SATURDAY June 6, 2020

D-Day

…a time of war, and a time of peace.
Ecclesiastes 3:8

This year marks the 76th Anniversary of D-Day. In the United States, D-Day is celebrated in remembrance of the brave soldiers who landed on the beaches of Normandy, in France, on June 6, 1944. It was the largest water and land invasions ever planned. This important day is seen as one of the main reasons why the Allies won the Western Front.

As the Allies launched Operation Overlord (the code word used for the battle of Normandy), American and Allied soldiers, many of whom were killed in action, fought alongside each other to liberate northwestern Europe from Nazi occupation. Together, they brought an end to WWII in Europe. It has been recorded that over 160,000 soldiers, 11,590 Allied aircraft, and 6,939 vessels were in the armada––1,213 combat ships, 4,126 landing ships/craft, 736 support ships, and 864 merchant ships participated in the liberation—incredible.

In anticipation of an assault, Germany built the Atlantic Wall. It stretched across a distance of 2,400 miles of bunkers, beach and water obstacles, including landmines. It is estimated that the Nazis planted 4 million landmines along Normandy beaches. It took two years to build, yet it was breached within hours of the Allied forces’ massive assault.

Unfortunately, freedom came at a great price. During the attack, over 9,000 Allied soldiers and paratroopers were either wounded or killed on that first day. Yet these tremendous sacrifices allowed the other 100,000 soldiers to complete the difficult mission. By the end of that brutal day, American and Allied soldiers had successfully broken through the Nazi defenses and had gained a strong foothold in Normandy.

This day is often called the beginning of the end of WWII by historians.

The heroism of our own troops… was matched by that of the armed forces of the nations that fought by our side… They absorbed the blows… and they shared to the full in the ultimate destruction of the enemy.
~President Harry S. Truman~

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