D-Day, June 6, 1944

Goldtanker

Goldtanker

Joined
Oct 22, 2004
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I remember it. There was an Extra out about breakfast time.Later we learned troops missed landings ,some landing craft dropped troops in deep water. The Germans had the beach zeroed in,bouncing- bettys were well placed. The next day we read that the beachmaster came close to calling it off.
 
My father was an MP and landed on June 7th, ended up in Berlin

also landed in Italy and Africa
E-1 to E-8 in 4 years
 
My Father missed WW2 by a hair ( fought in Korea and Vietnam), but my Father-in-Law crossed Omaha on the 6th. He passed away back in 2003 at 83 years old. Thanks Dad!!!
 
I'm hoping to get over there later this year. If I do I'll post up some pics.

I always spend a little time around now to think about the men who had to go through that terrifying experience and quietly thank them.
 
If you have the chance to buy the "Band of Brothers" HBO series, you'll not regret it!!! It's the best movie/series ever of the hell that our fathers went thru over there, from d-day to the end of the war. My grandfather left for Army bootcamp on d-day, recieved a bronze star, and a couple other awards... Didn't know it until it was told at his funeral a coupe months ago. I have a remarkable respect for those who served then, and now. Thank you for freedom (To those who serve/served)!!!
-M
 
I was living in Germany on the 50th anniversary (1994). Came >this< close to jumping on a train & heading to Normandy. Always remember their sacrifices.
 
Thank you to all of the veterans of that horrible landing. Watching movies like Saving Private Ryan and listening to stories cannot possibly make you comprehend the horrors of that day. My great uncle was a radio operator in the Navy, and was there that day. Said men went out in the landing boats in the morning, and the bodies started coming back that night.

I have read, and heard from professors and history teachers, that some landings further away weren't so bad, some boats went right up on shore and some soldiers even had a picnic! A little normalcy in the middle of Hell.
 
I married my wife 23 years ago and her father was already deceased. She gave me a box with some of his personal things and I found his army HD papers. I was amazed by what I read and asked her about it , she told me "yeah he was in WWII"....

If I get a chance I'll post a picture of a knife that was amongst his stuff too, he got it in Belgium after the bulge.

If you can read this you'll see there's a typo in the year he arrived to the ETO is was supposed to be '43. He was in Normandy during the landings at Omaha beach, because I found a lot of information about his company on the Internet. I wish I could have met him....

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JPD1998-

My uncle was from Long Island, NY. He dropped out of college in 1943 to sign up. He told me he thought the infantry would be too dangerous, so he signed up for the Army Air Corps. Turns out he survived 75% losses during the daylight bombing raids over Germany. People today have no idea what happened back then, and how close it was.
 
Goldtanker said:
JPD1998-

My uncle was from Long Island, NY. He dropped out of college in 1943 to sign up. He told me he thought the infantry would be too dangerous, so he signed up for the Army Air Corps. Turns out he survived 75% losses during the daylight bombing raids over Germany. People today have no idea what happened back then, and how close it was.
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It's pretty sobering when you read the casualty rates from WWII. My uncle was in the Italian campaign ( North Africa and then Italy) and wound up in Anzio. Up until a few years before his death , he couldn't talk about it. I pressed him about Anzio one Thanksgiving and he just repeated over and over again " it was bad , real bad". All I could gather was that the Germans were shooting at him everytime he had to make a trip to the ammo depot to get artillery shells.

They were a special breed.
 
JPD1998 said:
It's pretty sobering when you read the casualty rates from WWII. My uncle was in the Italian campaign ( North Africa and then Italy) and wound up in Anzio. Up until a few years before his death , he couldn't talk about it. I pressed him about Anzio one Thanksgiving and he just repeated over and over again " it was bad , real bad". All I could gather was that the Germans were shooting at him everytime he had to make a trip to the ammo depot to get artillery shells.

They were a special breed.
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My grandad was in the artillery in the Italian campaign too. Again, he seldom said anything at all about the experience. The comedian and trumpet player Spike Milligan was also in the artillery in the same campaign and wrote about it in his memoir "Mussolini: His Part in my Downfall".
 
My dad was seventeen at the time. He served on CA-71 U.S.S. Quincy (Baltimore class) and his ship provided bombardment of German positions from offshore during the invasion. After the invasion of "Fortress Europe" was well underway, the "Mighty Q" transitioned to the Pacific for operations there. I have his surrender witness card signed by his ship's captain in Tokyo Harbor on VJ day.

http://www.ussquincy.com/

At 0537, 6 June 1944, she engaged shore batteries from her station on the right flank of Utah Beach, Baie de la Seine.

During the period 6 through 17 June, in conjunction with shore fire control parties and aircraft spotters, QUINCY conducted highly accurate pinpoint firing against enemy mobile batteries and concentrations of tanks, trucks, and troops. She also neutralized and destroyed heavy, long range enemy batteries, supported minesweepers operating under enemy fire, engaged enemy batteries that were firing on the crews of CORRY (DD-463) and GLENNON (DD-620) during their efforts to abandon their ships after they had struck mines and participated in the reduction of the town of Quineville 12 June 1944.

QUINCY steamed to Portland, England 21 June and joined TF 129. She departed Portland 24 June for Cherbourg, France. The bombardment of the batteries surrounding the city commenced in conjunction with the Army's assault at 1207. Nineteen of the twenty-one primary targets assigned the task force were successfully neutralized or destroyed thus enabling Army troops to occupy the city that day.

The heavy cruiser sailed for Mers-el Kebir, North Africa 4 July, arriving there the 10th. She proceeded to Palermo, Sicily, 16 July, arriving two days later. QUINCY, based at Palermo through 26 July, conducted shore bombardment practice at Camarota in the Gulf of Policastro. She then steamed to Malta via the Straits of Messina. Between 27 July and 13 August, the cruiser participated in training exercises at Malta and Camarota, Italy.

On the afternoon of 13 August, in company with four British cruisers, one French cruiser, and four American destroyers, QUINCY departed Malta for the landings on the southern coast of France, arriving Baie de Cavalaire 15 August. For three days the group provided fire support on the left flank of the 3rd U.S. Army. QUINCY transferred 19 August to TG 86.4, and until the 24th, engaged the heavy batteries at Toulon, St. Mandrier, and Cape Sicie. She steamed westward the afternoon of 24 August to support minesweepers clearing the channel to Port de Bouc in the Marseilles area.
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Had one uncle who fought in the Aleutians & volunteered for Airborne afterwards & was then given a medical discharge for chronic ulcers. Another uncle served in the Marines- (went AWOL at one point) & nobody knows if he saw combat of not, but he spent the rest of his life on the sofa @ my grandparents house w/ serious drinking/mental health issues.
 
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