D-Day.......Americans, Canadians, British, Poland, French, and other......Allies

[turbinetree]

[applegrove]

1. Looks like Canadian footage that house. But might not be. Very frightening.

Last edited Thu Jun 7, 2018, 01:50 AM - Edit history (1)

[Joe Chi Minh]

2. Oh, it was you Americans who really copped the most terrible landings. Terrible. Like

a turkey-shoot. Yet, eventually the bridgehead was gained. Although in both world wars - both initiated to protect the British empire, incidentally - the Canadian troops usually seem to have been allotted the toughest, most deadly tasks, like cannon fodder, almost.

[applegrove]

3. On DDay Canada was given Juno beach to attack. We were kind of protected

with the US on one flank and the British on the other. We lost many a young man but not as badly as the US. War is a horrid thing to do to young men. I'm Canadian by the way.

[appalachiablue]

5. When we visited the Normandy beaches the son of a Canadian WWII veteran

was with our small tour group, a nice man from Toronto. He saw the Canada exhibits/museum while we went to the American Cemetery. It was a wonderful experience and I wish we'd had more time to see the area.

Standing near the cliffs looking down at the waters where so much action took place was amazing. I had crossed the Channel by ferry from Dover, England to Calais, France years earlier.
But I didn't know until recently that my father landed at Omaha Beach from England in late 1944, after the invasion, to join the fight in France and Germany for the Rhineland campaign. He left a tape recording I now have.

What incredible times, I truly realize how the defeat of fascism was critical to preserving democracy then.

[applegrove]

6. Great that you got your dad on tape. My grandfather went to France then to to fight at Njeimegan

in the Netherlands. Like yours it was after DDay. We were lucky to still have them in our lives. Never been to the cemeteries in Normandy or anywhere WWI. Such sad times. Glad we remember the sacrifice.

[applegrove]

8. Okay we were flanked by Britain. Point is we were taken care of. We got further

in than anybody else on that first day which was a big deal to my dad who was a tween then.

[George II]

4. A great day in history for the world, but a very sad day too. Some did all that preparation....

....and were dead within seconds of landing.

War is so horrible, why do we do this to win "arguments"?

[appalachiablue]

7. Normandy, France Invasion, 1944: Original US Coast Guard Film, US National Archives

[BigmanPigman]

9. I visited the cemeteries in France

and saw the huge caissons still in place sticking out of the ocean. They were made and used to create a harbor and to make a "road" for the landing equipment to the beach. No one on the tour could explain to me how these multi ton structures were moved by boat from England to France without sinking the ship that was carrying them. I did some research and discovered how they were able to carry this takeout and I also found out that the ocean is slowly destroying what remains.
https://www.thelocal.fr/20140109/normandy-arromanches-day-world-war-two
https://theconstructor.org/geotechnical/caisson-types-construction-advantages/503/