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June 6

Grnd93 said:
Mom is 81 today. My grandpa (her dad) fortunately made it home.
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My Mom and Dad were in HS during WWII, and they said that the Vets that dropped out of school to join up, came back after the war to get their HS diploma, and they were not fucking around. The teachers loved the scary looks they'd drop on a kid disrupting the class.
 
Weasel said:
Alot to unpack on that landing and to think about. I can't imagine what the guy running the boats went through. As I understand once they dropped off the first load of troops it was back to get more and repeat. Seems like that would be worse than hitting the beach.
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Never thought of that perspective before and I know personally that would screw me up bad. I wonder if anyone spoke to the operators while heading in. I can imagine a dense silence aside from occasional nervous comment and the clacking on the front door before it dropped.
 
My Grandpa was there in that push somewhere. In the front, in the back, I honestly don't know
He was a medic, and spoke of the War was exactly one time to me when I was a kid
even at 12 I knew not to ask more questions

now, I am 50. I have so many questions.
Grandma is working on 101 next month, and is still going, but in full time care
These blue haired folks of today have no idea what tough is, I am gen X and we aren't shit compared to that generation

My daughter realizes the history that is rolling around that head that is attached to Grandma, it makes me sad to see my daughter sit there and basically try to interview her every time we see her as she knows that it will soon be lost when she leaves us

My daughter did get Grandpas German sword out of the back closet. I could probably start a thread on that someday. Some of you are pretty smart in this area

I know a guy that followed his Grandpas journey through Europe. I want to do the same with my grandpa just to know more about him

he was the best grandpa and I sure miss him
 
I've heard that after Eisenhower made his famous speech to the troops he went to a private room and wept.
 
for you history nerds
there is a equally interesting side of the story
I heard a great memoir from a German soldier that was sitting at the top of the hill on that beach

Growing up, you only hear our side
it was eye opening to hear their thought process as that day played out

In case any were wondering, they wanted to be there about as bad as the guys on the beach
 
SomeGuyFromOlympia said:
My Grandpa was there in that push somewhere. In the front, in the back, I honestly don't know
He was a medic, and spoke of the War was exactly one time to me when I was a kid
even at 12 I knew not to ask more questions

now, I am 50. I have so many questions.
Grandma is working on 101 next month, and is still going, but in full time care
These blue haired folks of today have no idea what tough is, I am gen X and we aren't shit compared to that generation

My daughter realizes the history that is rolling around that head that is attached to Grandma, it makes me sad to see my daughter sit there and basically try to interview her every time we see her as she knows that it will soon be lost when she leaves us

My daughter did get Grandpas German sword out of the back closet. I could probably start a thread on that someday. Some of you are pretty smart in this area

I know a guy that followed his Grandpas journey through Europe. I want to do the same with my grandpa just to know more about him

he was the best grandpa and I sure miss him
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Grandpa landed after the enitional invasion he was classified as a lineman, carried a B.A.R was only around 5'5" tall, his papers said 145 pounds. He made it 2 months in before getting wounded an sent home. I think, as i just turned 50 this year if he wouldnt have made it, I wouldnt be. He never would really talk to anyone about any of it. He came home and raised 12 kids and retired from Jefferson prouving grounds here in Indiana. And passed away 2 years later, he wouldve been 101 years old this passed Mothers day
 
baldduck1974 said:
Grandpa landed after the enitional invasion he was classified as a lineman, carried a B.A.R was only around 5'5" tall, his papers said 145 pounds. He made it 2 months in before getting wounded an sent home. I think, as i just turned 50 this year if he wouldnt have made it, I wouldnt be. He never would really talk to anyone about any of it. He came home and raised 12 kids and retired from Jefferson prouving grounds here in Indiana. And passed away 2 years later, he wouldve been 101 years old this passed Mothers day
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Well ,I got a little choked up typing that and wanted to add something Moms oldest brother turned 18 and signed up in the army to go to Vietnam, guess grandpa through a fit and called in a favor, to some Coronell, my uncle got reasinged to Germany 1 week before leaving out for Vietnam, uncle Donnie cried telling us that story.
 
FJC11 said:
Godda
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I miss grandpa's stories....I made it a habbit of visiting my grandparents regularly just to BS and learn stuff.
He was in a tank retrieval unit, in charge of an M26. He landed a week after Dday, said he could not imagine how those guys did it.
His whole family either served or worked on the civilian side of the effort.
I'll have to see if I can find the fam pic with everyone in uniform....
 
Weasel said:
Alot to unpack on that landing and to think about. I can't imagine what the guy running the boats went through. As I understand once they dropped off the first load of troops it was back to get more and repeat. Seems like that would be worse than hitting the beach.
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The WWII vet in our group was a Pacific theater landing craft driver. We asked him what it was like. All he would say was “It was our duty. All I did was my job.”

He had some buddies buried in Luxembourg at the American cemetery there. He went in the chapel to pray for them and our entire group was crying. God bless you Dale.
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SomeGuyFromOlympia said:
for you history nerds
there is a equally interesting side of the story
I heard a great memoir from a German soldier that was sitting at the top of the hill on that beach

Growing up, you only hear our side
it was eye opening to hear their thought process as that day played out

In case any were wondering, they wanted to be there about as bad as the guys on the beach
Click to expand...

heard alot of them were conscripts and the 4th tire of soldiers, the elite guys were held back in reserve.

Saw a few guys from BRCC were able to para jump from one of the original planes into Normandy. That's cool.
 
SomeGuyFromOlympia said:
for you history nerds
there is a equally interesting side of the story
I heard a great memoir from a German soldier that was sitting at the top of the hill on that beach

Growing up, you only hear our side
it was eye opening to hear their thought process as that day played out

In case any were wondering, they wanted to be there about as bad as the guys on the beach
Click to expand...
Thanks.
Was going to ask you for a source.

Instead I went off to amazon, and just ordered this (paperback):

D DAY Through German Eyes - The Hidden Story of June 6th 1944​

 
smurfblue40 said:
We saw it in the theater.

Being a history nut, I've seen many of the combat news reels covering the landing. Some kids in front of us were screwing around. They started chuckling when a soldier turned around to pick up his arm that was shot off (this was in actual combat footage). In a not so pleasant tone I announced, "THIS ACTUALLY HAPPENED PEOPLE".

Not another giggle or word for the rest of the movie.
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I just found that on youtube (beach scene) and watched it with my daughter. That must have been one fucking difficult scene to make. I'm in tears.

Both my kids said nothing was mentioned today in school :mad3:

Got me wondering why they didn't have close air support. Found this:

One of the difficulties in the past and current air environments is what is called ‘deconflicting the air space.’ For example, if you have a flight of P-47s flying in to strafe or bomb a German bunker and there is a ship off shore shooting at that same bunker, those planes might get hit by the incoming artillery. There is a conflict.

The modern US Air Force / US Navy maintains a fleet of AWACs (Airborne Warning and Control System) aircraft for this purpose. Those Boeing 707s with the big radar dish on top are the USAF AWACS planes. They are staffed with very skilled air controllers who tell the airplanes when they can and cannot enter a given airspace. The cannot enter that airspace with artillery shells are flying through it. These systems were developed during the Vietnam War.

So, the basic reason as to why there was not a whole lot of close air support during D-Day was that there was too much artillery flying around.

The planes WERE being used further inland to attack anything that moved so as to isolate the beaches from follow on German reinforcements. And they did a good job at that. Rommel got strafed in his command car a few days after D-Day and spent months in hospital recovering. German reinforcements moved exclusively at night on their way to the Normandy beachheads because to move during the day was to be swarmed by Allied fighters and ripped to shreds.
 
Muckin_Slusher said:
Thanks.
Was going to ask you for a source.

Instead I went off to amazon, and just ordered this (paperback):

D DAY Through German Eyes - The Hidden Story of June 6th 1944​

Click to expand...
it was on you tube of all things
basically audio book

let me see if I can find it again
 
Weasel said:
Saw a few guys from BRCC were able to para jump from one of the original planes into Normandy. That's cool.
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I have shared this before last job i did in Denver I used to go to this little cafe for breakfast, there was an old guy named Ralph, always had a bowl of outmeal with walnuts and rasiens for breakfast. One morning the place was full so I asked if I could share his table. He said sure, turned into a daily thing Monday through Wednesday, he was a WW2 paratrooper, made both jumps into Germany. One day he came in with this pictuire of a plane load of troops and said he was in there somewhere, when I aked which one was him, he said he didn't know because he ha changed a lot since then. The reason he had oatmeal for breakfast everyday was he said that was what they had on D day and he figured it was lucky.
 
Muckin_Slusher said:
I just found that on youtube (beach scene) and watched it with my daughter. That must have been one fucking difficult scene to make. I'm in tears.

Both my kids said nothing was mentioned today in school :mad3:

Got me wondering why they didn't have close air support. Found this:

One of the difficulties in the past and current air environments is what is called ‘deconflicting the air space.’ For example, if you have a flight of P-47s flying in to strafe or bomb a German bunker and there is a ship off shore shooting at that same bunker, those planes might get hit by the incoming artillery. There is a conflict.

The modern US Air Force / US Navy maintains a fleet of AWACs (Airborne Warning and Control System) aircraft for this purpose. Those Boeing 707s with the big radar dish on top are the USAF AWACS planes. They are staffed with very skilled air controllers who tell the airplanes when they can and cannot enter a given airspace. The cannot enter that airspace with artillery shells are flying through it. These systems were developed during the Vietnam War.

So, the basic reason as to why there was not a whole lot of close air support during D-Day was that there was too much artillery flying around.

The planes WERE being used further inland to attack anything that moved so as to isolate the beaches from follow on German reinforcements. And they did a good job at that. Rommel got strafed in his command car a few days after D-Day and spent months in hospital recovering. German reinforcements moved exclusively at night on their way to the Normandy beachheads because to move during the day was to be swarmed by Allied fighters and ripped to shreds.
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the memoirs that I referred to had their view on this very subject
when the tanks hit the shore, if there was a bunker that was giving them trouble, the tanks would hit them with a white smoke bomb
and (germen guy speaking) you could see every P51 that was loitering turn and square up on you.

off to find that link
 
Muckin_Slusher said:
Thanks.
Was going to ask you for a source.

Instead I went off to amazon, and just ordered this (paperback):

D DAY Through German Eyes - The Hidden Story of June 6th 1944​

Click to expand...
Great book. Another one is German Boy by Wolfgang Samuel. His father was a Luftwaffe officer. Was a kid during war, lived under Communism, escaped to West and his mother remarried an American. He moved to CO in high school and retired from US Airforce as a Colonel. His son flew Hogs during Desert Storm. One of the most patriotic Americans…
 
SomeGuyFromOlympia said:
I know a guy that followed his Grandpas journey through Europe. I want to do the same with my grandpa just to know more about him
Click to expand...
SomeGuyFromOlympia said:
he was the best grandpa and I sure miss him
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Don’t know if you want to do it alone or maybe bring your daughter. I bet she would never forget it and Grandpas story would continue with her memories of this trip. Once this generation is gone all together we will be that much worse off as a whole because the tough lessons they learned will no longer be told first hand.
 
BigBurt said:
Don’t know if you want to do it alone or maybe bring your daughter. I bet she would never forget it and Grandpas story would continue with her memories of this trip. Once this generation is gone all together we will be that much worse off as a whole because the tough lessons they learned will no longer be told first hand.
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:laughing: I will not be able to leave the house without that kid in this instance
she may be young, but she does know our history and the sacrifices that were given so she can have the life that she is living. As a parent, that is my job to be sure that is passed along
as mentioned earlier, they skip right past these days at school now

on good news, reports come back that the kids are reminding the teachers and making them talk about it.

I would love to do that trip with my kid
 
www.youtube.com

Memoirs Audioville

Share your videos with friends, family, and the world
www.youtube.com www.youtube.com

I don't know what book it is, but I think it is one here by this author

there are a few that I found interesting, especially on the Russia side, I never really heard much about that part of the war

these are great for working in the shop by yourself or road trips
 
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My great uncle was wounded in action at normandy. From what I heard he had to "play dead for a day" he received a purple heart for his services. The family watched after him until my dad found him dead in the early 90's. I wish someone was still alive that could tell me his actual story from that day but i have a bad feeling he never really talked about it more than what I've been told.
 
billdacat said:
This thread brings tears to my eyes...:usa::usa::usa::usa:
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Every D-Day anniversary, and memorial day for me.

I lost a couple good friends while serving. One was an accident, the other was murdered by some radical asshole in Panama. I don’t know if there were others, possibly in the Gulf war.

I can’t even imagine what serving in WWII was like :usa:
 
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