Today's History Lesson
The morning of June 7, 1944 we are still at war but the tides have turned marking the beginning of an end. Yesterday, D-Day, June 6, 1944, marked a turning point in history becoming a day that should be remembered throughout the entire year. But, not only this day but the morning after. The walk along the beaches of Normandy on the morning of June 7 were unbelievable, unfathomable, unimaginable. Yet, had it not been for the courage
and sacrifice of hundreds of thousands of soldiers, the course of
history would be totally different. That day marked a beginning. A new beginning. A beginning of the end of the deadliest war in history.
This Day in History: June 7, 1944
Thousands of Stenciled Bodies in the Sand Serve as Poignant D-Day Tribute
Images show stark contrast between Normandy tourist beaches now and how they looked during invasion.
In the aftermath of D-Day, its analysis established the Normandy landings were the largest seaborne invasion in history,
with nearly 5,000 landing and assault craft, 289 escort vessels, and 277
minesweepers participating. Nearly 160,000 troops crossed the English Channel on D-Day, with 875,000 men disembarking by the end of June. Allied casualties on the first day were at least 12,000, with 4,414 confirmed dead. The Germans lost 1,000 men. [Source: en.wikipedia.org]
Partial view of Omaha Beach temporary Cemetery established by Third
Platoon, 607th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company elements on 7
June 1944. Graves Registration and Engineer Special Brigade medical
personnel are recovering and processing American and German dead along
the waterline and the beach.
The exact count of all who perished on June 6 remains a continuous challenge. The identifications of all who perished is virtually impossible.
A body struck by an artillery shell could be, essentially, erased, and
that’s just one of the possible fates that faced those who went ashore
or jumped into Normandy. Seventy years after the landings, the
unidentified remains of soldiers killed in the fighting are still being
turned up by farmers and amateur archaeologists.”
Source: The Challenge of Counting D-Day's Dead
New York Times from June 7, 1944
“The prevailing opinion in Germany before our entry into war,
was, that American was a money hunting nation, too engrossed in the hunt
of the dollar to produce a strong military force. But since our troops
have been in action the opinion has changed, and he says that though
Germany is at present a defeated nation, he believes that they would be
victors in a war with any nation in the world with the exemption of the
United States.”
—Karl Finkl of Bolingen
Another reason our American flag continues to fly freely...
Just remember the cost! Freedom is NOT free!
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