The Water Had Turned Red

In memory of all of those who made the ultimate sacrifice on D-Day...

Operation Overlord was the code name for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. The operation commenced on 6 June 1944 with the Normandy landings (Operation Neptune, commonly known as D-Day).

A 1,200-plane airborne assault preceded an amphibious assault involving more than 5,000 vessels. Nearly 160,000 troops crossed the English Channel on 6 June, and more than two million Allied troops were in France by the end of August.

The decision to undertake a cross-channel invasion in 1944 was taken at the Trident Conference in Washington in May 1943. General Dwight D. Eisenhower was appointed commander of Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF), and General Bernard Montgomery was named as commander of the 21st Army Group, which comprised all the land forces involved in the invasion.

The Normandy coast was chosen as the site of the invasion, with the Americans assigned to land at sectors code named Utah and Omaha, the British at Sword and Gold, and the Canadians at Juno. To meet the conditions expected on the Normandy beachhead, special technology was developed, including two artificial ports called Mulberry harbours and an array of specialized tanks nicknamed Hobart's Funnies.

In the months leading up to the invasion, the Allies conducted a substantial military deception, Operation Bodyguard, using both electronic and visual misinformation. This misled the Germans as to the date and location of the main Allied landings. Adolf Hitler placed German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel in charge of developing fortifications all along the Atlantic Wall in anticipation of an invasion.

The Allies failed to reach their goals for the first day, but gained a tenuous foothold that they gradually expanded as they captured the port at Cherbourg on 26 June and the city of Caen on 21 July. A failed counterattack by German forces on 8 August led to 50,000 soldiers of the German 7th Army being trapped in the Falaise pocket. The Allies launched an invasion of southern France (code-named Operation Dragoon) on 15 August, and the Liberation of Paris followed on 25 August. German forces retreated across the Seine on 30 August 1944, marking the close of Operation Overlord.

Note: information is from Wikipedia. You can help by clicking on the donate tab on their home page.

Comments

[SOUP]

Some of my grandfather's WWII photos:

http://i.skyrock.net/9677/89679677/pics/3197787671_1_4_MgHmqhhW.jpg

http://www.101airborneww2.com/DivartyHH.jpg

http://www.thedropzone.org/scrapbook/pangerl6.JPG

http://www.101airborneww2.com/BourcyA.jpg

Posted by: TonyCane | June 06, 2016 at 10:24 PM

[thirstybuzzardcane]

First

[thirstybuzzardcane]

Just kidding! Second!

[The Dude]

Best blog ever. Being totally honest, we could switch to a military history blog and I'd be okay with that.

[SOUP]

The Dude...we can agree, sometimes there are simply MORE important things than sports, this being a prime example. Another 10 or so years from now the collective memory of D-Day will all but be lost. In another 20 years the younger generation will have no clue what it even is. I bet if tomorrow you walk up to 5 under 20 somethings and ask about D-Day 1 of 5 may give you a respectable answer.

#SAD

[The Dude]

From the last blog SOUP.

I wonder how much this has to do with our government's push for constant needless wars, and the separation of its war fighters from the public? We put wars on credit cards now, and leave the fighting to service members and their families. At home, we rarely if never feel the war. We should ask ourselves if it isn't total war, is it worth undertaking?

Posted by: The Dude | June 07, 2016 at 12:09 AM

[SOUP]

It's entirely possible our grand fathers had a smoke together in Belgium All those years ago.

Posted by: 1mg of Epi | June 06, 2016 at 10:03 PM

When tapping into the collective unconscious I can almost feel/see that happening and even repeated over and over again. I would like to think so anyway. It is a warm and comforting thought it COULD have happened that way and that it was discussed on Canespace all these years later.

[The Dude]

Funny thing about those funnies...

the US I think rejected them, which totally screwed them as they lost some 23 of 25 tanks to the Channel.

[SOUP]

The Dude...I think it is because there was never a more just cause or reason to go to war that WWII. It was unanimous among all that we had to do what had to be done. Japan had awoken the Sleeping Giant when they launched the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. At that point we had no options. And imagine the world today had we NOT saved the world from the Nazis?

Some people question the reason for WWI, Vietnam and Iraq wars. Nobody questions why we fought WWII. And it took the entire nation to join together in the effort, that never happened again.

[The Dude]

I don't think any significant number question the Afghan War though. We should have move to a state of war and paid for it then, war bonds and everything. Just my 2.

[The Dude]

You certainly have valid points though.

[The Dude]

Posted by: SOUP | June 07, 2016 at 12:36 AM

I say we declare it fact.

[CaneRock]

15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudis, but they stay gettin' a pass:

"In April, Saudi Arabia warned it would start selling as much as $750 billion in Treasuries and other assets if Congress passes a bill allowing the kingdom to be held liable in U.S. courts for the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, according to the New York Times. The threat comes amid a renewed push by presidential candidates and legislators from both the Democratic and Republican parties to declassify a 28-page section of a 2004 U.S. government report that is believed to detail possible Saudi connections to the attacks. The bill, which passed the Senate on May 17, is now in the House of Representatives."

http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/the-untold-story-behind-saudi-arabia%e2%80%99s-41-year-us-debt-secret/ar-BBtRLGL?li=BBnbfcL&ocid=iehp

[SOUP]

TonyCane...here is the book you mentioned:

http://www.allbookstores.com/101st-Airborne-The-Screaming-Eagles/9780760339800

[The Dude]

Saudi Arabia is the cradle of terrorism.

[Go Canes!]

If they aren't the cradle, they are certainly the money behind it.

It's a sad state of affairs in our country today.

We've never before been bigger pawns in the wink-wink fake fight going on between our two parties here and this country's relationships with other nations.

As has been pointed out, WWII was a fight for human survival, after that every single one of them has been complete bullshit.

Breaks my heart to see the thousands of our veterans not getting the care they so desperately need, which is directly responsible for the unconscionable suicide rate among them.

Every single politician in Wahingyon, from our idiot President, the morally bankrupt and corrupt Democratic nominee, that narcissistic gas bag racist on the Republican side and everyone on down should be forced to attend a funeral a day for a month of a serviceman or woman who's taken their own life.

Maybe then they'll see what complete and total failures they've ALL been.

Makes me sick.

[raizecane]

Breaks my heart to see the thousands of our veterans not getting the care they so desperately need, which is directly responsible for the unconscionable suicide rate among them.
************************************

Vote for Hilary and this trend will continue...

[The Dude]

^^^ Lol. As if voting matters.

[Mr Moneymaker]

This is great:

Another narrative:

Total payroll of 2010-11 Heat that were "unfair to NBA": $67M
Total payroll of 2015-16 Cavs that "need more help": $108M

[thirstybuzzardcane]

I guess Miami will be on the outside looking in! We better get good, and quick!

http://sportsday.dallasnews.com/college-sports/collegesports/2016/06/06/columnist-sec-will-world-domination-poach-best-big-12nbsp

[trianglecane]

RIP KIMBO SLICE

[SOUP]

NEW BLOG IS UP!