Today is the 6th of the 6th..................

[spanner570]

Just like last year the B.B.C. NEWS (At least the station I was listening to) saw fit to ignore the fact that today, in June 1944 saw the start of Operation Overlord.......The landings on the Normandy Beaches.

It saddens me that today, whilst we were all waking up, safe in our beds, 68 years ago the Allied forces were storming ashore, fighting and dying for our much enjoyed freedom. YET, not one reference was made on the prominent radio station I had on......

I believe the Military Channel has the D. Day Landings on today. (unfortunately I can't watch it live) However, it would have been nice to reach the wider audience, via the news, particularily the younger generation to remind them, lest they, or we, forget!

So, this evening I will raise a glass to all the brave boys and girls who fought for us then, and still do now. And a special toast to those who never did see home again.

I make no apologies or excuses for the inclusion of three pictures from my Normandy G.B. These were only added to hopefully draw attention to the thread content.....

Cheers,

Ron

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[Guest]

Funny thing is I was sitting down last night just before midnight and was thinking about what the people involved would have been going through at this moment. Being strapped inside a glider on the way to Pegasus Bridge, sitting with your 'chute on waiting to jump at 600ft over Merville or being thrown around in your LCT knowing the next time you touch dry land you'll be under machine gun fire.

It's always at the forefront of my mind at this date as I lost my Dad over 22 years ago when I was too young to realise what it was all about. Never really got to ask properly about his experiences.

Since then I discovered he was the driver of one of the 30 DD Tanks to land at Sword Beach in the 1st wave. What amazed me most was he had to drive this amphibiously converted 30 ton Sherman from 3 miles out at sea under fire and he never even knew how to swim!

If anyone has ever thought about going to Normandy then I'd highly recommend it. Seeing the sites where these great battles and sacrifices took place really brings it to life.

Atb, Colin

[Guest]

I watched the programme on Military History, Ron. Much of it covered Omaha beach. I couldnt imagine what it must have been like and my respect goes to those who fought and died there. I have visited the beach and cemetery many times. There seems to be little about the British and Canadian beaches so I hope you dont mind if I share this story with you as told to me by a veteran of the Kings Own Scottish Borderers who landed on D-Day at Sword beach. Most of it is his own words.

"The first thing I did when I got of the landing craft was to look for my best mate. I looked over and saw him a bit further up the beach. No sooner than I saw him than he was hit by a mortar shell and exploded in front of my eyes. He was 19. There and then, I'm not ashamed to say I sh*t myself. And I wasnt the only one. It was a week before I could change."

We then visted a memorial to his regiment which was in an enclosure located behind a now falling down wall. He told me, "There were Germans in here with machine guns." I looked back towards the beach and saw that the ground was basically a large flat field with no cover over an area of about a quarter of a mile. I asked him how they manged to cross such an open area. He replied, "On our bellies. We just had to crawl over. Luckily they deserted the post as we got closer. There was even a tank there in the enclosure."

I'm assuming the tank was out of action as it wasnt used but even so. I have to admit myself, when I remember him speaking of this and the horrors he experienced, I still get a lump in my throat. He's now 89 and very frail and when I look into his face I find it impossible not to feel undying respect and admiration for him and his comrades, some of whom still lie in Hermanville and Tilly Sur Suelles Cemeteries.

Keith

[Centurion3RTR]

Got up this morning and while standing in the kitchen waiting for the kettle, i bowed my head just for a minute. Wendy asked if i was ok but it was my daughter Ashlee that told her what day it was and Wendy remembered, so they both joined in.

John

[spanner570]

Thanks fellas for your posts...

We make our models, read books, watch films, but it's only when you listen to true accounts from those involved, do you begin to understand what these brave people endured and the sights they witnessed.

Today also got me thinking about all the other beaches that were assaulted during WW2.....N. Africa, Sicily, Anzio, Salerno and the Pacific Islands. All terrible places, but rarely mentioned and very few know the dates for these invasions.....me included. But the soldiers and airmen present all went through much the same traumatic experiences as those at Normandy.

So on this day let's just raise our glass to all who played their part in freeing the world from tyranny.....

Thanks again,

Ron

[Guest]

Now no Normandy landing thoughts.

I would add that before the sixth many trained & brave SOE people had been taken by air & sea to France to direct the French resistance. Many of the people of Normandy & Brittany were massacred by the Nazis including children & babies. What a brave job they did to hinder the German Army in every way.

My wife & I visited some time ago the Bayeux memorial gardens where there are the graves & memorial of those British Servicemen lost. There were Privates of 18, Corporals & Sergeants of 19, Lieutenants of 20, Captains of 23 Majors of 25.

The gardens are laid out in English Style with wrought iron gates into the gardens. The grass is mown Englsih style. No weeds with simple but beautiful headstones, laid out in a manner you may layout your own garden.

The memorial with all those servicemen lies opposite across the road simple but imposing looking out over the gardens.

The whole is just beauty an English Country Garden. Tears I could not keep back despite an effort, I defy any one not to be moved by this place . Just to realise all those young men lost a huge part of those senior to my generation.

Laurie

They gave their tomorrows for our today.

[Guest]

If i can add my own few lines that makes this a proud yet sombre time for me.

It was today that my Dad started his journey back to England, he had been looked after by our resistance comrades for the night after receiving a shot to the head from an enemy rifle whilst attempting to check for enemy presence just inland from the landing areas.

He spent 18 months in Oxford hospital, many of these in a coma before making a suprise recovery ... enough to be released home to the midlands and slowly get back to normal and get on with his life.

He got his old job back, got married, had me and made it to the ripe old age of 84, passing in 2005.

To him, and the other brave men and women of any war, i raise my glass.

[Dave W]

Im very surprised there is nothing on television tonight about the D day landings.All weve got is a film on channel 5 this afternoon (Ike : Countdown to D-Day).I personally feel we should never forget what those soldiers did and what our troops are doing today.My daughters boyfriend is currently on his second tour of Afganistan with his Regiment.We worry about him and cant imagine what he's going through.

[Guest]

I suspect the "excuse" given will be there is enough going on at the moment and in 2 years time we'll have a bigger commemoration for the 70th anniversary. Even still, you would have at least thought the BBC could put it on their website!

[MORIARTY1177]

My suggestion would be that we keep on plastic bashing as I've always felt my work to be a little tribute to the men (& women) & machines of whichever conflict the subject matter is of.

Here's to the lost & brave!

Chris

[Guest]

Just like last year the B.B.C. NEWS (At least the station I was listening to) saw fit to ignore the fact that today, in June 1944 saw the start of Operation Overlord.......The landings on the Normandy Beaches.It saddens me that today, whilst we were all waking up, safe in our beds, 68 years ago the Allied forces were storming ashore, fighting and dying for our much enjoyed freedom. YET, not one reference was made on the prominent radio station I had on......

I believe the Military Channel has the D. Day Landings on today. (unfortunately I can't watch it live) However, it would have been nice to reach the wider audience, via the news, particularily the younger generation to remind them, lest they, or we, forget!

So, this evening I will raise a glass to all the brave boys and girls who fought for us then, and still do now. And a special toast to those who never did see home again.

I make no apologies or excuses for the inclusion of three pictures from my Normandy G.B. These were only added to hopefully draw attention to the thread content.....

Cheers,

Ron

I posed the question to several staff members and lots of passangers and the most insulting answer to "Do you know what day and date it is today" was WHO CARES, well.... speaking as a person with strong millitary family background and who has served iam insulted by the complete lack of knowlege and or understanding of what this day truely means to most people. As Ron has stated thousands of young men and women gave up their lives and for those who survived a large part of their souls to ensure that we have the rights and freedoms we all share today. I believe that the BBC has a duty to broadcast what D-Day was all about so people understand the true horror of that day and every day after.

scott

[Guest]

here here and well said

[Guest]

At the moment the BBC should take a big look at them selves as they are making a muck of a lot of things.

I have never heard so much criticism over the past few days after the Jubillee fiasco. It runs thro audio, camera work & angles, cameras switching lens while on call, poor editing, poor co-ordination, no proper research, poor directing & poor producing. ITV are not much better they had great shots of the Dacota flying over the Palace but then virtually missed the Lancaster Hurricane & Spitfires, except for a cursory glance, then they were gone.

The Normandy landing anniversary is just another failure. Never mind the BBC will get the football right you can be sure of that !

Phew !

Laurie

[Guest]

Well i intentionally watched the news (something i rarely do .. watch TV that is!!)

There was nothing about the 6th of the 6th ... but i've now learned that we've got a disease in Edinburgh, some footballers are on a plane, parliament said something and a bloke called Will.i.am did loads of stuff for the jubilee..... oh yeah and there was an inanely smiling woman who told us it was raining.

I'm so much more informed now

[Guest]

Yes I watched I could find not a dicky-bird about Normandy.

Looked on the net & not one paper seemed to have a thing.

But the French Tourist Board are advertising a programme of events which stretches for 9 days. Acting out various things down on a variety of the beach village areas & finishing with a parachute drop.

Pity that the media did not pick that up.

2014 is the 70th & there is going to be a lot going on then. So not all is lost. Just the BBC & ITV are lost as you say Colin wittering on about matters of national importance as to if Ferdinand should have been included in the squad. Perhaps we should join in & have a poll on that matter !

Laurie