D-Day...

[Bassin_Dude]

lets all remember that today marks the anniversity of the attack on Normandy on June 6th, 1944 (a.k.a. D-Day) lets all remember all the men who died over there fighting for us.......

[zman]

Yes Sir, we should never forget the largest military landing in history - the brits and americans return to Normandy, from which William the Conqeuror came.

Gonna have to thank my Grandfather again for his role in the war - not with the original landing force but he was in the hedgerows a few days after....

[Bassin_Dude]

ya, my grandad was in it to, not sure where tho...he died before i was born. D-Day was one of the wars biggest trickeries(if that is a word) a very interesting subject.

[zman]

If I remember correctly, the Germans werent fooled except for Hitler - he insisted the invasion would be in Calais - the closest point to england. Normandy was a bit farther south, but really it shouldn't have astounded anyone.

[keeb]

ya i would love to thank all the vets on here and anyothers.

[ryan7261]

I toured over there Afew years back and did a jump with some VETS They are some if not the bravest men I ever met. Been to Flanders fields, Sicly,Holland, Normandy. Took 3 weeks but it was the best time of my life. You know when Canada liberated Holland, afterwards they put wooden Maple Leafs on their doors for any Canadian passing through town would have a free place to stay the night. To this day they still keep the maple leafs and the graves immaculate and respect the men who faught for them.

Robby.

[Bassin_Dude]

o, i thought, or remember seeing, a series of inflattable tanks put out by the americans and false information meant to be intercepted by the germans, even after the landing, some of the germans still thought that was not the main landing, they still thought there was gunna be a much bigger landing at calais. they even held back the german artilery...i think it was something like the 21st artillery, or tank devision...something like that. im not to sure, its been awhile since i watched that documentry on the history channel. but thats what i thought.

[zman]

Well yes that much as far I remember is true 02, I just believe, and like you I'm a bit hazy on this, but I believe I heard that the German military command minus Hitler pretty much realized after a few hours that Normandy was not a diversion.

[Rich]

Stephen Ambrose, who wrote the book Band of Brothers made a very interesting observation. Â*He said that if the roles were reversed and it was the Germans landing they would have been pushed back into the sea. Â*the reason was that the American commanders would take the initiative and do what needed to be done. Â*The Germans, on the other hand, were so indoctrinated in the Fuhrer system they had to wait for Hitlers personal orders releasing the 6th Panzer Division to move towards Normandy. Â*Hitler was asleep and his staff was afraid to wake him up. Â*that, combined with the fact Hitler was sure the attack would be led by Patton and come at Calais he didn't believe that the Normandy landing was the actual invasion but was only a diversion. Â*By the time he realized it was the actual invasion it was too late.

02, you are correct on the campaign of deception that was carried out-it was so good most of the Germans were convinced the attack would come at Calais.

I have a friend who was shot up pretty bad on Omaha Beach on D-Day. Â*I was standing with my dad after church talking to him on the 50th anniversary and my dad asked him where he was 50 years ago. Â*His answer both made us all laugh and pretty much summed up what those guys must have been feeling. Â*He said, "I was bobbing around in the English Channel on an LST scared s*******!"

That was a day when uncommon valor was a common virtue.

[Bassin_Dude]

this sounds like im sh!ttin you, and i would probally change my mind once i was there, but i would give alot to have fought at normandy. im not afraid to die, and im not stupid, and i have fairly good accuracy, i think i would have done good...and the feeling afterwards knowing that i have done something to help the rest of my fellow soldiers would really make me feel good. but on the other side, i would be feeling bad for all the soldiers that were killed. but, war is hell, and i would have gone on. but like i said, i propbally just fool of it. but i have been seriously considering entering the 82nd airbourne division when i get older. i loved the mini series band of brothers....that was just about the best series of shows i have ever watched, and im gunna read the book. i have just rented saints and soldiers(hope its a good movie) i dont think it has d-day in it, but it does have the battle of the buldge and stalingrad(sp?) in it. i know what the army is really about, and band of brothers discripted it fairly good, but i know that i will have to go thru hell, get chewed out, go thru many obstical coarses. one asks himself ''why put up with this?'' i honestly dont know, i do know i will consider it. but im glad im starten to retain some knowledge, usually it just slips out. anyways....like to say thanks again to all the veterans, and the men and women who serve today...... there is still an unofficial war going on.

[Rich]

02, If you haven't seen it check out Saving Private Ryan. The D-Day vets said the only thing missing was the smell-it was that realistic.

[Bassin_Dude]

yep, saw it. was very good movie.

[ryan7261]

Hey 02,

I have been in a few conflict's my self and like your self thought I was quite ready for anything. I have seen full grown men cry, and full grown men die there's nothing more worse than going through that. The first 5 min of being under attack you ask your self what the hell am I doing here. Then you get a sense urgency,saving your self and the others around you. I don't know how I made it out of some of the stuff I've been through.But I'll tell you this "Don't ever say you would want to be there,or experience it" I would never want some one to go through something like that.

And by the way the reason they lost at Omaha beach is they screwed up the landing phase on the beach. The men made it but they cold not land the tanks. Someone was right about floating tanks to shore, but the had a reference point on shore to help them land in the right spot. It was a church steeple easly seen froom the beach. They landed at high tide and started going off course. None of the tank opperators had any water craft training put the tanks side to the waves trying to keep their bearings and the waves over took them before they got to the shore. This is the reason they got as many casualties as they did.
:-/
Robby.

[Bassin_Dude]

ya, your right....i told you i might be full of it...or im insane :-/ my stepdad also went thru it......the gulf war and grenada, he was in the 82nd airbourne division.

[mallard]

I feel grateful. Yes. Thank you, veterans!