6th June 1944 - Operation Overlord.

manclad said:
I'm sure that Churchill stated that Italy was "The soft under belly of Europe".
It still took a lot of allied troops doing a lot fighting to eventually capture it though.
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That was a ruse thanks to and created mainly by the code breakers at Bletchley park to draw a large amount of German troops away from the Normandy beaches in order to help the Italians.
 
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Follow the Sapper Ubique
 
Talking of Churchill, Johnson’s hero, he wasn’t allowed anywhere near the planning because of his crazy ideas. A bit like Boris then.
 
bongsblue said:
Yeah Normandy 44. Like most of his others a page turner. Quite impressive as a presenter as well.
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My daughter bought me the book for Christmas - brilliant. I've been to Normandy many times, including all the landing beaches, Pegasus Bridge, etc, and I've always found it difficult to envisage what it must have been like at that time - it's all so peaceful now. I mentioned in another thread that my wife died 11 years ago, in France, when we were on holiday. We had decided that we were going to sell up when we got home and move there. Normandy or Mayenne would probably have been our destination, as I'm quite partial to a glass (or two) of Calvados!

bongsblue said:
We went to the martyr village in Oradour sur Glane near Limoges which the Das Reich SS troops had visited on their way upto Normandy in 44 to oppose the Allied landing. They had slaughtered everybody in the village they could lay their hands on in some sort of pitiless payback for the delays the French Resistance had wrought upon them as they journeyed upto the channel. For those of you who may remember the World At War TV series narrated by Olivier, Oradour was the first place visited. War eh.
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We went there in 2008, and it was a harrowing experience,especially as we had missed the annual memorial service by 10 minutes. 642 men, women and children were slaughtered by the Das Reich butchers. Apparently, it was the wrong village of Oradour they attacked - the other village was a few miles away.
The only good news to come out of it was that 2 Panzer were annihilated in Normandy not so long afterwards.
War, like VAR - what is it good for?
 
urban genie said:
People forget that without operation shingle and the lessons learnt from General Clarks vainity lead fuck ups in that invasion, D-Day may have been postponed.

Although ultimately the Italy campaign was a success though and created a larger second front along with the soviets.


Those that completed the Africa campaign and Italian invasion were mocked by some MPs as taking it easy in italy while D-Day went on, we should remember that they were the initial invasion force but tend to be sidelined.

My Grandfather was in North Africa and Anzio.


Saying that D-Day was a massive operation and a major turning point in the war and we can be proud of and remeber all those in involved.
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Have you heard the song “D-Day Dodgers”. A tad disrespectful early on to the troops in Italy but also has a powerful message at the end.
 
Tyneham Village was relinquished by its villagers to the MOD for d-day landing training (along with Tyneham Valley). Despite leaving a note on the church door asking the troops to take good care of their village, the villagers never returned so time stopped for Tyneham in 1943.

www.visit-dorset.com

Tyneham Village

Tyneham village was evacuated in 1943 during WWII and has been deserted ever since. The Church and School have exhibitions about the village and villagers. Tyneham Village, Worbarrow Bay and the…
www.visit-dorset.com www.visit-dorset.com
 
There’s a group of us that go over every year to either Flanders , the Somme or Normandy . Been to Normandy several times and it’s a beautiful place you can’t imagine the horrors that took place there . Stay in Arromanches where the mulberry harbour is . Been fortunate to sit and have a drink with a few of the veterans who we’ve met year after year, they don’t see themselves as heroes but that’s how we certainly saw them . One fellow who we got talking to was a 19 year old who was in charge of a LCT who came from Wythenshawe , told him my mother lived there during the war on Button lane he said that’s where I live , small world . We owe them so much
 
my grandfather went ashore on gold beach

fortunately late in the day after the beach was secured
 
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