiers survived, including Friedenberg, who would eventually trek through England, Algeria, Tunisia, Belgium, Germany and Czechoslovakia, earning two Purple Hearts, two Bronze Stars and two Silver Stars along the way.

"I lost so many friends on that day. God only knows how I came through without getting hit. But I did get through."

- WWII medic Bernard Friedenberg

Friedenberg, of Margate, N.J., visited a local school in Atlantic City on Tuesday to commemorate the anniversary, sharing his experiences with students who hung on his every word.

“The day is very significant to me,” he continued. “I lost so many friends on that day. God only knows how I came through without getting hit. But I did get through.”

Friedenberg, as a way of treating his post-traumatic stress disorder — "they called it 'shellshock' in those days" — chronicled his experiences as a near-sighted soldier who nearly wasn’t accepted into the service to his return to Normandy on his 80th birthday. The book, “Of Being Numerous: World War II As I Saw It,” published by Stockon College’s Holocaust Resource Center, is now mandatory reading at area college courses on the war, he said.

Despite the book’s near-universal praise for its candor and humor, Friedenberg does not enjoy recounting his war stories.

“He still gets nightmares, and he thinks back to the men he couldn’t save,” Friedenberg’s wife, Phyllis, told FoxNews.com.

“I have scars on my body, and scars in my head as well,” he said. “They will never heal.”

Other soldiers interviewed by FoxNews.com who took part in the D-Day invasion, including Rufus Broadaway, a paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne Division, recall the day in a much different light.

“I had forgotten that [today] is D-Day,” Broadaway told FoxNews.com when reached in Gainesville, Fla. “We don’t have any plans but to have our flag on our lawn.”

Sixty-eight years ago today, Broadaway leaped from his "hit" plane from the lowest altitude he had ever jumped — maybe 300 feet, he said — and landed on an apple tree.

“The roadway was covered with debris, a lot of dead bodies, injured soldiers, and soldiers so petrified that they couldn’t even move,” Broadaway said. “The air was full of shots and shells. But my captain had us going along. It was a miracle that we got across that causeway. By that time, the Germans had retreated.

“I wouldn’t take anything back,” Broadaway continued. “I will forever be proud of it and hold that experience close. I’m so thankful that I was a part of it.”

Absolutely wonderful, thank you for contributing to this thread.

Best wishes,

[creagdhubh]

PS: Wanted to say thank you to our Canadian and European allies who were also large contributors to the events of D-Day and the subsequent liberation of Europe.

Well said and I completely agree!

[English Bloke]

Britain has much to thank her allies for. Lest we forget.

[planemaker]

God bless all the veteran's of WWII.
Grandfather - Royal Canadian Engineer's Corps
Uncle - Royal Canadian Navy
Father - Royal Canadian Air Force Auxillery

[jhockin]

I had identical twin Uncles, who flew Spitfires, during the war ( RCAF, flying in the same RAF squadron) - here is an excerpt, form one of their flight logs, i thought worth sharing, as a view-point, from the time & place: