D-Day - the Normandy landings

[Alex Alex Dawson oo! oo!]

The 15-20,000 were all civilian causalities, due mostly to Allied bombing. I beg your pardon, I have just reread my sauce on the French team and the was not 77 there was 177. All of this is due to Degaulle, his attitude to the British, the Americans and the Communists in his own country. He wasn't told of the invasion until the day before, he was that much of a security risk to the Allies.

Units of the Free French air-force and navy (ie ships) were involved on D-Day; some allied ships had French crews and there were a small number of French paratroops dropped overnight on June 5th.

 

[smudge]

The cruel sea for me, the book is superb as well.

I knew you were a wanabee Jack!

 

[User removed 4]

I knew you were a wanabee Jack!

 

[Nibble]

Sobering to think that even those who got clear of the beaches had all their work ahead of them. The last generation to truly have a collective self respect.

 

[Dick Knights Mumm]

The last generation to truly have a collective self respect.

Other than us glam-rockers of the early 70's obviously.

 

[vegster]

By all means point the finger at De Gaulle but the courage of the French Resistance shouldn't be underestimated. A lot of them (especially women) gave their lives for their country. A lot of them ended up at Auschwitz.

De Gaulle had his faults but he was right man to lead the Free French. As for the Maquis, indeed they were incredibly brave especially when they may have been betrayed by the many French collaborators, let alone fighting with light weapons against highly trained and well armed German troops.

 

[piersa]

Brilliant.

With your permission, I would like to print this off and put it up in the Pub later.

Yes, do but please put my grandad's name on it if you will. John Goodfellow. I think the anecdote that goes with it is good too but I am biased.

 

[Leekbrookgull]

I've been reading this recently: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0743449746

Some of the stuff in there is incredible. For instance, during the planning stages, Allied command had a national drive asking people to send in postcards of the beaches from vacations etc. and they used those to build up an image of how the beaches might look with German defences etc. Utterly incredible.

Incredible maybe,but as Richard Burton said in the plot line of Where eagles dare 'but to the British very,very simple'

 

[piersa]

Indeed, apparently this was an Eisenhower message and he prepared a transcript of a follow up message if we failed.

Here's what it says:

"Our landings in the Cherbourg-Havre area have failed to gain a satisfactory foothold and I have withdrawn the troops. My decision to attack at this time and place was based upon the best information available. The troops, the air and the Navy did all that Bravery and devotion to duty could do. If any blame or fault attaches to the attempt it is mine alone."

http://www.dailyfinance.com/2012/06...-eisenhower-drafted-in-case-the-nazis-won-on/

Very interesting

 

[Hillian1]

Yes, do but please put my granddad's name on it if you will. John Goodfellow.

Done.

 

[Leekbrookgull]

My Grandad was a Brighton fisherman, he took his little boat to St. Valery to get the troops off the beach. He's gone now, but I'm very proud of what he did.

So you should be. Knew someone a few years back and he was with the B-e-F picked-up of the beaches at Dunkirk by a 'little ship' lovely fella.

 

[piersa]

Done.

thanks

 

[Weststander]

BBC and ITV(Merdian) both covered this well tonight.

The bravery of paratroopers in gliders, drifting over enemy territory, in canvas and softwood planes, was immense. Before taking off from now-gone airfields in Dorset and elsewhere, all were given the chance to pullout, but none did.

Also, the emotional appreciation of the French civilians was still there to see, having been liberated from 4 years of tyranny by an evil regime with its murderous henchmen.

Weeks like I think are great at putting things in perspective - the usual bickering about issues such as car drivers vs cyclists, the Albion's next coaching team, etc, all seem less important!

 

[The Fifth Column]

Went over to the d-day beaches a few weeks ago before it got busy this week. Amazing museums and sites to visit and also i wanted to visit where my grandad came ashore at Sword beach. He drove an amphibious DUKW and was ferrying ammo, fuel and casualties here there and everywhere for weeks on end. He told me he was given little white pills every day to keep him awake, turns out they were amphetamines!! Imagine that?

 

[Thunder Bolt]

My Dad was in the Royal Navy on HMS Qualicombe. They were firing shells over the beach to try and knock out the German gun emplacements and also to prevent German reinforcements getting to the landing beaches. Just recently I received his Arctic convoy medal which the government only decided to award last year (70 years too late as he died in 1998). He had already got his Atlantic star so taking part in the worst convoys of the war.

 

[Silk]

I've been reading this recently: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0743449746

Some of the stuff in there is incredible. For instance, during the planning stages, Allied command had a national drive asking people to send in postcards of the beaches from vacations etc. and they used those to build up an image of how the beaches might look with German defences etc. Utterly incredible.

I've got that book and haven't read it yet but it seemed like about 350 pages about the Americans and a hundred about the British. Is that a fair reflection or is it a bit more balanced?

 

[Chief Wiggum]

My Dad was in the Royal Navy on HMS Qualicombe. They were firing shells over the beach to try and knock out the German gun emplacements and also to prevent German reinforcements getting to the landing beaches. Just recently I received his Arctic convoy medal which the government only decided to award last year (70 years too late as he died in 1998). He had already got his Atlantic star so taking part in the worst convoys of the war.

Likewise - I applied for and received my dads Arctic Star this year. Too late for him as well as he died in 1992. I was very proud to get it on his behalf, but resent the powers that be for delaying things for so long

 

[Beach Hut]

We all owe a huge debt of gratitude to some extremely brave people who did this and ensured we live in the free world.

RIP

 

[Cheshire Cat]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Struggle-Europe-Wordsworth-Military-Library/dp/1853266779

Its a good read

 

[Juan Albion]

This is also the 72nd anniversary of the Battle of Midway, another very significant moment in WWII.