Operation Overlord, 77th anniversary of the D day landings.

[Commander Wallace]

I came on to post on the D day anniversary only to see it wasn't posted. This the 77th anniversary of the D day landings to liberate Europe. I was surprised to see the date wasn't remembered or commemorated.

The U.S, England, Canada, Australia, Belgium, the Netherlands, Poland, Greece, France, Norway, New Zealand and Czechoslovakia participated in the D day landings Of June 6th, 1944.

Quote: Operation Overlord was the largest air, land, and sea operation undertaken before or since June 6, 1944. The landing included over 5,000 ships, 11,000 airplanes, and over 150,000 service men.

 After years of meticulous planning and seemingly endless training, for the Allied Forces, it all came down to this: The boat ramp goes down, then jump, swim, run, and crawl to the cliffs. Many of the first young men (most not yet 20 years old) entered the surf carrying eighty pounds of equipment.

They faced over 200 yards of beach before reaching the first natural feature offering any protection. Blanketed by small-arms fire and bracketed by artillery, they found themselves in hell.

 When it was over, the Allied Forces had suffered nearly 10,000 casualties; more than 4,000 were dead. Yet somehow, due to planning and preparation, and due to the valor, fidelity, and sacrifice of the Allied Forces, Fortress Europe had been breached.

[HW3]

I remembered but, our "Commander in Chief" in Washington DC didn't bother with it.

[Commander Wallace]

^ Isn't that sad.

[Jimbuna]

My household observed it privately because my father was at Juno.

~SALUTE~

[Platapus]

The logistics involved in this landing and supporting the forces after landing are amazing in its complexity and international and inter-service cooperation. The latter being much harder than the former.

[mapuc]

There were many more countries taking part in the invasion.

The Danes celebrated it by laying a wreath for the 1200 Danish sailor and soldier who toke part. It was the Danish Prince Joachim and some high ranked officer.

People today should show a little gratitude.

Markus

[FireDragon76]

In fairness, perhaps its because the subject has been well-covered by Hollywood, and the historiography of WWII is more complex than in the past, and harder to contextualize any specific battle for the modern age. There's more appreciation for the strategic aspects of the war and the broader scope, however.

[Commander Wallace]

Originally Posted by mapuc

There were many more countries taking part in the invasion.

The Danes celebrated it by laying a wreath for the 1200 Danish sailor and soldier who toke part. It was the Danish Prince Joachim and some high ranked officer.

People today should show a little gratitude.

Markus

I wasn't aware of this Markus. Thanks for setting the record straight. A big salute to all those who served that day but also those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

[Aktungbby]

Originally Posted by Commander Wallace

it all came down to this: The boat ramp goes down, then jump, swim, run, and crawl to the cliffs. Many of the first young men (most not yet 20 years old) entered the surf carrying eighty pounds of equipment.

< And one picture is worth your
thousand words Clearly no place to be! Photo taken by Robert F. Sargent on D-Day. Two thirds of the unit seen disembarking here on Omaha became casualties during the landing. Whether to go on June 5 or June 6, the key to it all was the number 4 ttps://wwnorton.medium.com/the-weather-on-d-day-85ea0491a14f

Why were the Germans surprised? They knew as well as the Allies that 5, 6, and 7 were the only days in June with the right tides and right moon. In May, they had stood on full alert at full-moon, low-tide times. What happened? Why was General Rommel—the man in charge of the Normandy defenses—in Berlin taking a walk with his wife, who was trying out her birthday shoes? Why were half the division commanders and a fourth of the regiment commanders at a war games exercise in Brittany planning for the invasion defense? Why were the torpedo boats in the harbor? Why had so many men been relieved of the heavy tasks of building the defenses and sent for a little rest and relaxation?
The Germans believed that the weather was too bad for the Allies to invade. This was not the fault of poor forecasting. Group Captain Heinz Lettau—later a revered professor of meteorology at the University of Wisconsin—saw the same succession of fronts as did the Allied forecasters. He may or may not have noted the marginal improvement of the weather on the 6th. Even had he seen this, however, his orders were clear. The High Command had decided that an invasion was not possible if there was a risk of the winds reaching force 4 or higher. (The Germans had put off their own planned invasion of Britain, Operation Sea Lion, in 1940, in part because they could never get what they felt was a calm-enough sea for the troops to cross.) Lettau was confident—and right—that there would be a force 4 wind on June 5, 6, and 7. Ergo, there could be no invasion. What the Germans failed to find out was that the Allies thought force 4 was just fine

One of von C's rules is: 'Never count on your enemy doing what your plan requires him to do'...The German plan only considered level four seas: for themselves and the Higgins boat equipped Allies....

[mapuc]

Originally Posted by Commander Wallace

I wasn't aware of this Markus. Thanks for setting the record straight. A big salute to all those who served that day but also those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Me neither I knew that there was some Danish sailor who joined the Allied after the occupation of Denmark. It was the number which was mentioned in the news in the evening 6th of June.

I know that there also was Danish citizens who fought on German side. I don't know if there was any Danish soldiers on the beaches that day.

Shouldn't surprise me if the entire world was engage in the battle on the beaches this day-If you take nationality into account.

I'm not 100 % sure.

Markus

[Aktungbby]

https://www.warhistoryonline.com/war...-normandy.html

Several hundred Danish sailors were among the Allied forces during the invasion of the Normandy beaches in the Second World War, but had not been honored in any official capacity. This recently changed, as these men were finally made a part of the commemoration ceremonies on the seventieth anniversary of the landings. Somewhere around eight hundred of these Danish sailors were officially recognized as a part of the invasion force which helped turn the tide of the war.

https://www.danishww2pilots.dk/articles.php?article=44

Six Danish airmen were on operation in the skies over Normandy on 6 June 1944. Two were involved in bombing the coastal batteries, three provided fighter cover over the Channel and the beaches, and the last carried out an improvised reconnaissance mission.

Monument to Danish merchant seamen who participaterd in D-Day

[em2nought]

We're not worthy.