D-Day World War II

I decided to skip Rockin’ Thursday today and instead, I am writing to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day (6 June 1944).

As a Soldier, I want to honor the thousands of brave men and women who fought against evil that day. Thousands of them never returned home, and we need to always remember those who gave their lives for this important cause. Freedom is not free.   

Here is an excellent summary from wikipedia.1

Preparations for D-Day. 

In June 1940, Germany's leader Adolf Hitler had triumphed in what he called "the most famous victory in history"—the fall of France. British craft evacuated to England over 338,000 Allied troops trapped along the northern coast of France (including much of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF)) in the Dunkirk evacuation (27 May to 4 June). British planners reported to Prime Minister Winston Churchill on 4 October that even with the help of other Commonwealth countries and the United States, it would not be possible to regain a foothold in continental Europe in the near future. After the Axis invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941, Soviet leader Joseph Stalin began pressing for a second front in Western Europe. Churchill declined because he felt that even with American help the British did not have adequate forces for such a strike, and he wished to avoid costly frontal assaults such as those that had occurred at the Somme and Passchendaele in World War I. Two tentative plans code-named Operation Roundup and Operation Sledgehammer were put forward for 1942–43, but neither was deemed by the British to be practical or likely to succeed. Instead, the Allies expanded their activity in the Mediterranean, launching the invasion of French North Africa in November 1942, the invasion of Sicily in July 1943, and invading Italy in September. These campaigns provided the troops with valuable experience in amphibious warfare.

D-Day

Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation that launched the successful liberation of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. The operation was launched on 6 June 1944 (D-Day) with the Normandy landings (Operation Neptune). A 1,200-plane airborne assault preceded an amphibious assault involving more than 5,000 vessels. Nearly 160,000 troops crossed the English Channel on 6 June, and more than two million Allied troops were in France by the end of August.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Overlord

I visited Normandy, France in 2012 and walked the grounds of the Omaha and Utah landing areas. I also visited the Normandy American Cemetery. It was a humbling experience that I will remember for the rest of my life.

Here are some of the pictures that I took that weekend.

Normandy American Cemetery
Normandy American Cemetery
Omaha Beach – Humbling if you can picture Allied forces landing and fighting their way up to German positions
Omaha Beach view of the enemy positions
Omaha Beach – Wife and Son walking on the beach
Operational Overview
1st Infantry Division Monument with the names of the Soldiers who gave their lives on D-Day
1st Infantry Monument at Omaha Beach
D-Day Statistics
GEN Eisenhower Quote
GEN Bradley Quote
2nd Ranger Battalion
Utah Beach Monument
Utah Beach
4th Infantry Division Monument at Utah Beach

I proudly served with the U.S. First Army, the 1st Infantry Division, and the 4th Infantry Division. The last two units were in combat during the Iraq War, and their rich history and dedication to duty are something to celebrate. What these three units and others did during D-Day (6 June 1944) was remarkable, and they saved the world from tyranny. Let’s remember and hope that we don’t engage in another world-scale conflict.

  1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Overlord ↩︎

36 thoughts on “D-Day World War II”

    1. Thank you, and I just saw the video. It was kind of funny. I’m not sure what the expectation was. Were they hoping the parrot would start saying something about missing Churchill very much or something like that? Parrots can live a long life, but I’m not sure that was his parrot—though, of course, I could be wrong.

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  2. Thank you for the history and the pictures. Seeing the statistics and how many were lost at Omaha, especially compared to the other entry points, and then seeing your pictures helps give such context to that battle. Staggering to think.

    Thanks for your service and ability to put all this amazing bravery into perspective. Amen to no more world wars.

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    1. Thank you for your comments, Wynne. I think the opening scenes of “Saving Private Ryan” at Omaha Beach are a pretty accurate depiction of that day, and I know it affected many veterans who saw the movie. What the Allied forces did was incredible, and standing there analyzing the terrain certainly gives you a lot of perspective.

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  4. Thank you, Edward for this post & for your service in your country’s forces. Here in the UK there were many events of remembrance. I hope you don’t mind me adding a link to a video of King Charles’ speech made yesterday in Portsmouth on the south coast of Britain where many of the 160,000 forces left for war in France.

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  5. Thank you for your service. My Father and Uncles fought in WWII. I was not born yet. My parents didn’t talke about it much. As I learn more, the better I understand the history they lived and why they taught me to honor those who served.

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  8. Amazing post with so much history. So chilling to be on that beach and to capture those photos and really be there to remember all that occurred on that day. Thanks so much for sharing this 😊 🙏

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  12. Outstanding post Edward. One cannot emphasize enough the unimaginable sacrifices these soldiers did on that fateful day, to save Europe and the world, from the Nazi Regime.

    I’d like to take the opportunity to thank you for your service 🙏

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  15. Thank you for your service, Edward. We can never say that enough and thank you for taking us to Normandy today by sharing your precious photos. Tearing up as I read and view. 💕

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      1. All of that came through. It sure did. I’ve never been, but it’s on my list because I feel a need to pay homage and respect, in-person. But until then, seeing photos taken by those who served our country and returned to honor those fallen means so much. Emotional, indeed. Thank you again. 💕

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