OT: D-DAY 70th Anniversary is tomorrow

[BulldogBear]

You'll enjoy these. Similar concept to a link I posted Memorial Day Weekend. These are then/now pics from D-DAY. You actually click and scroll L to R or R to L and the picture will change.


http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/ng-interactive/2014/jun/01/d-day-landings-scenes-in-1944-and-now-interactive

[Dawg61]

If you haven't already seen it I recommend watching The World Wars on the History Channel. It's fantastic.

Thx for posting this. Surreal.

[BrunswickDawg]

What that generation did can never be over-stated. My grandfather joined the Guard at 18 to help support his family. Unit went active duty for a year in 1940 - and he chose service over being a part of a legendary backfield at UGA, and minor league baseball contract in the Cardinals organization. Was on his was home when Pearl Harbor happened and was recalled. He landed 3rd wave on Omaha Beach that day. Fought through France, captured, escaped by tackling German guard out an open door of a moving train, helped back to the front by a WWI deserter, and was in the "point" unit for the US in Germany on VE Day. Never regretted what he gave up, never looked for recognition, always led by example.

[CadaverDawg]

Wow. Thanks BulldogBear

[Dawg61]

What that generation did can never be over-stated. My grandfather joined the Guard at 18 to help support his family. Unit went active duty for a year in 1940 - and he chose service over being a part of a legendary backfield at UGA, and minor league baseball contract in the Cardinals organization. Was on his was home when Pearl Harbor happened and was recalled. He landed 3rd wave on Omaha Beach that day. Fought through France, captured, escaped by tackling German guard out an open door of a moving train, helped back to the front by a WWI deserter, and was in the "point" unit for the US in Germany on VE Day. Never regretted what he gave up, never looked for recognition, always led by example.

Wow that is some incredible stuff. Thanks for sharing it and thanks to your grandfather for putting this great country first. He's a hero.

[PassInterference]

What that generation did can never be over-stated. My grandfather joined the Guard at 18 to help support his family. Unit went active duty for a year in 1940 - and he chose service over being a part of a legendary backfield at UGA, and minor league baseball contract in the Cardinals organization. Was on his was home when Pearl Harbor happened and was recalled. He landed 3rd wave on Omaha Beach that day. Fought through France, captured, escaped by tackling German guard out an open door of a moving train, helped back to the front by a WWI deserter, and was in the "point" unit for the US in Germany on VE Day. Never regretted what he gave up, never looked for recognition, always led by example.

/slow clap

Great story. Salute.

[BulldogBear]

/slow clap

Great story. Salute.

+1

[BulldogBear]

If you haven't already seen it I recommend watching The World Wars on the History Channel. It's fantastic.

Thx for posting this. Surreal.

I missed them and didn't DVR them. I'm hoping for some kind of encore soon.

[Dawg61]

I missed them and didn't DVR them. I'm hoping for some kind of encore soon.

If you have comcast you can watch it through the OnDemand option. It's free.

[Todd4State]

My Grandfather was also in D-day and also fought in the Battle of Normandy. The men that fought there changed the world forever- for the good of the world.

The History Channel is having something on it tomorrow at 8 PM.

And yes, the World Wars was awesome. I never knew that General Patton was the guy that had the idea to put a machine gun on top of a car while he was fighting Poncho Villa.

[Pollodawg]

Yeah. The World Wars is good stuff.

[BrunswickDawg]

Yeah. The World Wars is good stuff.
I liked the concept of following key leaders through both wars, and it was well executed, but I think they gave Patton too much credit. No doubt that he had revolutionary ideas - and was a key piece tactically - but the way they tell it he almost singlehandedly won the war in Europe. No mention of Eisenhower?? Really?

[SheltonChoked]

I haven't seen the show. I'll have to look for it to watch sometime.

Brunswick has forgotten more history than I ever learned, but Patton has always gotten more credit than he deserved. I blame Hollywood. Patton gave a good quote, but my classes at state told me more about his willingness to burn though troops. Both his and the enemy. That's why both his leaders and the Germans were afraid of him.

Eisenhower's stratigic planning, the American industrial superpower, and the Russian front are all underrepresented in most recounts of WWII.

[BrunswickDawg]

I haven't seen the show. I'll have to look for it to watch sometime.

Brunswick has forgotten more history than I ever learned, but Patton has always gotten more credit than he deserved. I blame Hollywood. Patton gave a good quote, but my classes at state told me more about his willingness to burn though troops. Both his and the enemy. That's why both his leaders and the Germans were afraid of him.

Eisenhower's stratigic planning, the American industrial superpower, and the Russian front are all underrepresented in most recounts of WWII.
Thanks Shelton - I'm forgetting more everyday....
Patton basically applied Sherman's approach to modern mechanized warfare - and was the right personality to convince leadership that "War was Hell". As long as you advance and meet your objectives, casualties are just a side effect that only matter when you lose (not that I really agree with that, but that was their approach).

[BulldogBear]

If you have comcast you can watch it through the OnDemand option. It's free.

I have UVERSE but didn't think to see if it may be buried in the On Demand stuff somewhere. I'll have to check.

[BulldogBear]

I haven't seen the show. I'll have to look for it to watch sometime.

Brunswick has forgotten more history than I ever learned, but Patton has always gotten more credit than he deserved. I blame Hollywood. Patton gave a good quote, but my classes at state told me more about his willingness to burn though troops. Both his and the enemy. That's why both his leaders and the Germans were afraid of him.

Eisenhower's stratigic planning, the American industrial superpower, and the Russian front are all underrepresented in most recounts of WWII.

^ THIS ...strategic bombing had way more effect than we often really understand. By 1944, the Germans, although impressive and creative in how they coped with it and innovated to keep things rolling, were really scraping the barrel equipment wise (see note below). I love studying the air war and have taught my son to recognize most any WWII aircraft from it's silhouette, even some more obscure ones, the major powers and even a few minors.

NOTE: I also think German engineers and military innovators got stuck on the idea of building these awesome tanks but never very many (mostly later), when really they should've found something effective like the TIGER I or Mark IV and built a lot more of them rather than being obsessed with the idea of some invincible tank. Take the Sherman for example. It's not a particularly great tank but effective enough and we built a Sheisspile of them. Now, granted Germany couldn't have built as many as we did (see strategic bombing above!).

[Pollodawg]

Thanks Shelton - I'm forgetting more everyday....
Patton basically applied Sherman's approach to modern mechanized warfare - and was the right personality to convince leadership that "War was Hell". As long as you advance and meet your objectives, casualties are just a side effect that only matter when you lose (not that I really agree with that, but that was their approach).

Yeah. This sums up Patton pretty well. But I would apply the whole, "troops don't matter unless you lose" concept to Grant. Grant was way more of a bull forward, damn the men, commander. Look at Cold Harbor and the first days of Vicksburg. The only time Grant really used any sense of over all strategy other than "bludgeon the enemy to death" was his move down the Mississippi to run the river below Vicksburg and hit Jackson first, securing his rear. Other than that, he was a straight forward, two fisted fighter.

[Pollodawg]

Britain gets the least amount of credit for the Allied Victory my humble opinion. If Britain hadn't held out in the fall of '41, we would have had nowhere nearly as close to mainland Europe to launch such a massive invasion from.

[SheltonChoked]

The statistic i have always been told abou America's industrial power at the end of WWII is we were on pace to make more airplanes than there were places to park them in the us. Even accounting for battle losses.

The Sherman tank was not a good design But we could make them fast.

[BrunswickDawg]

The statistic i have always been told abou America's industrial power at the end of WWII is we were on pace to make more airplanes than there were places to park them in the us. Even accounting for battle losses.

The Sherman tank was not a good design But we could make them fast.
The whole mobilization to support the war effort is something that will never be seen - or matched - I would imagine. Here in my namesake town, the shipyard converted to make supply ships (known as Liberty Ships). They produced 99 in just over 2 years while at the same time doubling the population of the city. Workers rented rooms in 8 hour shifts because of the lack of housing. The amount of material built - and importantly shipped - to the war effort was staggering.

[BrunswickDawg]

Yeah. This sums up Patton pretty well. But I would apply the whole, "troops don't matter unless you lose" concept to Grant. Grant was way more of a bull forward, damn the men, commander. Look at Cold Harbor and the first days of Vicksburg. The only time Grant really used any sense of over all strategy other than "bludgeon the enemy to death" was his move down the Mississippi to run the river below Vicksburg and hit Jackson first, securing his rear. Other than that, he was a straight forward, two fisted fighter.

Yeah... Grant probably is right the example. But I'm from GA - we try to pin everything on Sherman. Damn bastard.

[Dawgbite]

My father served in WW2 but would never talk about it even though I was a war history buff and constantly asked about it. He went in on D-Day +7 in an engineering battalion. His go to story when around other vets talking about the war was that after VE day, he and a few others in his unit had enough points to come home but the majority of his unit did not. The guys with points transferred to a unit that was coming home. They boarded a ship headed to NY but after several days they noticed it getting warmer and knew something was up. The next land he saw was the coast of Panama and the next land he stood on was the Philippine Island near Manila. The bomb was dropped a few days before they arrived so it was just occupation duty.
Not long before his death, I took a DVD of Saving Private Ryan to his house and watched it with him with almost no reaction from him. A few days later out of the blue he remarked, " you know those neat rows of white crosses you saw in that cemetery? That's BS, I drove a D-11 Cat dozer cutting slit trenches to bury the dead. The only difference was with the Americans, they were laid in the trenches in neat rows before we covered them up with the dozer. The germans we just pushed in with the dozer." I really would have loved to hear his experiences but he had his reasons for not talking about it.

[Pollodawg]

Yeah... Grant probably is right the example. But I'm from GA - we try to pin everything on Sherman. Damn bastard.

I hear, man. I live having another Historian on this board. It makes for some awesome conversation.

[Bothrops]

Britain gets the least amount of credit for the Allied Victory my humble opinion. If Britain hadn't held out in the fall of '41, we would have had nowhere nearly as close to mainland Europe to launch such a massive invasion fr.

Britain should get a lot of credit overall. They lived in constant terror of bombing in their homeland during the first 2 years of the war. The Spitfire MK.V and the Lancaster bomber contributed greatly to the allied victory. They also introduced the Rolls Royce Merlin V-12.

[BrunswickDawg]

Not long before his death, I took a DVD of Saving Private Ryan to his house and watched it with him with almost no reaction from him...... I really would have loved to hear his experiences but he had his reasons for not talking about it.

I was extremely lucky that my grandfather decided to open up with me and share his story - I was the first he really talked with about it. But there were things he would not really detail, you could tell it was too hard even after 45-50 years. He died before SPR came out. He said - believe it or not - that the most accurate movie battle he ever saw was Forrest Gump. I never could tell if he was serious or if he was just referencing the fact that he and Forrest shared the same reason for a Purple Heart - "shot in the but-TOCKS". However, SPR is exactly how he described the Normandy landing.