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The Meaning Of Bloody Omaha - D-Day, The Sixth Of June 1944
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The Meaning Of Bloody Omaha - D-Day, The Sixth Of June 1944
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Bianca
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The Meaning Of Bloody Omaha - D-Day, The Sixth Of June 1944
«
on:
June 06, 2009, 05:05:45 am »
The Meaning of Bloody Omaha
On D-Day, the U.S. saved Europe from itself
HERBERT LONDON
The Wall Street Journal
June 4, 2009
The skies over Normandy are invariably filled with dark rain clouds. But on one day in late April the sky was cloudless and the English Channel tranquil. Youngsters built sand castles on Omaha Beach and dogs romped in the surf. It was a vastly different scene from the bloodshed and violence that occurred on this same beach 65 years ago.
In an effort to understand what the GIs experienced on that fateful day of June 6, 1944, I climbed up a steep hill to the plain above the beach. Unlike the soldiers, I didn't carry an 80-pound pack on my back. And even though I observed German fortifications on my way, no one was firing at me.
These fortifications are a reminder that despite feints to Calais and bombing along the coast prior to the invasion, Nazi forces were well ensconced when the U.S. and its allies landed. Most of the bombs aimed at these German installations landed several kilometers inland -- a condition that distinguished Omaha Beach from Utah Beach. Omaha Beach was Bloody Omaha, a scene of so much death that it was unprecedented in American history. One soldier noted "there were body parts everywhere and the sea turned red with blood."
Many never made it to the shore from their landing crafts. Some were shot and some drowned, not realizing that if you wear a flotation device around your waist instead of under your arms it may not be possible to stand in the turbulent surf with a heavy pack. There was panic, confusion, camaraderie and bravery on the beach that day that changed the world.
The cemetery for the fallen overlooks Omaha Beach. It was noon when I stood at the edge of the cemetery, looking out at row after row of the graves. The bells played "God Bless America." There was a burly fellow wearing steel- frame glasses standing in front of me, most likely an octogenarian. As the bells sounded our eyes met. I wanted to say something to him, but he removed his glasses and wiped the tears from his eyes. Words were unnecessary; he and I shared a silent understanding.
There is simply no way to describe the sacrifice Americans made on the D-Day invasion to reclaim Europe from the grip of totalitarianism. Even the notoriously dispassionate Europeans realize that this is consecrated ground, a place where angels spread their wings to honor the deeds of youthful warriors. No St. Crispin speeches were necessary here, for this Band of Brothers knew what need not be stated: They were saving Europe from enslavement.
As a local Normandy resident wrote during the occupation, "A German lieutenant said 'we are your masters.' Well they were, until the Americans arrived." Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower was a 20th century Moses. Gen. George Patton's Third Army fanned out across the northern tier of France. Though he had his detractors, Gen. Patton knew how to fight and win.
We have grown complacent as a people in the last six and a half decades since the war in Europe reached the beginning of the end. But it is hard to remain unemotional at the hilltop cemetery that honors those who made the ultimate sacrifice so that we may live in freedom.
Though we owe these men a debt we can never repay, what we can do is honor them. Their bravery can still inspire if the story of D-Day is told with passion and honesty.
The world offers challenges each year since freedom is tested in each generation by new pharaohs. We need the guardians of liberty to remind us how precarious that freedom is. We need to rise to the occasion the way young American soldiers did on June 6, 1944. They are a constant reminder that liberty requires vigilance and courage if it is to survive.
Mr. London is president of the Hudson Institute and professor emeritus at New York University. He is the author of
"Decade of Denial"
(Lexington Books, 2001) and
"America's Secular Challenge"
(Encounter Books, 2008).
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Bianca
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Re: The Meaning Of Bloody Omaha - D-Day, The Sixth Of June 1944
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Reply #1
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June 06, 2009, 05:12:52 am »
The Allies suffered 215,000 casualties on D-Day and in the Normandy campaign.
Germany suffered similar losses as the Allies fought desperately up the beaches and into the French countryside to form a bridgehead.
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Last Edit: June 06, 2009, 05:18:53 am by Bianca
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HereForNow
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HUH?
Re: The Meaning Of Bloody Omaha - D-Day, The Sixth Of June 1944
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Reply #2
on:
June 06, 2009, 10:28:10 pm »
"My beautiful France looked sordid and uninviting, and a German machine gun, spitting bullets around the barge, fully spoiled my return. The men from my barge waded in the water. Waist-deep, with rifles ready to shoot, with the invasion obstacles and the smoking beach in the background gangplank to take my first real picture of the invasion. The boatswain, who was in an understandable hurry to get the hell out of there, mistook my picture-taking attitude for explicable hesitation, and helped me make up my mind with a well-aimed kick in the rear. The water was cold, and the beach still more than a hundred yards away. The bullets tore holes in the water around me, and I made for the nearest steel obstacle. A soldier got there at the same time, and for a few minutes we shared its cover. He took the waterproofing off his rifle and began to shoot without much aiming at the smoke-hidden beach. The sound of his rifle gave him enough courage to move forward, and he left the obstacle to me. It was a foot larger now, and I felt safe enough to take pictures of the other guys hiding just like I was."
Capa was squeezing off photographs as he headed for a disabled American tank. He remembered feeling "a new kind of fear shaking my body from toe to hair, and twisting my face." With great difficulty his trembling hands reloaded his camera. All the while he repeated a sentence that he had picked up during the Spanish Civil War: "Es una cosa muy seria" ("This is a very serious business").
After what seemed an eternity, Capa turned away from the beach killing zone and spotted an incoming LCI (landing craft, infantry). He headed for it. "I did not think and I didn't decide it," he later wrote. "I just stood up and ran toward the boat. I knew that I was running away. I tried to turn but couldn't face the beach and told myself, 'I am just going to dry my hands on that boat.'"
With his cameras held high to keep them from getting waterlogged, Capa was pulled aboard the LCI and was soon out of harm's way. He had used three rolls of film and exposed 106 frames. After reaching England, he sped by train to London and delivered his precious film for developing.
A darkroom technician was almost as anxious to see the invasion images as Capa himself. In his haste, the technician dried the film too quickly. The excess heat melted the emulsion on all but 10 of the frames. Those that remained were blurred, surreal shots, which succinctly conveyed the chaos and confusion of the day.
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Bianca
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Re: The Meaning Of Bloody Omaha - D-Day, The Sixth Of June 1944
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Reply #3
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June 06, 2009, 10:41:14 pm »
OMAHA BEACH CEMETERY
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Bianca
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Re: The Meaning Of Bloody Omaha - D-Day, The Sixth Of June 1944
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Reply #4
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June 06, 2009, 10:45:28 pm »
NORMANDIE BATTLEFIELDS
Pointe du Hoc
It was an artillery position that could reach both Utah and Omaha Beaches.
The US Rangers were tasked with scaling the 200ft straight up cliff to put the guns out of operation.
Looking at the bomb craters one can only begin to imagine what it was like on D-Day.
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Last Edit: June 06, 2009, 10:47:46 pm by Bianca
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Bianca
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Re: The Meaning Of Bloody Omaha - D-Day, The Sixth Of June 1944
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Reply #5
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June 06, 2009, 10:53:32 pm »
OMAHA BEACH TODAY - AS SEEN FROM THE CEMETERY
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Bianca
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Re: The Meaning Of Bloody Omaha - D-Day, The Sixth Of June 1944
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June 06, 2009, 10:55:21 pm »
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Bianca
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Re: The Meaning Of Bloody Omaha - D-Day, The Sixth Of June 1944
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June 06, 2009, 10:57:20 pm »
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Last Edit: June 06, 2009, 10:59:07 pm by Bianca
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Bianca
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Re: The Meaning Of Bloody Omaha - D-Day, The Sixth Of June 1944
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Reply #8
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June 06, 2009, 11:03:27 pm »
Spirit of American Youth Rising from the Waves"
Statue at
Omaha Beach Military Cemetery
'THE GREATEST GENERATION'
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Last Edit: June 06, 2009, 11:06:28 pm by Bianca
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