Anniversary Of D-Day

Eagle0711

New member
Sixtyseven years ago thousands of soldiers stormed the beaches at Normandy France. This was a turning point of World War 11. The cost was 10,000 lives, as soldiers had to climb cliffs and face german mechine guns. Most soldiers carried the M1 Garand as they fought accross France defeating Hitlers forces ending in Berlin.

This was only mentioned briefly on Fox this morning. Other news channels chose to ignore this important event. Used to be a really big day, but it seems to be a passing event to be remembered. As you go thru your day a thought for these brave warriors would be appropriate.
 
+1 I too noticed the minimal coverage. Maybe the evening national broadcasts will give it deserved time. One of the most important days and periods in history as we know it. Never forget the sacrifices--then and now--of the brave men and women who serve(d).
 
changed it because of the grammer nazis.

Sorry to be a jerk but the solders that entered Berlin didnt use Grands.
 
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The soldiers who entered Berlin were carrying Mosins, would be my guess.

And I think (hope!) there will be more coverage tonight. History Channel was working it pretty well all weekend.
 
I prayed for the familes of the Men that died on this day in 1944. I was there on the 50 year aniversery abord the USS Portland LSD 37 in 1994 while serving in the Marines.
 
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So was my Great Uncle Bantie hallucinating?,,,

He always told us how his unit were in Berlin,,,
I'm fairly certain he carried a M-1 Garand,,,
That's what was in the picture anyways.

Aarond
 
Was he in Berlin during the war or after the war? I know that the German forces in Berlin surrendered to the Soviets. I am not aware of any American units in Berlin at that point in the war, but I am not an expert by any stretch. According to Wiki
No plans were made by the Western Allies to seize the city by a ground operation.[26] U.S. General Dwight D. Eisenhower lost his interest in the race to Berlin and saw no further need to suffer casualties in attacking a city that would be in the Soviet sphere of influence after the war.[27] General Eisenhower foresaw excessive friendly fire if both armies attempted to occupy the city at once.[28] The major Western Allied contribution to the battle was the bombing of Berlin during 1945.[29] During 1945 the United States Army Air Forces launched a number of very large daytime raids on Berlin, and for 36 nights in succession scores of RAF Mosquitos bombed the German capital, ending on the night of 20/21 April 1945 just before the Soviets entered the city.[30]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Berlin
 
I agree, an "off" anniversary. Shortly after D-Day George C. Marshall visited the troops in Italy. When he mentioned D-Day one of them said "Which One?"-some of them had been through 3 already.
The Allied troops who took Berlin carried Mosin-Nagants, PPSh M-1941s, PPS M-1943s, Tokarevs, etc.
Now if there is meager coverage this upcoming December 7 we must say something.
 
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aarondhgraham,

Nobody is hallucinating, after the soviets seized Berlin, the allies made some appeasement deals and Berlin got split into 4 sectors, a Soviet one, a British one, a French one and an American one. The Soviets got to Berlin first though.
 
The Russians took Berlin, if you were told it was American troops they were not telling you the truth.
 
D-Day was an important point in the war, but the human toll of the Western Allied campaign is a footnote to that of the Eastern campaign. A Russian boy born in 1922 had a 3% chance of surviving the war. The Second World War was completely indescribable in its proportions.
 
So was my Great Uncle Bantie hallucinating?,,,

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

He always told us how his unit were in Berlin,,,
I'm fairly certain he carried a M-1 Garand,,,
That's what was in the picture anyways.

So it comes down to something personal...just who was hallucinating. It was great your Uncle Bantie served. He may have been in Berlin, but AFTER the war was over. Lots of soldiers were there AFTER the war was over, but for the Brits and Yanks, their fighting did not end in Berlin.

Maybe your uncle was a spy before the war was over? If so, he probably wasn't carrying a Garand as a spy in Berlin.
 
D-Day was an important point in the war, but the human toll of the Western Allied campaign is a footnote to that of the Eastern campaign. A Russian boy born in 1922 had a 3% chance of surviving the war. The Second World War was completely indescribable in its proportions.

+1
While I look up to the courage of the D-Day soldiers, we must not forget that more then 70% of German forces were destroyed on the Eastern front. The war with the USSR was the long struggle that weakened Germany so much that D-Day was possible. The Germans also had a very great contempt for "the Slavic race". Little known fact is that the whole point of Hitler's war wasn't world domination, but "Lebensraum im Osten", "Living space in the east". His whole idea was to exterminate the Slavic people and reinstate "Germania" where he thought his people originated from. As such, the SS exterminated a lot of civilians after passing trough the villages. In total, 14 million Soviet citizens died.

//End of history rant mode
 
If your uncle served in Berlin then it was as an MP and would have carried a M-1 carbine, M-4 grease gun or a 1911 45 ACP sidearm. Otherwise he was an unarmed soldier visiting or assigned to administrative duty.

Jim
 
Soviet troops captured Berlin.

American, British, and French forces didn't enter Berlin until after the complete German surrender and end of the war on 8 May 1945.
 
All this talk of the Germans -- just as on the radio. AP Radio News' report said how many Americans and Germans died in the invasion. What the hell? NOW who are we kissing up to!?
 
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