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D Day

Started by Icarus, June 05, 2019, 11:43:08 PM

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Icarus

 June sixth is the 75th anniversary of the Normandy invasion.  That was the event that affected the history of the world but it was more than that. It was the final act of courage, resolve, and dedication to duty of brave men on both sides.

General Dwight Eisenhower was the chief commander of that epic battle.  It was up to him to give the go ahead, or to cancel the event.  He knew that countless humans would die as a result of that attack on a foreign shore.  Try to imagine the weight of that decision by that general.  What if the mission had failed and all that blood and destruction was for naught.  Even as a success it had enormous cost in lives and treasure.

The invasion was carefully planned and it did eventually lead to the defeat of the German powers.  That battle could not have been even considered today because of the emergence of the internet and its' ability to transfer information in a matter of microseconds.   No way in hell that a fatal information leak could have be avoided.  We live in a whole different world now.

I was a kid at that time but I do remember the event and its' eventual outcome.  Had there been a different outcome we might have an entirely different sociopolitical structure today.

Do salute those Americans and Brits and all the other allies  who put their lives on the line...... many of them lost their lives.  Heroes by any account.

Ecurb Noselrub

My father commanded a PT boat in D-Day.  I grew up with the stories.

Icarus

Here is another take on D day.  That is a definitive day when one remembers that August sixth, 1945, as the day that changed the destiny of the world forever.  On that day Paul Tibbets piloted a B-29 bomber named Enola Gay over Hiroshima. The single bomb that they dropped was destructive beyond any previous comprehension.  The Japanese military refused to surrender despite the unimaginable death and  destruction of their city.

The US had only two A bombs at that time.  The second one was intended to be used, if needed,  on august 11th but weather predictions made it necessary to advance the attack to August 9th.  The Target was to be Keokura, the Japanese equivalent of our West Point. Again cloud cover caused the target to be shifted to Nagasaki, a major ship building location.   The devastation of both sites was so incredibly severe that the Japanese had no further option but to surrender.  That is history for the day.



Tank

Quote from: Ecurb Noselrub on June 05, 2019, 11:56:27 PM
My father commanded a PT boat in D-Day.  I grew up with the stories.

Did he ever write them down?
If religions were TV channels atheism is turning the TV off.
"Religion is a culture of faith; science is a culture of doubt." ― Richard P. Feynman
'It is said that your life flashes before your eyes just before you die. That is true, it's called Life.' - Terry Pratchett
Remember, your inability to grasp science is not a valid argument against it.

Ecurb Noselrub

Quote from: Tank on August 07, 2019, 07:47:43 AM
Quote from: Ecurb Noselrub on June 05, 2019, 11:56:27 PM
My father commanded a PT boat in D-Day.  I grew up with the stories.

Did he ever write them down?

Yes, I have his book of remembrances of WWII.

Tank

Quote from: Ecurb Noselrub on August 07, 2019, 06:39:10 PM
Quote from: Tank on August 07, 2019, 07:47:43 AM
Quote from: Ecurb Noselrub on June 05, 2019, 11:56:27 PM
My father commanded a PT boat in D-Day.  I grew up with the stories.

Did he ever write them down?

Yes, I have his book of remembrances of WWII.

When are you getting it published?
If religions were TV channels atheism is turning the TV off.
"Religion is a culture of faith; science is a culture of doubt." ― Richard P. Feynman
'It is said that your life flashes before your eyes just before you die. That is true, it's called Life.' - Terry Pratchett
Remember, your inability to grasp science is not a valid argument against it.

Ecurb Noselrub

Quote from: Tank on August 08, 2019, 06:08:16 AM
Quote from: Ecurb Noselrub on August 07, 2019, 06:39:10 PM
Quote from: Tank on August 07, 2019, 07:47:43 AM
Quote from: Ecurb Noselrub on June 05, 2019, 11:56:27 PM
My father commanded a PT boat in D-Day.  I grew up with the stories.

Did he ever write them down?

Yes, I have his book of remembrances of WWII.

When are you getting it published?

Hmmm.  Never thought of that.  He once transported King George from one ship to another.  Would that sell?

Tank

Quote from: Ecurb Noselrub on August 11, 2019, 02:39:43 AM
Quote from: Tank on August 08, 2019, 06:08:16 AM
Quote from: Ecurb Noselrub on August 07, 2019, 06:39:10 PM
Quote from: Tank on August 07, 2019, 07:47:43 AM
Quote from: Ecurb Noselrub on June 05, 2019, 11:56:27 PM
My father commanded a PT boat in D-Day.  I grew up with the stories.

Did he ever write them down?

Yes, I have his book of remembrances of WWII.

When are you getting it published?

Hmmm.  Never thought of that.  He once transported King George from one ship to another.  Would that sell?

I'd buy it. I love personal recollections of actual events. Historians will value it as an original record. Two copies will end up in each of the locations of the British Library in London and Yorkshire. And short of an act of god ( :D ) they will remain there in perpetuity as a legacy of his experiences at that time.
If religions were TV channels atheism is turning the TV off.
"Religion is a culture of faith; science is a culture of doubt." ― Richard P. Feynman
'It is said that your life flashes before your eyes just before you die. That is true, it's called Life.' - Terry Pratchett
Remember, your inability to grasp science is not a valid argument against it.

hermes2015

That would be an interesting read.
"Eventually everything connects - people, ideas, objects. The quality of the connections is the key to quality per se."
― Charles Eames