[Charlie Brengun]

Eighty years ago today the end of the German occupation of Western Europe started. Without the sacrifice of these men (and many other men and women) I'd not be posting this today.
Lest we not forget.

A Robert Capa photo of men of the 2nd wave going on to Omaha beach.

[JSchmitz]

Amen! It's my Birthday also!

[thepontiacman]

Freedom is not Free!

Thanks to all who served.





Sent from my moto g power 5G - 2023 using Tapatalk

[salem1912]

Thanks for posting CB,what a day that certainly change the world! I have watch many films and movies on this day. Watch Band of Brothers of which I tried to watch again but got to emotional. Can't imagine what these"kids" had to do.
God Bless them and America and our Allies too!

[jhein]

I've been to Normandy. It was quite a moving experience. 9.388 US troops buried there. When we visited the cemetery, we were very lucky. It was my wife and me. We pulled up just as 3 huge busses were loading up and pulling away so just by pure luck we were the only people there. At noon they played the US National Anthem over the PA system, I think they do that every day but I'm not sure. Then as if on cue, two Mirage fighters flew over. I think that was a total coincidence. Where the cemetery is, is not where the really high cliffs were but if you walk down to the beach and stand there looking up at the hill and try to imagine what those guys faced it's chilling. They still have a lot of the gun batteries and concrete bunkers in the hillside over the beach. D-day, what a thing.

[ta6point6]

Watching the opening scenes of Saving Private Ryan are chilling. The amount of courage these guys had to have in the face of such carnage is unfathomable. All combat veterans should be afforded everything and anything they need after serving. I just watched a news channel and they were covering the Ghost Army of D-Day, the Germans fell for it otherwise the loses could have been much much higher for all the D-Day soldiers.

[KS circutguy]

RIP dad
We will always miss you.
He served and was wounded at Omaha Beach.
Mr. Koczan served with the 109th Infantry, 28th Division, during World War II, and was awarded the E.T.O. Service Medal with three battle stars, the Purple Heart, the New York State Conspicuous Service Star and the Bronze Star for Heroism.

[nas t eh]

We visited Juno beach June 7 2018. It was a beautiful day, almost nobody around and the whole beach was beautiful, just the waves coming in and a few sea birds.
It was such a humbling experience, Im ashamed to say I don’t think I appreciate nearly enough what others have done for my freedoms. But I sure did that day.

[TheSilverBuick]

Andy Rooney's account of his reporting when he arrived on the beach a few days after D-day.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8a_S7tUpnU

A summary of the deaths in all of WW2, but a clear up tick in US solder deaths after D-day
https://youtu.be/DwKPFT-RioU?si=Px4e5eoag6pK2g8k

The horrors of WW2 should never be sugar coated and should be taught more than it is. We are very lucky these past few decades.

[madeuce50]

"All gave some, some gave all"
VERY fitting words for this day, Very few of the Greatest Generation are left to tell their stories.

[Steve C.]

On D-Day anniversary, 'Into the Jaws of Death' remains among greatest wartime photos...

https://www.cllct.com/sports-collect...wartime-photos



.

[jhein]

I read somewhere that our soldiers could hear the enemy rounds hitting the door of the landing boats, knowing that any second that door was gonna open. Just try to imagine that.

[JSchmitz]

Originally Posted by jhein

I read somewhere that our soldiers could hear the enemy rounds hitting the door of the landing boats, knowing that any second that door was gonna open. Just try to imagine that.

Supposedly a lot bailed over the side and drowned because of their backpacks. Worse than fiction!

[4zpeed]

80 years ago today the most powerful smell in the air, was 'Freedom'.




Frank

[sdbob]

My dentist as a kid Dr Moberg was a soldier in the first wave he told me. He said he went on to Berlin.Didnt say any injuries.I dont know the beach. I cant imagine their thinking,feelings, right before the door went down. It had to be terrifying. Even today the soldiers feelings.

[Andre]

I've been fortunate to have been to the American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-mer on two different occasions. One on of them we got to go down to the beach at low tide. The beach is very flat, and the incoming tide changes quickly. It is a shooting gallery to say the least. The allies deception to fool the Germans into thinking our landing point was Pas de Calais was probably one of the most important components of success on the beaches as it diverted a large amount of reinforcements. In case you didn't know, although the landing beaches are somewhat limited in size, the length of shoreline that was attacked is about 60-65 miles. It is unfortunate that this was not the finest day of the army air corp, as their bombing missions (to create foxholes) were so far off target that they were of no help at all. Cloud coverage, and fear of dropping bombs on troops played a part in that. The DD tanks were a great idea, and would have been a game changer, but somewhere in the training it was not explained what you must do to avoid being swamped and sunk. For the better part of the day, success was out of our grip until we finally broke out off the beaches. These kids didn't know they would be labelled the greatest generation .They were scared and for most, afraid to die, but they were trained well, and believed that their success was critical to the greater good of mankind.

[BILL BOWMAN1]

Originally Posted by jhein

I read somewhere that our soldiers could hear the enemy rounds hitting the door of the landing boats, knowing that any second that door was gonna open. Just try to imagine that.

Impossible to imagine.
Thank you to all vets!

[jhein]

Unbelievably brave young men, and boys, really. Some who lied about their age to serve. They did the seemingly un-doable and changed the course of history.