Today is the 65th anniversary of the landing on the beaches of France by the Allied Armies. General Dwight Eisenhower chose to go on that day because the weather reports showed that day as the only possible window in a stormy period. He met with his troops before the invasion to talk to them and send them off with prayers and well wishes. He composed a letter to be read in case the invasion failed. The letter took full responsibility for that failure if it occurred. Because of the leadership of Dwight Eisenhower and the courage of the American, Canadian, and British troops, we are free today to do our Saturday errands, enjoy our children, and generally live our lives in freedom.<\/p>\n
Just a quick personal note about D Day. My father was one of the soldiers who landed on Utah beach. He never talked much about his wartime experiences, but there are two things I remember from talking to him. When the Allied troops landed on Utah Beach, they had been blown off course by the winds and heavy surf. Because of that, they encountered less resistence from the Germans and were able to more forward more quickly than they might have otherwise moved. The other thing he mentioned was the total secrecy surrounding the invasion. There were cardboard tanks placed in England to make it look as if they were going ashore at Calais (which was the closest point to England). Everything was top secret–but the payday before the invasion, they were paid in French francs!!! <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Today is the 65th anniversary of the landing on the beaches of France by the Allied Armies. General Dwight Eisenhower chose to go on that day because the weather reports showed that day as the only possible window in a stormy period. … Continue reading