June 6, 1944 a mighty armada crossed a narrow strip of sea...

[Pacifist Patriot]

150,000 troops stormed Normandy beaches. About 2,500 GI's died on the beaches and 2,600 paratroopers died. And 3,100 Germans died. The true number will never be known.

On D-DAY the casualties on American side on OMAHA BEACH was about 3000 soldiers and on the British side 400 to 600 soldiers on other beaches especially on SWORD BEACH(about 200 soldiers) and on the German side that lies between 5000 to 8000 soldiers as casualties.

Thank you Uncle Bill. Rest In Peace. I'm sorry it wasn't the war to end all wars.

edited to replace a picture with questionable provenance

[RaleighNCDUer]

1. Powerful pictures of a tragic and heroic day

and a reminder of what becomes necessary when fascists take over governments.

One thing, however, IIRC that next-to-last picture was of the beach on Tarawa. As I remember reading, it shook up the journalistic community because it was the first time US papers carried explicit pictures of US dead. Am I wrong?

[Pacifist Patriot]

2. I'm not sure. I got it off of a site about D-Day but that doesn't...

mean they didn't have the wrong attribution. The trees in the background and the sand instead of rock look suspect to me . Thanks for pointing that out. I replaced it.

[melm00se]

16. no

you are not wrong. The Battle for Tarawa was one of the early battles in the Pacific and the US lost 3000 soliders in less than 72 hours (they got pinned down on the beach against a seawall). FDR, taking a bit of political heat (misread and misunderstood intelligence - especially a military analysis of the defenses and topology of Tarawa) and decided that the American public, at this time, would benefit from seeing the pictures of US military dead. This shifted the discussion away from the intelligence failure onto the "how do we avenge our honored dead?".

Good political and morale bolstering decision.

[dogday]

3. My Grandfather was a medic in WWII

stationed in France and Germany, he helped many men, and sat with many men as they died... He told me many stories and when he passed, I received his actual medic kit he carried. He received a purple heart from getting hit with shrapnel.. I will take it out today in memory of all of those who have died....

[Pacifist Patriot]

15. That's very touching. Thank you for sharing.

My grandfather was a paratrooper. He was one of 14 kids and his family desperately needed the pay differential. My grandfather wasn't much of a talker (about anything) so I never heard one word about his experience in the war.

[AzDar]

4. They saved the world, imho. n/t

[rockymountaindem]

5. imho as well

It's up to us to preserve their legacy and continue the fight for freedom.

[wtmusic]

6. May they forever be remembered as true patriots

not to be confused with the yellow-ribbon-magnet variety

[The Anti-Neo Con]

7. That was the last war...

this country ever fought that was totally necessary, unlike *'s Iraq nightmare. My how things have changed.

[Pacifist Patriot]

10. I agree.

[Spazito]

8. I hope no one takes offence but I am adding photos from Canada's

part in D-Day as we had the responsibility for the landing on Juno Beach. My dad was one of those Canadians who landed on Juno.



A LCA just launched off HMCS Prince Henry carrying troops towards the Normandy beaches.

On June 6th, 1944, the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division and the 2nd Armoured Brigade were tasked with establishing a bridgehead on the beach codenamed "Juno". This was an eight-kilometre long stretch of beach bordering Saint-Aubin, Bernières, Courseulles-sur-Mer and Graye-sur-Mer. Assault troops were then to move towards the Carpiquet airfield, 18 kilometres inland. The 3rd Infantry Division, under Major-General R.F.L. Keller, was under command of the Second British Army. It was flanked on the left by the 3rd British Infantry Division that was to land on Sword beach (Lion-sur-Mer, Langrune-sur-Mer). To the right, the 50th British Division had as its target "Gold Beach" (La Rivière, Le Hamel, and Arromanches).



On board their assault landing crafts, men of the Royal Winnipeg Rifles heading towards their sector of Juno Beach, June 6th, 1944.

In a single day, 340 men of the 3rd Canadian Division were wounded and 574 were killed. Such was the price of victory. Some paid more dearly: V US Army Corps at Omaha Beach fought on the beach till the end of day. The Allies had broken through the Atlantic wall and established a bridgehead in France. The Germans were caught unprepared as they thought the operation was merely a diversion, the real landing being planned near Calais. Their disorganized troops were not able to withstand the assault; but they would be quick to redress the situation and the following day, SS Panzer Divisions launched violent counter-attacks to drive back the Canadians.

I was trying to research more info on the British landings on Gold and Sword beaches and found this instead, it is the photo gallery of all five beaches:

http://www.britannica.com/dday/browse?browseId=237179

[Pacifist Patriot]

9. None taken. One of my photos is of Canadians.

We did good that day, didn't we?

[Spazito]

11. We did, we surely did!! That was a REAL coalition as opposed

to bush's phony "coaltion of the willing" and shows what a righteous war can do.

[rockymountaindem]

18. No offence at all

Everybody who landed on that beach is a hero in my opinion. The more photos the better!

[Spazito]

20. Thanks, rockymountaindem, I agree, all those involved on D-Day,

as well as before and after, are heroes and I am very glad to see them being honoured on this anniversary.

[KansDem]

12. I once heard (or read) a story about Eisenhower that day...

He had two speeches prepared: One to be used if the invasion proved successful in which credit was given the troops, and another to be used if the invasion was a failure in which he himself took full responsibility.

We don't have too many leaders like that anymore...

[Pacifist Patriot]

13. It's a great letter.

[Princess Turandot]

19. "If any blame or fault..

attaches to the attempt, it is mine alone." A leader with honor.

My dad helped build the LSTs..and assorted other vessels as an asbestos worker in the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

[Pacifist Patriot]

21. "mine alone" Can you imagine anyone saying that today?!

[KansDem]

25. Thanks, Pacifist Patriot!

For reminding us that true leadership can come from both sides of the aisle.

[DeepModem Mom]

14. Thank you for this post.

[Top Lizard]

17. This Needs to Be on the Greatest Page!

I'd recommend this for the Greatest Page if I had enough posts, but I don't. I will do my part to kick this up a little, though, because Americans (and the world) need to remember these times and the sacrifices involved.

To all those involved in the landings at Gold, Juno, Omaha, Sword, and Utah--and to all those who preceded or followed them on land, sea, and air--I salute you and give my everlasting thanks.

[lildreamer316]

22. KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIICK!

Will we ever see the likes of them again?
(well; we have to....)

[5thGenDemocrat]

23. The soldier Ike is talking to in the top picture was from Saginaw

His name was Wally Stroebel and he only died, maybe, a year ago. He was quite a local celebrity and was asked about his D-Day experience every year on June 6. Interestingly enough, he ran a fine gift shop in his later years -- selling Hummel figurines and crystal and such and was a kind, sweet, gentle person.
(In the picture, according to Mr Stroebel, Ike is asking him where he was from. Stroebel replied "Michigan," and Ike said "Plenty of good fishing in Michigan.")
Another officer from Saginaw, Captain John GW Finke, the father of a longtime friend of mine, was the first or second American officer on Omaha Beach that morning -- leading Company "E," 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division. Robert Capa, the photographer, rode to the beach in one of the four boats containing Captain Finke's company.
That morning, Captain Finke went ashore with a pistol and a cane, having sprained his ankle during training exercises a week or so previously. In an interview he gave to -- I want to say the BBC, but certainly a British television network, in 1966 -- he noted that the cane came in handy to get his men off the beach, allowing him to give the soldiers a nudge or a whack as necessary.
By noon of that day, every officer in the company was dead or wounded, along with a little over half the men. The captain, according to the medical report, was hit around 1130 hours and evacuated with a mangled ankle and broken forearm, wounds most likely caused by mortar shrapnel.
It was his third Purple Heart of the war. Captain Finke had also been shot clean through the shoulder in North Africa, and hit in the head by a machine gun bullet in Sicily (his helmet and liner from that are still in the 1st Infantry Division's museum at Fort Benning).
He'd go on to win a Distinguished Service Cross in the Rohn River crossing in November 1944 and stayed in the Army until 1963, retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel. He was also a good friend of Creighton Abrams, the namesake of the Army's main battle tank.
Needless to say, I think about him every year on June 6. Not that it matters at all, but he was a lifelong Democrat, too -- and about as liberal as you could expect from a career officer born in Virginia and raised in Mississippi and Vegasack, Germany (he spoke impeccable German and very good French and Italian, too). I met him many times in his later years, and we all referred to him (and still do), invariably, as "The Colonel."
John
There's a lot of references to him if you Google his name. His brother, Detmar, another career officer, was regarded by those in the business as one of the 20th Century's finest illustrators of historical military uniforms. An interesting family, for sure.
It is now ten days, 22 hours and 17 minutes to FUNDAY.

[uppityperson]

24. Stained glass replaced in Ste. Mere Eglise thanks liberators

Notice the paratroopers. RIP those who died and thank you so much all who participated in this beginning of the Liberation of Europe.