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The Normandy Landings
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Posted by Veterans Today on Feb 11 2013, With 0 Reads, Filed under Editor, History. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
Posted by Veterans Today on Feb 11 2013, With 0 Reads, Filed under Editor, History. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
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Jim, what were those mini tank-like vehicles? I’ve never seen them before.
To think that Gen. Bradly almost called a retreat, yet, decided to persevere possibly knowing there would never be another opportunity such as this.
Perhaps some photos of the cemeteries for all those who fought on both sides could be out up as well.
It takes a brave soul indeed to knowingly march into the jaws of death.
The enigma of Hitler will continue for a long time unless historians and archivists are allowed full and complete access to all materials pertaining to this epoch in history.
….And we must be able and willing to accept the truth no matter where it leads us to.
#13 Bombardement de la Pointe du Hoc is a striking photo. The sobering photos at the end of the series remind me of scenes from Saving Private Ryan.
Excerpts from Ronald Reagan’s speech at Point-du-Hoc:
“Forty years ago … At dawn, on the morning of the 6th of June, 1944, 225 Rangers jumped off the British landing craft and ran to the bottom of these cliffs. Their mission was one of the most difficult and daring of the invasion: to climb these sheer and desolate cliffs and take out the enemy guns. The Allies had been told that some of the mightiest of these guns were here and they would be trained on the beaches to stop the Allied advance.
The Rangers looked up and saw the enemy soldiers – the edge of the cliffs shooting down at them with machineguns and throwing grenades. And the American Rangers began to climb. They shot rope ladders over the face of these cliffs and began to pull themselves up. When one Ranger fell, another would take his place. They climbed, shot back, and held their footing. Soon, one by one, the Rangers pulled themselves over the top, and in seizing the firm land at the top of these cliffs, they began to seize back the continent of Europe. Two hundred and twenty-five came here. After 2 days of fighting, only 90 could still bear arms.
Behind me is a memorial that symbolizes the Ranger daggers that were thrust into the top of these cliffs. And before me are the men who put them there.
These are the boys of Pointe du Hoc. These are the men who took the cliffs.
Gentlemen, I look at you and I think of the words of Stephen Spender’s poem. You are men who in your ‘lives fought for life … and left the vivid air signed with your honor.’
Forty summers have passed since the battle that you fought here. You were young the day you took these cliffs; some of you were hardly more than boys, with the deepest joys of life before you. Yet, you risked everything here. Why? Why did you do it? What impelled you to put aside the instinct for self-preservation and risk your lives to take these cliffs? What inspired all the men of the armies that met here? We look at you, and somehow we know the answer. It was faith and belief; it was loyalty and love.
The men of Normandy had faith that what they were doing was right, faith that they fought for all humanity, faith that a just God would grant them mercy on this beachhead or on the next.”
Proud Heros that shall always be remembered for their bravery and sacrifice!
But please, Emma, “Private Ryan” is just a pathetic propaganda-piece, You’ll find in it NO GERMAN with any Honor or Humanity, they’re just ALL scum.
I remember and I will always do remember the testimony of a german Soldier that unloaded his machine-gun on dozens if not hundreds of american G.I.’s storming Ohama-Beach, slaughtering too many of them.
He then told about a book he much later after the war had read, written by an american G.I., and in that book the american veteran stated that he looked this german shooter in the eyes that day…the german noticed, that it was him that the american was writing about, and he contacted him finally….the name of the German Soldier was FRANZ GOCKEL, if I remember the story correct…the documentary is too long for me to find the name of the american G.I. sadly (see bottom)
This I found about Gockel: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/1463174/D-Day-France-preferred-us-to-the-US-even-then-says-German-veteran.html
Gockel at 0:25 – youtube.com/watch?v=33VXnH6ySLY – at 0:44 is Rolf de Boeser, and in that 5-part-documentary, the story of Heinrich Severloh is told as well….these were 18, 19, 21 year old boys…
In the video of this ceremony and in the full text, Reagan acknowledged the West German delegation in the audience and also honored their sacrifice and good intentions. He asks “what inspired all of the men of the armies that met here?” The ceremony was 5 years before the Berlin Wall fell, so “peace” with East Germany hadn’t been actualized.
I went past the Slapton Sands Memorial in South Devon last summer to the guys killed there whilst on manouvres prior to D-Day. They were caught out by German E-Boats a tragic and to mind unneccessary loss of life.
This is a little bit off topic, but if You want to learn about and see “Holocaust™-Denial” in action, see how they even celebrate the massmurder of innocent women and children being burned alive (!) at Dresden in the comments’ section…..what a disgrace…
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2276944/I-destroyed-Dresden-Bomber-Harris-unrepentant-German-city-raids-30-years-end-World-War-Two.html#axzz2KhZdMOCG
I’m german, and You’re right, Stephen, actually I’m really greatful for the many thousand honorable british, french and american Historians, Journalists and interested individuals who are much more honest and unbiased in their approach when reflecting the subjects of WW2.
Because in total opposition to a truthful approach on what happened, the majority of german traitors are buckling and kneeling constantly, ignoring, belittling and even denying their own fallen and especially their own fallen innocent civilians killed in actions that You can only describe as warcrimes like the atrocious Firebombing of Dresden.
You will find a document showing the horror in the english wiki-entry, but You won’t find it in the german entry:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Fotothek_df_ps_0000047_Eine_Mutter_%C3%BCber_dem_Kinderwagen_ihrer_Zwillinge_im_Tode_.jpg
There nearly is no credible, honorable german Historian (beside Ernst Nolte, who’s trying) working in the field about WW2, as this subject is highly politized and totally corrupted thereby, so that actually WW2-History in Germany is nothing but Denazification-Propaganda and Holocaust™-Repentance until this day.
An english wiki-entry on the Laconia-incident displays this quite well:
“Surprisingly, most present day opposition to telling the story came from the German production teams who worked on the 2010 Television drama who objected to Nazis being shown in a positive light”
When the german MSM is reporting today on the commemorations on the Dresden-Firebombing, they merely mention the victims-tragedy on a side-note turning then immediately on the so called “Instrumentalisation” of those evil 1000 right-wing/ neo-Nazi demonstrators and how Germany just brought it onto itself. Communists and turskish Islam-Lobbyists then are celebrated for organizing a huge “Tolerance”-counter-demonstration…
I’m sure You are familiar with Pat Buchanans or David Irvings take on the developments of that sad period, or people like Paul Rassinier, Robert Faurisson, Arthur Butz as well as many other non-German thinkers but also helpless german Patriots like “ex-canadian” Ernst Zuendel who all do Germany, Truth and History much more justice and honor than any german Bundestag-Member does today.
Dresden was a Warcrime, but obviously the War isn’t over yet. It ends when Double Standard, Bigotry and Instrumentalisation of Perpetrators and Victims on all sides has ended.
It must be Purim…
Thanks Jim, never seen so many shots of the landing of troops and materiel before, certainly an impressive op.
Omaha was close though, Rommel actually requested to have a Panzer division stationed around St. Lo, which could have reacted on the day, so on top of the veteran infantry regiments there could have been a hundred tanks and supporting panzergrenadiers/artillery bearing down on the hard pressed Americans before any effective line had been formed. But it was not approved by Hitler at the time. Ike was apparently tossing up whether to pull out as it was, the slaughter was so bad for a few hours, one German soldier on an MG42 mowed down hundreds on his own. But sheer grit (and a bit of luck – the Rangers getting around the flank by chance), plus close fire support from offshore punched through in the end.
Steve,
You make a good point. The winners history records that Hitler just wasn’t aware of where the real invasion was going to happen. Yea, right! He already had captured allies plans. He already had reports from U- boats about the Americans an British training on the cliffs of England were the Sub Commanders suck a number of ships killing thounsands of troops. It is not like the German Pilots had not already revolted so they could use the few ME 262s that Hitler had not converted to fighter-bombers; one of which coul have been used to do some ariel recon to establish the exact points of the invasion. Is it a wonder Hitler had to dispose of Rommel? You know, the guy who kept winning with light armor in N Africa and no air cover and few supplies in his bid to take Palistine; a move that would have ended the war or made the Jews openly switch sides which would have exposed their little game of extermination of the White/European Christians to establish a world government headquarters based on their race? Is it any wonder why Hitler didn’t attack Moscow before the winter? Is it any wonder why Hitler releaved Rommel from controlling Axis defenses, including taking the high ground, during operation torch? Is it any wonder Hitler didn’t deploy any of their anti gravity discs toward the defense of Germany? Is it ANY wonder that Hitler let 250,000 British soliders go at Dunkirk? Is it any wonder that Hitler never arrested one single banker, nor did he bomb their estates in England and elsewhere? Is it any wonder that the Jewish population actually increased from 38 to 45 and the White European population lost approximately 242 million? And finally, is it any wonder that Hitler was a half Jew and in cahoots with the others Jews, Rosenfeld (Roosevelt), Stalin (real name Jewman) and half Jew Churchill?
What makes me wonder is how so many of my kinfolk can still be sleeping.
On another note- great pics Jim.
He did not want to wipe you out, quite the contrary, he wanted an alliance, and always had.
Doesn’t mean he didn’t get p*ssed off on occasion.
you are quite right steve. hitler respected the british nation and its people. he let them go at dunkirk and thought that would prepare the way to peace. in fact he really offered several times an alliance with britain. there were no hate propaganda against the allies at all. hitler didn’t want war, he was a nationalist and loved his country.
Steve,
He didnt want to wipe us out because he wanted an alliance is false propaganda. If he wanted a alliance he could have captured the British at Dunkirk and then started to negotiate an alliance from a position of strength.
This is quite a treasure trove here. It has some of the old stand by photos used in the past, but lot’s of new stuff.