D-day landings anniversary today

GGizmo

GGizmo

GGizmo

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The 80th anniversary of the D day landings at Normandy, France as British men and women, along with our allies, attacked the Nazi reich.

If the Nazis had been successful I think today a lot of us wouldn't be allowed to spend time on computers playing games.

Some of us might not even be here. We'd be either expelled, put into concentration camps, killed or aborted.

www.bbc.co.uk

D-Day 80: Veterans make crossing from Portsmouth to France

About 25 D-Day veterans are making the ferry crossing from Portsmouth.
www.bbc.co.uk

news.sky.com

D-Day 80 - latest: D-Day anniversary events begin - as expert explains how Russia, not Germany, was the biggest threat from failure

D-Day's 80th anniversary comes as war rages in Europe and the number of veterans who can tell their stories dwindles. Events commemorating history's most audacious amphibious assault kick off today and Sky News will be bringing everything you need to know from the UK and Normandy.
news.sky.com news.sky.com

www.theguardian.com

D-day landings 80th anniversary: share your stories

We would like to hear if any of your family members were involved in D-day and how you might be celebrating this year
www.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com
 
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Little bit early there bud! :p
 
It really is quite sad that so many young either don’t know or care about D Day..

www.dailymail.co.uk

Fewer than half of young UK adults know what D-Day is

The research was carried out to coincide with the 80th anniversary of D-Day on June 6 this year.
www.dailymail.co.uk

www.telegraph.co.uk

Nearly half of young adults do not know what D-Day is

Calls to better engage public in commemoration efforts ahead of 80th anniversary of Normandy landings as survey reveals worrying statistic
www.telegraph.co.uk www.telegraph.co.uk

Those (including my grandfather) who fought would be turning in their graves if they saw the UK today :(
 
Liefrich said:
I'm not quite sure this is accurate. By all objective measures, the UK & the world is a better place to live now than before WW2 and afterwards. I think nostalgia often clouds people's perception of the true reality of the situation.
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Yep. Folk need to read Factfulness and stop living in their bubbles.
 
it’s sort of the anniversary I suppose. Given it was delayed by a day and that decision to delay was on the 4th.
 
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The lack of knowledge in the younger generations is pretty saddening, I wouldn't like to think if a conflict escalated out of control and something like that was thrust upon us these days.

The Mrs was on a trip to New York last week and 90% didn't even know what 9/11 or the twin towers were when they visited ground zero, they were more inclined to mess up the flowers and do tik toks at the memorial :(

This chap from a few years ago has stuck with me, the last few lines are very impactful:

 
Liefrich said:
I'm not quite sure this is accurate. By all objective measures, the UK & the world is a better place to live now than before WW2 and afterwards. I think nostalgia often clouds people's perception of the true reality of the situation.
Click to expand...
Oh I’m 100% with you on this.

My point was, people often point the finger at the supposed state of the UK when the west or indeed the rest of the world suffer the same issues. Pollution, wars, corruption, inequality etc etc. Sadly civilisation wont learn. We do however live much better and richer than we ever have, at least in the west.
 
Been watching some of the commemorative things on TV watched The Longest Day at the weekend and some other things but this stood out its a docudrama featuring recreation footage along with interview tapes of those who where there presented by actors who look like them at the time miming to the words, sounds silly but its actually very well done. It very visceral and very moving as well. British, americans, french and even germans manning the posts are all represented some of the interviews are the first time they've been aired.

www.bbc.co.uk

D-Day: The Unheard Tapes - Series 1: Episode 1

The Allies launch a high-stakes invasion of Nazi-occupied France to win the war.
www.bbc.co.uk www.bbc.co.uk
 
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Popped into Upottery Airfield in Devon last weekend, where the 506th took off from

Little memorial there and runways still seem to be there too

I've been to Both ends of this flight now, here and St Mere Eglise / Brecourt / Utah beach as well as Aldborne near Swindon

Also drove down Purple Heart Lane last summer, so strange to see a few hundred yards of road that you can just drive along today that 80 years ago was a deadly bayonet charge away

also "We have ways of making you talk" podcast has been good the last couple of weeks https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDh2GK4Rx-Y&list=WL&index=3

Was due to be a Lancaster flypast tomorrow here, but unfortunately all grounded still after that terrible Spitfire crash recently
 
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Saw some of the Ghurkas out cleaning the local memorials today, the town is plastered in poppies too.

Went to Normandy on the way back from a stay in the Dordogne a few years back, and went into the Omaha cemetery - my god, I honestly wasn't expecting to see that many headstones; it was an instant lump in the throat moment, and I just walked around speachless in shock and awe.

We visited most of the landing beaches and went to a few of the exhibits - would have dearly loved to spend more time exploring, but we sadly only had the day, as we were coming home.

I watch quite a lot of WW2 history content on YouTube and am forever re-watching the old World at War TV series from the.... 80s (I think), also got a bunch of books I'm working through; and honestly, reading and hearing the stories of the things people went though, and did to fellow humans.... you can't begin to imagine it as an average Joe. And in a way, you have to be thankful for that fact, especially when there are civilians all over the world, right now, suffering in ways we'd turn our heads away if it were an animal.

What these people did almost 80 years ago, and those before (and after) them, is something we and all generations should never forget
 
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