Repost...
In Honor and Memory of today's Historic Date, I want to re-run this post from a few years ago. I was remiss in posting this last year as I was in Europe at the time... that's a sorry excuse, but it is what it is...
_______________________________
Soldiers, Sailors, and Airmen of
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
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Sixty-nine 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~
(repost from 06/06/2010)
(repost from 06/06/2010)
Well Done.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Princess...Given that it's been almost 70 years since the invasion, so many of those men and women are gone now.
DeleteI think it's amazing that an operation of this size was conceived and pulled off, totally surprising the German military, who was expecting the invasion to be at Calais.
U.S. soldiers landed at 'Utah' and 'Omaha' beaches, while British and Canadian military forces landed at Sword, Gold, and Juno Beaches.
Bless their souls.
~shoes~
The Holocaust time period is a special interest of mine.
ReplyDeleteI had a Social Studies teacher in high school whom was Jewish and enlightened my world with this time period.
History. I love to read about History. The Civil War and the Holocaust are my most favorite to read and learn about--
I understand the attraction to History. My favorite era is the American Civil War.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, with History, sometimes it's a victim of Revisionism and talking points.
~shoes~
I read this speech by Eishenhower and the enormity of the challenge hits me full force.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this today.
Good morning, Robin...
ReplyDeleteThis invasion was high risk! Eisenhower knew his entire military career was on the line had this invasion failed.
There were many things that went wrong that morning... the Airborne troops were NOT dropped in the correct landing zones...
The naval bombardment, meant to soften the land defenses for the landing troops, overshot their targets...
Troops were landed on wrong portions of the beaches...
I've read that the U.S. military taught their forces to adapt to changes and be able to change strategies as needed, where German High Command didn't allow their field level leaders to act accordingly. They had to receive orders from their superiors before they could act.
My late brother-in-law was in that mix somewhere that day on Omaha Beach... he told me that of his close group of friends in his unit, he was the only one that made it off the beach alive.
I can't imagine.
~shoes~
90%.... Do you think those men knew this would happen? Dear Lord, 90%....
ReplyDeleteGood afternoon, Grumpster...
DeleteWho knows what those fellows must have been thinking. I guess that they just didn't question their orders.
Last year before heading to Holland, I read some wonderful stories about how the Dutch tend the cemeteries and graves of American soldiers who died and were buried on Dutch soil. After reading those stories, my opinions of the Dutch went even higher!
~shoes~
If I were Dutch, I'm sure I would be touched by your words. The Dutch are fairly keen on compliments ;)
DeleteHello Shoes!
ReplyDeleteHave you been to Normandy? My Mother had a cottage there. One of my favourite places was the Normandy beaches D-Day landings.
I tried to discuss this once with a family member some years ago who was there. He refused to discuss it as the memory was too horrific.
Hey, Jules... No, I haven't... I would love to go there someday... Did your family have anyone living there at the time of the D-Day landings??
DeleteHow are things in your world??
:o)
~shoes~
You must! It's very pretty ;) And the light is very different you know...it has a certain "Je ne sais quoi!"
DeleteNobody living there at the time, just fighting there.
Hmm.. My world. Let me think...tick, tock, tick, tock.. Can I come back to you on that one? ;)
Good morning, Jules...
DeleteI would imagine that it is beautiful there. I know what you mean about the light being different... I noticed that in Germany and in Holland. People need to get out more, don't we? :oD
I can't imagine the fighting there... I just can't.
OF course, you may get back to me on that!! ;oD
~shoes~
Shoes: Thank you so much for this post. God Bless America!
ReplyDeleteYou are right, JJ... God Bless America!
DeleteAs Memphis Steve said below, I am not sure how our country got to where it is today.
I was saddened by the lack of any news coverage about the anniversary of this event.
These brave men and women are just about all gone now.
We will never see the likes of them again, I fear... this is not a slam on the military today...
~shoes~
Back then we recognized our heroes. Even Hollywood recognized them. Today our entertainment industry ignores them. Prior to that it spit on them. How did we get to this terrible place we're in today from where they were back then?
ReplyDeleteWe recognized our heroes up until just recently. I heard the other day that there has only been three times that a sitting president has not visited the D-Day Memorial... each time it was Barack Hussein Obama. What a sad sad president he has been.
Delete~shoes~
People who take the time to recognize the heroic acts of our nation and the people that fought for justice hold a special place in my heart. Can you imagine what the world might have become if nobody had the courage to stand up to those Nazi bullies?
ReplyDeleteHi there, Lil Dreamer!!
DeleteWe have to take the time to acknowledge those who left their world as they knew t to go out and fight wars and even die.
I can't imagine what the world would be like... young men left their worlds, wives girl friends, parents...to go to war and die.
Not that they haven't since then, but not in these numbers. There is a world wide problem today that has to be addressed...
I hope all is well in your world!!
~shoes~
Thank you for posting this.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your kind words, Liza...
ReplyDeleteI am a bit saddened that more didn't acknowledge this historic date...
Having said that, I fear we face an evil world-wide today that is as bad, if not worse, that was the world faced then.
~shoes~
Aloha Shoes,
ReplyDeleteIt turns out you and I (and hopefully thousands more) had similar posts on D-Day. (I found yours via JJ, The Disconnected Writer.)
Anyway, great job and continued success with your writing :)
Good morning, Mark... Thank you for stopping by!
ReplyDeleteHopefully it was thousands who did post. Unfortunately, as those brave men and women from that era move on to whatever is next, they are replaced by children and people who grow up indifferent to the costs they paid for the World at that time.
JJ is a good fellow!
~shoes~
Hey I heard Susan Eisenhower speak recently and she mentioned that photo of Ike. You'd think he was instilling wisdom amoung the troops but she said he was talking about college football with them. She said he knew as many as 50% of them would die in the operation and talking football was his little way of easing their minds.
ReplyDelete