OT: D-Day

[Carl Spackler]

As tomorrow approaches, an historic day in history.

The definition of bad-ass. See you on the ground.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/93-year-old-wwii-vet-to-parachute-into-normandy-again/

 

[huskysupporter]

Just finished watching Band of Brothers again. The interviews they did with the veterans before each episode was very powerful.

 

[Nostical]

Anyone think -D-Day could have been a surprise if it occurred today with Google Earth, drones, satellites and nosy reporters from 24HR networks?

 

[uconnfan68]

Anyone think -D-Day could have been a surprise if it occurred today with Google Earth, drones, satellites and nosy reporters from 24HR networks?

Someone would have leaked it in 1942.

 

[Stinger92860]

Thank you for the link. Great story and brought tears to my eyes.

 

[Dougsts]

One of my son in laws is on a professional sky diving team. Five years ago his team dropped in tandem at Normandy with members of the 101st Airborne Div. He said it was one of the most wonderful things he has ever done. He and his tandem Airborne trooper landed in the same area where the jumped either just prior to D day or on D day I forget which. My SIL asked the guy what he like best about this jump and the fellow replied "Nobody was shooting at me this time"

 

[John]

One of my son in laws is on a professional sky diving team. Five years ago his team dropped in tandem at Normandy with members of the 101st Airborne Div. He said it was one of the most wonderful things he has ever done. He and his tandem Airborne trooper landed in the same area where the jumped either just prior to D day or on D day I forget which. My SIL asked the guy what he like best about this jump and the fellow replied "Nobody was shooting at me this time"

Paratroopers are the definition of bad ass.

 

[sdhusky]

As tomorrow approaches, an historic day in history.

The definition of bad-ass. See you on the ground.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/93-year-old-wwii-vet-to-parachute-into-normandy-again/

When I saw the thread title, I thought for sure you were going to say you were there.

 

[ZooCougar]

When I saw the thread title, I thought for sure you were going to say you were there.

No, but if he met a Normandy vet, he would probably try to tell him what it was really like.

 

[Carl Spackler]

When I saw the thread title, I thought for sure you were going to say you were there.

 

[Carl Spackler]

No, but if he met a Normandy vet, he would probably try to tell him what it was really like.

You probably wouldn't believe it, but I knew people that fought there, and I knew people that fought in the same region a few decades before - you probably wouldn't believe that I might even be related to a few.

 

[Carl Spackler]

Anyone think -D-Day could have been a surprise if it occurred today with Google Earth, drones, satellites and nosy reporters from 24HR networks?

Surprise? I actually don't think it would be really that much different, there would be about 1/2 hour more notice that the attack was coming really.

The difference now would be political in nature. There is simply no way that the kind of military forces that were assembled over the amount of time that it took to assemble, for that invasion would be able to be assembled now without serious political and social unrest - unless the world was already significantly at war.

The Germans knew an attack was coming for years and they knew it would be coming across the English Channel. There wasn't much surprise about D-Day, other than the German command was so screwed up in their chain, that even when the fighting actually started, their central command didn't react like it was actually happening yet.

Most people think it was primarily an American invasion - D-Day was pretty much an 85% British and Canadian effort.

 

[PPKChamp]

As a Vet and the commander of my local VFW Post, I do know some men that participated in D-Day. First it is an honor to know these men and to call them friends. Second, it is unfathomable to me to even understand what they were thinking and feeling just knowing what they were walking, swimming and jumping into. They truly are the greatest generation. It is so sad that there are only a few left.

 

[Duncan Idaho]

Troops landing were 75k Brits/ Canadians, 57k American.
Paratroops 8k Brits/Can 15K+ American. Brits had huge numbers in support roles. Amazing effort.

 

[RioDog]

I try to imagine what it would have been like to be 18 or 19 years old approaching the beach in a landing craft, with a ton of gear strapped to my back, yards of water and sand to cross to get to cover, with ( at times at least) seasoned Wermacht soldiers trying to kill me. It is beyond my ability to imagine... the fear, adrenaline. My deepest appreciation to those veterans who took part.

On a related note it will be my great pleasure in a couple of months to return to Connecticut and spend some time with some old friends, one of whom was a hero at the the same moment on the other side of the world in the Pacific. My friend "Charles" was a torpedoman on a Gato- class submarine. He volunteered for the sub service when he was 18, trained in Groton, and eventually shipped out for the Pacific. He is a veteran of torpedo attacks on Japanese merchant and Navy vessels, surface actions and intelligence gathering operations.
Charles returned to CT after the war, took advantage of the GI bill and graduated with a business adminstration degree from the University of Connecticut. In 1969 he formed his own manufacturing company, and subsequently provided good jobs for many CT residents (including me), and ran the company until he retired (the company is still operated by his son). I am certain that many Boneyarders have benefitted from Charle´s products and services.He is one of the most humble and honest men I know, and he taught me how to do business with integrity. He is truly one of my heroes and I look forward to the honor of spending some time with him. Today is as good as any to salute him along with the great heroes of Normandy. God bless you Charles and thank you.

 

[Husky25]

Hitler thought the invasion was going to happen in Calais, not Normandy. According to the movie Patton and WWII documentaries, Patton was the commander of the fake army building up forces intended to deceive the 3rd Reich.

I agree with Carl. It wouldn't have been much different, except it would have been broadcast live on CNN in real time.

 

[Carl Spackler]

The numbers are staggering to think about still today. The sea lane in the Channel that was cleared of mines for day 1 was only 15 miles wide. The places where mines hadn't been cleared turned out real bad for Allied forces.

Here's an interesting piece of work: German Field Marshall report on the D-Day invasion on 20 June 1944. It's amazing how accurate it is, and it concludes that he's putting it in writing, his recommendations for his own purposes.

http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq109-5.htm


(this guy Rundstedt, had been promoted and sacked by Hitler multiple times - by the time he was in command of the Normandy region - the first major incident when he wanted to actually halt the invasion on the eastern front because supply lines were thin and winter was coming. The Wehrmacht (under his command) with SS support divisions (Not under his command - but equally stretched out) had taken all of Ukraine into Crimea and secured what is now Sevastopol naval base all the way north to Moscow. Hitler wanted more and ordered him to advance. He objected but followed orders and continued to advance until the Russians finally stopped them and began pushing back at a place called Rostov. Almost the exact same thing that had happened to Napoleon about a century earlier.

Hitler sacked Rundstedt, for the first time. He would get promoted again, and then sacked again later after Normandy.

The most amazing thing about World War 2, is that had the Nazi war machine had an effective chain of command, and a leadership that was not criminally insane, there was no military force that would have come close to defeating them globally. The german weaponry and technology was so far advanced over anything anyone else had, that's hard to describe.

I read RIo's post and it hits you in the guts.

I can only imagine what it must have been like for an American soldier to hear and actually have to face an MG-42 machine gun for the first time, or for any single one of the pilots in the air battle, to see an ME-262 buzz them at twice their max speed, with no propellers.

Anyhoo - an historical day, in history.

 

[Stinger92860]

I try to imagine what it would have been like to be 18 or 19 years old approaching the beach in a landing craft, with a ton of gear strapped to my back, yards of water and sand to cross to get to cover, with ( at times at least) seasoned Wermacht soldiers trying to kill me. It is beyond my ability to imagine... the fear, adrenaline. My deepest appreciation to those veterans who took part.

I had an uncle who participated in more than one amphibious landing during WWII. I told him I would have been too scared to leave the landing craft. He said you had no other choice but to leave. Staying was almost certain death. Bullets would enter and ricochet around. He was a tough s o b, shot several times, eventually lost a lung. He had Lugers, knives and nazi banners.

 

[sdhusky]

The most amazing thing about World War 2, is that had the Nazi war machine had an effective chain of command, and a leadership that was not criminally insane, there was no military force that would have come close to defeating them globally. The german weaponry and technology was so far advanced over anything anyone else had, that's hard to describe.

This might be the dumbest thing you have ever written. And that is saying a lot.

Let's just start by saying 1 nuke is worth more than even 100 Tiger Tanks.

Can we agree on that?

The German "super weapons" were super weapons only on paper.

Take the Tiger Tank.

Now, the Tiger Tank was impressive but was super heavy and required an enormous amount of fuel and support but its biggest problem was it was incredibly complex to manufacture and required all kinds of high machined parts.

Compared to the soviet T34. The soviets were able to pump our massive numbers on these tanks and they simple to manufacture and service in the field.

The T34 was a much better tank because it was possible to deploy them in much, much larger numbers.

Same thing all their other "super weapons"

Their rockets were really only a terrorist success. Not much of an impact on military targets.

Bottomline, if the German high command wasn't so dysfunctional the war would have lasted longer but thats about all.

And that's not counting nukes.

 

[specialisthusky]

Airborne!

 

[John]

Take the Tiger Tank.

Now, the Tiger Tank was impressive but was super heavy and required an enormous amount of fuel and support but its biggest problem was it was incredibly complex to manufacture and required all kinds of high machined parts.

Even Oddball knew you just needed to make sure you hit it in the ass.