June 6, 2018 Mistletoe Enterprises LLC and Victory & Valor tell the stories of heroes from all walks of life to educate our younger generation. We dedicate this day to remember the sacrifices, large and small, of the Greatest Generation, more than 160,000 of whom participated in the largest amphibious military operation in history: Operation Overlord. June 6, 1944: D-Day. During my time in the Air Force, I spent a couple years in West Germany. My base was in the Eiffel Region near the town of Prum: a few kilometers east of the Belgian border, about 20 kilometers northeast of the Luxembourg border. This region has many tall forested hills with towns and villages in the valleys below. It was a key area during World War II – particularly during the Battle of the Bulge. Many remnants of the German tank traps can still be found. And even today, pieces and parts of WWII equipment turn up in the forests and fields of the region. I was in Europe from 1984-1986. During that time, the 40th Anniversary of D-Day was celebrated. Luxembourg truly celebrated the anniversary of their liberation. Many more of the people who lived through the events of World War II were still alive in the 80’s, and their memories were still vivid. More than any other people of Europe, in my humble opinion, the people of Luxembourg loved and appreciated the Americans who fought to liberate them. But, I regret that I never visited northern France. My father had fought during the fall of 1944 through May 1945 in Northern France, the Rhineland, and the Central European campaigns. He had arrived in France on September 7, 1944 at Cherbourg. The D-Day invasion was the pivotal operation that made the liberation of Europe possible. And Cherbourg was a strategic necessity for the Allies to carry the battle forward. Cherbourg would give the Allies a deep-water port from which tanks, trucks, fuels and supplies could be delivered to the
Sometimes it is difficult to relate to geographic and historical references without having some perspective. The distance from Cherbourg, France across the English Channel to the southern shores of England is about 85 miles. That day, the sea was rugged. From one source to the next, figures vary. But the most common numbers indicate these things: more than 5000 ships, boats, and transports were filled with Allied personnel; the forces consisted of about 58,000 American soldiers and 15,000 airborne troops; there were about 14,000 Canadians; and there were about 73,000 British soldiers. Tens of thousands of men crossing the Channel. Many would never see another sunrise. The coastal targets were roughly a 50-mile-long stretch of beaches between Cherbourg and Le Havre given the operational names Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword, from west to east. The British and Canadiens attacked the three eastern-most targets. The Americans took the task of securing the western-most objectives nearest Cherbourg: they sent about 23,000 troops to Utah Beach, closest to Cherbourg. Casualties were relatively light. The larger contingent of about 34,000 Americans, most from the 1st Infantry Division, landed at Omaha Beach. Omaha was slightly further from Cherbourg, but it was essential to seal off the southeast end of the Cherbourg Peninsula. The Omaha Beach was also the most heavily defended. All four of the Medals of Honor awarded for actions on D-Day were members of the 1st Infantry Division. They were Brigadier General Teddy Roosevelt, Jr.; 1st Lieutenant Jimmy W. Montieth, Jr. (Killed In Action); Tech 5 John J. Pinder, Jr. (Killed In Action); and Private Carlton W. Barrett. The Americans at Omaha Beach endured the most casualties of all the forces on D-Day. Perspective: on many Sunday afternoons during the fall, when the Detroit Lions play at Ford Field in front of a capacity crowd of about 65,000 fans… imagine slightly more than half of them jumping off landing craft at Omaha. And an entire section of about 2000 men never returning. Then take about 2/3 of the people left in the stands and send them to the Utah Beach… and 200 of them never return. Of the airborne 15,000 troops another 2000 were lost. The seats at Ford Field would be practically empty. In all about 4500 American servicemen perished in action on D-Day. But their efforts and sacrifices changed the course of history. Their courage and selflessness towards a higher cause is their eternal legacy. We remember their sacrifices today. And we honor them. Mistletoe Enterprises LLC and Victory & Valor will always work to tell the stories of heroes from the past so that future generations will learn and grow. There are many wonderful sources from which to learn more about the history of D-Day and World War II. Here are a few good ones: https://www.army.mil/d-day/history.html http://nationalww2museum.org/index.html http://www.americaslibrary.gov/jb/wwii/jb_wwii_dday_1.html http://www.loc.gov/vets/stories/onthebeach.html We’ll see you again Friday.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorTom Davis is the owner of Mistletoe Enterprises LLC. He also publishes and distributes the Victory & Valor Flyer, it tells the stories of heroes from all walks of life. Archives
December 2018
Categories |