[quote=Big Picture]
Yesterday was June 6th, the 66th anniversary of the successful 1944 Allied invasion of France. Several operations were combined to carry out the largest amphibious invasion in history - over 160,000 troops landed on June 6th, assisted by over 5,000 ships, aerial bombardment, gliders and paratroopers. Thousands of soldiers lost their lives on those beaches on that day - many thousands more would follow as the invasion succeeded and troops began to push German forces eastward, eventually leading to the Allied victory in 1945. Collected here are some photographs of the preparation, execution and immediate aftermath of the 1944 D-Day invasion of Normandy, and a few images from 2010. (42 photos total)
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[img]http://inapcache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/dday_06_07/d01_0p011976.jpg[/img]
[quote]U.S. troops disembark from a landing vehicle on Utah Beach on the coast of Normandy, France in June of 1944. Carcasses of destroyed vehicles litter the beach. (Regional Council of Basse-Normandie/U.S. National Archives)
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[img]http://inapcache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/dday_06_07/d02_0000C727.jpg[/img]
[quote]U.S. Soldiers march through a southern English coastal town, en route to board landing ships for the invasion of France, circa late May or early June 1944. (Army Signal Corps Collection/U.S. National Archives) #
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[img]http://inapcache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/dday_06_07/d03_0000C701.jpg[/img]
[quote]General view of a port in England; in foreground, jeeps are being loaded onto landing craft - in background, larger trucks and ducks are being loaded, June 1944. (U.S. National Archives) #
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[img]http://inapcache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/dday_06_07/d04_16012184.jpg[/img]
[quote]The sight of a low-flying Allied plane sends Nazi soldiers rushing for cover on a beach in France, before D-Day June 1944. The aircraft was taking reconnaissance photos of German coastal barriers in preparation for the June 6th invasion. (AP Photo) #
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[img]http://inapcache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/dday_06_07/d05_SA_C1111.jpg[/img]
[quote]Coast Guard Flotilla 10 tied up along with British landing craft, preparing to sail the English Channel and invade Nazi-occupied France. These landing craft landed U.S. troops on Omaha Beach. (U.S. Army) #
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[img]http://inapcache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/dday_06_07/d06_0p004124.jpg[/img]
[quote]German soldiers observe the coast during the occupation of Normandy by German forces in 1944. (Regional Council of Basse-Normandie/U.S. National Archives) #
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[img]http://inapcache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/dday_06_07/d07_3c03914v.jpg[/img]
[quote]A-20 bombers make a return visit to the Pointe Du Hoc coastal battery on 22 May 1944. (U.S. National Archives) #
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[img]http://inapcache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/dday_06_07/d08_000ships.jpg[/img]
[quote]Allied convoys of ships on the open sea - June 1944. (Regional Council of Basse-Normandie/U.S. National Archives) #
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[img]http://inapcache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/dday_06_07/d09_0p012548.jpg[/img]
[quote]Allied troop carriers near Omaha beach, one covered with a thick white smoke, June 1944. (Regional Council of Basse-Normandie/U.S. National Archives) #
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[img]http://inapcache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/dday_06_07/d10_0p012547.jpg[/img]
[quote]U.S. soldiers approach Omaha Beach, their weapons wrapped in plastic to keep them dry, June 1944. (Regional Council of Basse-Normandie/U.S. National Archives) #
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[img]http://inapcache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/dday_06_07/d11_p012545.jpg[/img]
[quote]Allied forces push through the breakers toward Omaha Beach. (Regional Council of Basse-Normandie/U.S. National Archives) #
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[img]http://inapcache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/dday_06_07/d12_06010712.jpg[/img]
[quote]U.S. reinforcements wade through the surf as they land at Normandy in the days following the Allies' June 1944, D-Day invasion of France. (AP Photo/Peter Carroll) #
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[img]http://inapcache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/dday_06_07/d13_ga20dday.jpg[/img]
[quote]An A-20 from the 416th Bomb Group making a bomb run on D-Day, 6 June 1944. (U.S. Army) #
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[img]http://inapcache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/dday_06_07/d14_00Page13.jpg[/img]
[quote]Aerial view of part of the Allied force off the coast of France, on D-Day, 1944. (U.S. Air Force) #
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[img]http://inapcache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/dday_06_07/d15_3g04731v.jpg[/img]
[quote]American soldiers wade from Coast Guard landing barge toward the beach at Normandy on D-Day, June 6, 1944. (U.S. National Archives) #
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[img]http://inapcache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/dday_06_07/d16_0p011943.jpg[/img]
[quote]An 88mm shell explodes on Utah Beach. In the foreground, American soldiers protect themselves from enemy fire. (Regional Council of Basse-Normandie/U.S. National Archives) #
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[img]http://inapcache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/dday_06_07/d17_0p000897.jpg[/img]
[quote]Heavy smoke spreads from the dunes littered with barbed wire, after an explosion near Cherbourg, France. Two soldiers huddle behind a wall. Photo taken Summer, 1944. (Regional Council of Basse-Normandie/U.S. National Archives) #
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[img]http://inapcache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/dday_06_07/d18_0p011953.jpg[/img]
[quote]U.S. soldiers rescue shipwreck survivors on Utah Beach, June 1944. (Regional Council of Basse-Normandie/U.S. National Archives) #
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[img]http://inapcache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/dday_06_07/d19_00Page39.jpg[/img]
[quote]Aerial view of the Normandy Invasion, on June 6th, 1944. (U.S. Air Force) #
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[img]http://inapcache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/dday_06_07/d20_24021475.jpg[/img]
[quote]Thirteen liberty ships, deliberately scuttled to form a breakwater for invasion vessels landing on the Normandy beachhead lie in line off the beach, shielding the ships in shore. The artificial harbor engineering installation which was prefabricated and towed across the Channel. 1944 photo. (AP Photo) #
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[img]http://inapcache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/dday_06_07/d21_0p011971.jpg[/img]
[quote]U.S. soldiers land on Utah Beach, June 1944. (Regional Council of Basse-Normandie/U.S. National Archives) #
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[img]http://inapcache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/dday_06_07/d22_0p011386.jpg[/img]
[quote]Above Omaha Beach, a German-placed bomb hangs on the side of a cliff, as a defensive measure. (Regional Council of Basse-Normandie/U.S. National Archives) #
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[img]http://inapcache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/dday_06_07/d23_0p012623.jpg[/img]
[quote]Allied soldiers, vehicles and equipment swarm onto the French shore during the Normandy landings, June 1944. (Regional Council of Basse-Normandie/U.S. National Archives) #
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[img]http://inapcache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/dday_06_07/d24_SC190240.jpg[/img]
[quote]Photo taken on D+2, after relief forces reached the Rangers at Point du Hoc. The American flag had been spread out to stop fire of friendly tanks coming from inland. Some German prisoners are being moved in after capture by the relieving forces. 8 June 1944 (Regional Council of Basse-Normandie/U.S. National Archives) #
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[img]http://inapcache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/dday_06_07/d25_0p011400.jpg[/img]
[quote]Two U.S. soldiers escort a group of ten German prisoners on Omaha Beach, June 1944. (Regional Council of Basse-Normandie/U.S. National Archives) #
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[img]http://inapcache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/dday_06_07/d26_0013373v.jpg[/img]
[quote]American soldiers on Omaha Beach recover the dead after the D-Day invasion, June 1944. (U.S. National Archives) #
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[img]http://inapcache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/dday_06_07/d27_0p012950.jpg[/img]
[quote]Gliders towed by C-47 aircraft fly over Utah Beach bringing reinforcements on June 7th, 1944. (Regional Council of Basse-Normandie/U.S. National Archives) #
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[img]http://inapcache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/dday_06_07/d28_0p012713.jpg[/img]
[quote]Three U.S. soldiers take a rest at the foot of a bunker which the Germans have painted and camouflaged to look like a house. (Regional Council of Basse-Normandie/U.S. National Archives) #
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[img]http://inapcache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/dday_06_07/d29_0p011974.jpg[/img]
[quote]The corpse of a German soldier, in front of a bunker overlooking the coast, June 1944. (Regional Council of Basse-Normandie/U.S. National Archives) #
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[img]http://inapcache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/dday_06_07/d30_0p000912.jpg[/img]
[quote]A U.S. soldier scans a French beach with his binoculars, June 1944. (Regional Council of Basse-Normandie/U.S. National Archives) #
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[img]http://inapcache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/dday_06_07/d31_0p000462.jpg[/img]
[quote]Allied tanks on the move near Barenton, France. (Regional Council of Basse-Normandie/U.S. National Archives) #
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[img]http://inapcache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/dday_06_07/d32_0p011946.jpg[/img]
[quote]In a farm courtyard, U.S. soldiers discuss an attack plan, June 1944. (Regional Council of Basse-Normandie/U.S. National Archives) #
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[img]http://inapcache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/dday_06_07/d33_0p011433.jpg[/img]
[quote]U.S. soldiers move inland from the beaches of France, June 1944. (Regional Council of Basse-Normandie/U.S. National Archives) #
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[img]http://inapcache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/dday_06_07/d34_0p011436.jpg[/img]
[quote]American soldiers crawl toward shelter on a street Saint-Lo, France. (Regional Council of Basse-Normandie/U.S. National Archives) #
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[img]http://inapcache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/dday_06_07/d35_0p000033.jpg[/img]
[quote]View of the station and destroyed town of Saint-Lo, 1944. (Regional Council of Basse-Normandie/U.S. National Archives) #
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[img]http://inapcache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/dday_06_07/d36_00Page03.jpg[/img]
[quote]Wreckage Of A Republic P-47, Which Crashed During The D-Day Invasion, Lies On The Battle-Scarred Beach Of Normandy, France. 22 June 1944. (U.S. Air Force) #
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[img]http://inapcache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/dday_06_07/d37_0p012873.jpg[/img]
[quote]The liberation of Saint-Lo, Summer 1944, allied jeeps and soldiers among the ruins. (Regional Council of Basse-Normandie/U.S. National Archives) #
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[img]http://inapcache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/dday_06_07/d38_0p012372.jpg[/img]
[quote]Bodies of U.S. soldiers are attended to in the French countryside, Summer 1944. (Regional Council of Basse-Normandie/U.S. National Archives) #
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[img]http://inapcache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/dday_06_07/d39_0p000713.jpg[/img]
[quote]French townspeople lay flowers on the body of an American soldier. (Regional Council of Basse-Normandie/U.S. National Archives) #
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[img]http://inapcache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/dday_06_07/d40_23710335.jpg[/img]
[quote]On June 5, 2010, parachutists land near Sainte-Mere-Eglise, during the D-Day celebrations to mark the 66th anniversary of the June 6, 1944 allied landings in France. (Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP/Getty Images) #
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[img]http://inapcache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/dday_06_07/d41_23727499.jpg[/img]
[quote]John Kessler (right) of the 29th Infantry 116th Infantry Division, salutes the colors during the National D-Day Memorial's memorial ceremony on the 66th Anniversary of D-Day in Bedford, Virginia on June 6, 2010. (AP Photo/The News & Advance, Kim Raff) #
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[img]http://inapcache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/dday_06_07/d42_23720673.jpg[/img]
[quote]Peter Smoothy, 86, who was a leading writer in the Royal Navy on D-Day visits the grave of a fallen comrade on June 6, 2010 in Bayeux, France. Across Normandy several hundred of the surviving veterans of the Normandy campaign are commemorating the 66th anniversary of the D-Day landings which eventually led to the Allied liberation of France in 1944. (Matt Cardy/Getty Images) #
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THREAD MUSIC:
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZOJ0_sRznM[/media]
AND SOME DOCUMENTARIES:
"D-Day: 6.6.44" 1 of 10
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQR2aptzEkE[/media]
Apocalypse The Second World War THE AGGRESSION PART 1
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRSWbKaL9ws[/media]
[img]http://img534.imageshack.us/img534/9797/800xro.jpg[/img]
[quote]U.S soldier is seen at La Pointe du Hoc in Cricqueville en Bessin, western France, Monday, June 6, 2011, before the ceremony to commemorate the 67th D-Day Anniversary.
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[img]http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/702/800xiq.jpg[/img]
[quote]John Millin (L), son of the late piper Bill Millin of Scotland, and piper Andy Buchanan (R) attend a ceremony which includes more than 400 pipers and drummers from 17 nations to pay tribute to the late piper Bill Millin at the War Memorial in Caen, on the Normandy coast, June 4, 2011.
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[img]http://img577.imageshack.us/img577/2971/800xp.jpg[/img]
[quote]Participants attend a ceremony which includes more than 400 pipers and drummers from 17 nations to pay tribute to the late piper Bill Millin of Scotland at the War Memorial in Caen, on the Normandy coast, June 4, 2011.
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[img]http://img685.imageshack.us/img685/1285/110603nzb612187.jpg[/img]
[quote]WASHINGTON (June 3, 2011) Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Gary Roughead attends a wreath laying ceremony during a Battle of Midway commemoration ceremony at the U.S. Navy Memorial in Washington D.C. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Tiffini Jones Vanderwyst/Released)
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[img]http://img51.imageshack.us/img51/6275/110603nwe887001.jpg[/img]
[quote]WASHINGTON (June 3, 2011) More than 200 Sailors and Marines attend a wreath laying ceremony at the Navy Memorial to commemorate the 69th anniversary of the Battle of Midway. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Gina K. Morrissette/Released)
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Amazing.
Looks nothing like any hollywood film I've seen. Its sad how some folks really think that it happend, like in saving privat ryan etc.
Those photos are remarkable. I wonder how it feels to see the real thing through their eyes.
It's really sad that as alot of the veterans die out, there won't be anymore people to give firsthand accounts.
One of the greatest moments in global history.
Here's to our men and women who fought and died fighting for America and other Allied coutnries in not just World War II, but all wars!
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZgKo46X8CI[/media]
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOC-E3qIsUQ[/media]
[QUOTE=Squall;30292573]Here's to our men and women who fought and died fighting for America in not just World War II, but all wars!
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What about all the other countries?
[QUOTE=erazor;30292819]What about all the other countries?[/QUOTE]
Them too.
[QUOTE=Canned Induvidual;30286827]Looks nothing like any hollywood film I've seen. Its sad how some folks really think that it happend, like in saving privat ryan etc.[/QUOTE]
These are all post-initial landing, you think that there would be many pictures from the actual beach combat?
American casualties exceeded three thousand. Saving Private Ryan doesn't really paint a bad picture of Omaha Beach.
Besides the part where it takes a few minutes and not a few hours.
[IMG]http://inapcache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/dday_06_07/d06_0p004124.jpg[/IMG]
Lol the guy in the back is humping the guy looking at the thinga-ma-jig while three recruits observe.
Damn photos of dead people from WW2 always get to me, Allied or axis. A lot of those men who are dead in these pictures probably had families and the thought that somewhere a kid would never see his brother or father again is just like damn.
[QUOTE=Canned Induvidual;30286827]Looks nothing like any hollywood film I've seen. Its sad how some folks really think that it happend, like in saving privat ryan etc.[/QUOTE]
Almost all footage/pictures of the initial landing on Omaha Beach (the one in Saving Private Ryan, the one which had the toughest defenses and most casualties) was lost later in the day when a bag full of camera reels and film was dropped into the Channel while being brought back to England. Most of the surviving pictures are either from very far away where it is hard to see anything, after the initial landing when things had settled down, or at other beaches such as Utah, Sword, etc. where the fighting was less fierce.
Even from some of the surviving footage, you can see that it [b]was[/b] as deadly and as brutal as the movies show. Look [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqAMhERQ1ug]here[/url] and [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rr-cekyZN04&feature=related ]here[/url] too see some of it (like I said, it's short and far away because the best footage was lost).
Is it just me? Or
[img]http://gyazo.com/dc89215901c55a07b5cc98ef1bb18f6b.png[/img] = [img]http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l818zlFWzi1qdwsneo1_400.png[/img]
[QUOTE=tehMuffinMan;30294454]Is it just me? Or
[img]http://gyazo.com/dc89215901c55a07b5cc98ef1bb18f6b.png[/img] = [img]http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l818zlFWzi1qdwsneo1_400.png[/img][/QUOTE]
It's just you.
I was just watching a documentary. I would've been scared shitless if I was in that battle.
It really makes you respect those who fight for freedom...
And people say the U.S. had a minor part in the war.
Really disrespects the people who died.
These guys have some serious balls. Without the allied invasion, Europe would likely be a terrible place.
So give thanks to all those Brits, Americans, Canadians and others.
[QUOTE=Uberman77883;30296148]And people say the U.S. had a minor part in the war.
Really disrespects the people who died.[/QUOTE]
We had just as big of a part as everyone else. A lot of people seem to forget about the Eastern front, and Africa campaigns.
What are those 'blimps' visible in many of the photos, in one of them they appear to be attached to the boats, what were they used for?
It is an honor to be on the same world as the brave men who had fought against evil in the Second World War.
I cannot pay enough respect to those, who now are nearing the ends of their lives. Their lives did not go by without cause, and they will never be forgotten.
[QUOTE=Nerdrage;30296300]What are those 'blimps' visible in many of the photos, in one of them they appear to be attached to the boats, what were they used for?[/QUOTE]
They had heavy wires to prevent planes. Plane tries to come in. There isn't much room to move. If they catch one of the wires it will rip the plane apart.
educate people now so we dont find ourselves taking pictures of this shit again
[QUOTE=Big Blue;30296507]educate people now so we dont find ourselves taking pictures of this shit again[/QUOTE]
People who dont know history, repeat history.
[QUOTE=areolop;30297032]People who dont know history, repeat history.[/QUOTE]
Even people who do know history still seem to be keen on repeating it. Humanity will always find one way or another of waging war and conflict against one another. Look at how many wars/conflicts have happened since WW2. And things aren't about to change.
Last year, my family took a vacation to France, and we spent a day or two doing the "Normandy thing," taking many tours of the beaches, bunkers, Ponte du Hoc, the various little villages, all that stuff. Incredibly fascinating. What stands out to me was when we went to Omaha Beach, which was, IIRC, the bloodiest of all the beaches, thanks to that fucktard Bradley. Today, it looks like any other beach in any other part of the world, people playing in the surf, tanning, what-have-you. It's a little bit disgusting, considering what happened there 70 years ago, but then you remember that that's pretty much why all those people made the ultimate sacrifice, so that we could have the right to have fun on a beach (among many other things, of course).
Kinda interesting to think about.
My grandpa was there.
I wish he was still alive to talk about it :smith:
Ive always wondered. What are those blimps in some of the pictures for?
[QUOTE=simzboy;30298717]Ive always wondered. What do those blimps in some of the pictures do?[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=Sir_takeslot;30296500]They had heavy wires to prevent planes. Plane tries to come in. There isn't much room to move. If they catch one of the wires it will rip the plane apart.[/QUOTE]
It would slice wings off of aircraft. Defensive measures really.
I'm going to need to ask my grandfather his stories, he was in Italy.
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