History will confirm that the single most important event of the twentieth century was the D-Day invasion of Normandy, France on the morning of June 6, 1944. Adolf Hitler and the Nazi’s had covered the continent of Europe with a blanket of oppression and murder for over four years. All during that period the Germans knew that it was a matter of time before Great Britain and America would try and invade the continent. It happened this day sixty-six years ago. Supreme Allied Commander of all Allied Forces, Dwight D. Eisenhower was the one that had to make the call when and where the Allies would invade Europe. When Ike made the decision to ‘Go’ he was then out of the loop. The Supreme Commander was now just an observer to the actions going on around him. The idleness of June 5, 1944 was unbearable to Ike and he wanted to go and visit some of the units on the eve of the great invasion. His junior officers said no,..German spies were known to be in England and they would love the opportunity to assassinate Ike. To culminate at the beaches of Normandy at six-thirty in the morning, some of the airborne units had to depart England around midnight to reach their objectives by 2am on the 6th. Ike visited the 101st Airborne Division to wish the Eagles good luck and Godspeed. The Allies would be converging on the Normandy coastline in five sections. The beaches labeled Gold, Sword, and Juno were the responsibility of the British, Canadians, Australians, and Poles. The beaches of Utah and Omaha were given to the United States. While the Marines were fighting in the Pacific, the European campaign was given to the U.S. Army… That day the First Army.. Fifth Corp.. Seventh Corp.. First Infantry Division..4th Infantry Division.. and the 29th Infantry Division were looking to get a foothold on the European coast. The 82nd Airborne Division would be dropped behind Omaha Beach, and the 101st Airborne Division would be dropped behind Utah. History shows that both airborne units missed their drop zones, but as one of my old airborne sergeants used to say, “the most dangerous weapon on the battlefield is an airborne soldier in a bad attitude with a weapon in his hands.” Groups of 82nd and 101st troopers formed up to capture Ste Mere-Eglise on the first day and also cut off the coastline from German reserve forces. Any school child will tell you the outcome of the invasion, but remember, nine thousand American soldiers were killed or wounded that first day. First Army Commanding General Omar Bradley almost called for the ships to come back to evacuate his troops. Movies and TV have almost made it look like a cakewalk to Berlin. The airborne troopers completed their objectives, but at great cost. The 101st Airborne Division lost five out of every six soldiers to wounds or death. The 82nd also had great losses, but not as extensive as the 101st. In the end, the Rangers climbed the cliffs, the Engineers destroyed the obstacles on the beaches..and the Infantry,..they waded ashore and fought all the way to Berlin. Thank you to all the Fathers, Sons, Brothers, Uncles, and Cousins who gave America this great country to live in. They are all members of the Great Generation of Americans to whom we all owe our everything.
