D-Day

[BG45]

"And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell, one more soldier reporting sir, I've served my time in Hell." - Anonymous

Sixty-six years ago, the forces of Britain, the United States, Canada, Australia, Norwegian volunteers, the Free Polish and the Free French launched what is often referred to as the largest amphibious operation in the history of mankind (the combined fleets led by no less than the very man who had evacuated Dunkirk). Their goal was to liberate Europe from fascism, and they went in knowing that not everyone would be returning home. Supreme Commander Eisenhower sent a letter out to the troops, and it was remarkable that it didn't fall into enemy hands:

[quote]Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force!

You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have
striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The
hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you.
In company with our brave Allies and brothers-in-arms on
other Fronts, you will bring about the destruction of the German war
machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of
Europe, and security for ourselves in a free world.

Your task will not be an easy one. Your enemy is well trained, well
equipped and battle hardened. He will fight savagely.

But this is the year 1944! Much has happened since the Nazi triumphs of
1940-41. The United Nations have inflicted upon the Germans great defeats,
in open battle, man-to-man. Our air offensive has seriously reduced their
strength in the air and their capacity to wage war on the ground. Our Home
Fronts have given us an overwhelming superiority in weapons and munitions
of war, and placed at our disposal great reserves of trained fighting men.
The tide has turned! The free men of the world are marching together to
Victory!

I have full confidence in your courage and devotion to duty and skill in
battle. We will accept nothing less than full Victory!

Good luck! And let us beseech the blessing of Almighty God upon this great
and noble undertaking.


SIGNED: Dwight D. Eisenhower[/quote]

Lesser known is Eisenhower's second letter, where his less than full confidence could be found. It was destroyed following the success of the invasion, but a number of documentaries have described it. A resignation, an acceptance of total responsibility for the failure of the Normandy landings, and the condolences to the families of the untold thousands of men who had lost their lives due to his costly mistakes. Fortunately, this letter was destroyed, because it wasn't needed.


So for those who died, please just remember them in your prayers today on the Feast of Corpus Christi.

Edited June 6, 2010 by BG45

[Archaeology cat]

[CatherineM]

We always watch The Longest Day on the 6th of June.

[let_go_let_God]

God bless-
LGLG

[dominicansoul]

[font="Book Antiqua"]It's hard to imagine it today, but most of these guys were teenagers and in their early 20's...

[img]http://www.theodoresworld.net/pics/Dday/D_DayImage1.jpg[/img]

No matter how many times we celebrate it, I'll never get over what these brave men did. They did what was seemingly impossible, and broke through hitler's iron wall...

[img]http://retiredfireman.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/d-day-beach.jpg[/img]

[img]http://steynian.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/2007-06-06d-day.jpg[/img]
[img]http://www.paintballgames.co.uk/app/webroot/files/img/dday.jpg[/img]
[img]http://imagesofwar.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/blog-dday.jpg[/img]
[img]http://worshippingchristian.org/images/blog/d_day/dday3.jpg[/img]

there are many other images, ones of fallen soldiers who did not make it to see victory in Europe. I pray for the souls of these men, who gave their all to fight evil...

...and today, my father, a D-Day veteran, decided to give me his medals from his service in the War. One of the medals is the Iron Cross, which my dad says he pulled off a nazi he beat the croutons out of...my dad kept it, but rubbed out the swastika...

I'm proud of my dad... [/font]

[Apotheoun]

Eternal Memory!

[Hassan]

My great0uncle was in D-Day. Years later he was on a cruise with my great-aunt and they met a nice German couple. The German husband, as it turns out, had been a German officer cadet before the Nazi's took over but was retained in the German regular army. Interestingly enough, he was one of the German officers tasked with defending the Normandy beachhead. Even more interestingly, he was defending the same strip of beach my great-uncle landed on.

It's a small world.

[CatherineM]

[quote name='Sternhauser' date='06 June 2010 - 04:35 PM' timestamp='1275860158' post='2124839']
Why didn't your dad shoot the "Nazi?" Was he out of ammo? Lost his bayonet? Ask him sometime. Article 18 of the Geneva Convention states that enemy soldiers must be allowed to retain their helmets, protective equipment and decorations upon capture. Or did he kill the guy, then take it off his body as a souvenir?

~Sternhauser
[/quote]
When you are outrageously disrespectful like this, I am reminded why I have you on ignore. I'm glad someone told me about this though. Your response is sick.

[Sternhauser]

[quote name='CatherineM' date='06 June 2010 - 06:21 PM' timestamp='1275866507' post='2124933']
When you are outrageously disrespectful like this, I am reminded why I have you on ignore. I'm glad someone told me about this though. Your response is sick.
[/quote]

Who told you about it? Anyone want to come out and say that he or she was the one that told Catherine about this post, prompting her to write the response?

There's nothing sick about my response. I'll tell you what's sick. What's sick is saying, "He took it from some Nazi he beat the #### out of," then saying, "I'm proud of him." Beating the #### out of someone and then taking something from him, quite possibly in violation of the Geneva Convention, raises some serious questions about his conduct.

I hope someone tells you about this post, too.

~Sternhauser

Edited June 7, 2010 by Sternhauser

[KnightofChrist]

[img]http://i46.tinypic.com/nvd2k0.jpg[/img]

[Semper Catholic]

[quote name='Sternhauser' date='06 June 2010 - 04:35 PM' timestamp='1275860158' post='2124839']
Why didn't your dad shoot the "Nazi?" Was he out of ammo? Lost his bayonet? Ask him sometime. Article 18 of the Geneva Convention states that enemy soldiers must be allowed to retain their helmets, protective equipment and decorations upon capture. Or did he kill the guy, then take it off his body as a souvenir?

~Sternhauser
[/quote]


LOL yeah there's Sternhauser standing behind the soldier on D-Day, in hand to hand life or death combat with a Nazi saying "Umm, excuse me, umm article 76-2.85 of the Geneva Convention says you're not allowed to be so rough."

Do you have aspergers?

[KnightofChrist]

[quote name='Sternhauser' date='06 June 2010 - 05:35 PM' timestamp='1275860158' post='2124839']
Why didn't your dad shoot the "Nazi?" Was he out of ammo? Lost his bayonet? Ask him sometime. Article 18 of the Geneva Convention states that enemy soldiers must be allowed to retain their helmets, protective equipment and decorations upon capture. Or did he kill the guy, then take it off his body as a souvenir?

~Sternhauser
[/quote]

You have no honor, at least none that compares to men like DS's father who risked and gave their lives for our freedom. You have no way of knowing what exactly happened, thus you have no right to judge DS's father as some kind of war criminal. It sounds as if it was hand to hand combat life or death. There's a time a place for you to spew your garbage but this thread isn't one of them.

Edited June 7, 2010 by KnightofChrist

[dominicansoul]

[quote name='Sternhauser' date='06 June 2010 - 05:35 PM' timestamp='1275860158' post='2124839']
Why didn't your dad shoot the "Nazi?" Was he out of ammo? Lost his bayonet? Ask him sometime. Article 18 of the Geneva Convention states that enemy soldiers must be allowed to retain their helmets, protective equipment and decorations upon capture. Or did he kill the guy, then take it off his body as a souvenir?

~Sternhauser
[/quote]

the nazi tried to kill him, but my dad was merciful and did not use deadly force. He literally did "beat the croutons out of him," partly because he was defending his own life, and partly because he was scared to death...

...as to why he removed the iron cross, it was because it was a symbol of honor to the nazi's and my dad didn't feel like the nazis deserved any symbols of honor...he kept it, because it was a reminder to him of what he faced and helped destroy...

I am proud of him, because he was only 18 years old at the time...and I can't imagine how it must have been for my dad...it was the first time for him to ever leave his family, his home, his country...and he had to face death, not even by choice, (because there was a draft, and he had to go, but don't get me wrong, he was honored to fight for our country.)

and I'm not offended by your comments, you have the freedom to express them, all on account of men like my father...

[jeffpugh]

Lay off Stern! His first inquiry seemed like general curiosity on the basis of an historical war treaty! Give him a break!

[KnightofChrist]

[quote name='Sacred Music Man' date='07 June 2010 - 12:58 AM' timestamp='1275886692' post='2125106']
Lay off Stern! His first inquiry seemed like general curiosity on the basis of an historical war treaty! Give him a break!
[/quote]

Certainly he made his intention clear in his second post. But even the first was very snarky and disrespectful. Asking the question "Or did he kill the guy, then take it off his body as a souvenir?" Was certainly and clearly disrespectful. I think those of us born after D-Day forget that thousands and thousands of men that day were cut down like blades of grass. Waves and waves of Allied troops killed. Iraq and Afghanistan in many ways both pale in comparison to the bloodshed and warfare. This thread was meant to honor those that had to go through that hell on earth. It was not meant to accuse or imply that one of them committed some type of war crime.