Lest we forget, 70 years ago today, around 156,000 Allied soldiers descended upon Northern France as part of Operation Overlord. Undoubtedly, it was one of the most ambitious military operations the world has ever known and the first step in the Western Allies’ march into Hitler’s Nazi Germany.
Thankfully their efforts have not been forgotten. 359 Canadians died on Juno Beach that day. Remember them. Remember them proudly.
Not only have the last few generations “forgotten” the cost of freedom, they have been indoctrinated to to give it up without a whimper. As for defeating fascism – well look at the governments we have now that speak of limiting rights to speach, property and civil liberty and allowing corporations, media and poice to become part of the power structure.
The vets gave their lives for freedom but they passed the torch to a generation that handed it to big brother. The torch of liberty which lighted the way up those Normandy beaches grows dim today.
Occam, as long as we don’t let the flame go out, there’s still hope.
Also remember the “D-Day Dodgers, in sunny It-a-ly”, the 1st and 5th Divs!
It is indeed important to remember our veterans’ accomplishments.
But we do no one any favors by exaggerating their scale or relative importance. Operation Overlord was small relative to the scale and importance of the earlier battles in the east.
My mother’s cousin survived D-Day landing with the 1st Scottish Regiment on Juno. The first wave established the beach head and the reserve passed through them to move inland. Our cousin accomplished the mission by moving inland 6 miles, the furthest of all forces in the British 2nd Army.
My mother’s cousin was killed in Wagenborgen, Holland in April 21, 1945. Killed by a German mortar while his group took a break. Our neighbor was with him when he died. He told me he was a great soldier who received a battlefield commission. Joined up at 17 by lying about his age.
Our small town was emptied of young men during the war. My Dad went to the RCAF in England and my mother to a Weston war factory in Ontario. They are not called the
“great Generation” for no reason and all Canadians should remember them.
It’s not a surprise that many young Canadians are unaware of the sacrifices made by their predecessors.
Remember when PM Paul Martin had a brain fart and became confused about the difference between the Norman invasion of 1066 and the invasion of Normandy.
Sorry I have that wrong. Paul Martin was talking about the beaches of Norway and everyone is thinking WTF.
Nice writeup in today’s National Post about Padre Seaborn, from Coburg ON, who landed with the troops on D-Day. There’s an iconic photo of him administering Absolution to a dying comrade. He didn’t want his colleagues to know he was from the Toronto area so he identified himself as a Coburgian.
Thank you Robert; Cheers
Occam, well said. The evil ideology of the Internationale never rests in its attempt to subvert western society with utopian freedom destroying statism and to all intents and purposes is ascendent today. Even our so-called liberal parties have succumbed and in fact embraced this ideology.
That said, between my wife and myself we had three uncles that served in the war and survived. One as a dispatch rider for divisional HQ, one as an MP, and one in radar development. My father volunteered, but was rejected for medical reasons.
God bless the remaining vets and thank you. The flame lives in our household.
“…But we do no one any favors by exaggerating their scale or relative importance. Operation Overlord was small relative to the scale and importance of the earlier battles in the east.”
And Operation Overlord was of relative importance far beyond its scale in comparison to many of those earlier battles in the east. All the stoic courage of so many Russian and other Soviet soldiers callously sent to slaughter by their regime would have been in vain without the material aid delivered by the courage of a relatively tiny number of no less courageous men from the forces of the Western Allies. We do no one any favours by diminishing the scale or relative importance of Overlord.
my Grandfather was there . I took his compass back and laid it on the beach two years ago
God Bless Our Fallen. May God see to it that they have not died in vein.
My name is Paul i am 35 i have young children they will know the lord,and the hero’s who defended freedom and liberty around the world, they will know that they should be proud to be white,Canadian,and free.
I stood on the Juno beach in 2005 and it was a day like today. Such a feeling of peace surrounded the area.
I highly recommend that anyone who hasn’t taken a tour as yet, do so.
Before I left, I was prepared with the maps available on the Veterans Affairs website to find the graves of the local men and placed their photograph at each one.
May I make one comment about the CBC coverage: I’m very disappointed that only once have I seen a brief glance of our Prime Minister. I have seen a dozen of gum-chewing Obama, but only one of PM Harper. Shame.
Victors’ history is to history what victors’ justice is to justice. One must also study the contrarian views on the history of the Second World War. Here are some book recommendations:
1. “War, Peace and the State”, Murray Rothbard
2. “Churchill, Hitler, and the Unnecessary War”, Patrick J. Buchanan
3. “Hitler’s War”, David Irving and David Owen
4. “Icebreaker: Who Started the Second World War?”, Viktor Suvorov
5. “Victims of Yalta: The Secret Betrayal of the Allies: 1944-1947”, Nikolai Tolstoy
Kind of ironic.
The reasons why my father volunteered and served… the growing totalitarianism and evil of world governance(world domination) along with the crushing of individual rights and liberties …
If he was alive today, I suspect he might be taking up arms against our own governments.
Seems all that individual sacrifice and courage was wasted, we lost.
Remember that temporary thing? Income tax to pay for the war?
We are paying evermore= we are the losers.
The Niponese refer to the war as the 100 years war.
Totalitarian idiots dominate the UN.
Slavery is on the rise.
Our politicians and bureaucrats are indistinguishable from bandits.
Yes these brave men and women defeated the agents of madness in Germany, Italy and Japan.
But the madness has continued to spread.
Idiots who lust for power above all, they have not been restrained of late, we are so soft we reward people who seek to destroy us.
Watch Ontar-I owe.
Look to The Liar in Chief.
History repeats.
Boom, Depression, Stagnation and War.
“around 156,000 Allied soldiers descended upon Northern France as part of Operation Overlord. Undoubtedly, it was the most ambitious military operation the world has ever known…”
~Robert
Operation Barbarossa (German: Fall Barbarossa, literally “Case Barbarossa”), beginning 22 June 1941, was the code name for Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II. Over the course of the operation, about four million soldiers of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a 2,900 km (1,800 mi) front, the largest invasion in the history of warfare. In addition to troops, Barbarossa used 600,000 motor vehicles and 750,000 horses.
I guess the victors really do write history, badly.
You beat me to it Oz.
Overlord was a sideshow. The main show happened on the Eastern Front.
Overlord was the largest amphibious operation. Landing on a beach is much more difficult than simply crossing a border on horseback. Or in a tank.
CBC decided to make a sideshow out of Putin, so here’s some G7 facts.
Putin has met with Britain’s Cameron, France’s Hollande, Germany’s Merkel and had a 10-15 minute meeting with USA’s Obama.
Count ’em. One, two, three, four. Seems like a majority of the G7 leaders would at least give him the time of day.
Also Putin briefly spoke with Ukrainian president-elect Poroshenko, calling for an end to Ukrainian bloodshed. Hmmm.
So, let’s count which countries continue to snub Putin … Italy, Japan and Canada.
“Undoubtedly, it was the most ambitious military operation the world has ever known…”
Not to be picky, but if the word amphibious was inserted between ambitious and military it might more accurately reflect D-Day. Barbarossa definitely was the largest in terms of men and equipment.
Here’s a neat video of a Brit paratrooper returning by parachute to Normandy at 89 years of age:
http://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2014/jun/06/d-day-anniversary-89-year-old-veteran-parachutes-normandy-video
Many of you made some valid points about the scale of Operation Overlord so I added two words and added an “s” to a third. I very much value what you all say and want to be as accurate as possible. Thank you for your feedback.
I had the great privilege to visit Normandy over 3 days this past February. Took over 3,000 photos & videos. The entire area probably represents the largest military museum in the world. It is both beautiful and incredibly sad. One day I hope to publish the best of my photos in a manner that will properly honour those who fought there.
Though I didn’t make this, the 70th Anniversary, I absolutely plan to make it back there for the 75th if my life at the time will allow it!
Before the ceremony, Merkel thanked the veterans for freeing the German people.
Was looking real hard, but did not notice any representation from fans of the Waffen SS, whose memory is being kept alive and honoured by certain elements in Ukraine.
@ gordin:
You took the words right out of my mouth.
“Before the ceremony, Merkel thanked the veterans for freeing the German people.”
Did she denounce the Red Army savages responsible for the largest mass gang rape of women in human history when Eastern Germany was overrun by the Soviets? “Scarcely a woman east of the Elbe survived unraped.” Or was it not rape-rape?
Uncle Joe said: ‘(People should) understand it if a soldier who has crossed thousands of kilometres through blood and fire and death has fun with a woman or takes some trifle’. On another occasion, when told that Red Army soldiers sexually maltreated German refugees, he said: ‘We lecture our soldiers too much; let them have their initiative.’
Did Merkel denounce Arthur Harris for the terror bombing of Dresden?
Not to detract from the Western Allies sacrifices, but the ‘butcher’s bill’ comparatively between the Eastern and Western Fronts are quite staggering:
Western and Mediterranean Fronts Military Deaths
Allies ~930,000 Axis ~820,000
Eastern Front Military Deaths
Allies 11,600,000 Axis 5,480,000
A gargantuan misadventure which managed to send some 50 – 60 million through a veritable meat grinder. And every one of them a family member to someone…war is always a very nasty, brutish, and ghoulish business.
No God, No Peace.
Know God, Know Peace.
Psalm 103:12
as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
Cheers
Hans Rupprecht Commander in Chief
1st Saint Nicolaas Army
Army Group “True North”
Yeah well, an inconvenient truth is the influence of the Soviets in the D-day landings.
The Allies were steadily advancing up through Italy, to the unease of the Soviets. If it had continued and had been with just some of the D-day resources the Western Allies would have been in Vienna while the Soviets were over a thousand miles distant. The Soviets understand that whoever controlled Vienna controlled Europe.
The Soviets pushed for a second front to take pressure off but wanted that second front as far as possible from Vienna.
Then the largely unmentioned benefits/lessons of the Dieppe Raid….the Mulbury Harbours, avoiding the fortified Channel Ports and the tactic of pushing destroyers close inshore to provide accurate and timely close artillery support for the assault and the initial advance inland.
My old unit the 101st airbourne, ironically was very effective despite it’s drop being a class 1 cluster****. In effect the Germans had “enemies, enemies” everywhere….a significant effect that made up for any missed objectives.
Quietly the Americans admit that the disastrous Omaha landings succeeded because the German defenders withdrew fearing being outflanked by the deep Canadian penetration….this effect continued with the stubborn defense of Caen ( an unfulfilled Canadian D-day objective).
Spell check is having a hissy fit with my spelling (correct) of Harbours and airbourne although because the 101st is American, airborne would be correct….but then……..falsturmjaeger is so unwieldy the Germans use an acronym…..
“Yeah well, an inconvenient truth is the influence of the Soviets in the D-day landings.
“The Allies were steadily advancing up through Italy, to the unease of the Soviets. If it had continued and had been with just some of the D-day resources the Western Allies would have been in Vienna while the Soviets were over a thousand miles distant.”
Thanks Sasquatch for confirming what I had suspected. Stalin preferred that the 2nd front should come across the channel rather than through the Balkans.
Which leader wanted to continue the advance in Italy, which would have cut off the Russians? And which leader prevented that?
Which leader wanted to continue the advance in Italy …? Churchill.
And which leader prevented that? FDR, Stalin
Had three uncles go in on D Day and landed at Juneau Beach second wave. Quote one Sgt uncle “Farm boys – just doing what we were told” I would add the word Brave in front of farm but he never did.
You;re spot on there sasquatch; and the result was the redeployment of 9th & 10th SS Panzer from the eastern front to shore up the burgeoning beachhead. The fighting at Caen was hotly contested. They also kept open the Falaise pocket which eventually lead to their last hurrah through the Ardenne forest.
The 9th & 10th SS closed out the war in Czechslovakia and Budapest respectively which effectively gave the Soviets control of Vienna when they surrendered to the Americans.
“Your task will not be an easy one. Your enemy is well trained, well equipped and battle hardened. He will fight savagely.”
General Dwight D. Eisenhower address to troops June 6th, 1944.
Cheers
Hans Rupprecht Commander in Chief
1st Saint Nicolaas Army
Army Group “True North”
D-Day Gift from Alberta.
“570,000 barrels of Western Canada Select heavy blend crude, originally from Canada, arrived in Spain’s port of Bilbao in the middle of this week, said a spokesman for Repsol.”
Look West! Our Land is Bright!
Hark! A 21-gun salute to PM Harper.
The enemy is the left~Grauniad with its label “tar sands”.
…-
“Friday 6 June 2014”
“First major tar sands oil shipment arrives in Europe amid protests”
“570,000 barrels of oil from Canada arrives in Bilbao, Spain, as EU considers dropping plan to label tar sands oil as dirty”
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/jun/06/first-tar-sands-oil-shipment-arrives-in-europe-amid-protests
I am very much interested in WWII history. I appreciate the comments made although I disagree with some of them. Who can deny that in hindsight everything is clearer and that includes the speculative “might have beens” and “should have dones”?
The fact remains that because of the Normandy invasion, the Germans were then fighting a land war on 3 fronts (if you consider the east a single front, more if you divide it). This multi front war simply overwhelmed them both materially and logistically. The results were inevitable. Some of the top German Generals (Rommel I believe was one) thought that it was time to surrender following the success of the D-Day landings. They had a huge impact on the course and duration of the war.
Riz, have you read any of these books? i have not, but Churchill in his book ‘The Gathering Storm’ from his second world war series states that the war was unnecessary, but he means it would have been unnecessary had the victors of the Great War not so mismanaged the victory. his belief was that they insisted on Germany paying reparations to the allies and that the Americans insisted on lending them money to do so, thus severely upsetting the German economy and leaving the way open for Hitler to take power and further blame the Jews.
That said, I can’t imagine the willing sacrifice of those who stepped aboard the boats in Britain and jumped into the water under fire on the other side.
My father’s fate, and thus ultimately mine, was directly related to George Patton’s obstinance about moving as far east as he could. My dad was a 14 year old German boy in 1945. He, his 5 younger siblings, and their mom were refugees being evacuated from Silesia (then Germany, now Poland) to avoid being captured by the Russians.
One younger brother died in an unfortunate accident with an unspent tank shell. The remaining 5 children and their mom were waiting in Pilsen in the Bohemia area of the Czech Republic. They were fully expecting the Russians to enter from a road at the eastern end of the town. But who showed up first from the west was the front flank of Patton’s 3rd Army. They were all loaded onto army trucks and taken down to Munich. My 2 of my 3 tantes (aunts) still live there today.
Had the U.S. Army not showed up, it’s very unlikely my dad would have ever made it over to Canada in 1951 and married his Canadian bride.
You’ve got it. And only one betrayed Churchill.
Kate
FYI on this
http://thepointman.wordpress.com/2014/06/06/heroes-for-a-day/
The logistics of battling through Italy into Austria would have been horrendous. A
very narrow front, mountainous. Eisenhauer wasn’t that thrilled about invading Italy.
A breakout of Normandy meant open country to Germany. Patton proved what could be done with his armor when that happened.
CT – logistics horrendous?
They were already there. The Canadians were doing a fantastic job and had fought in wicked conditions for what exactly?? Do you know what they were left with? Bad memories. They were betrayed and carried that with them to their graves.
Who wants to say “I fought in Italy” after June 6th? Even their old comrades would rub it in: “But you didn’t take part in the big invasion so you don’t know what war was like.”
And Patton to H… Do you know where the Cdns fought in Italy only to see the US march into Rome while they were put out for a rest before they wanted to quit?
The SS Panzer fighting against the Canadians feared them; the momentum was there.
Excellent video! Orlin
And the Fulda Gap is a space in your inseam…..
One of the lessons of Dieppe was the importance of armour support immediately in the assault.
The British addressed this with a wide variety of specialist armour ( swimming tanks, ARC tanks, petard tanks, flame thowing tanks, flall tanks)and produced for all.
In his infinite wisdom Omar Bradly refused these except for a handful of swimming tanks….the comparative success of the British/Canadian landings reflects this.