OT: 65th Anniversary; June 6th, 1944 (D-Day)

stike · June 2009

There are many dates that stand out during 'The' War, but this one always seems to hit me a bit more.

Today is the 65th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy.

This link leads to a series of recordings, beginning about 12:30 am New York Time, when first reports of the landings were coming in. Today we have live, on-scene television reporting, and are pretty used to knowing exactly what's happening, and where. These recordings give us a glimpse of what it must have been like to live perpetually on tenterhooks (not for a day, but for 5 years) continuously waiting for word.

If you listen to any of these, try the first one. First reports actually came from German broadcasting, and an "expert" for CBS offers that it all may be a complete lie put forth by the Germans. For much of the day, the German high command was convinced this was a feint, and that the "real" invasion would come via Pas de Calais. It's a fascinating thing to imagine yourself listening to the radio after a neighbor calls to wake you and tell you "it's on". What's even more amazing is that later in the day, broadcasting reverts to music programs, because there's nothing to do but wait....

Sorry for the OT.

The Entire "D-Day" CBS News Broadcast Day for June 6 1944

lowercasebill · June 2009

i cannot thank you enough for posting this link...
never knew they called it "eastern war time'
bill

Spring Chicken · June 2009

Being a pre-war baby I am old enough to remember many things from that period. I remember there was a great sadness but people went about their lives knowing that sooner or later the war would be over.

I remember the militia with their shotguns and sticks marching down our main street late in the day with Mr. Polk Carter, the bank president, in the lead. Then they would all come to my dad's cafe for 5¢ coffee (which he gave out for free). They would talk about the war. I would listen with wide-eyed visions of shooting and airplanes and flags flying in my little head.

On this day back then there was a sort of worried optimism that this may be the start of the end. But along with the worry there was still work to be done, sacrifices to be made and every once in a while soldiers to bury.

People today read a few lines about D-Day and feel that's all they really need to know about the "Great War." But they should know the toll that war extolled on the land, the people and the future of the world.

Those men who crawled on that beach on that day gave more of themselves in an hour than most of us give in a lifetime. That's what we should know about D-Day, and we should never forget it.

Thanks for posting the reminder.

Spring "War Is Never The Solution To A Problem" Chicken
Spring Texas USA

Ripnem · June 2009

"Those men who crawled on that beach on that day gave more of themselves in an hour than most of us give in a lifetime. That's what we should know about D-Day, and we should never forget it."

Well put..................

stike · June 2009

glad you appreciated it, bill. it is literally the least i could do.

i remember in '94 that it was amazing that 50 years had passed. the next fifteen blew right by. soon there won't be anyone left that was there. nothing but movies and recordings and written histories.

if your parents or grandparents lived through that time, see if you can get the story straight from them. it'll be too late in a few more years

stike · June 2009

Great image, Leroy.

My parents were just a couple years behind you, and just missed experiencing the War years, or rather, remembering them. They were born in '41.

I know that it's an oversimplification to link to a couple mp3 files. People shouldn't just remember D-day of course, but the days that came after, the years before it, the build-up and war-footing the country "back home" had to get on and live with....

All of it is too big to really understand for someone of my generation. But I guess one of the things I can do is to become a student of it, try to appreciate the sacrifice, and thank the men (and women) that did the work. Most of them are far too humble to see it as anything other than something they had to do, and which anyone might have done in their place. But it comes down to the fact that they did it, and they did it so that we wouldn't have to again. At least not on that scale...

Weekend Warrior · June 2009

Thea's Dad was there. We buried him in Dec. '07 at 86 years old. He became one of my best friends. I didn't cry through the service at the church or at the service at the cemetary, but when the 70+ year old veterans from the local American Legion stood at attention and then shot their weapons in salute in bitter December weather here, I cried like a baby........I'm starting to tear up now. Mark

wannaegg · June 2009

Enjoy reading your thoughts, memories, gentlemen. All well stated. I will listen to the link and forward to my parents who are 79 & 83 in age.

stike · June 2009

I'd always been interested in WW2, but never had a connection, and never did the math. Meaning, it always seemed like ancient history. And I didn't know many folks that were in the war.

Wasn't until I was maybe mid 20's, and rented a place from a guy that was a navigator on a B-24 that I really understood it wasn't as far away as it felt. Heck, that was nearly 20 years ago, too.

There are folks living with those memories every day.

And many more dying. Sorry to hear about your Father in law....

Mickey · June 2009

Very good post guys. My Father was in there (+2).
Very rarely talked about it, but when he did it was important. That is something of him I will always have.

lowercasebill · June 2009

my dad started in north africa , landed at anzio , wounded in the battle of the bulge..my parents were not yet married but dad sent 1/2 his pay to my mom to save and the other half to his mother. they are both gone now.
interesting i had a patient recently pass away. he was on a boat that was sunk crossing the channel on d-day and all but 80 off 800 drowned. another patient was supposed to be on that boat but in the confusion he got on another one. they were in the same unit and lived their after war lives 5 miles from one another and never new it till one of them passed away.
i am blessed to have known them.

Chef Charles · June 2009

What a great post. On one of our trips to France, we took a tour of Normandy. Being Canadians, we went to the cemetery in Beny-Sur-Mer where the Canadians who perished on that momentous day during the assault on Juno Beach are buried. It is something I will never forget. The surroundings are beautiful and peaceful yet you know that beneath you are the remains of so many brave souls who gave their lives in the cause of freedom.

Grandpas Grub · June 2009

What a great collection stike!!! I sure hope people will take some time to listen. Thank you for for posting and a great way to remember D-Day.

I had never been to the IA site before. Wow!

I followed some of the links and there are some real treasures. For those who speak German there are clips of Adolf Hitler, Winston Chruchill, clips of air dogfights, newscasts of bombings in London, California Governor comments on Japanese Residents - no not the terminator...

Anyway if interested jump to the links scroll down an read some of what is available. Some of the quality is pretty good. And there is a huge collection of radio shows. Gunsmoke, Shadow, Grand Old Opre, Radio Plays, Takes of the Texas Rangers, X Minus 1. Reminds me of when I was young. After church, dinner and listening to Mystery Radio.

Great History Moments and fun OTR.

http://www.archive.org/details/worldwarIInewsOTRKIBM
http://www.archive.org/details/news01
http://www.archive.org/details/news02

Radio Shows.
http://www.archive.org/details/oldtimeradio

A huge thanks to stike.

Kent

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stike · June 2009

was still a very dangerous place +2.

nothing had been cleaned up (bodies, machinery, debris), and the front was just a few miles in.

there was no easy day to hit that beach that week...

did your dad write any of it down? you might consider contributing it to the oral history project (there are many, actually).

here's one:
Link>>: American D-day Museum: Oral History Project

Weekend Warrior · June 2009

Bill(Thea's dad) didn't talk about the war at all unless he was really ripped (and then usually I was too)haha. But when he did.........the horror stories. He marched through France and then eventually Germany. He finished the War with two Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star among many others.

Thanks stike. Mark

stike · June 2009

for some reason, the american beaches get all the attention. Gold/Sword/Juno were no cakewalks, though. The Canadians didn't exactly have it easy.

Some day I will make the trek. I remember almost falling apart when I stood near a chain link fence as a B-24 came in, with a B-17 and B-26 right after it. I thought I was Mr. Tuffguy. Thank god for the prop blast, it gave me an excuse for the watering eyes.

Don't know how I'd react to walking along the beaches. And I wasn't even there, and didn't know a soul that was.

stike · June 2009

I almost didn't post it, because I post it every year I think.

I work (I mean, my day job) at a board, drawing all day. It was a couple of years ago when I found this site, and I simply played the entire recording of the whole broadcast day, start to finish, from very early in the morning until the end of the work day, maybe 10 hours later. It was pretty powerful

It's pretty amazing, as you say. And the site does have the reactions, statements from SHAEF, the president's address.... eerie stuff.

Grandpas Grub · June 2009

My dad's family was pretty large. Most of the boys were involved in the war. My Uncle was a fighter pilot. Every Sunday after D-Day the families would get together for dinner and conversation. The tradition stopped when I was in my mid teens.

I still remember some of the conversation but more deeply I remember their emotions. At that time it was interesting but I had no real connection.

My only luck at lotto's, drawings, and such was in the late 60's. The first letter in my last name got number 2 pick for drafted. No, not basketball or football draft - the Military Draft.

I ended up in Ft. Bragg, NC. It wasn't until basic training graduation until those almost forgotten family gatherings that I really felt a truly deep patriotism.

I felt a deep respect for my fathers brothers and the men and women who serve and have served our country.

It is truly amazing what we have and our responsibility to our future generations.

Darn nice link stike posted.

Kent

Grandpas Grub · June 2009

I am sure grateful you did post it.

I listened to a good portion of part 1 before responding. Simply amazing. I will finish it up while working on some computer stuff.

I am downloading it just in case 'they' make it vanish.

Kent

Grandpas Grub · June 2009

Bill, if you are interested there are clips from the reporting of the Battle of the Bulge. I put the links in my response to stike below.

Kent

Chef Charles · June 2009

If you went through Normandy without knowing about D-Day, you may not even notice a thing. I only followed the coast line from Juno to Aramanche so never made it as far as Omaha. The beaches are simply beaches. Around Aramanche, you can find one of the mulberry docks that the Allies set up and you can find remains of the Atlantic Wall put up by the Germans. Other than that, it is up to the imagination. Since the time I went, a Canadian memorial centre has opened in Courseulles-sur-Mer. What really hits home is when you step into the cemeteries and see all those tombstones.

stike · June 2009

i think what's amazing, having 'studied' it a little, is that even when SHAEF makes an announcement, you hear the reporters debating whether it is just a statement made to make the germans think that it's the real invasion, and it's possible that it's just a diversion to keep the germans from protecting Calais.

it was enough to keep entire elite (german) tank divisions held back in case the thing was a feint. and yet it really was what the allies were saying it was.

it's as if actually knowing what happened somehow makes it even more nerve wracking. though there's no way it is more nerve wracking now than it was then. still... just fascinating

Grandpas Grub · June 2009

In contrast, my wife and I were driving to Dachau. We drove over a crest and down towards Dachau-Ost. We were planning on finding somewhere to stay the night after visiting the concentration camp.

It was a very gray day and as we drove up to the camp there was a 'heavy' feeling about. We had such an odd feeling. My wife and I really didn't say much other than look at this and see that.

We got in the car and I was about to ask her about staying in Dachau-Ost and before I could speak she told me she had a real dark heavy feeling and wanted to leave. I felt the same way, in agreement we headed out to Munich.

Very strange feeling while there.

Grandpas Grub · June 2009

It was interesting how fast the news was coming, as you said the conjecture and the inability to even recap what was happening.

I also wondered what terror must had been going through those mens hearts and minds.

People wonder why veterans don't talk about much of the details. How does one express the fear and horrific experiences and who wants to relive those events.

When my dad was dying I was talking with my uncle about his war experiences. He said he was scared but didn't have time to actually think about things. It was when things calmed down somewhat is when the emotions set in.

GG

stike · June 2009

i was on a train headed into munich with some high school friends (the summer before college) when we stopped at a station. i casually looked out the window, and the sign on the platform said "dachau". i was more than a little taken aback. we looked at each other in silence.

a days or two later we took the train back out to visit the camp. in line, there was a group of americans in read shirts, cowboy hats (yeah, no kidding) and the had logos on the back of the shirts declaring what great state they were from. we were completely embarrassed, but would have been happy just to have been embarrassed. one of them said, loud as day "well, let's go see where they....". i can't type it to this day. it was incredibly ignorant.

my buddy and i spoke german the entire rest of the time, afraid to be associated with them.

dachau was too surreal. since i have been there, they reconstructed things. when i visited, it was all foundations (where the barracks were). i was pissed that it all seemed swept aside and sanitized. i guess it all came down due to disease, but i'd felt like it had been an attempt to erase it.

i remember seeing very old germans in town, and i couldn't help but think what they knew...

Grandpas Grub · June 2009

What an embarrassment. Hopefully some of the people didn't speak English.

My wife knew a very little German and it was quit an experience reading maps and driving there. I was amazed to see the speed limit signs that had tank speed limits posted.

It was a very long time ago but what saw saw in Dachau was terrible. I am not sure what stage the comples was in but I remember the piles of shoes and cloths, gas chambers, furnaces and other related 'stuff'. The only way to describe my experience was disgusting, heavy hearted and all I wanted to do is leave as quickly as I could. The whole area had a very strong dark feeling for us.

I loved driving through the rest of Germany. At the time I was surprised to see golden arches n the middle of Munich.

Kent

lowercasebill · June 2009

thanks, kent, i will listen to that. dad never spoke of it other than to tell me how he was wounded.

Little Steven · June 2009

stike,

That is not without a good reason. The Canucks had a very effective strategy for assaults. Fewest losses among the Allies for a given attack. That got us elected for some tough ones. The Aus would just go for anything.

Steve

Spring Chicken · June 2009

This originated in Canada, I believe, but I think it applies to all soldiers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8poZshcDj8g

Spring "The Battles Continue Long After The War" Chicken

Grandpas Grub · June 2009

I just got to thinking/remembering about all this. The news was on in the other room and they were yacking about the torture crap again again.

My father in law was in England and got his leg blown up with a grenade. He was captured and spent 5 years in a German Prison camp. The cure for his leg was maggots and when he could walk he was sent to work in a a salt mine. My father in law talked about using potatoes to counterfeit a stamp so prisoners could keep pictures of loved ones.

I need to go find the post stike talked about preserving these accounts and get permission from my father in law to share them.

It is interesting listening to the archived news.

Kent

Panhandle Smoker · June 2009

I was stationed in New Orleans for a short time in 2004. While I was there I had the privilege of meeting Mr Perrett a Coast Guard D-Day Veteran that landed troops on Utah Beach in a landing craft. He was very proud of his part of the invasion. I would spend several hours with Mr. Perrett every time I saw him. He would always share his experiences of WWII all you would have to do was get him started. I would listen carefully because I to am a big history nut. His experiences went well beyond Normandy, he also landed troops during the invasions of the South of France, Iwo Jima and Okinawa.

He had restored a Higgins Boat landing craft which he would give tours and boat rides on Lake Pontchartrain. I know of Cub Scout and Boy Scout troops that came from all over to be a part of this living history.

I was saddened to hear of his death a few years ago. I heard that his Higgins Boat was donated to the D-Day Museum in New Orleans which he was a big part of. If any of you visit New Orleans I would encourage you to visit the D-Day Museum there, It would be well worth your time.

You are very correct most of these veterans are at least in their 80's and won't be around forever.
http://www.ddaymuseum.org/

http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2004-06/a-2004-06-04-27-1.cfm?moddate=2004-06-04

http://brownhound.blogspot.com/2007/05/death-of-coast-guard-hero.html

OT: 65th Anniversary; June 6th, 1944 (D-Day)

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