3rdnlng Posted June 7, 2014 Share Posted June 7, 2014 Any of you that have watched Band Of Brothers, Saving Private Ryan or The Longest Day should have a pretty good picture of what the beach heads were like. These guys were special: http://www.ijreview.com/2014/06/145103-watch-93-year-old-wwii-vet-jim-pee-wee-martin-jumps-normandy/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Tom Posted June 7, 2014 Share Posted June 7, 2014 June 1, CBI theater: Japanese retreat from Kohima June 4, Italy: Rome falls. First Axis capital to be captured. June 6, France: D-Day. An invasion fleet carrying 150k men hit the beaches. June 15, Pacific: Invasion of Saipan. An invasion fleet carrying 130k men hit the beaches. June 19, Pacific: Battle of the Philippine Sea, the "Great Marianas Turkey Shoot." US naval aviation annihilates Japanese naval aviation (approx. 800 Japanese planes lost for 50+ American losses). The effective destruction of Japanese naval airpower. June 22, CBI theater: Siege of Imphal ends with Japanese retreat. Japanese invasion of India collapses, as does their position in Burma. June 22, Belorussia and Poland: Operation Bagration, "The Destruction of Army Group Center." The German Army Group Center, approx. a million men, is attacked by three Soviet army groups of approx. 2 million men and 5000 tanks. The largest battle in history. Within two weeks, the Russians destroy the largest concentration of German forces in any theater, liberate Belarus to the Polish border, and tear a 300-mile wide hole in the Eastern Front. June 28, France: Cherbourg captured, Western Allies control a major port and the whole of the Cotentin Peninsula. That's not to denigrate D-Day - the first successful cross-channel invasion since William the Bastard. But D-Day exerts such a massively disproportionate effect on the historiography of the war that the greater context is always lost. Think about it. In one month, the Axis is defeated decisively in every theater of the war. By July 4th, the Japanese Burma Area Army is crushed in the worst defeat in Japanese history (to that time), the Imperial Japanese Navy is rendered impotent, the Japanese Inner Defense Perimeter is decisively penetrated, the capital of Italy falls, Festung Europa is decisively penetrated, and the largest German army group anywhere is annihilated. Think about this context, too: The United States, as part of a coalition including Britain and Canada (and a junior part of the invasion proper - the Commonwealth troops outnumbered Americans on the beaches) stages an invasion of a continent with a total of 150k men. A week later, the United States stages an invasion of equal size half a world away and wins the largest naval battle of the war to that time. A week after THAT, the Russians destroy the largest grouping of German combat power...driving lend-lease Studebaker trucks (about 75% of the Soviet motor pool), marching in American lend-lease shoes (one pair of shoes for every two soldiers), and eating American lend-lease rations (1000 calories of concentrated combat rations, per Russian soldier, for the entire duration of the war). American material and economic superiority in World War 2 was unimaginable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3rdnlng Posted June 7, 2014 Author Share Posted June 7, 2014 June 1, CBI theater: Japanese retreat from Kohima June 4, Italy: Rome falls. First Axis capital to be captured. June 6, France: D-Day. An invasion fleet carrying 150k men hit the beaches. June 15, Pacific: Invasion of Saipan. An invasion fleet carrying 130k men hit the beaches. June 19, Pacific: Battle of the Philippine Sea, the "Great Marianas Turkey Shoot." US naval aviation annihilates Japanese naval aviation (approx. 800 Japanese planes lost for 50+ American losses). The effective destruction of Japanese naval airpower. June 22, CBI theater: Siege of Imphal ends with Japanese retreat. Japanese invasion of India collapses, as does their position in Burma. June 22, Belorussia and Poland: Operation Bagration, "The Destruction of Army Group Center." The German Army Group Center, approx. a million men, is attacked by three Soviet army groups of approx. 2 million men and 5000 tanks. The largest battle in history. Within two weeks, the Russians destroy the largest concentration of German forces in any theater, liberate Belarus to the Polish border, and tear a 300-mile wide hole in the Eastern Front. June 28, France: Cherbourg captured, Western Allies control a major port and the whole of the Cotentin Peninsula. That's not to denigrate D-Day - the first successful cross-channel invasion since William the Bastard. But D-Day exerts such a massively disproportionate effect on the historiography of the war that the greater context is always lost. Think about it. In one month, the Axis is defeated decisively in every theater of the war. By July 4th, the Japanese Burma Area Army is crushed in the worst defeat in Japanese history (to that time), the Imperial Japanese Navy is rendered impotent, the Japanese Inner Defense Perimeter is decisively penetrated, the capital of Italy falls, Festung Europa is decisively penetrated, and the largest German army group anywhere is annihilated. Think about this context, too: The United States, as part of a coalition including Britain and Canada (and a junior part of the invasion proper - the Commonwealth troops outnumbered Americans on the beaches) stages an invasion of a continent with a total of 150k men. A week later, the United States stages an invasion of equal size half a world away and wins the largest naval battle of the war to that time. A week after THAT, the Russians destroy the largest grouping of German combat power...driving lend-lease Studebaker trucks (about 75% of the Soviet motor pool), marching in American lend-lease shoes (one pair of shoes for every two soldiers), and eating American lend-lease rations (1000 calories of concentrated combat rations, per Russian soldier, for the entire duration of the war). American material and economic superiority in World War 2 was unimaginable. I can only say, June 1944 was a good month. Thanks to all our good soldiers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chef Jim Posted June 7, 2014 Share Posted June 7, 2014 I can only say, June 1944 was a good month. Thanks to all our good soldiers. Not sure I'd call it good but I get your point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B-Man Posted June 7, 2014 Share Posted June 7, 2014 (edited) Terrific post Tom........................thanks . Yogi Berra and J.D. Salinger Among the Famous heroes of D-Day Original Article Edited June 7, 2014 by B-Man Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiberius Posted June 7, 2014 Share Posted June 7, 2014 Terrific post Tom........................thanks It's a pompous, arrogant post. Of course most people are not going to walk around remembering every event of of 1944! The dude cuts and pastes some crap from the net to make it sound like he is o much better than the "ordinary" person that wants to stop for a moment and remember a single memorable event form an incredibly giant war. Anyway, I'm glad Obama didn't embarrass us the way Reagan did across the pond in 1985 http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/US-Israel/bitburg.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Tom Posted June 7, 2014 Share Posted June 7, 2014 It's a pompous, arrogant post. Of course most people are not going to walk around remembering every event of of 1944! The dude cuts and pastes some crap from the net to make it sound like he is o much better than the "ordinary" person that wants to stop for a moment and remember a single memorable event form an incredibly giant war. Anyway, I'm glad Obama didn't embarrass us the way Reagan did across the pond in 1985 http://www.jewishvir...el/bitburg.html As embarrassing as your ignorance is, your wallowing in it is pitiful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B-Man Posted June 7, 2014 Share Posted June 7, 2014 Reagan set the tone for D-Day observances June 5, 2014 WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is the fourth sitting president to attend a D-Day anniversary observance in Normandy and the only president to visit the site of the allied invasion twice during his presidency for an anniversary commemoration. It wasn't always a presidential tradition. Ronald Reagan was the first, delivering an evocative and emotional remembrance on the 40th anniversary in 1984. Joining him were surviving members of an Army Rangers team that had scaled cliffs at Pointe du Hoc to silence German guns protecting the Normandy beaches. "These are the boys of Pointe du Hoc," Reagan said. "These are the men who took the cliffs. These are the champions who helped free a continent. These are the heroes who helped end a war." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3rdnlng Posted June 8, 2014 Author Share Posted June 8, 2014 It's a pompous, arrogant post. Of course most people are not going to walk around remembering every event of of 1944! The dude cuts and pastes some crap from the net to make it sound like he is o much better than the "ordinary" person that wants to stop for a moment and remember a single memorable event form an incredibly giant war. Anyway, I'm glad Obama didn't embarrass us the way Reagan did across the pond in 1985 http://www.jewishvir...el/bitburg.html One would think you'd be grateful to Tom for pointing out all the other deaths you can laugh at. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meazza Posted June 8, 2014 Share Posted June 8, 2014 It's a pompous, arrogant post. Of course most people are not going to walk around remembering every event of of 1944! The dude cuts and pastes some crap from the net to make it sound like he is o much better than the "ordinary" person that wants to stop for a moment and remember a single memorable event form an incredibly giant war. Anyway, I'm glad Obama didn't embarrass us the way Reagan did across the pond in 1985 http://www.jewishvir...el/bitburg.html I think you're just jealous that he knows how to copy paste and you don't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Tom Posted June 8, 2014 Share Posted June 8, 2014 I think you're just jealous that he knows how to copy paste and you don't. !@#$ you, man. I was actually planning to blog the whole month for the 70th anniversary. Didn't have time because of work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3rdnlng Posted June 8, 2014 Author Share Posted June 8, 2014 !@#$ you, man. I was actually planning to blog the whole month for the 70th anniversary. Didn't have time because of work. Has that ever stopped you before? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
/dev/null Posted June 8, 2014 Share Posted June 8, 2014 Anyway, I'm glad Obama didn't embarrass us the way Reagan did across the pond in 1985 I don't care what your political affiliations are. Republican, Democrat, Socialist, Libertarian, etc Everytime gatortard posts on TSW, Bills fans everywhere are embarassed Forward! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts