It is right that we, who have so much, remember those who gave everything. I have no great family connection with the fighting in WW2 as my father and uncles were working in reserved occupations, namely on the railways. However, other members will have grandparents who fought, some will have returned but many will have perished. Anyone here have stories to share?

The second world was is five dark years of history in Norway, from the occupation day April 9, 1940, until liberation day May 8, 1945. Every year we have our flags at full post on liberation day, while the occupation day is in memory of the attack on our country. It is story about never giving up, suffering and patience.

The Norwegian resistance movementy all had training in Britain, then went by plane and boat back to our country to do their resistance work. Norway do owe a lot to the British, our countries are sharing The North Sea, it's just a boat ride beetween us, whether it has been viking time, war time or these days, a two hours flight to visit for enjoying good old British life. I just love the British style of pubs, food, friendship, reason and respect, and I will return to England and UK as long as I live, with and without The Rolling Stones.

London has been my home the past two weeks. I enjoy the English life of breakfast with newspapers, reading every story in the papers. Every day these days there has been day by day reprints from 1944 in the papers. I have been following the D-day events as they actually happened, as the paper started to print them a few days ahead of actual D-day, which is today June 6.

Today breakfast was especially emotional, as I read about the letters from the soldiers, as they were written before they left for Normandy, then found later on, and read during the memorials yesterday.

75 years on, heartbreaking D-Day letters capture turning point in history

Theresa May read a letter from Captain Norman Skinner of the Royal Army Service Corps that was written to his wife Gladys on June 3, 1944. The letter was in his pocket when he landed on Sword Beach June 6. He was killed the following day, leaving two young daughters.

“My darling this is a very difficult letter for me to write. As you know something may happen at any moment and I cannot tell when you will receive this. I had hoped to be able to see you during last weekend but it was impossible to get away and all the things I intended to say must be written.

...

These are just some facsimiles from The Times today.









Bjornulf



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 2019-06-06 12:25 by bv.

Bjornulf, you may be interested to read about Royal Norwegian Air Force training in Toronto during this time: [en.m.wikipedia.org]

No so many of our dads and uncles who were there still with us today I'm afraid.

As a Brit, I must thank BV for his kind comments.

I had an uncle who was in the invading Allied forces there on D-Day. He was a landing craft driver and was in the first (!!) wave of invasions in Europe and North Africa right through from the Dieppe Raid (a subject that deeply upset him), through to (but not including) D-Day.

On D-Day, he was in the second wave, and because of his experience had to hang around off the beaches towing a bladder full of petrol (fuel for the invading forces) which was pretty darned important until PLUTO was delivered.

He was awarded the French Legion d'Honneur (their highest honour) a couple of years ago.

Very sadly he died a few weeks ago.

25 years ago, on the 50th Anniversary we went to the Normandy Beaches the weekend before the commemorations. It's a truly remarkable place. Astonishingly if you watch the star studded film "The Longest Day" there's a bit where John Wayne's character leads a breakout from the beach.... and guess what, that's exactly what it looked like at that very spot.

Best of all is a visit to the Cafe Gondree at the Pegasus Bridge - the first point (very strategic) captured the previous evening.

But a respectful nod has to go to the US Rangers who landed beneath the Point Du Hoc in order to climb the cliffs (!) and put the huge artillery based there out of action. They suffered many casualties.... but when they finally got to the gun emplacements, they were empty. The guns had been moved!

Edit:
There's a famous film (Saving Private Ryan) that opens with the D-Day landings before it goes on to the main storyline. It's a long sequence. Before the film opened the critics (etc) were saying that the sequence was too long, and was definitely too bloody/gory. Servicemen who had been at the landings were invited to the opening night (in London at least) and afterwards gave emphatic interviews that it was good at long last to see someone attempt to communicate how thoroughly appalling the whole thing was, and how bloody and terrifying it was. The critics shut up after that.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2019-06-06 13:01 by CaptainCorella.

Your words are very touching BV about Norway, Britain and the days leading up to the D-Day 75th anniversary.

Been watching some of the TV coverage this morning,of Britain and France, and very moving at times when you think of what happened 75 years ago.

I'm sure all my fellow Brits on IORR really appreciate your comments BV.

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crawdaddy
....I'm sure all my fellow Brits on IORR really appreciate your comments BV.

Indeed.

Thanks for the comments BV.

Being an island has it's advantages, had we not been, who knows what would have happened, but we are, and that bought us time to enable us to serve as a base for all those that joined us.

My family were farmers and I'm not aware of anyone being involved in D-Day. They were in the fields and preparing to do whatever was necessary if it all went wrong and we too were invaded. Fortunately it didn't, through the cooperation, determination and selfless bravery of so many people from 30 different countries (so I'm told). When we work together we can accomplish great things.

I'm sure that the critics of Saving Private Ryan had a point, that many people wouldn't want to have to sit through such a long sequence of such horrors, who would. I'm certain that the men who landed on the beaches that day didn't want to go through the real thing either. All the more reason to at least try to show it as realistically as possible. We should be made aware of the reality of war.

It is important to look back and remember, but I think it is even more important to look forward with that memory in mind. They didn't do it for glory, they didn't do it to be heroes, they didn't do it to be remembered, they did it because they had to, to ensure the freedom of our Countries and of our people, and our children.

The best way we can thank and honour those people is to carry on their fight against tyranny with vigilance and cooperation, to call out those who try to divide us and set us against each other. To reign in short-sighted and over zealous politicians, and make sure that we do everything within our powers to prevent it happening again, because it is always around the corner, maybe more so now than ever. It ended up as a war, but it started as a disenchanted people combined with a warped ideology.

We don't want people remembering us in 75 years time.

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JimmyShelter
..The best way we can thank and honour those people is to carry on their fight against tyranny with vigilance and cooperation, to call out those who try to divide us and set us against each other. To reign in short-sighted and over zealous politicians, and make sure that we do everything within our powers to prevent it happening again, ....

Very well said

Rest in piece heroes. Your sacrifice is immeasurable.


PS
Keith's father, Bert, fought in D Day and was injured!

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crawdaddy
Your words are very touching BV about Norway, Britain and the days leading up to the D-Day 75th anniversary.

Been watching some of the TV coverage this morning,of Britain and France, and very moving at times when you think of what happened 75 years ago.

I'm sure all my fellow Brits on IORR really appreciate your comments BV.

This one too, of the Scottish variety.

Another great UK-Norway WW2 connection is the Shetland Bus, which operated between the island of Shetland and Norway in between 1941 & 1945. The Shetland Isles are the northernmost part of Scotland and the wider British Isles. Boats disguised as working fishing boats secretly supplied the Norwegian Resistance with arms and equipment, with the crews risking life and limb to do so , in a joint Scottish/Norwegian operation.

As probably every Norwegian knows, Shetland was called Zetland up to a few hundred years ago and part of Norway. They passed to Scotland as part of a Norwegian Princess's dowry when she married a Scottish Prince.

I visited Shetland in 2013. There is great affection for Norway throughout with Norwegian flags flying from many buildings. In the small town of Scalloway, from which the Shetland Bus operated, there is a monument to these brave men. Members of the Norwegian Royal Family have been invited over to open new public buildings.


[en.wikipedia.org]

I was very much touched by this image of a 97 year old veteran joining the memorial in Normandy.



I am Dutch, married to a german wife, living in the Eastern German countryside.
These men are living legends to me. I cannot even distantly imagine how it was to go through what they went through to make Europe what it is today.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2019-06-06 15:47 by shattered1978.

It does not escape me that I spent the prime of my youth drinking beers,chasing girls, traveling and going to concerts. Not exactly the same experience for the youth of 75 years ago. My guess would be many of the folks that sacrificed would be glad that i was able to do those things and in fact would have like to do them as well (in their own way and time). i believe that they would only ask that one be cognizant and acknowledge that it would not have possible without significant efforts and sacrifice of the youth of 1944.

A thought for those kids and men and women who gave everything for the freedom we now enjoy.....I do pray that we really learned our lesson and help us never again repeat this terrible chapter in our history.

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leteyer
A thought for those kids and men and women who gave everything for the freedom we now enjoy.....I do pray that we really learned our lesson and help us never again repeat this terrible chapter in our history.

It's starting to feel like "too little, too late" at this point.

Also, on this day, June 6, the D-Day to be in our memories, it is important to remember, and be greatful, to the major contribution from the allied forces including USA and Canada. The UK papers today are stating 1.4 million US service personel arriving into UK to take part on D-Day 1944.

Even more so, new generations have come to build trust and peace, over the past four generations since WW II. Most parts of Europe has been at peace for generations now. Friendships across borders are the best guarantee for peace and tolerance.

It was different days 75-80 years ago. Like many wise persons have said, it is important to learn from history. I trust the numbers as given to us by the statistics. The world may feel unsafe, but there are less wars now then in the past. More peace has been made.

Tom Rice, now age 97, was a 22-year-old member of the US Army's 101st Airborne Division's 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment on D-Day 1944. To quote CNN: Despite being 97, Rice climbed once more into the bone-rattling fuselage of a C-47 and, while flying over the Normandy fields where he first saw action in 1944, leaped into the unknown.

These guys are the true heroes.

A 97-year-old vet jumped out of a plane to recreate his D-Day parachute drop



Bjornulf

Most of us couldn't be persuaded to jump out of an aeroplane on the end of a few yards of silk even if there wasn't anybody shooting at us !

I think of my late dad who was part of the forces storming ashore on June 6, 1944.He ended up being wounded during the Battle Of The Bulge, sustaining the loss of part of a foot and the calve muscle on his left leg. He talked little about what he saw and did in WW II. I thank him and all who served the Allied cause for their service to my country, the world, on this day and many another day.

May the Good Lord Bless all of the Souls of the Dearly Departed who gave so valiantly and bravely to help liberate The European continent from the Tyranny of Nazi Germany . May there sacrifice NEVER be FORGOTTEN !!!

They bravely fought the tyranny of fascism and the Nazi’s.

Rest in peace to all the British soldiers and our beloved allies.

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TheGreek
May the Good Lord Bless all of the Souls of the Dearly Departed who gave so valiantly and bravely to help liberate The European continent from the Tyranny of Nazi Germany . May there sacrifice NEVER be FORGOTTEN !!!

...I cannot say it any better than that. Thank you.

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Kurt

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TheGreek
May the Good Lord Bless all of the Souls of the Dearly Departed who gave so valiantly and bravely to help liberate The European continent from the Tyranny of Nazi Germany . May there sacrifice NEVER be FORGOTTEN !!!

...I cannot say it any better than that. Thank you.

Yes, have been contemplating posting something here, but TheGreek said it best.

_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......

If it weren't for D-Day and the Allied victory my favorite album would be called "Exil an Hauptstraße"



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2019-06-07 01:07 by TornAndFried.

Rather something in azbuka, T&F. Without D-Day Germany (not just DDR) and France would have been in the Russian sphere.

In all honesty the Normandy operation had a marginal effect on the war on Germany as Russia (yes Russia) gave the Nazis the biggest blows all through the war : first in Stalingrad (late 42/early 43) then during the Homeric battle of Kursk (mid-43).

The final blow (Operation Bagration summer 44) took place while the Allies were liberating France.

Yep, Dcba. That is why General Patton was in such a hurry. Stalin asked for a second front (Western Europe) already in 1942.
This is the reason for the "Iron Curtain", the Eastern Bloc and the upcoming Cold War.

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Kurt

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TheGreek
May the Good Lord Bless all of the Souls of the Dearly Departed who gave so valiantly and bravely to help liberate The European continent from the Tyranny of Nazi Germany . May there sacrifice NEVER be FORGOTTEN !!!

...I cannot say it any better than that. Thank you.

Yes, except it should be "their", not "there".

Special shout out to the 14000 Canadian soldiers who stormed Juno Beach that day!