Photo credit: U.S. Army Center of Military History
Lest We Forget 80 Years Ago Today
Photo credit: U.S. Army Center of Military History
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22 responses to “Lest We Forget 80 Years Ago Today”
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I have been contemplating how what we have forgotten, because it is never honored, is the capture of Rome on June 4-5, 1944. D-Day has bumped it out of the news and public consciousness. That came four months after the successful Anzio landings on January 22, 1944. The Allies achieved total surprise, but tragically then lingered on the beach so long that the Nazis then hemmed them in. It took four months to fight their way to Rome, much like it took about 80 days for the Allies to enter Paris. Despite what most think, D-Day was the easy part of the Battle for Normandy.
When my Dad was training for Korea at Langley, he would go crabbing at Ft. Monroe. He met Mark Clark out on the waterfront. Clark was living on General's Row on that base. Probably the least remembered of the Army senior leaders.
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The ones on that beach gave their all for their country, indeed the world. It did not stop there.
After Europe, the war shifted to the Pacific where the enemy was even more ruthless than the Germans and the fighting truly horrific. Family after family received visits and letters telling them that their son was not coming home.
We are here right now today, free ,but still trying to fend off dictators and despots and would-be dictators, around the world and we need to honor the past heroes by ourselves continuing the fight to keep what they fought and died to keep for us.
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I have been contemplating how what we have forgotten, because it is never honored, is the capture of Rome on June 4-5, 1944. D-Day has bumped it out of the news and public consciousness. That came four months after the successful Anzio landings on January 22, 1944. The Allies achieved total surprise, but tragically then lingered on the beach so long that the Nazis then hemmed them in. It took four months to fight their way to Rome, much like it took about 80 days for the Allies to enter Paris. Despite what most think, D-Day was the easy part of the Battle for Normandy.
When my Dad was training for Korea at Langley, he would go crabbing at Ft. Monroe. He met Mark Clark out on the waterfront. Clark was living on General's Row on that base. Probably the least remembered of the Army senior leaders.
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Ah the Battle of Cisterna that gave us repercussions on the Rangers, thanks to that little SNAFU we remember William O'Darby as a General.
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Maybe for the best. There's an argument that he was too interested in leading a parade through Rome – his nickname was Marcus Aurelius Clarkus – than degrading German armies.
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Yes, once they broke out of Anzio the goal should have been cutting off the Germans escaping from the Casino line. Kesselring got most of his troops out to fight again.
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The ones on that beach gave their all for their country, indeed the world. It did not stop there.
After Europe, the war shifted to the Pacific where the enemy was even more ruthless than the Germans and the fighting truly horrific. Family after family received visits and letters telling them that their son was not coming home.
We are here right now today, free ,but still trying to fend off dictators and despots and would-be dictators, around the world and we need to honor the past heroes by ourselves continuing the fight to keep what they fought and died to keep for us.
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My uncle was at Henderson Field when the war "shifted to" Guadalcanal two years BEFORE D-Day. Another case where landing was easy, then all hell broke loose. We remember Omaha because unlike the other four Normandy beaches, Omaha was fiercely contested. Last year we went to the Orne River canal and visited the Pegasus Bridge battlefield, the most incredibly successful of the airborne actions that day. Yes, America, Brits and Canadians fought just as hard that day. I'm sure there were similar ceremonies at their cemeteries.
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I read something about Omaha beach that you might be able to answer. It said that the German bunkers with machine guns did not point out to sea but instead along the beach so they could shoot far and near on the beach instead of being limited to just one area. Did you see those bunkers?
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I entered one or two on those tours. There is one right outside the Canadian Museum on Juno. Rommel's Atlantic Wall design was brilliant and totally focused on stopping the Allies right on the beach itself. The sites were all networked and connected and able to coordinate their fire. Had Hitler immediately released to Rommel's control those reserve panzer units, things would have been much, much worse.
https://www.baconsrebellion.com/app/uploads/2024/06/Juno-German-Pillbox-2-scaled.jpg
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And here is the actual Pegasus Bridge, moved off the canal. "Hold until relieved…" is the line in "The Longest Day." The actor who spoke the line was an actual survivor of Fourth Para's assault that morning. The gliders landed within yards of the bridge and the Brits held it within minutes, then spent the morning fending off counterattacks.
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I found this quite moving, https://x.com/EmmanuelMacro…
If you've been to Normandy you know that the locals remember and appreciate the Allies' sacrifice. Also this guy still has it going on: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3AJYrt56vk
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Wonderful! I bet he has never paid for a drink or meal in France. Every French school child visits an Allied cemetery. Does every American schoolchild visit a veteran's cemetery?
The Viking guides told us that every now and then the group would include a WW2 vet, and when they did the French put on exactly that kind of display of appreciation.
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That guy that is mocked as "senile" by some did a pretty good job of memorializing D-Day this morning, honoring and respecting our heroes as well as pointing out the importance of NATO and allies in opposing dictators ans strongmen and wannbes.
He did this country proud as we would expect from those that would lead us.
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But….Joe IS a dictator…
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sure… rest of the world seems to think he is okay… and strongmen/dictators/wannabe… not so much.
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https://x.com/HillaryClinton/status/1798688498784079878
There's always some jackwagon politician who just can't help themselves. No surprise it's Hillary.
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I'll take Biden and Hillary's comments/views on Normandy and Democracy, NATO, dictators/strongmen ANY DAY over you know who.
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Yes Hillary, that is indeed all that you have to do. Leave the cheating and trickery at home…with Bill….and whomever is visiting with him that day.
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CNN was asking Tom Hanks how much of a threat Trump was while the Normandy American Cemetery was in the background.
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God bless the Greatest Generation. We would be wise to emulate their example of selfless duty and love of country.
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Exactly.
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