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D-Day 24 hours (1 Viewer)

BobbyLayne

BobbyLayne

Footballguy
79 years ago today

One of my favorite YT channels has some good fresh content they started rolling out last night:

World War Two

Some of you already watch their weekly real time show; new episodes release every Saturday morning covering the week that was.

For the largest amphibious assault in history, they created a special channel to release the new content:

D-Day 24 hours

Invasion by Air - D-Day (Part 1)

Through The Gates of Hell - D-Day [Part 2]

Piercing the Atlantic Wall- D-Day [Part 3]

German Counterattack - D-Day [Part 4]

***************

HOUR 1 - First Boots on the Ground

HOUR 2 - Drop Zone Cotentin

HOUR 3 - Nazis Caught Sleeping

HOUR 4 - Neptune’s Armada

HOUR 5 - Bombing the French Civilians

HOUR 6 - Shelling the Germans

HOUR 7 - H-Hour for Omaha and Utah

HOUR 8 - H-Hour for Gold, Juno and Sword

HOUR 9 - Hitter’s Fortress Walls Crumbling

HOUR 10 - The Greatest Press Story Ever Told

HOUR 11 - Where the Hell is the Luftwaffe?

HOUR 12 - Allied Planes Hunt in Packs

HOUR 13 - Where the Hell are the French?

HOUR 14 - Invasion in a Traffic Jam!

HOUR 15 - The New Warrior Comes from the Sky

HOUR 16 - The US Invades Great Britain

HOUR 17 - We’re Bombing the French Again!

HOUR 18 - Omaha Finally Secure?

HOUR 19 - The Weapon to Target Hitler’s Brain

HOUR 20 - The Nazis Strike Back - the Panzers are Coming

HOUR 21 - Not Another Dieppe Raid!

HOUR 22 - The Three Act Drama of Utah Beach

HOUR 23 - Omaha Beach: Tragedy or Victory?

HOUR 24 - The Atlantic Wall Has Fallen
 
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Frank DeVita’s story is one of many inspiring memories from the men who landed on the beaches of Normandy 79 years ago this Tuesday. But that fact doesn’t detract from his story. Rather, it makes the enormous sacrifices of that day even more remarkable.

DeVita was a 19-year-old Gunner’s Mate 3rd Class aboard the USS Samuel Chase. His job was to ride in one of the many troop transport ships that delivered men to Omaha Beach amid terrific artillery fire, then to lower the ramp that would allow them to exit the ship and run onto the beach, desperate to establish a beachhead on the European continent.

Pre-dawn bombing raids had failed to effectively hit the fortified positions German soldiers had established above Omaha Beach. That allowed the Germans to riddle incoming boats with relentless machine gun fire.

D-Day Stories: The Gunner's Mate Who Witnessed Carnage at Omaha Beach

As DeVita said, he could hear bullets pounding the ramp as they approached the beach, like the staccato clacking of a typewriter. As long as the ramp was up, it was a shield.

“I figured in my mind, when I drop that there ramp, the bullets that are hitting the ramp are going to come into the boat. So I froze,” he said.

Only when the boat’s coxswain yelled and swore at him to lower the ramp did he do his duty.

“I dropped the ramp,” he said. “The first seven or eight, nine, 10 guys went down like you’re cutting down wheat.”

That was his first trip to the beach. By the eighth trip that day, he was carrying the wounded and dead off the shore and back to the main ships.

He remembers those men, “18, 19, 20 years old. They were too young to vote, but they weren’t too young to die.”

“Half of us were going to be killed. They told us that. But everybody went anyway,” he said, his voice breaking as he began to cry. “They didn’t hesitate a minute, and neither did I.”

D-Day was a pivotal moment in World War II, not just for U.S. soldiers, but for the allied forces and the world. Officially known as “Operation Overlord,” the invasion included more than 195,000 personnel from eight allied nations on 7,000 ships and landing craft, with about 133,000 from the United States, Britain and its commonwealth landing on June 6, 1944, according to the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library.

Casualties that day, dead and wounded, numbered 10,300. That is difficult to comprehend at a time when the entire 20-year war in Afghanistan resulted in 22,311 U.S. casualties. D-Day has been called the largest invasion force in human history. It may be the greatest single example of selfless sacrifice, as well.

Because of the bravery and willingness of those men that day, the world has not faced a similar pivot point of such great importance since then.
Those who survived D-Day and the rest of World War II are rapidly dwindling. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs said only 167,284 of the 16 million who served in that conflict remained alive in 2022. Those numbers are expected to fall below 100,000 this year.

As the website of the National WWII Museum says, “Every day, memories of World War II — its sights and sounds, its terrors and triumphs — disappear.”

But the remembrance and gratitude of today’s Americans for that generation must never vanish. Neither should the resolve to follow their selfless example whenever circumstances make it necessary again.
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I stopped watching the series in March because I knew what was coming, and I wanted to binge the lead-up. I think I made the correct decision. I'll be caught up again before the weekend is over.
 
"Hey fellas. Get in this floating metal box.....and when the door opens, run through waist high water towards the automatic gunfire. Eventually we'll get you some help"

Freaking legends. Consider what these guys did and what the current generations aren't willing to do. Crazy
 

OMAHA BEACH: Last Living 1st Wave D-Day Officer on Storming Normandy​


John C. Raaen, Jr., graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1943. Commissioned as a 2nd. Lt. in the Corps of Engineers, he joined the newly activated 5th Ranger Battalion where he underwent extensive training in Florida, England, and finally Scotland in preparation for the invasion of occupied Europe.

On June 6, 1944, Raaen and his rangers were supposed to follow the 2nd Ranger Battalion and attack Pointe du Hoc, but delays and miscommunication saw Raaen and his Rangers rerouted directly to Omaha Beach. The 5th Rangers landed intact as a battalion and thus became the dominant influence on Omaha Dog Beach.

During his first time in combat, Raaen, who was an Army Captain at the time, distinguished himself on the beaches of Normandy France. He was awarded the Silver Star and Combat Infantryman Badge for his actions on that day.
 
I had the privilege of going to Omaha Beach last year. I walked out to the ocean's edge and turned around to see what the landing parties had to deal with. Holy ****. The bluff is huge - much, much higher than one would expect. The beach isn't what one would think of as a beach in the US - sand stretching to infinity both ways. Omaha Beach is closed off - Point Du Hoc on one side and cliff like features on the other. It's effectively only a couple/three miles wide. Looking from end to end it didn't seem big enough to bring in the masses of troops that landed.

I am in awe of the men that stormed the beach that day.
 
Fairly significant celebrations today in Normandy. It is anticipated that this may be the last anniversary that will actually have any WWII veterans in attendance. There will be some for sure going forward but we are close to the end of WWII veterans. If you were 20 years old in 1944 you're 100 years old. Chances are you aren't making the trip. I saw a report earlier today that there were an estimated 200 veterans at the celebrations this year.
 
My appreciation grows every year for what those men did on the beach that day, I have two sons ages 27 and 22 and looking at them it just turns my stomach to think that they would have been thrust into that situation back then. I honestly cannot even fathom the level of bravery/fear that it took to run up the beach that day. Damn, I got choked up typing this out while trying to put myself in their shoes....
 
BroncoFreak_2K3 said:
www.abmc.gov

About Pointe du Hoc Ranger Monument - American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC)

The World War II Pointe du Hoc Ranger Monument is located on a cliff eight miles west of Normandy American Cemetery, which overlooks Omaha Beach, France. It was erected by […]
www.abmc.gov www.abmc.gov
This story always sends chills up my spine. Just unreal the bravery.

Reagans speech commemorating this assault

​

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The Point-du-Hoc stuff is one (of the many) story that if you pitched it to Hollywood producers they would laugh at you and say that's just too unbelievable, people wouldn't buy it. Incredible bravery that happened on that day in so many areas.

In the book By Water Beneath the Walls by Ben Milligan, he details the role played by the Navy's Special Warfare group in clearing obstacles on the beach (think Rommel's hedgehogs, Belgian Gates, etc). They were the precursory to the what we call the SEAL's today. Some ridiculous acts of bravery. HE is there now dedicating a memorial to them
www.instagram.com

Ben Milligan on Instagram: "Eighty years after, the plank owners of Naval Special Warfare finally have their monument. It is no exaggeration to say that without this sacrifice, the institution would not exist. Proud to have had a hand in this project

230 likes, 12 comments - ben.h.milligan on June 6, 2024: "Eighty years after, the plank owners of Naval Special Warfare finally have their monument. It is no exaggeration to say that without this...".
www.instagram.com www.instagram.com
 
CGRdrJoe said:
My appreciation grows every year for what those men did on the beach that day, I have two sons ages 27 and 22 and looking at them it just turns my stomach to think that they would have been thrust into that situation back then. I honestly cannot even fathom the level of bravery/fear that it took to run up the beach that day. Damn, I got choked up typing this out while trying to put myself in their shoes....
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I've thought about it a lot as my son gets older (13 now). When I was enlisted, I always thought it would have been tough but I could have done it. Thinking about my kid doing it, I'd be destroyed.
 
brun said:
Desert_Power said:
Don't forget about our Canadian buddies on this day.
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1 of my uncles in the Canadian military was injured on D Day...
In a motorcycle accident back in England. Probably doing something he wasn't supposed to be doing.
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This wasnt on DDay but my grandfather (Army Air Corps) got drunk in a pub in England and went to ride his bike back to his duty station. It was dark because of the German bombings and he rode his bike into a bomb crater. The crash completely destroyed his knee and he ended up on desk duty for the rest of the war.
 
I'll share what was said in my house when this was dominating the news channels this morning....Who cares?
What I mean is, I understand the significance but most young folks are clueless about a lot of this and watching huge ground weapons firing off round after round...
Not a very peaceful way to pray and show humble respect for those that lost their lives
A little too much pageantry for my taste and i guess we will keep trying to have these quiet moments to reflect every year forever and ever.

-Feels like we need to aim in a new direction and still remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice that so many can't even comprehend these days.
Imagine trying to pull this off now and ordering all these men to their deaths to try and turn the tide and momentum of World War III
We might have nuclear weapons but do we have the intestinal fortitude any longer as a society to fight and protect our country and it's best interests?
:oldunsure:
 
Still need to get over to Normandy, but was out at the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford, VA recently. Really well done and worth a visit if ever in the area. It is located in Bedford because they lost more men per capita than any other community on D-Day (the book “Bedford Boys” is about their sacrifices that day).
 
A couple things which make the U.S. military very different from every other significant force in the world:
  • We train exactly like we fight. When you get into combat you do what you’ve trained for hundreds if not thousands of times. The human mind often goes blank when it’s in fight or flight mode; you don’t have time (or capacity) to think. You simply do your job.
  • Our NCOs (non-commissioned officers) are the backbone of all of the Armed Forces units. This is not the case with every fighting force in the world, where most are heavily dependent on commissioned officers. This really shows up in theater bc it allows units to keep functioning as combat effective despite leadership casualties.
What the WWII Veterans accomplished is remarkable. It should be celebrated and remembered as long as there is a United States.

That said, I have every confidence that whenever we find ourselves in a conflict, regardless of the scale, Americans will usually win bc of superior leadership, training & technology. We’re not inherently superior, but our logistics & training absolutely are. It comes down to time on task. If called upon, and given adequate time to prepare & train, you (or your children) would do exactly what these men did 80 years: whatever it takes to finish the job, and preserve our way of life.

IMHO

ETA - I’m referring to conventional warfare, presuming MAD takes nukes off the table. Though A2/AD is changing doctrine, in the end I still believe our readiness will always give us an advantage. YMMV
 
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Ministry of Pain said:
I'll share what was said in my house when this was dominating the news channels this morning....Who cares?
What I mean is, I understand the significance but most young folks are clueless about a lot of this and watching huge ground weapons firing off round after round...
Not a very peaceful way to pray and show humble respect for those that lost their lives
A little too much pageantry for my taste and i guess we will keep trying to have these quiet moments to reflect every year forever and ever.

-Feels like we need to aim in a new direction and still remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice that so many can't even comprehend these days.
Imagine trying to pull this off now and ordering all these men to their deaths to try and turn the tide and momentum of World War III
We might have nuclear weapons but do we have the intestinal fortitude any longer as a society to fight and protect our country and it's best interests?
:oldunsure:
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If most young folks miss the significance of the day then it's our fault, not theirs. Every single year there are huge celebrations on this day across France to celebrate the beginning of their liberation and while they may not have a lot of use for Americans today, anyone who served and was there in 1944 is treated akin to a god. Not just from other 90 year olds, from small children all the way up to folks who were there. They understand the significance of the day, shame we are losing sight of it.

Imagine trying to pull this off today? @BobbyLayne said it very well. I have every confidence our fighting forces would do the same today as these men did 80 years ago.
 
I couldn't care less if the Tok Tok generation doesn't appreciate/understand/even know what these guys did.

They'll be heroes forever. Celebrate them however you see fit, IMO. Based on the stuff I've seen the past couple of days, it appears most of them get a real kick out of all the pomp. Most if not all of them are >100 at this point. I'd rather it be a super happy day for them if they feel its appropriate.
 
TLEF316 said:
I couldn't care less if the Tok Tok generation doesn't appreciate/understand/even know what these guys did.

They'll be heroes forever. Celebrate them however you see fit, IMO. Based on the stuff I've seen the past couple of days, it appears most of them get a real kick out of all the pomp. Most if not all of them are >100 at this point. I'd rather it be a super happy day for them if they feel its appropriate.
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IMO you should care, it means that your peers are not doing their part to invoke on their children the importance of it all. I've reminded my kids since their youth that Call of Duty may be fun but the real life soldiers don't get a respawn. Maybe their respect and knowledge is due to me serving myself but I've taken to passing all of this on to my nephew (14) as well.
 
The bigger campaign, Operation Overlord, is somehow overshadowed by June 6th. But the broader context is completely horrific:

From D-day through August 21, the Allies suffered more than 226,386 casualties: 72,911 killed/missing and 153,475 wounded.

So in three months the Allies incurred approximately 25% more KIA than the total amount America lost in 10+ years in Vietnam.

(I'm only trying to give context to how bad it had to have been. Vietnam was horrible - breaking through in northern France had to have been unimaginable.)
 
CGRdrJoe said:
IMO you should care, it means that your peers are not doing their part to invoke on their children the importance of it all. I've reminded my kids since their youth that Call of Duty may be fun but the real life soldiers don't get a respawn. Maybe their respect and knowledge is due to me serving myself but I've taken to passing all of this on to my nephew (14) as well.
Click to expand...

Reminds me of the bad part of experience with trip to the D-Day Memorial last year. We were staying at an AirBNB with my wife’s side of family over holidays. My son is 8; my nephews just a little bit older. At night, my wife read them a book targeted to children about D-Day; got them interested and excited to go to the memorial. Morning we were going, my brother-in-law tells his kids that he does not want to go because he thinks it will be boring. Nephews now back out of going and instead just stay at the AirBNB playing on their tablet. My son starts complaining that he wants to stay behind too because others saying it will be boring, but we tell him he has no choice. I’m a bit quiet/reserved, but I remember yelling at my brother-in-law that morning. Good times.

Anyway, I do try the same with my son. Took him to Pearl Harbor when in Hawaii last year, and the Museum of the Pacific War in Fredericksburg, TX a few months ago when we were down there for the eclipse. Taking him to the Churchill War Museum when we are going to London in a few weeks. Only time that he complained was when my ******* brother-in-law put that in his head.
 
Andy Dufresne said:
The bigger campaign, Operation Overlord, is somehow overshadowed by June 6th. But the broader context is completely horrific:

From D-day through August 21, the Allies suffered more than 226,386 casualties: 72,911 killed/missing and 153,475 wounded.

So in three months the Allies incurred approximately 25% more KIA than the total amount America lost in 10+ years in Vietnam.

(I'm only trying to give context to how bad it had to have been. Vietnam was horrible - breaking through in northern France had to have been unimaginable.)
Click to expand...
Not taking away any of what you said, war is horrific no matter where or when. While today is typically a day we remember as a US-BRIT-CAN day, the Russians suffered 2,056,232 losses in Q3 1944 (510,790 KIA, 1,545,442 Wounded/Sick). WWII saw some atrocious battles and staggering loss of life on all fronts.
 
Don Quixote said:
Still need to get over to Normandy, but was out at the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford, VA recently. Really well done and worth a visit if ever in the area. It is located in Bedford because they lost more men per capita than any other community on D-Day (the book “Bedford Boys” is about their sacrifices that day).
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Visited here this past spring. Will visit again when we have more time. Well done!

I encourage anyone interested in D-Day to read about the great sacrifice the “Bedford Boys” made!

The Bedford Boys: One American Town's Ultimate D-day Sacrifice https://a.co/d/c0TgqvM
 
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