Remembering the day when common men saved the world | PHIL WILLIAMS
The historical significance of June 6, 1944, can never be understated. More than just a mark on the calendar, it is a day of heroism and sacrifice. It was a day when common men did uncommon things.
It was a day when the forces of good came together and decided that no single country would be allowed to take, terrorize or topple other nations. I submit that, next to the resurrection of Christ, no single calendar date bears as much significance for humanity.
In my study at home are symbols of the service and sacrifice of men in my family who have served before me. Among these personal treasures is an old rifle my grandfather brought back from World War II. In a shadowbox, I have his general officers-issued pistol and a pair of glider wings. They mean something. They mean everything.
My grandfather received his Army commission from Alabama Polytechnic Institute, now Auburn University, in 1942 and went straight to war. He came home three years later after serving in the Glider Troops, first with the 82nd Airborne and then with the 18th Airborne Corps. He marched across Europe, endured the Battle of the Bulge, and went on to serve through the next 30 years.
Eighty years ago, men like my grandfather went ashore, parachuted into the dark of night, and assaulted fortified German forces. The “fog of war” does not begin to describe the horror of June 6, 1944. Never in history has such an invasion force been launched and we can only hope it will never be needed again.
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Kids today need to know freedom is not free. Liberty is not lax. The honor of serving in uniform for something bigger than oneself is not a just a recruiting poster slogan. Its real. Today’s generation might not be here, or at least might not be free, if the men of D-Day had failed.
Operation Overlord saw 7,000 ships and landing craft crewed by over 195,000 sailors. 133,000 troops from the U.S., Great Britain and Canada. Over 13,000 paratroopers jumped into the darkness. It was epic in scale, it was heavy in its price. It was called by some “the longest day”, and by others it was called “the Day of Days.”
Many don’t know that Huntsville native Carl T. Jones was specially selected to be one of the key planners for the D-Day invasion. Jones had been one of the few officers who had ever planned and participated in an amphibious landing as he defended Alaska’s Aleutian Islands. Col. Jones was recalled from the Aleutians, sent to London, and assigned to a major role as deputy chief of staff for XIX Corps to lend his experience to the planning for Overlord.
Also, on a shelf in my study is a brass shell casing fired in the 21-gun salute for Dwight Eisenhower’s funeral. Gen. Eisenhower is said to have labored over the final call to launch the invasion. He felt the burden of so many lives under his command, willing to do what seemed impossible.
The weather was awful. The enemy was dug in. The world had been at war for years. But Eisenhower settled into the decision and issued out his order to the troops on the eve of the great invasion.
"Soldiers, Sailors, and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force! You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you ... The tide has turned! 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 beseech the blessing of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking."
Within hours, the first plane of paratroopers crossed the English Channel carrying Pathfinders from the 101st Airborne Division. Small groups of totally isolated troopers marked the drop zones for waves of Airborne soldiers to follow. Airborne troops came in scattered, regrouped, then fought. They took their objectives.
Glider troops from the British Ox and Bucks Light Infantry landed near a quiet canal in the French countryside. Wearing the image of a winged Pegasus on their uniforms the glider riders seized a key bridge which became known to this day as the Pegasus Bridge. Historians believe that their efforts stopped the Germans from reinforcing the troops at the Normandy beaches.
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The first casualty of the Normandy invasion occurred at Pegasus Bridge when Lt. Den Brotheridge was killed. They took that bridge.
Waves of men came ashore that morning at beaches code-named Utah, Omaha, Sword, Juno and Gold. The sand and water turned red. Men came ashore, wading, swimming, many drowning, but still advancing, firing on the enemy. Hours were spent trying to advance mere feet. They had to overcome obstacles such as strafing aircraft, reinforced pillboxes and mortar fire.
Men did things that made no sense on a regular day, because it was no regular day. They took those beaches.
Just down the shoreline men of the 2nd Ranger Battalion became known as the “Boys of Pointe Du Hoc” as they climbed ropes up 90-foot cliffs while Germans from above rained down bullets and grenades.
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German artillery atop the cliffs were a grave threat to the armada. So the Rangers climbed wet ropes, in sand caked uniforms, suffering numerous casualties. But they took those cliffs.
The D-Day Memorial Foundation says that 4,426 Allied troops died on that first day 80 years ago. More than 5,000 more were wounded. Over the coming weeks the battle of Normandy saw 73,000 Allied troops killed and 153,000 wounded. The level of the sacrifice is staggering. Eleven weeks later, Allied troops liberated Paris two months ahead of schedule.
D-Day. The day they saved the world.
Phil Williams is a former state senator from District 10 (which includes Etowah County), retired Army colonel and combat veteran, and a practicing attorney. He previously served with the leadership of the Alabama Policy Institute in Birmingham. He currently hosts the conservative news/talk show Rightside Radio on multiple channels throughout north Alabama. The opinions expressed are his own.
This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: Heroes saved the world 80 years ago on D-Day | PHIL WILLIAMS
