6/6/44
Gold
Juno
Omaha
Sword
Utah
Five codenames. Five beaches where the Allied forces would land troops on June 6, 1944 as part of Operation Overlord. The German forces, thanks to the success of an Allied deception (the Russians would describe it as maskrikovka) were convinced that the Allies would land at Calais. This is depicted in the brilliant 1970 film Patton when Edward Binns, portraying American Major General Walter Bedell Smith says, "we're going to build an army of 12 divisions around you. All fictitious, of course."
Aside from the five beaches listed above, there was/is a place known as Pointe du Hoc Three companies of Army Rangers, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel James Earl Rudder were assigned to take the clifftop location where the Germans had originally placed some heavy artillery (155 millimeter guns) that would have wreaked havoc on the D-Day invasion force. The mission was a success although Lt Col Rudder's force suffered a casualty rate in excess of 50%. He was wounded twice and would be awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his gallantry in leading this assault.
Historians and analysts speculate that a complication from this operation may have led to the success of the landing at Omaha. There was a second force of 500 Rangers ready to land in support of the Pointe du Hoc operation who were waiting for the signal (flares fired from the peak of the cliffs) to land. As a result they wound up at Omaha and were able to drive the stalled landing there forward.
74 years later, Operation Overlord remains the largest seaborne invasion in history (or so say the experts). Today is the anniversary of that day. Over 4,400 Allied soldiers died on this day 74 years ago. According to statistics from the Department of Veterans Affairs, less than 600,000 of the more than 16 million who fought during World War II were alive in 2017.
Let us never forget what happened on this day.
Juno
Omaha
Sword
Utah
Five codenames. Five beaches where the Allied forces would land troops on June 6, 1944 as part of Operation Overlord. The German forces, thanks to the success of an Allied deception (the Russians would describe it as maskrikovka) were convinced that the Allies would land at Calais. This is depicted in the brilliant 1970 film Patton when Edward Binns, portraying American Major General Walter Bedell Smith says, "we're going to build an army of 12 divisions around you. All fictitious, of course."
Aside from the five beaches listed above, there was/is a place known as Pointe du Hoc Three companies of Army Rangers, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel James Earl Rudder were assigned to take the clifftop location where the Germans had originally placed some heavy artillery (155 millimeter guns) that would have wreaked havoc on the D-Day invasion force. The mission was a success although Lt Col Rudder's force suffered a casualty rate in excess of 50%. He was wounded twice and would be awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his gallantry in leading this assault.
Historians and analysts speculate that a complication from this operation may have led to the success of the landing at Omaha. There was a second force of 500 Rangers ready to land in support of the Pointe du Hoc operation who were waiting for the signal (flares fired from the peak of the cliffs) to land. As a result they wound up at Omaha and were able to drive the stalled landing there forward.
74 years later, Operation Overlord remains the largest seaborne invasion in history (or so say the experts). Today is the anniversary of that day. Over 4,400 Allied soldiers died on this day 74 years ago. According to statistics from the Department of Veterans Affairs, less than 600,000 of the more than 16 million who fought during World War II were alive in 2017.
Let us never forget what happened on this day.
posted by me at 7:11 PM
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