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rock on sooner
6/5/2013, 09:09 PM
since the timing on the board is GMT, let me say to any who are
still around from the 156000 who hit the beach, deep down inside,
thank you. I only imagine the angst, enemy fire and end result.
So much sacrifice, so much bravery, Godspeed and many blessings!
Clearly, we are safer and better for what you did.

SicEmBaylor
6/5/2013, 09:15 PM
I'd like to say, 'thank you' but not sure I can do so without being told I don't understand what sacrifice means and being criticized for my sentiments.

Nonetheless, I'm going to direct my thanks to my great-uncle, Eli Berry who was killed in the Normandy campaign (not part of the initial invasion) on July 4th just north of St. Lo while engaged with the 6th Fallschirmjagers.

He is buried at the American cemetery just above Omaha Beach at Colleville.

olevetonahill
6/5/2013, 09:26 PM
Took Balls to charge off those LCs and charge into the face of Kraut Machine guns.

My Dad died on D-Day in 92 , Ima go see him tomorrow.

8timechamps
6/5/2013, 11:08 PM
It didn't really hit me what the men that landed went though until I saw Saving Private Ryan. I've been in firefights, and gone through simulated beach assaults, but even when I was in a firefight, I had the comfort of knowing that my weapons were superior to the enemies as were those being used by my fellow marines around me. And in the simulations, they weren't real. So, until I saw the recreation, it just hadn't occurred to me what it must have been like.

I've tried to put myself in a landing craft in route to the beach, and tried to imagine how I would have handled myself. It would have been extremely hard to keep it together knowing that you are about to be released in a shooting gallery. The word "respect" doesn't even touch what I have for those men. True American Baddassery in action.

diverdog
6/6/2013, 02:59 AM
since the timing on the board is GMT, let me say to any who are
still around from the 156000 who hit the beach, deep down inside,
thank you. I only imagine the angst, enemy fire and end result.
So much sacrifice, so much bravery, Godspeed and many blessings!
Clearly, we are safer and better for what you did.

I had one uncle who hit the beach on DDay and two uncles who went in D+1. My uncle who went in was a corporal and with in a day made sgt. By the end of a month he had a battlefield commission.

My other two uncles flew on B17's. All of my uncles made it home in one piece. Only one is still alive. The two who were gunners got 25 missions each although that was at a time we had complete air superiority.

On todays battlefield you would never have a DDay. The entire defensive system would be obliterated in days from smart bombs. I am not even sure they would attack it opting to fly over, by pass it and cut them off from the rear. About the only place that would be the same is the fighting in the cities. Things have really changed with the lethality of the modern battlefield.

texaspokieokie
6/6/2013, 09:00 AM
My wife had an uncle that went in on D+1. He also was in "Battle of Bulge". Was always a hero to me. Died last year.
Wife had another uncle in "Battle of Bulge". Also died last year. 2 of her Father's brothers stayed in for over 20 years.

My Dad got in Army right @ the end of WWI. Didn't go overseas.

rock on sooner
6/6/2013, 09:33 AM
The man who married my mom and was sort of my dad since my
blood father bolted was in combat engineers in WWII. He wasn't
at Normandy, though. He was in the North Africa campaign, was
awarded the Soldier's Medal (highest non combat award). He and
some buddies together pulled the flight crew out of a crashed, burning
bomber. He never talked about it (I read the newspaper accounts
after he passed). He went from North Africa to the Italian effort,
landing at Anzio, helping to build bridges and roads so our troops
could move up. Heh, only thing about Italy that he talked about
was the wine, cheese and women they liberated. Well, he did talk
some, mostly about how tough it was when they first landed, but
then nothing more. He was still in Italy, I think, on D-Day....

BigTip
6/6/2013, 11:47 AM
My Dad died on D-Day in 92 , Ima go see him tomorrow.

My father in law died on a June 6th also.
It's weird because my own dad died on a December 7th.

C&CDean
6/6/2013, 03:45 PM
My father in law died on a June 6th also.
It's weird because my own dad died on a December 7th.

What's funny is that my ex-wife's birthday is December 7th, and mine is August 6. I told her "you started the war bitch, but I ended it."

And no, I couldn't imagine tumbling out of one of those landing crafts into the surf not knowing WTF was going on other than death and carnage. I'm more in tune with the guys who jumped into Bastogne, Sicily, St. Mere-Eglise, Nijmegen, etc. Much more my cup of tea.

SicEmBaylor
6/6/2013, 04:16 PM
What's funny is that my ex-wife's birthday is December 7th, and mine is August 6. I told her "you started the war bitch, but I ended it."

And no, I couldn't imagine tumbling out of one of those landing crafts into the surf not knowing WTF was going on other than death and carnage. I'm more in tune with the guys who jumped into Bastogne, Sicily, St. Mere-Eglise, Nijmegen, etc. Much more my cup of tea.

Technically, they didn't jump into Bastogne -- they were driven in. There was also that useless drop as part of Monty's Rhine crossing. That was the last drop of the war I believe...

C&CDean
6/6/2013, 05:02 PM
Technically, they didn't jump into Bastogne -- they were driven in. There was also that useless drop as part of Monty's Rhine crossing. That was the last drop of the war I believe...

Yes "they" did. Check your history boy. Pathfinders jumped in to re-supply I believe the 101st.

SicEmBaylor
6/6/2013, 05:11 PM
Yes "they" did. Check your history boy. Pathfinders jumped in to re-supply I believe the 101st.

My mistake -- you are correct. A couple dozen or so Pathfinders did indeed drop in to resupply. I did not know that!

C&CDean
6/6/2013, 05:23 PM
To be honest, the only way I knew was because of the names of drop zones I've jumped into and I trained a lot of Recon/Pathfinder types in Panama. I've studied on the history of all the drop zones in WWII.

You know who really had nuts? The glider pilots. Think about getting towed in by a C-47, then cut loose and you silently fly to a drop zone, dump the boys, and then basically find a place to crash land and hope the enemy isn't there. Nuts. Of. Steel. At least the glider pilots who landed with infantry on board had some backup.

SicEmBaylor
6/6/2013, 05:31 PM
To be honest, the only way I knew was because of the names of drop zones I've jumped into and I trained a lot of Recon/Pathfinder types in Panama. I've studied on the history of all the drop zones in WWII.

You know who really had nuts? The glider pilots. Think about getting towed in by a C-47, then cut loose and you silently fly to a drop zone, dump the boys, and then basically find a place to crash land and hope the enemy isn't there. Nuts. Of. Steel. At least the glider pilots who landed with infantry on board had some backup.

Aye, what's even more insane is that they bolted steel plates to the bottom of some of those gliders to protect against flak which is great as long as you're being towed, but they dropped like a rock when released! You could not pay me enough to have volunteered for that ****....actually, I'm not sure the glider troops were volunteers. I know the airborne were, but I'm not sure about the glider troops.

8timechamps
6/6/2013, 08:39 PM
To be honest, the only way I knew was because of the names of drop zones I've jumped into and I trained a lot of Recon/Pathfinder types in Panama. I've studied on the history of all the drop zones in WWII.

You know who really had nuts? The glider pilots. Think about getting towed in by a C-47, then cut loose and you silently fly to a drop zone, dump the boys, and then basically find a place to crash land and hope the enemy isn't there. Nuts. Of. Steel. At least the glider pilots who landed with infantry on board had some backup.

Yeah, those guys were nuts. I also think the B-17 belly bubble gunners were pretty crazy...but, at least they had an offensive weapon, even if they were hanging "naked".

If you were a glider pilot, you had to come to terms that every mission was probably your last. I can't even wrap my head around that.

Soonerfan88
6/6/2013, 09:13 PM
A co-worker sent me this link about a pilot from Ada and the plane he flew on D-Day.

http://www.therolladailynews.com/article/20130606/LIFESTYLE/130609472?refresh=true

BigTip
6/6/2013, 09:31 PM
Yeah, those guys were nuts. I also think the B-17 belly bubble gunners were pretty crazy...but, at least they had an offensive weapon, even if they were hanging "naked".


Not just just the belly gunners, but the whole crew:

"Prior to 1944, a crewman's tour of duty was set at 25 missions. As a measure of the hazards they would encounter, it is estimated that the average crewman had only a one in four chance of actually completing his tour of duty."

That ain't good odds!

My mom's 91 year old boyfriend was a B17 pilot. He was shot down twice. He tells some great stories. He flew in the Korean war and in Vietnam too. Transport planes in those conflicts. He has a really amazing Korean flying story.

olevetonahill
6/6/2013, 09:39 PM
To be honest!?
You had to be NUCKIN FUTS to ever go into Harms way INTENTIONALLY

BigTip
6/6/2013, 09:43 PM
Yes, nuts...........for the love of country!

olevetonahill
6/6/2013, 09:58 PM
Yes, nuts...........for the love of country!

I just wanted the 277 bucks a month.

8timechamps
6/6/2013, 10:27 PM
To be honest!?
You had to be NUCKIN FUTS to ever go into Harms way INTENTIONALLY

Yeah, I'm pretty sure we all have that in common.

8timechamps
6/6/2013, 10:30 PM
Not just just the belly gunners, but the whole crew:

"Prior to 1944, a crewman's tour of duty was set at 25 missions. As a measure of the hazards they would encounter, it is estimated that the average crewman had only a one in four chance of actually completing his tour of duty."

That ain't good odds!

My mom's 91 year old boyfriend was a B17 pilot. He was shot down twice. He tells some great stories. He flew in the Korean war and in Vietnam too. Transport planes in those conflicts. He has a really amazing Korean flying story.

Very true.

3 years ago, I had the chance to ride in a refurbished B-17. I was told that it would be an amazing ride. It was amazing, amazingly terrible. Those things were not built for comfort, and what really shocked me was how cramped the entire crew must have been. Not only were they cramped, they were cramped for very long flights. Then there is the noise, deafening. Those were some tough guys.

olevetonahill
6/6/2013, 10:44 PM
Very true.

3 years ago, I had the chance to ride in a refurbished B-17. I was told that it would be an amazing ride. It was amazing, amazingly terrible. Those things were not built for comfort, and what really shocked me was how cramped the entire crew must have been. Not only were they cramped, they were cramped for very long flights. Then there is the noise, deafening.
Those were some tough guys.

Bro, DID they have a choice? Remember this was WAY before the ALL volunteer Military. We were DRAFTED back then.

Not sayin those men wernt Brave Just sayin they really dint have much choice . A lot Did volunteer but a bunch were Drafted

BigTip
6/6/2013, 11:15 PM
Not only were they cramped, they were cramped for very long flights. Then there is the noise, deafening. Those were some tough guys.

Don't forget the cold too.

Maybe they were turned into tough guys, but tough guys nonetheless. The tough ones didn't say, "Screw this, put me in the stockade, I'm not going up again."

Wishboned
6/6/2013, 11:33 PM
To be honest, the only way I knew was because of the names of drop zones I've jumped into and I trained a lot of Recon/Pathfinder types in Panama. I've studied on the history of all the drop zones in WWII.

You know who really had nuts? The glider pilots. Think about getting towed in by a C-47, then cut loose and you silently fly to a drop zone, dump the boys, and then basically find a place to crash land and hope the enemy isn't there. Nuts. Of. Steel. At least the glider pilots who landed with infantry on board had some backup.

JOTC?

SCOUT
6/7/2013, 12:13 AM
Uncle Bill made it through but he survived an awful lot. To him, and to those who were not so fortunate, I salute you.

This is the actual letter that started it all for him.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v326/scout71/D-DayLetter.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/scout71/media/D-DayLetter.jpg.html)

SicEmBaylor
6/7/2013, 12:17 AM
Uncle Bill made it through but he survived an awful lot. To him, and to those who were not so fortunate, I salute you.

This is the actual letter that started it all for him.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v326/scout71/D-DayLetter.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/scout71/media/D-DayLetter.jpg.html)
Your family still has his Ike letter? That's freaking awesome, Scout!

SCOUT
6/7/2013, 12:18 AM
Your family still has his Ike letter? That's freaking awesome, Scout!

Not only that, but I have each pamphlet for when they entered France proper and then Germany. In fact, I have a pic he took FROM the Eagle's Nest.

SicEmBaylor
6/7/2013, 12:23 AM
Not only that, but I have each pamphlet for when they entered France proper and then Germany. In fact, I have a pic he took FROM the Eagle's Nest.

That's really really need. I have something of an ongoing feud with my family over my grandfather's stuff. It's a bitter point to say the least.

SCOUT
6/7/2013, 12:25 AM
That's really really need. I have something of an ongoing feud with my family over my grandfather's stuff. It's a bitter point to say the least.

I can relate. I pried it away from my parents just last year. I found them in a grocery sack in their attic. After much...discussion...I believe they saw my point that it would be good to preserve such things.

I don't want to talk about the two "Zero" leather helmets my Brother and I played with as kids. They were tossed in the early 80's. Who would want sheep lined leather helmets for crying out loud?

8timechamps
6/7/2013, 12:42 AM
Bro, DID they have a choice? Remember this was WAY before the ALL volunteer Military. We were DRAFTED back then.

Not sayin those men wernt Brave Just sayin they really dint have much choice . A lot Did volunteer but a bunch were Drafted

I don't know for sure, and maybe some of you war history folks can chime in, but I thought the Heavy pilots had to have college degrees, or go through the war college to earn their wings. I know today, you must be an officer to fly, so maybe that's why I thought it to be the case back then.

Anyway, they may have been forced to go, but just as Big Tip said, they were tough enough to go a second, third, fourth, etc, time. Once they knew what they were in for, they could have opted for brigade duty knowing they would at least be alive after the war.

SicEmBaylor
6/7/2013, 02:23 AM
I can relate. I pried it away from my parents just last year. I found them in a grocery sack in their attic. After much...discussion...I believe they saw my point that it would be good to preserve such things.

I don't want to talk about the two "Zero" leather helmets my Brother and I played with as kids. They were tossed in the early 80's. Who would want sheep lined leather helmets for crying out loud?
lol, it's probably best not to think about that one!

I've loved WWII history since I was in 6th grade. Sometime around the zenith of my passion for the subject (8th/9th grade), I was in an antique store that had a booth full of WWII pictures and artifacts. There were a couple of M1940 German helmets, a Hitler youth knife, an original swastika flag, an American M1 helmet, and a TON of photographs. They were being sold by a woman whose father brought all of this back from Europe. She called it "junk" and didn't want it anymore. Sad.

I ended up buying all the pictures, and each photograph was perfectly labeled as to what/who it was and where it was taken. Long story short, this guy was a Lt. in an armored recon platoon with (if I remember correctly) 3rd Armored. I was able to lay the pictures out and trace his movements all the way from Etretat, France to Germany. They were a real treasure.

Unfortunately, I had them in a box and my grandmother accidentally threw them away when she was over at our house cleaning my room one day.

MsProudSooner
6/7/2013, 09:39 PM
These are a few pictures that my daughter and I took in Normandy in November, 2011. We had only one day in Normandy and took a big bus tour. I would love to go back and take a small tour led by a historian of the battle.

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn278/SBLipe/Normandy/DSC_4514-1.jpg (http://s306.photobucket.com/user/SBLipe/media/Normandy/DSC_4514-1.jpg.html)

MsProudSooner
6/7/2013, 09:42 PM
Pointe du Hoc

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn278/SBLipe/Normandy/DSC_4451.jpg (http://s306.photobucket.com/user/SBLipe/media/Normandy/DSC_4451.jpg.html)

MsProudSooner
6/7/2013, 09:43 PM
http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn278/SBLipe/Normandy/DSC_4445.jpg (http://s306.photobucket.com/user/SBLipe/media/Normandy/DSC_4445.jpg.html)

MsProudSooner
6/7/2013, 09:49 PM
http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn278/SBLipe/Normandy/DSC_4426.jpg (http://s306.photobucket.com/user/SBLipe/media/Normandy/DSC_4426.jpg.html)

MsProudSooner
6/7/2013, 09:51 PM
http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn278/SBLipe/Normandy/DSC_4499.jpg (http://s306.photobucket.com/user/SBLipe/media/Normandy/DSC_4499.jpg.html)

MsProudSooner
6/7/2013, 09:52 PM
http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn278/SBLipe/Normandy/IMG_00482.jpg (http://s306.photobucket.com/user/SBLipe/media/Normandy/IMG_00482.jpg.html)

SicEmBaylor
6/7/2013, 09:59 PM
These are a few pictures that my daughter and I took in Normandy in November, 2011. We had only one day in Normandy and took a big bus tour. I would love to go back and take a small tour led by a historian of the battle.

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn278/SBLipe/Normandy/DSC_4514-1.jpg (http://s306.photobucket.com/user/SBLipe/media/Normandy/DSC_4514-1.jpg.html)

I'll give you the tour all the way from Dover to Operation Cobra if you furnish the ticket and expenses!

picasso
6/7/2013, 10:36 PM
My wife's Grandfather who still lives on his own in Norman has a Rosary given to him by the Pope. While he was fighting through Italy with the 45th. He also has a '36 olympics postcard he took off of a table in Nuremberg. He has the most amazing stories.