Soldiers, Sailors, and Airmen of
The Allied Expeditionary Force!
You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the World are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you. In company with our brave Allies and brothers-in-arms on other Fronts, you will bring about the destruction of the German war machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of Europe, and security for ourselves in a free world.
Your task will not be an easy one. Your enemy is well trained, well equipped and battle hardened. He will fight savagely.
But this is the year, 1944! Much has happened since the Nazi triumphs of 1940-41. The United Nations have inflicted upon the Germans great defeats in open battle, man-to-man. Our air offensive has seriously reduced their strength in the air and their capacity to wage war on the ground. Our Home Fronts have given us an overwhelming superiority in weapons and munitions of war, and placed at our disposal great reserves of trained fighting men. The tide has turned! The free men of the world are marching together to Victory!
I have full confidence in your courage and devotion to duty and skill in battle. We will accept nothing less than full victory!
Good luck! And let us beseech the blessing of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking.
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Supreme Allied Commander
____________
Sixty-six years ago this morning, June 6th, 1944, the Allied Forces landed in Normandy, France... to begin the liberation of France from Nazi Germany, and to try to facilitate the end of WWII in Europe.
Most models that the Allied planners ran on the invasion indicated mortality rates as high as 90%... Eisenhower had already written his letter of resignation from his role as Supreme Allied Commander, because there was no assurance that the invasion would succeed.
May God Bless...
~shoes~
I remember in 1994 when we were discussing the 50th anniversary of D-day and it was a huge deal in our history class. Back then more vets were alive to share their experiences.
ReplyDeleteIt's sad how time flies so fast.
We remember this date and I also remember the two bombs dropped in Nagasaki and Hiroshima.
ReplyDeleteWWII was considered an honorable war. I believe any war our citizens are sent to fight in, is an honorable one for if we are willing to squander our people and treasure, it should be.
and it makes my heart bleed...
ReplyDeleteOh, Shoes. Thank you.
ReplyDelete@ Senorita... we asked those young men and women to do the unthinkable... the unimaginable... an old family friend who was on Omaha Beach that day, says the beginning of 'Private Ryan' is almost accurate... he said the opening sequence just didn't last long enough... instead of the opening twenty minutes, it was over six hours of intense fighting on Omaha before they broke through the sea walls...
ReplyDeleteBut I imagine soldiers from any and all conflicts have their horror stories about what they saw... what they experienced... what they survived...
Re: The passing of time, I read not long ago that the survivors of WWII are passing away at the rate of around 1,600 per day... if the average age of the soldier was 20 at the time... and it's been 66 years, they are in their late-80s...
@ Charlene... yeah... there are a host of dates to be remembered... the dates of the Rape of Nanking in 1937... the date of Kristallnacht in 1938... the Bataan Death March in 1942, when any soldier that lagged behind was executed...As General Sherman was said to have uttered in 1861, "War is Hell...'
@ Darn Girl... yes, it does...
@ Jessica, you are welcome...
~shoes~
Didn't seem like there was enough attention to this milestone. People I reminded were astonished that the anniversary had almost slipped by like smoke on a poppy field.
ReplyDelete@ Linnnn... yeah, I agree about there not being much fanfare... I remember having read once that the 50th Anniversary in 1994 would probably be the last big recognition of that date...
ReplyDeleteI saw in the news today that the last survivor of the prison camp that was portrayed in 'The Great Escape' died over the weekend...
Hope you are well...
~shoes~