Tomorrow is Friday, June 6th 2014, the end of the week, a Friday not much else.
But for a smaller percentage this year, it is day that will never be forgotten. The day that the allied forces landed on the Coast of Normandy to begin the liberation of Europe from the oppressive and deadly yoke of Nazi rule.
D-day was a day that nearly did not happen. The issue that nearly kept the Allied soldiers in England for what could have been weeks or months was the weather.
The tide had to be perfect and the sky cloudless. At Midnight the weather was good, and the invasion fleet set sail.
By dawn landing barges were moving soldiers to beaches code named Juno, Sword and Omaha, among others, while Heavy Bombers of the 8th and 9th Air Forces along with Medium bombers took to the air.
British Heavy bombers flew in daylight with air supremecy, no need to hide by the shadow of night today.
Fighters like Spitfires, Typhoons, Thunderbolts and Mustangs took to the air, not just to fly escort but to support the troops.
The first days were hard, and there were those who wondered if this would not be another Dunkirk, from May of 1940.
Allied losses were extremely high those first several days, the first nearly two weeks was a struggle to get men and supplies safely on the beach and mobile away from the beach heads.
Yet British American, Canadian, Commonwealth and Free French forces fought their way from the blood red beaches of Normandy, soaked in the blood of the dead, and wounded to Paris and to Berlin.
Let us never forget these boys, these men who helped liberate the people of Europe from one of the worst tyrants of all time.
But for a smaller percentage this year, it is day that will never be forgotten. The day that the allied forces landed on the Coast of Normandy to begin the liberation of Europe from the oppressive and deadly yoke of Nazi rule.
D-day was a day that nearly did not happen. The issue that nearly kept the Allied soldiers in England for what could have been weeks or months was the weather.
The tide had to be perfect and the sky cloudless. At Midnight the weather was good, and the invasion fleet set sail.
By dawn landing barges were moving soldiers to beaches code named Juno, Sword and Omaha, among others, while Heavy Bombers of the 8th and 9th Air Forces along with Medium bombers took to the air.
British Heavy bombers flew in daylight with air supremecy, no need to hide by the shadow of night today.
Fighters like Spitfires, Typhoons, Thunderbolts and Mustangs took to the air, not just to fly escort but to support the troops.
The first days were hard, and there were those who wondered if this would not be another Dunkirk, from May of 1940.
Allied losses were extremely high those first several days, the first nearly two weeks was a struggle to get men and supplies safely on the beach and mobile away from the beach heads.
Yet British American, Canadian, Commonwealth and Free French forces fought their way from the blood red beaches of Normandy, soaked in the blood of the dead, and wounded to Paris and to Berlin.
Let us never forget these boys, these men who helped liberate the people of Europe from one of the worst tyrants of all time.
No comments:
Post a Comment