Operation Overlord was a massive operation. 156,000 soldiers and 195,700 naval personnel were involved on the Allied side just on D-Day itself, a number larger than most of the armed forces on the planet today.
Over two million had arrived in France by the end of August 1944. Some of them would not come home and many of the others would be traumatised for life. D-Day, especially Omaha Beach, would expose a soldier to more carnage in one day than most of us today in a more peaceful world experience in our whole lives.
It would not end on that day either; it would be a long and hard slog until Paris was liberated. You can read my 2014 post in the subject.
Now the Normandy campaign is fading from memory as the veterans pass on - at least two who were planning to attend today's events died before they could get there.
It now falls on us to ensure that their sacrifice is never forgotten and that we work for a world free of tyranny in all forms.
For those who assaulted those five beaches on 6 June 1944, thank you and I hope you are never forgotten.
No comments:
Post a Comment