10th May 1940: Germany invaded France, Belgium and the Netherlands.
@Herr:
I feel old now. My dad was born during the First World War.
Here’s a somewhat similar story. I once read (about 15 years ago) a posting by an American college professor of military history who said that, in his lectures over the years, he would sometimes mention that his father was a veteran who had fought in “the war”, by which he meant WWII. For many of those years, his late-teenage / early-adult students would typically understand what he meant. One day, however, he got a bit of a jolt (and started feeling old) when one of his students raised his hand and casually commented, “My dad fought in Vietnam too.” Given that this story happened about fifteen years ago, the poor fellow must feel even older today.
Not totally related but I felt the generation change when I asked in my classroom how many saw the first Star Wars movie (Ep. IV) and only 3 hands out of 30 were raise…
Yeah, and now all of a sudden we should feel something like an awaakening :roll:.
The youth of today can not relate to WWII anymore.
Most of the Veterans are gone and you have to deal nowadays with fantastic storybooks of it where only the half is true.
Memorials becoming more interest because People don’t know for what they stand for.
Enjoy.
Enjoyed that, thank you AetV.
Thanks to all service men past and present for your services in the armed forces !
Maybe the kids now adays would remember history if they had cell phones in WW2. :-(
In remembrance of all those who served in the D-Day landings 74 years ago- especially those who gave their lives for their country and their cause. My hat’s off to them.
June 10 is a day that will live on in infamy. It was marked by several well-known German atrocities against the civilian population of occupied countries.
On this day in 1942, the Germans started the destruction of the village of Lidice in Czechoslovakia and the massacre of its population. On the same day in 1944, the villages of Oradour-sur-Glane in France and Distomo in Greece were destroyed in a similar way.
Today is the start of the Eastern Front.
And also, the beginning of its end, three years later.
Thank God it worked out in our (the Allies) favor!
On this day in 1941, a certain Romanian “locotenet,” a former Iron Guardist, a fascist of the lowest sort, commenced his shenanagans on the Eastern Front. He was quoted as saying this to his artillery commander when he lost his patience and wanted to fire what he thought would be the first shot of Barbarossa: “Is it that we cannot start because Mr. (Germany? Hitler?) wants all the credit? We want to get to the pubs in Odessa before the Germans, do we not?”
In a more figurative translation, he wanted to quickly end the war and get a beer. Despicable man.
I was referring more to his insubordinance and the atrocities he later committed in Moldova and Ukraine. Some people seem to forget that genocide and civillian abuse were not only the main Axis powers’ method of war.
My personal opinion on the matter is that I like no wars and dry weddings.
And I would appreciate if you would stop insulting France.
I just watched The King’s Choice. At least some Norwegians have a patriotic view of the war.
Hope this will post
https://www.opslens.com/files/2017/06/100204-F-1234S-002-1.jpg
Well https://www.opslens.com/files/2017/06/100204-F-1234S-002-1.jpgiltryagain
Ok it’s the b 25 s that I thought looked cool. Anyway…
July 3rd 1944, the British and Canadian armies were locked in bitter fighting liberating Caen. Vive la france!
5th July 43: The battle of Kursk began today. It would prove to be Germany’s last offensive in the East. Units from Model’s 9th Army attacked from the north, while units from Hoth’s 4PZ Army attacked alongside Army Detachment Kempf attacked into the salient from the south.
The Germans used 90 new Ferdinands and 200 Panthers, alongside the tried and tested older Mk IIIs, IVs and various independent Companies of Tigers as well as full strength 503rd amd 505th Heavy Tank Battalions.
The Russians were prepared, having mined extensively and installed 1000s of AT guns and Artillery pieces.
August 8, 1944. Western Front
On this day in 1944, German panzer ace Michael Wittmann and his entire crew are killed after being ambushed by Allied tanks in Normandy.
On 8 August 1944, Anglo-Canadian forces launched Operation Totalize. Under the cover of darkness, British and Canadian tanks and soldiers seized the tactically important high ground near the town of Saint-Aignan-de-Cramesnil. Here they paused, awaiting an aerial bombardment that would signal the next phase of the attack. Unaware of the reason the Allied forces had halted, Kurt Meyer, of the SS Hitlerjugend Division, ordered elements of his command to counterattack and recapture the high ground.
Wittmann led a group of seven Tiger tanks, from the Heavy SS-Panzer Battalion 101, supported by additional tanks and infantry. His group of Tigers, crossing open terrain towards the high ground, was ambushed by tanks from A Squadron 1st Northamptonshire Yeomanry, A Squadron Sherbrooke Fusilier Regiment, and B Squadron 144th Regiment Royal Armoured Corps. During the ambush, anti-tank shells – fired from either the British or Canadian tanks – penetrated the upper hull of Wittmann’s tank, igniting the ammunition. The resulting fire engulfed the tank and blew off the turret. The crew of the destroyed tank were buried in an unmarked grave. In 1983, the German war graves commission located the burial site. Wittmann and his crew were reinterred together at the La Cambe German war cemetery in France.
Source: Wikipedia
August 8, 1940. Battle of Britain
For the first time in two weeks the British send a shipping convoy of about 25 merchant ships with armed Royal Navy escorts through the English Channel. However, the German Freya Radar at Cap Gris Nez had picked them up, and it was a gift that was not to be missed. German Torpedo boats attack before dawn sinking three steamers, then out went the order to the 8th Flying Corps at Abbeville to send out all available Ju87 Stuka dive-bombers and the fighters based at the Luftwaffe 27 Group at Carquebut and Crepon, with orders for all aircraft to set course for the British convoy CW9 codenamed “Peewit”. In all, some 300 Ju87’s and 150 Bf109s take to the air with orders to destroy this convoy.
Spitfires of 41st, 64th, 65th and 610th Squadrons scrambled immediately and headed for the Channel to intercept the German formation. A dogfight of huge proportions then took place between the Royal Air Force and the Luftwaffe as several hundred aircraft fought over the English Channel. Later that day the convoy was again attacked off the Isle of Wight and another huge air battle took place. With the Luftwaffe planes low on fuel it was a short but hard fought exchange with heavy loses for both sides. This was a bad day for the Royal Air Force with several pilots Killed although losses for the Luftwaffe were also heavy.
