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June 6th, 1944.
- Thread starter jsbass
- Start date
Yes, a big +1
At work today, Lt Buck Compton (member of the "Band of Brothers") spoke and it was awesome to hear his perspective on things, stories about the war and his thoughts on the book\miniseries that have brought attention to the actions of his unit during WWII. Cool experience.
At work today, Lt Buck Compton (member of the "Band of Brothers") spoke and it was awesome to hear his perspective on things, stories about the war and his thoughts on the book\miniseries that have brought attention to the actions of his unit during WWII. Cool experience.
+1
Most people fail to realize the high price paid by so many. The WWII generation saved the world.
My Grandfather was a Navy Seabee and served at Okinawa. He died almost 2 years ago. There are very few of them alive today. If you meet someone who served then, thank them.
Most people fail to realize the high price paid by so many. The WWII generation saved the world.
My Grandfather was a Navy Seabee and served at Okinawa. He died almost 2 years ago. There are very few of them alive today. If you meet someone who served then, thank them.
yes, let us honor the brave patriots (or draftees 
) that served our country.
now what I still don't understand about Normandy Beach was why we deployed ground troops right in front of enemy walls'n'such. Why couldn't have we just blown the defenses up with battleships before the infantry were put on shore? I mean, those things can shoot stuff from 20 miles away...
) that served our country.now what I still don't understand about Normandy Beach was why we deployed ground troops right in front of enemy walls'n'such. Why couldn't have we just blown the defenses up with battleships before the infantry were put on shore? I mean, those things can shoot stuff from 20 miles away...
May God bless my dear Father, 81 years young, who fought in Europe after D-Day. 
@IconBasser: We shelled the defenses (with hundreds of ships) the Germans had constructed on the beaches for hours before the landing, but in that day and age accuracy wasn't the best. It basically took a direct hit on a bunker or artillery position to knock it out.
@IconBasser: We shelled the defenses (with hundreds of ships) the Germans had constructed on the beaches for hours before the landing, but in that day and age accuracy wasn't the best. It basically took a direct hit on a bunker or artillery position to knock it out.
May God bless my dear Father, 81 years young, who fought in Europe after D-Day.
@IconBasser: We shelled the defenses (with hundreds of ships) the Germans had constructed on the beaches for hours before the landing, but in that day and age accuracy wasn't the best. It basically took a direct hit on a bunker or artillery position to knock it out.
The bunkers were very strong and difficult to spot. Even bombing from the air was not a good option because bombers are typically slow planes - they would have been shot down easily.
If the Allies bombed far in advance of the invasion, the German army would have had a better chance to mobilize troops to that area and the invasion would have failed entirely. As it was, bombing just a few hours earlier still presented a high risk, but the German army was slower to react than they could have (or possibly should have).
The D-Day invasion was incredibly risky, but ultimately the leaders at the time calculated that the loss of life would have been even higher if they did not do it.
I cannot imagine being some 18 yr old fresh out of high school from some small rural town. After a few months "training", you're rocking back and forth in a Higgins boat at 6am about a 100 yards from the beach. The world is exploding all around you and you probably have less than 1 minute to live. The door goes down. How can you face that? If (somehow) you survive, what does that does to your mind? Nothing can ever be the same.
We should never forget.
They were a bit more than mere walls. To destroy certain of them would have taken special equipment like the Tallboy (12000lbs) & Grand Slam (22000lbs) bombs from the odd mind of Barnes Wallis, which were introduced slightly after D-Day.
The other thing to consider is that any prolonged bombardment will a) give the game away, & b) bring the cliffs down & create a whole fresh set of obstacles that have not been reconnoitred.
The element of surprise was essential - there was a whole bogus invasion plan to invade the Pas de Calais a bit further up (the obvious point) that was leaked, and backed up with some staggeringly precise flying by the crews of 617 Squadron (The Dambusters) & 218 Squadron.
A few links...
Tallboy
Grand Slam
Barnes Wallis
Link Removed
Invalid Link Removed
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
Absolutely - the debt we all owe these people is immeasurable.
They shall not grow old as we that are left grow old
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We shall remember them.
Regards,
Pete.
The other thing to consider is that any prolonged bombardment will a) give the game away, & b) bring the cliffs down & create a whole fresh set of obstacles that have not been reconnoitred.
The element of surprise was essential - there was a whole bogus invasion plan to invade the Pas de Calais a bit further up (the obvious point) that was leaked, and backed up with some staggeringly precise flying by the crews of 617 Squadron (The Dambusters) & 218 Squadron.
A few links...
Tallboy
Grand Slam
Barnes Wallis
Link Removed
Invalid Link Removed
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
Absolutely - the debt we all owe these people is immeasurable.
They shall not grow old as we that are left grow old
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We shall remember them.
Regards,
Pete.
A grand uncle of mine was a British medic during the landings. He died only a year and a half ago. I remember he used talk about it when I was a child, and regret only getting interested in what he was saying relatively late in his life. It's these direct stories, I think, that keep their memories alive. The world would be a different place without them.
My Dad passed away on 1/1/00. He just made it to the new millenium!! He was an infantry man and most of the time part of a .50 water cooled machine gun group. The stories he told were chilling. I miss him terribly.
My Uncle joined the military (USN) during WW2 to avoid getting drafted. He ended up a Navy Corpsman much to his happiness. Cushy job, he's thinking...
WRONG
The US Marines needed medic types and Uncle John ended up on Iwo Jima. You want to talk about stories?? Some of them will forever be etched into my mind
I'm off to Normandy at the end of June. I'm looking forward to spending sometime viewing history.
If you really want to understand this, there are a plethora of books on the subject. I recommend a trip to your local library.
Yeah seriously. If you study history in general you'll gain a whole new understanding of why things happened the way they did and why we're where we are at now. History is never ever as simple and clear cut as many suspect, it's amazing stuff.
My wife's grandfather passed late last year, but he was a pilot in WWII. Flew the India Theater and other difficult missions. He flew one of every plane we had during the time. He was a great man that I only wish I had taken more time to talk with. I own him a lot, other than just his service.
I also had the opportunity to know a man who served just as the war was ending. He traveled all over Europe on various assignments. Being a country boy from Bellmead, TX his parents were afraid he would meet a German girl and bring her home The stories were great. I need to find Ken and catch up with him.
I also had the opportunity to know a man who served just as the war was ending. He traveled all over Europe on various assignments. Being a country boy from Bellmead, TX his parents were afraid he would meet a German girl and bring her home
The stories were great. I need to find Ken and catch up with him.
On a side note, I just read "Flyboys". My grandfather was a bomber pilot in the Pacific, and this Flyboys is about just those people. I consider myself a student of WWII, and there was some stuff happening in the Pacific that I didn't have a clue of, wow, both before and durning the war.
Bless those men and their families, on all fronts of the war, for what they did.
Bless those men and their families, on all fronts of the war, for what they did.
