During the night of June 6, 1944 24,000 airborne troops had parachuted behind the enemy lines.
At 6:03am the Allies conducted an amphibious assault on Hitler’s Atlantic Wall, which the biggest naval invasion in history and included soldiers from the Nazi-occupied lands; Czechs, French, Poles, and the Norse. The five beaches varied in degrees of difficulty. Utah Beach was taken with minimal casualties.
The US Rangers assailing the cliffs of Pointe du Hoc encountered stiff resistance from the Germans.
Company E, 16th Infantry, 1st Infantry Division wade onto the Fox Green section of Omaha Beach on the morning of June 6, 1944. American soldiers encountered the newly formed German 352nd Division when landing. During the initial landing two-thirds of Company E became casualties.
After a strong defense of Omaha Beach the US Army took the heights, suffering 2000 dead or wounded.
Gold Beach proved tough going as well as Juno Beach and Sword Beach.
My neighbor Mr. Reddington had been one of the first off the LST on Omaha Beach.
He never said a word about that horrifying experience, but was proud to have been the best of the best on the First of Days bringing down the Nazi regime. He always spoke of freedom and its cost. His smile hid a reservoir of tears for lost comrades.
I salute them all.
The long and the short and the tall.
By August Paris was free, however the Nazis did not believe in surrender.
Same as today.
