D - Day A tribute to Heroes.

[siddiqi_drinker 14,635]

5 hours ago, Rangers#1 said:

The guys that went in in the first landing crafts must have known they had practically no chance of surviving, that is some fucking bottle.

heard one vet say his landing craft ended upon a sandbank - they walked across the sandbar and into the water on the other side which was 6ft deep --- most of these guys were well under 6ft and carrying loads of gear weighing them down - yet they still made it to the beach

[theblueoysterbar 19,583]

If that doesn't bring a tear to your eye...

[Don54 25,517]

[Courtyard Bear 41,357]

This popped up in my YouTube recommendations. Brought a tear to my eye. 

https://www.normandymemorialtrust.org/shores-of-normandy-single/

[Blueteeth 2,185]

See the 94 year old doing a parachute jump? I wouldn’t even do that shite 

[heathen fish boy 8,579]

4 minutes ago, Blueteeth said:

See the 94 year old doing a parachute jump? I wouldn’t even do that shite 

That generation was a different breed,thank God for that 

[Courtyard Bear 41,357]

38 minutes ago, Blueteeth said:

See the 94 year old doing a parachute jump? I wouldn’t even do that shite 

Probably thought this is a doddle, no one is shooting at me this time. 😃

[OceanRain 2,845]

A senior officer approached Lord Lovat on the beach and told him the Paras had captured the bridges. Lovat then turned to me and said, "Give us a tune, piper."

The whole situation was ridiculous. It was bad enough the three of us standing on the beach amidst all the shell fire when we should have been lying down somewhere. Now he was asking me to play the pipes.

So I thought, I may as well be ridiculous too and I asked, "What tune would you like, sir?"

"The Road To The Isles," said Lovat.

"I suppose you'd like me to march up and down while I do it, sir?"

"Excellent," he said. "That would be lovely."

So I marched up and down along the shore playing the pipes. I could see the bodies in the water, moving in and out with the tide. At one point, I remember a sergeant running past me and shouting, "Are you fucking mad? Every bloody German in France is shooting at us!" But I ignored him and kept marching because there were other Commandos - French and British - cheering me on as I went.

Years later, I met the German officer who was commanding that area during the landings and I asked him, why didn't anyone shoot me? I was right at the front. Why wasn't I killed? He said, "We thought you were 'dumbkopf' (crazy)." I didn't know it but that's what the Germans had nicknamed me - der Verrückt Dudelsack Pfeiffer, which means, The Mad Piper.

I didn't think I was doing anything great that day. It was my job. I was a piper.

- Piper Bill Millin

[Thermopylae 15,286]

21 hours ago, Inigo said:

My old gramps did exactly that on D-Day. As he flew back from bombing the Merville-Franceville battery he saw the armada on it's way from his turret. Old boy died last year.

His log book entry from that day...

Wow RM really needs a golden post award and that would top the list thanks for that ... was it a Lancaster?

 

[Thermopylae 15,286]

20 hours ago, Don54 said:

it must have been some experience especially for the tail-end Charlie,  I read somewhere that they could expect to be shot down, or killed, within two weeks, or up to five operations. 

They apparently lived the high life during leave because of course they just never knew if that night out would be their last ... lets you see how lucky we who came after them have been

[Thermopylae 15,286]

Thank You

[Thermopylae 15,286]

22 hours ago, The Dude said:

I went over to Normandy about 15 years ago and done a lot of the tours. Just an incredible place. Can only imagine what it was like on D-Day. One of my great uncles landed and was killed a few days later. The war cemeteries are just unreal. The big American one in particular is just something else. 

They do say that nothing can prepare you for the cemeteries ... it's kinda understandable why the French and Germans want the EU to work to live so much closer to constant reminders of European wars must make a difference

[Inigo 32,526]

32 minutes ago, Thermopylae said:

Wow RM really needs a golden post award and that would top the list thanks for that ... was it a Lancaster?

 

Yeah, all combat missions in a Lanc as rear or mid upper gunner. Transferred once in a Halifax and once in a Dakota. Gunnery training in a Boulton Paul Defiant and bomb run training in a Wellington. Transferred in one other plane too, the name of which I've forgotten.

[Thermopylae 15,286]

7 minutes ago, Inigo said:

Yeah, all combat missions in a Lanc as rear or mid upper gunner. Transferred once in a Halifax and once in a Dakota. Gunnery training in a Boulton Paul Defiant and bomb run training in a Wellington. Transferred in one other plane too, the name of which I've forgotten.

Stirring times and glad he survived to enjoy the peace

[Inigo 32,526]

1 hour ago, Thermopylae said:

Stirring times and glad he survived to enjoy the peace

Yeah, lucky enough to survive the death of his crew (story I've mentioned before) and to find out in the last 10 years how and where they died whilst he was laid up in hospital, and also to finally receive his Bomber Command clasp when the Bomber Boys were finally recognised by the governnent.

Passed away peacefully to rejoin his crewmates at the ripe old age of 98.

[Thermopylae 15,286]

15 minutes ago, Inigo said:

Yeah, lucky enough to survive the death of his crew (story I've mentioned before) and to find out in the last 10 years how and where they died whilst he was laid up in hospital, and to also to finally receive his Bomber Command clasp when the Bomber Boys were finally recognised by the governnent.

Passed away peacefully to rejoin his crewmates at the ripe old age of 98.

It was a national disgrace that bomber command weren't  honoured sooner I'm sure he wore it with much pride on days like today

 

[Blumhoilann 6,712]

19 hours ago, siddiqi_drinker said:

then get your dad a wee tot of rum to celebrate the day - My old man no longer with us was on one of the minesweepers keeping the channel clear 

As an ex-'Tonner' I was pleased to hear the sweepers get a mention,'1st in last out',wi a life expectancy of 5 days.Brave men indeed.

[Don54 25,517]

Came across this earlier today a poem written by the old man, many years after D-Day

[Boybluesy 3,708]

10 hours ago, Courtyard Bear said:

This popped up in my YouTube recommendations. Brought a tear to my eye. 

https://www.normandymemorialtrust.org/shores-of-normandy-single/

Superb.  This song closed out the news on t.v.

[Boybluesy 3,708]

2 hours ago, Don54 said:

Came across this earlier today a poem written by the old man, many years after D-Day

Brilliant poem.  

[Courtyard Bear 41,357]

37 minutes ago, Boybluesy said:

Superb.  This song closed out the news on t.v.

Think it’s went to No.1 on the download charts. 

[Ayrshire Blue 2,053]

22 minutes ago, Courtyard Bear said:

Think it’s went to No.1 on the download charts. 

Have you heard “Why Old Men Cry”  about WW1 ?  

 

[JCDBigBear 10,824]

9 hours ago, Thermopylae said:

They do say that nothing can prepare you for the cemeteries ... it's kinda understandable why the French and Germans want the EU to work to live so much closer to constant reminders of European wars must make a difference

The French and Germans don't seem to go to the cemeteries very much.   I found the German cemeteries had particularly few visitors.

[JCDBigBear 10,824]

I've been to Normandy, Somme, Ypres and Arnhem and visited numerous cemeteries which are so very sad and very humbling.   At Arnhem (Oosterbeek) twin brothers buried side by side had tears running down my face.  Privates Claude and Thomas Gronert from Cornwall died on same day in the same incident.  Both just 21.

[Thermopylae 15,286]

On ‎05‎/‎06‎/‎2019 at 17:37, Thermopylae said:

And they all just got on with it back in those days no psychologists or shrinks couches

Good caller on LBC last this woman who's father had night terrors every night for 20 years for D-Day and they stopped never to return when he went back to the beach for the 20 anniversary commemoration ... this shows how important these events can be for the old soldiers who came home