D Day: The Greatest Generation Storms Ashore

This is a photo essay to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the Normandy invasion which marked the beginning of the end for the Nazi regime. Allied forces suffered huge losses on June 6, 1944 and subsequent days of Operation Overlord but they eventually secured France and routed the German invaders.

"You will bring about the destruction of the German war machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of Europe, and security for ourselves in a free world. Your task will not be an easy one. Your enemy is well trained, well equipped, and battle-hardened. He will fight savagely....The free men of the world are marching together to victory. I have full confidence in your courage, devotion to duty, and skill in battle. We will accept nothing less than full victory. Good luck, and let us all beseech the blessings of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking." ~General Dwight D. Eisenhower giving the D-Day order on June 6, 1944.

© Time Inc.

Supreme Command Tour Of Allied Forces

Gen. Dwight Eisenhower, commander in chief of Allied Forces in Europe, reviewing troops shortly before the Normandy invasion while British Gen. Bernard Montgomery looks on over his right shoulder.

© Time Inc.

Normandy Invasion

American soldiers, mostly Army Air Corps, aboard LCT (tank transport) ship listen to "anchors away" instructions while en route to beaches of Normandy for Allied invasion of France, aka D-Day. (note field kitchen in foreground)

© Time Inc.

Invasion Of Normandy

American soldiers playing poker, using the 200 francs each was given for their trip to France, as they sit atop Army supply truck, one of many waiting on dock to be loaded onto ships for transport to their D-Day objective, the beaches of Normandy.


Injured American soldiers of 16th Infantry Div. bandaged and awaiting evacuation to field hospital after storming Omaha Beach during the invasion of Normandy, aka D-Day


American troops wading from troop carrier towards shore into German artillery fire on Omaha Beach during D-Day invasion of Normandy.

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Dazed German prisoner puts his belongings into a white sack after being captured by American troops during the Allied push through Normandy following the D-Day invasion of France.


Bodies of 8 American paratroopers lie outside the wreckage of their glider near Hiesville, France on the day of the invasion of Normandy, aka D-Day.

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Allied Military Cemetery at Omaha Beach on the coast of Normandy, the location for the great D-Day landing invasion on coast of German-held Europe during WWII. July 1951

All photos from Time/Life archives now at Google
Tags: ww 2,operation overlord,normandy invasion,omaha beach,u s soldiers,greatest generation

When Justice Was Swift...

I was preparing photographs for a book sale and came across this interesting piece of history:

The 1942 military tribunals of the 8 Nazi saboteurs. Four Germans landed on an eastern Long Island NY beach on June 13, 1942; and four landed in Florida on the 17th. Betrayed by one of the group after being spotted on the Long Island beach they were rounded up, tried by military tribunal July 8 to August 1.There was a four day delay while the Supreme Court was consulted, and the death sentences were carried out on August 8. Only 6 of the 8 were put to death; one got life imprisonment and the other 30 years. Interestingly, while all eight were born in Germany, two were American citizens, and three had married American girls. Arrested with them were six women and eight men, American citizens accused of sheltering the saboteurs.The book: Collier's Photographic History of World War II.



__________________Tags: nazi saboteurs,1942 military tribunal,

Global Warming Greater Than WW II:Time Mag....

Time Magazine's use of the iconic Iwo Jima flag raising photo in the cause of climate change propaganda has caused a storm of protest from veterans.



For only the second time in 85 years, Time magazine abandoned the traditional red border it uses on its cover. The occasion – to push more global warming alarmism.....

Donald Mates, an Iwo Jima veteran, told the Business & Media Institute on April 17 that using that photograph for that cause was a “disgrace.”


“It’s an absolute disgrace,” Mates said. “Whoever did it is going to hell. That’s a mortal sin. God forbid he runs into a Marine that was an Iwo Jima survivor.”

Mates also said making the comparison of World War II to global warming was erroneous and disrespectful.

“The second world war we knew was there,” Mates said. “There’s a big discussion. Some say there is global warming, some say there isn’t. And to stick a tree in place of a flag on the Iwo Jima picture is just sacrilegious.”
Source: Business and Media Institute

Additional information about the flag rasing on Mt. Suribachi on Iwo Jima:

Photographer Joe Rosenthal is unfortunately no longer with us; he passed away in August 2006. I believe all of the men depicted are also deceased, three of them having been killed within days after the photo was made..

The Raising of the Flag on Iwo Jima, was published throughout the world. Rosenthal was later accused of staging the photograph. In fact, this was untrue. "On February 23, having captured Surabachi, a small volcanic hill and the highest point on the island, some marines raised a small flag at its summit. They were photographed by Sergeant Louis Lowery for the marine magazine, Leatherneck. Rosenthal, having talked with Lowery, decided to get a shot of the flag himself. When he arrived, he found the marines raising a larger flag, attached to a pole so heavy it took six men to lever it into place in a small mound of rocks. He stepped just inside the volcano's crater and snapped the photo with his Speed Graphic."

Source: Spartacus Educational
See also: Jewish Virtual Library




Two flags went up that day. The above photo by Marine photographer Bob Campbell, shows the smaller coming down and the larger going up. For reasons unknown it was decided to replace the original flag with a larger one and for this reason Joe Rosenthal was dogged throughout his life with accusations he staged the flag raising, something he adamantly denied.

Tags: climate change propaganda,time magazine,iwo jima,world war two,global warming, veterans outrage,joe rosenthal