D-Day 1944 WE WILL REMEMBER THEM (edited)

World leaders and military veterans have attended ceremonies along the Normandy coast to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings.

The unprecedented air and sea invasion in 1944 saw the beginning of the liberation of Europe from Nazi Germany.

"This is where young men, many of whom had never set foot on French soil, landed at dawn under German fire, risking their lives while fighting their way up the beach, which was littered with obstacles and mines."

French President Emmanuel Macron was joined by US President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Theresa May at a number of events mark the sacrifice of thousands of troops who gave their lives in the assault, and to honour the dwindling number of survivors of the Normandy landings.

After a prayer service at Ver-Sur-Mer earlier, veterans and their families attended a service of remembrance at Bayeux Cathedral.

At the start of the service, a message on behalf of Pope Francis was read by Cardinal Marc Ouellet.

He said D-Day was "decisive in the fight against Nazi barbarism" and paid tribute to those who "joined the army and gave their lives for freedom and peace".

At 5.58am on 6 June 1944, the operation to land 150,000 US, British and Canadian troops and 20,000 vehicles on five beaches got under way.

The Longest Day had begun.  

Within 24 hours the Allied invasion had a toe-hold on the northwest corner of Occupied France.

Read More: https://www.rte.ie/news/world/2019/0605/1053693-normandy-d-day/


The D-Day landings marked the beginning of the end of World War Two, but at a huge cost in terms of the numbers of casualties.

"Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force!

"You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you.

"In company with our brave Allies and brothers-in-arms on other Fronts, you will bring about the destruction of the German war machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of Europe, and security for ourselves in a free world.

"Your task will not be an easy one. Your enemy is well trained, well equipped and battle hardened. He will fight savagely.......

"I have full confidence in your devotion to duty and skill in battle. We will accept nothing less than full Victory!

Good Luck! And let us all beseech the blessing of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking."

Even as Dwight D Eisenhower’s message to the Allied Forces preparing to land on the beaches of Normandy on 6 June, 1944, was being read, the Allied commander himself was uncertain as to the chances of success of what was known as "Operation Overlord".

Winston Churchill, haunted by the memory of what had happened to troops landing at Gallipoli in the First World War in a dreadful and failed attack initiated by him, was equally fearful.

Yet the day of reckoning had arrived and there was no turning back. D-Day (the term itself does not mean anything other than a designated day for a military event - it was coined in the previous war) represented a last great gamble to re-establish an Allied presence on the European mainland, then occupied and dominated by Germany.

The plan was to penetrate the German defences at Normandy, thus relieving pressure on the Russians by drawing German forces west and make the last push into France and then on to Berlin.

D-Day in Photos: ‘The Free Men of the World Are Marching Together to Victory’ BY REBECCA MANSOUR 6 Jun 2019 American assault troops in a landing craft huddle behind the shield 06 June 1944 approaching Utah Beach while Allied forces are storming the Normandy beaches on D-Day. D-Day, 06 June 1944 is still one of the world's most gut-wrenching and consequential battles, as the Allied landing in Normandy led to …US ARMY PHOTO/AFP/Getty Images REBECCA MANSOUR6 Jun 20195322 2:43 On Tuesday, June 6, 1944, over 160,000 brave men crossed the choppy waters of the English Channel to land in enemy-occupied France for the long-awaited Allied liberation of “Fortress Europe.” Codenamed “Operation Overlord,” the Battle of Normandy was the largest amphibious invasion in human history. The mission: to liberate a continent suffering for four years under the murderous dictatorship of a racist totalitarian regime bent on world domination. On the eve of the battle, Supreme Allied Commander General Dwight D. Eisenhower told the Allied troops in a broadcast message: “You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you.” “The tide has turned,” he told them. “The free men of the world are marching together to victory. Good luck! And let us all beseech the blessing of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking.” MORE https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/06/06/d-day-in-photos-the-free-men-of-the-world-are-marching-together-to-victory/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=daily&utm_content=links&utm_campaign=20190606

American troops about to land on Omaha Beach
D-Day had been planned for the previous day - indeed ships were already in the English Channel - only to be delayed by an ominous weather forecast from the Sweeney family, who operated the weather forecasting station at Blacksod in Co Mayo.

By the early hours of 6 June, the weather had improved sufficiently to allow the invasion - one of the biggest in history - to advance.

Over 150,000 American, British and Canadian troops were under way in almost 7,000 ships, over 2,300 aircraft and 867 gliders.

They were preceded by 14,000 bombing raids over a period of months, and some 18,000 paratroopers getting in behind the lines.

Many of those crossing the lumpy waters of the channel that day had very limited military training.

Seasickness was rife, as many had never been on boats before. As dawn broke, a chaos of landing craft and ships, carrying everything from personnel to bicycles, jeeps, tanks, trucks, medical equipment and artillery had assembled in front of the five beaches of Normandy, codenamed Sword, Juno, Gold, Omaha and Utah.

Were the Germans surprised? Yes and no. The German High Command had generally believed the invasion would happen elsewhere.

At Calais, for example - the nearest French landing site to England. Others saw the Atlantic Wall - fortified by German forces - from the coast of Norway to the border with Spain - as adequate.

They had also been fooled by a highly sophisticated campaign of deception run by the Allies that involved months of false reporting of troop movements, disinformation and the use of double agents to spread deception.

Hitler had, reportedly, taken a sleeping tablet on the night of 5 June and issued orders not to be disturbed. By then he was relying on advice from mystics as much as his High Command.

Irwin Rommel, the so-called Desert Fox, had Normandy as a great threat but could not secure the forces he needed for his infantry on the French coast. Never the less, he was on leave in Germany for his wife’s birthday as the armada set sail.

Others saw the Atlantic Wall - fortified by German forces - from the coast of Norway to the border with Spain - as adequate.

As daylight broke, the Allies began their landing. Many German soldiers guarding the beaches were young, ill-trained or conscripted.

However, at Omaha Beach, a crack German coastal protection unit, rained artillery and sniper fire on American forces with deadly effect, as re-created in Steven Spielberg’s "Saving Private Ryan".

Other beaches had lighter opposition.

Ironically, many Allied troops never made it to the beaches. With 70lbs of kit, many were thrown or tumbled into several feet of water away from the beaches.

Hundreds drowned. Tank landing craft dug huge craters in the sand, causing craft behind them to dump tanks and their crews into deep holes in which they drowned.

The scene was described to us by Second Lieutenant, Michael d’Alton, from Dublin.

As Allied ships pounded German defences, the heavy gun emplacements responded. One gun on Omaha beach was repeatedly shelled but not before it had caused an estimated 10% of the casualties on that beach.

Pat Gillen, a young man who had run away from his home in Galway city, was a young commando and one of the first on Sword Beach

Eight hours after the landings began an Allied spotter pilot over the beaches reported the sea to be running red with blood. Months later, bodies were still being washed ashore in France.

However, the advance had been made, but at great cost. There are no absolutely accurate figures for the casualties on D-Day but there are estimates for the Battle of Normandy, which continued for months. And the figures are dreadful - 320,000 Germans killed, missing and injured and over 200,000 Allied casualties.

Questions have been asked about the scale of the Allied bombing campaign that preceded Normandy to "soften up" German defences and which caused huge numbers of civilian deaths and injuries - at least 12,200 were killed. Eisenhower saw them as necessary collateral damage.

Within days, Operation Overlord had begun an irreversible penetration into Nazi-occupied Europe. Within weeks, despite many more horrific battles that followed, the road to Berlin was in sight and, with it, the beginning of the end of World War Two.But a terrible final price would be paid - on both sides.

The D-Day landings - a crucial breakthrough that came at a terrible cost



Trump to join D-Day commemorations in Normandy
https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2019/0606/1053734-president-trump/
Macron thanks US D-Day veterans for 'freedom' on 75th anniversary
Updated / Thursday, 6 Jun 2019 15:35
Emmanuel Macron and Donald Trump attended a D-Day commemoration
By Brian O'Donovan
Washington Correspondent


French President Emmanuel Macron thanked US veterans  for France's "freedom" as he spoke at a ceremony marking the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings attended by US President Donald Trump.


"We know what we owe to you, veterans: our freedom," Mr Macron said in English before turning to face several rows of veterans, many of them in wheelchairs.

"And on behalf of my nation I just want to say thank you".

President Trump called veterans of D-Day "among the greatest Americans who will ever live".

"You are among the very greatest Americans who will ever live. You are the pride of our nation. You are the glory of our republic and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts," Mr Trump said.

Mr Trump and First Lady Melania Trump gathered with the French president for the US commemorations at Omaha Beach in Colleville-sur-Mer.

Mr Trump told veterans: "Our debt to you is everlasting".

"Today we express our undying gratitude. When you were young - these men enlisted their lives in a great crusade - one of the greatest of all times," he said.

"Their mission is the story of an epic battle and the ferocious eternal struggle between good and 
View image on Twitter

Tony Connelly

@tconnellyRTE
 .⁦@realDonaldTrump⁩ and #FLOTUS arrive at Colleville-sur-Mer and the American Cemetery for the next stage of today’s #DDay75 commemorations in Normandy

Mr Trump and his wife left Shannon Airport this morning for the commemorations.

"Heading over to Normandy to celebrate some of the bravest that ever lived. We are eternally grateful!" he tweeted before taking his flight from Shannon Airport to Caen in the Normandy region.

They spent last night at the Trump golf resort in Doonbeg and are due to return there later today.

Mr Macron and Mr Trump will hold private talks followed by a working lunch after a ceremony at the US military cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer.

The site overlooking Omaha Beach holds 9,400 graves - just 40% of the American forces killed during the weeks of fighting that followed the D-Day landings.

Both leaders gave speeches, while the French president also bestowed the Legion d'Honneur, France's highest honour, on five US veterans.

D-Day is seen by many as one of the great symbols of transatlantic cooperation, as young American servicemen sacrificed their lives in the struggle to end the Third Reich's grip on Europe.

Tens of thousands of French and foreign visitors have converged on the Normandy coast for this year's commemorations to honour the dwindling number of first-hand witnesses to the fighting.

But the Atlantic alliance has been tested by Mr Trump's prickly relations with Europe, as the two sides feud on issues ranging from Iran and Russia to global trade and climate change.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will attend a ceremony at Juno Beach, where Canadian forces were in charge of the assault.

After the US President President returns to Doonbeg, a dinner will be hosted this evening by the White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney at the hotel.

Ireland's Ambassador to the United States, Dan Mulhall and the Government's special US envoy, Fine Gael TD John Deasy, will be among the guests.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump Junior and his brother Eric joined locals in a number of bars in Doonbeg, shortly after 10pm last night.

Eric Trump praised the village of Doonbeg and its locals as 'the best neighbours in the world'.



On the 75th Anniversary of D-Day, Sacrifices at Normandy Must Not Be Forgotten
Emma Watkins / Alexandra Marotta / June 05, 2019 / 

U.S. soldiers wade ashore on Omaha Beach on the morning of June 6, 1944. (Photo: Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)
COMMENTARY BY
Emma Watkins
Emma Watkins is a research assistant in The Heritage Foundation's Center for National Defense.

Alexandra Marotta
Alexandra Marotta is a member of the Young Leaders Program at The Heritage Foundation.

At 6:30 a.m., many people are brewing their morning coffee and getting ready for the day ahead. At 6:30 a.m. on June 6, 1944, however, the first wave of American, British, and Canadian troops landed on the beaches of Normandy, France, in what would be the largest seaborne invasion in history.

This year marks the 75th anniversary of D-Day, a battle that was a decisive blow to the Nazi regime in Europe during World War II and expedited the liberation of Europe. 

Operation Overlord, the Battle of Normandy, and Neptune are just a few of the names that were initially used to refer to June 6, 1944. However, the term D-Day became so widespread after Normandy that the general public to this day uses it to refer to that battle.

“D-Day” was actually a term used by the military to indicate the generic day on which an operation would begin. There have been many designated “D-Days” throughout history, but the one that occurred on June 6, 1944, stands out among from them all.

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If the invasion of Normandy had been unsuccessful that day, Europe might have remained under Nazi control, and our world might look much different today. That battle was the tipping point needed to liberate Europe.

The American troops who fought in D-Day were not fighting to liberate their own land. They fought to preserve the free world.

Most of those troops probably didn’t wake up that morning anticipating that their sacrifice would change the world. They got up knowing only that they had work to do.

That’s a valuable lesson for a generation that often sees going to work as an obligation, rather than an opportunity to effect change.

Some 6,603 American troops were killed, wounded, or missing in action in the Normandy invasion. They fought for a cause that was larger than simply securing the beaches. That sacrifice is often taken for granted today. It is essential that we do not let the significance of what was achieved on D-Day be forgotten.

Unfortunately, many D-Day survivors express worry that the anniversary will be less and less acknowledged every year. One 94-year-old D-Day veteran, Eugene Deibler, of Charlotte, North Carolina, was not optimistic about future generations. 

“How many people remember the Civil War? How many people will remember World War I? And now it’s the same with World War II,” he told the Associated Press. “World War II will fade away also.”

We must not let his fears become reality.

Our generation bears the responsibility to preserve these narratives, recognize those who served, and hold fast to the lessons learned from D-Day.

We can honor the sacrifice of the troops who fought to defend the free world by believing that each day’s work holds the potential for securing freedom.

This morning, while the coffee is brewing, remember that.



'Thy Will Be Done, Almighty God': Trump Prays FDR's Prayer at D-Day Ceremony
President Donald Trump is commemorating the 75th anniversary of D-Day, joining numerous world leaders and dignitaries in Portsmouth, England today.
https://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2019/june/thy-will-be-done-almighty-god-trump-prays-fdrs-d-day-prayer-at-ceremony-in-england
That was a key launching point for the Allied forces that sailed from England to storm the beaches of Normandy, France to begin pushing back the Nazi occupiers during World War II. It was a key turning point, and a day of great sacrifice by US troops.

During a special ceremony, President Trump read from President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's famous D-Day prayer that he read to the entire nation on June 6, 1944.

'O Lord, Give Us Faith': Remembering D-Day - June 6, 1944 and FDR's Prayer Broadcast to the Nation
https://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2019/june/impeach-trump-no-pelosi-says-lets-just-put-him-in-prison
Trump read a portion of FDR's prayer, saying:


"Almighty God. Our sons, pride of our nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavour. A struggle to preserve our republic, our religion and our civilization and to set free a suffering humanity. They will need thy blessings for the enemy is strong. He may hurl back our forces but we shall return again and again. And we know that by thy grace and by the righteousness of our cause, our sons will triumph. Some will never return. Embrace these Father and receive them, the heroic servants, into thy kingdom and O Lord, give us faith. Give us faith in thee, faith in our sons, faith in each other and faith in our united crusade. Thy will be done, almighty God. Amen."

It was a somber and peaceful ceremony, kicking off two days of D-Day observances.

Leaders representing Allied countries showed up from the US, Canada, Australia, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Luxembourg, Denmark, France, Greece, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway and Poland.

Other leaders at the event included Queen Elizabeth II, British Prime Minister Theresa May, French president Emmanuel Macron. On Thursday the focus shifts to France for more events.

D-Day involved more than 150,000 Allied troops flooding the beaches of Normandy in northwest France on June 6, 1944. They were carried by 7,000 boats in a battle codenamed Operation Overlord. 

MORE about FDR's D-Day Prayer HERE, including the transcript of the entire prayer.

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http://rtl247.uk/prince-harry-leaves-d-day-soldiers-in-stitches-as-boisterous-duke-meets-chelsea-pensioners/?fbclid=IwAR2oPnd-L8hPRRmO2G-GxiApSQ5SKxL9BLdrAqm0Xyd-g4ercrrQJPqQuWI
Prince Harry leaves D-Day soldiers in stitches as boisterous Duke meets Chelsea Pensioners
News / By Editor
PRINCE Harry left British Army veterans in hysterics in a heartwarming visit to a retirement and nursing home for ex-soldiers

The Duke of Sussex was beaming as he arrived for the annual Founder’s Day Parade at London’s Royal Hospital Chelsea this morning.

He arrived at the home, which houses some 300 veterans, to honour Chelsea pensioners as part of D-Day commemorations.

The Duke was joined by six veterans from the Normandy Landings to mark the 75th anniversary, and was pictured being his usual jovial self.

The Prince left the hero soldiers in stitches as he made jokes with elderly servicemen and woman.


When he asked “who’s your favourite?”, he gestured to the staff from Chelsea Hospital’s infirmary as they erupted into laughter.
The Duke also tried to humour Frank Swift, 90, when the veteran said he was not in good health.

The wheelchair bound former Warrant Officer 2nd Class who served with the Royal and Mechanical Engineers had told him: “I can’t walk.”

But Harry lightened the mood by saying: “But you’ve got a comfy chair”.

The Prince also helped to make poppies along with the veterans as Founder’s Day got under way.


The occasion is also known as Oak Apple Day, referring to the tree King Charles II – who founded the institution – hid in to avoid being captured by Parliamentary forces after the Battle of Worcester in 1651.

Harry, himself a former Army officer, had arrived wearing his army uniform and wore a sprig of oak leaves in honour of Charles.

Remembering D-Day 75 years on: For veterans, it’s like yesterday
 June 5, 2019
Remembering D-Day 75 years on: For veterans, it’s like yesterdayA soldier from the U.S. 75th Ranger Regiment, in period dress, climbs the cliff of Pointe-du-Hoc in Cricqueville-en-Bessin, Normandy, France, June 5, 2019. (AP/Thibault Camus)
https://worldisraelnews.com/remembering-d-day-75-years-on-for-veterans-its-like-yesterday/?The black smoke and the acrid smell of cordite, which was coming from the battleships firing the big shells. They are the outstanding things in my memory coming from that day,” said one Royal Marine.
By Associated Press
The veterans hobble along on canes and lean on walking frames now, slower and weaker than they were on D-Day, when they stormed the Normandy beaches with the fate of the free world resting on their shoulders. It’s hard to imagine them as soldiers carrying rifles across their chests and 60-pound packs on their backs — until they start talking.
Then the scales of age fall way. They are all young men heading to France — a place most had never been.
“The noise was deafening,” said former Royal Marine Les Budding, now 93. “The black smoke and the acrid smell of cordite, which was coming from the battleships firing the big shells. They are the outstanding things in my memory coming from that day.”
Suddenly it’s D-Day again. The soft-spoken Budding is once again an 18-year-old gunner — a baby-faced, pink-cheeked cherub who smiles from a war-time photograph in a dress uniform that looks like he borrowed it from his father. Budding said he just did what Marines are supposed to do. In his case that meant offering cover to other Marines storming beaches and moving forward. Keep going. Stay alive.
Budding got to Sword Beach just after the frogmen who went in early to defuse the mines and clear the way for the invasion. He still remembers their heads bobbing in the sea.
“We were the first wave in at 7:25 in the morning,” Budding said. “We were spot-on time as well.”
For years, Budding and other veterans thought of the landings as events that were important to them, but forgotten by the rest of the world. But the 75th anniversary of D-Day has put their exploits back into the public eye.
As part of the commemorations, some 300 veterans are traveling back to France on a six-day cruise sponsored by the Royal British Legion, the U.K.’s largest veterans charity. They traveled to Dunkirk on Monday, remembering the evacuation of British forces after the fall of France in 1940. The veterans will be back in Portsmouth for Britain’s main D-Day ceremony on Wednesday before sailing to Normandy for the anniversary of the landings on June 6.
The trip is meant as an act of appreciation from a grateful nation.
But it takes a team effort to help the old warriors make the trip back to France to commemorate events others might want to forget. They’ve come with younger friends, children and in some cases grandchildren — a strong companion to offer an elbow, or a quickly procured chair when aging joints get tired.
No one seems to be alone on this voyage.
Take the team of Budding and Philip Collins, 62, son of the late F.E. Collins of 45 Commando, who fought alongside Budding on D-Day.
Collins, you see, believes that Budding saved his father’s life that day. Budding was a gunner on a “flak 34,” a specially armed boat that defended F.E. Collins’ landing craft as it hit the beach. He pauses at the notion he saved the life of Collins’ father.
“I suppose you could say that, yes,” Budding said. “But (just) one of many who helped save some of these guys.”
Collins looked Budding up after his father died at the age of 59. They became fast friends.
The younger man brought along photos of his father, which he displays with pride as he tells his dad’s story.
His father told him about his time in France, about how the Marines dug in around a farmyard, and how the farmer gave the men eggs and bacon in the morning. The farmer told them to return at the end of the war, and F.E. Collins did so every year until he died. The Frenchman also gave the young soldier a cross to protect him during the fighting. Collins wears the big silver crucifix to this day.
“The cross means so much,” Collins said, breaking down in tears. “He loved the commandos, he loved France. He was so proud of being a commando in France. It’s just a shame he’s not here today.”
And then Budding leaned over and offered a comforting hand to the younger man, who is part of his military family.
“Once a Marine,” he said, “always a Marine.”






Trump focuses on the US

His speech ran in stark contrast to that of US President Donald Trump, who focused on the logistics, firepower and scale of the battle, as well as on recounting the efforts of soldiers during the invasion.

"These men moved through the fires of hell," he said. "They came here and saved freedom, and then they went home and showed us all what freedom is about."

He only briefly touched on the ongoing unity between the United States and France, saying "our bond is unbreakable."

"As we stand together upon this sacred earth, we pledge that our nations will forever be strong and united," Trump said. "We will forever be together. Our people will forever be bold. Our hearts will forever be loyal and our children and their children will forever and always be free."

The two leaders embraced and jointly awarded the Legion d'honneur, France's highest award for merit, to five US veterans.

Transatlantic relations have come under tremendous pressure since Trump's election in 2016, with Europe's liberalism and multilateralism a favorite target for the nationalist Trump.

Opinion: The forgotten lessons of D-Day

 Frankreich 75. Jahrestag D-Day Normandie
Macron and Theresa May earlier laid a wreath at a new British memorial

Similar calls for unity with the UK

Earlier in the day, Macron stood alongside British Prime Minister Theresa May to unveil a memorial honoring the British contribution to the D-Day landings.

The leaders laid wreaths at the base of a statue of three British soldiers during a somber ceremony at Gold Beach in Ser-sur-Mer, one of the landing sites for the largest seaborne invasion in history.

May and Macron spoke to a small audience of aging veterans, whom they thanked for their service.

May recalled the bravery and humility of the young men who stormed the French coast to help free the nation of Nazi Germany's brutal occupation.

Macron spoke of the enduring links between France and the UK, saying the statue was a "powerful symbol of unity."

"Nothing will ever wipe out these links and these shared values," he added.

Relations between mainland Europe and the UK are under particular stress after two years of failed Brexit negotiations.

Macron referenced this as he called for their bond to continue. "Whatever it takes, we will always stand together because this is our common destiny," he said in English.