June 6, 1943

[The Avon Lady]

Lest it be forgotten.

In Their Youth They Saved the World.

[Oberon]

We owe every single one of those men our lifestyle and freedom.

My deepest honour and respect to all the men who took part in what has to have been one of the biggest co-ordinated invasions ever. A truly mind-boggling scale of events.

And also to the people who helped create the fake tanks and airfields on the south coast of Britain, and the people who sent the radio messages to make it seem like the invasion was going to hit the Calais area, thus tying up Panzer divisions. To the brave men in the airforce, who denied the enemy the use of the sky for counterattacks and parachuted behind enemy lines, and to the men of the Navy, who protected those frail Higgins boats as they thundered through the final furlong to hit the beach. And to the French resistance who hindered the Germans ability to launch a counterattack.

"...Les sanglots longs des violons de l'automne

Bercent mon coeur d'une langueur monotone..."


And AL, great speech from Reagan there

[The Avon Lady]

Originally Posted by Oberon

My husband just got The Longest Day after our 12 year old showed an overwhelming interest in reading several D-Day articles in old and recent National Geographics.

[Jimbuna]

Strange!!....I coulda swore the title read '44' :hmm:


Yep.....nearly posted a gentle hint/reminder just 2 hours ago

I'm proud to say my father was their (85 year old and still alive)

My thoughts go out to those who were also there and not as fortunate

SALUTE

[The Avon Lady]

Originally Posted by jimbuna

Strange!!....I coulda swore the title read '44' :hmm:

My mistake. I noticed it immediately after starting the thread. Will be corrected by a moderator.

[Smaragdadler]

... Lomell was a legend among the Rangers for what he did on D-Day, but in 1995 he commented, "June 6, 1944 was not my longest day. December 7th, 1944 was my longest and most miserable day on earth during my past 75 years." ...

---> http://www.5ad.org/hurtgen_joe.htm

[Rose]

Thank you all -- the Americans, British, Canadians, Free French, Poles, Belgians, Czechs, Greeks, Dutch, and Norwegians of all services-- for participating in that fateful day and ensuring that we live in a free world today. And thank you to the French Resistance for pre-D-day sabotage, and thank you to all participants in Operations Bodyguard and Fortitude, for without the deception plans, the Allies might have been driven back into the sea. We will forever be indebted to you, and to those who never returned home. I also take this day to remember my great-uncle and his two cousins who faught in that war and never made it back.

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by Smaragdadler

---> http://www.5ad.org/hurtgen_joe.htm

Did the Germans ever flood the area? :hmm:

[Morts]

Originally Posted by Rose

Thank you all -- the Americans, British, Canadians, Free French, Poles, Belgians, Czechs, Greeks, Dutch, and Norwegians of all services-- for participating in that fateful day and ensuring that we live in a free world today. And thank you to the French Resistance for pre-D-day sabotage, and thank you to all participants in Operations Bodyguard and Fortitude, for without the deception plans, the Allies might have been driven back into the sea. We will forever be indebted to you, and to those who never returned home. I also take this day to remember my great-uncle and his two cousins who faught in that war and never made it back.

hey, the danes helped out too
they sailed in a few landingcrafts on D-day and did some sabotage

[Skybird]

Thanks and respect to those who were tied up in that war and that battle and other battles as well, and were not fighting to defend tyranny and dictators, but fought either to overcome these regimes, or to get through that miserable time alive and help others to survive, with their only crime being to have been born in the wrong time, and the wrong place.

Shame on those who even today try to glorify what has been of evil back then.

[Smaragdadler]

Originally Posted by jimbuna

Did the Germans ever flood the area? :hmm:

...On February 10, the Schwammenauel dam was taken by American forces, although the Germans had opened the floodgates of the dam the day before and thus the Rur Valley was flooded, halting the U.S. push for the Rhine across the little river for two further weeks, until the attackers finally managed to cross the river on February 23rd when the waters had sunk again...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Hurtgen_Forest

regards

[Rose]

Originally Posted by Morts

hey, the danes helped out too
they sailed in a few landingcrafts on D-day and did some sabotage

I did not know that... thank you to the Danes too

[Sailor Steve]

Many men came here as soldiers
Many men will pass this way
Many men will count the hours
As they live the longest day
Many men are tired and weary
Many men are here to stay
Many men won't see the sunset
When it ends the longest day
The longest day the longest day
This will be the longest day
Filled with hopes and filled with fears
Filled with blood and sweat and tears
Many men the mighty thousands
Many men to victory
Marching on right into battle
In the longest day in history

Theme from The Longest Day
Music and lyrics by Paul Anka

Sorry, couldn't resist, love the movie.

[Jimbuna]

The Longest Day

[Sailor Steve]

COLORIZED?

Blasphemers!