hectic

the D-Day landings in Normandy
almost 62,000 british troops were 'landed' that day,
approx 2,700 died on that very same day.


maybe at some time during your day today, *even just after reading this*
spare a moment or two to reflect on the hell those young men (and lets face it, most were younger than the vast majority of us on here) faced to allow us to live this way today... think for a second or two how 'different' it *might* have been..

myblackwrx

iTrader: (1)

Not just British troops to remember but all the Allied troops who landed

Matteeboy

...and the fact that pslewis about about 10 years old?!

Geezer

Indeed, however, if D-Day had failed, the only differences would have been

a) The iron curtain would have been about 500 miles further west and Germany were still defeated

or

b) It would have been done again successfully at a later date, Germany were still defeated.

And, the weather is quite good today too, just like 6th June 1944!

Geezer

Geezer

Let us not forget all the German troops who died too. The ***** started the war, but the 4 million German soldiers who died were just young men, serving their country.

The war was tragic for everyone, not just the victors.

Geezer

richiewong

Indeed

Also just reading Cornelius Ryan.

myblackwrx

iTrader: (1)

Very true

Leslie

A very good post that really means something very important to us all. It must have been a dreadful experience sitting in those landing craft knowing that you had to run up that beach with an extremely poor chance of survival.

We owe those brave men a great deal today, as well as all the other heros of WW2. And yes we should not forget those of the Wermacht who also died. Such terrble slaughter for the sake of the whims of a syphilitic madman with all his delusions.

War is obscene and should be avoided at all costs. It is usually started by politicians or leaders who have their own agenda for what they might gain from it. We see this sort of thing right up to the present day unfortunately. What a waste of young lives of those who deserved so much better from their futures.

Les

john_s

iTrader: (1)

Couldn't put it any better myself, so I thought I'd just quote the above from Laurence Binyon's "For the Fallen".

John.

Infractme!

Anyone who gets the chance should go and take a look at the beaches and some of the positions that were defending them.

I went on a sunny clear day just like it was on D-Day. It must have been a turkey shoot for the German Gunners.

Jamie

Military Sites - UK Urban Exploration Forums

andythejock01wrx

I won't be sheding too many tears the the politicals soldiers that were the "SS".

Fair enough extremely effective, when they wern't annihilating Russian villages.

andythejock01wrx

Agreed. Although if our youngsters get their history from Hollywood, they'll not be aware that Great Britain was involved in D-Day !

U-571 anyone ?

kingofturds

iTrader: (1)

Apart from our local paper not one mention of this today

Scoob99

iTrader: (1)

Brave brave men I wonder if the the 18 to 25 year old would do it today if necessary, I think not we owe them a lot without them we would not have what we have today
Cheers
Colin

Prasius

iTrader: (1)

You mean the same 18-25yo's who are currently facing bombs and bullets in Afghanistan and Iraq?

myblackwrx

iTrader: (1)

What a f**king pointless movie especially because at the end they pointed out the true story (why make the bloody movie,idiots)

Prasius

iTrader: (1)

Because, in real life, the RN captured the device and the germans didn't know anything about it until well after the war.

It took the Americans to screw up and get caught to make the story long enough for a film

myblackwrx

iTrader: (1)

True, but are they trying to liberate a continent from a madman or there because of Bushs' paranoia (sp) about terrorism.

myblackwrx

iTrader: (1)

Prasius

iTrader: (1)

The military is an apolitical tool - The military in this country takes an oath to follow the orders given to it regardless of their own personal opinions. Don't hold the military responsible for the orders given by a Government elected primarily by civilians. The military doesn't pick and choose wars - civillians do.

These are still young men and women who have volunteered to take an oath to defend this country which has a real risk of costing them their lives.

Leslie

That is absolutely right of course. In the military the oath taken is for loyalty to the monarch but unfortunately the head of government has the power to send the military to war without recourse to parliament even though they represent the Queen. The present wars should never have been entered by our forces and our young men are facing death for the sake of delusions of yet another fool.

Les

matchmaker

Very brave young men died on both sides. But how about this for a brave man? British World War II hero Wallace McIntosh dies of cancer aged 87

myblackwrx

iTrader: (1)

'The present wars should never have been entered by our forces and our young men are facing death for the sake of delusions of yet another fool.'

Precisely, WW2 there was a tangible threat to the sovereignty of this country whereas Iraq was invaded on shaky ground with incorrect info which makes it,in some part, even more terrible that servicemen are dying possibly not even knowing exactly why.

Longjing

Which just makes it more sad, and more difficult for them. It can't be easy knowing that a lot of people don't back the decision that's put you there.

The parallels with Vietnam get more pointed every day. I fear we'll be in Iraq and Afghanistan for longer than ten years though.

Well, no, but ordinary people do evil things in some circumstances. You might say that we were not much better in Aden; certainly you could argue that the US did some terrible things in Vietnam; and some of the stories from Iraq aren't good either.

I'm not saying it's the same at all, just that the people on the ground (SS, UK, US, whatever) may have no choice but to do what they're told.

Prasius

iTrader: (1)

More than 10 years - Iraq, no.. Afghanistan.. umm.. *ahem* Maybe.

Geezer

Actually, WW2 was not an inevitablilty at all. Germany had no intention of going West, we declared war on them. Even after the fall of France, we were approached by Germany for peace, so we were not in fact fighting for our lives, but to remove tyranny from a foreign nation. It only turned into a fight for our lives when we became stubborn (and rightly so of course).

The war in Iraq can be viewed in the same way (ish ). Removing a tyrant who poses no threat 500 miles away, or removing a tyrant who poses no threat 2000 miles away, you choose......

Geezer

myblackwrx

iTrader: (1)

Never said war was inevitable, but in 1940 the tyrant was 26 miles away (well his army and air force)and we were allies of Poland and France so should we have not stuck up for them?
I believe the RAF may dispute the 'we not fighting for our lives' bit from July 1940 to October 1940 .

pslewis

They died so that we may vote in freedom.

Which is why it annoys me those who do not bother to get up off their backsides and vote .... then moan and moan and moan about the elected government!

Geezer

But, the point is that the war was started originally for similar reasons. Someone who was no threat to us, we stuck our noses in, war ensued.

The only difference is that in 1939, the enemy gave us a bloody nose, so it turned into a fight for our survival. In 2003, the enemy was pushover, and so we are fighting for, er, well, indeed.

The UK has a fine history of being involved in wars which have nothing to do with them, why people have got so upset about this one is beyond me!

Geezer