D-Day: Remembering Our Patriots
June 6, 1944. On this date, a better part of America’s young men sacrificed their lives in the Allied invasion of Normandy. A day that would free Europe from the pure evil of Hitler’s Nazi thugs.
80th Anniversary
Each Memorial Day, we think of the Americans who died serving the cause of freedom. So, let’s reflect momentarily on one of the most astonishing military feats in history. One where nearly 30,000 Americans died to help bring it about.
How do you deploy a naval amphibious and air invasion where about a quarter of a million men and thousands of ships and airplanes can surprise a prepared and vigilant enemy? Good luck and bad weather helped.
Good luck kicked in when Erwin Rommel, the best general the Germans had, was away on June 6, celebrating his wife’s birthday. He wasn’t on the scene to coordinate a more effective response on the first hectic day of the Normandy invasion. Lousy weather helped mask the 5,000 naval and merchant ship invasion force from enemy reconnaissance.
Deceptions and Megalomania
Then there was the clever Allied deception and Adolf Hitler’s megalomania. Until he could no longer deny the evidence, he refused to believe that the Normandy beaches were the Allied objectives. It was too late to prevent the Allies from getting a foothold in France by then. In the months leading up to the invasion, clever subterfuge persuaded the Germans that the landing would occur anywhere but Normandy.
Of the 160,000 troops in the invasion force, 73,000 were Americans. The nearly 30,000 American battle deaths during the operation were over half the number of Americans lost in World War I. This was about 10 percent of the overall battle deaths for World War II five years.
Anyone who has viewed the opening scenes of the Spielberg epic movie Saving Private Ryan can understand what it must have been like for those frightened young soldiers at the Normandy landings. Many were killed before getting to the beach, and the rest faced withering machine guns and mortar fire from fortified German bunkers.
Just imagine for one moment what all that must have been like – the mortal fear, the knowledge that in the next few minutes, you had a better than even chance of never seeing those you love in this life ever again.
Remembering These Heroes
Those fortunate ones who survived and are still alive were granted many additional years of life, and their numbers are few. We owe them and their fallen comrades more than can be communicated by an inadequate “Thank you.” They are our greatest generation.
Join us in remembering June 6, the Anniversary of Operation Overlord – D-Day.