The 80th Anniversary of the D-Day invasion is taking place today, and it is an important day in the history of the free world. As a WWII scholar and historian who focuses a lot on the European campaign, this day is evoking some strong emotions for me on the sacrifices so many English, American, and Canadian soldiers made to begin the liberation process of France and start driving the Nazi forces out of occupied countries.
My grandfather served in Patton's 3rd army during the latter part of the Battle of Bulge in January of 1945, and he was shot through the neck by a sniper in the Spring when his platoon was making their way through a German city. Thankfully, he survived, and he's the primary reason why I am so passionate about preserving this history.
Here are some startling statistics I learned from the news this morning:
View attachment 264468
Thank you to all of those who contributed to the successful landings on the Normandy beaches, and thank you to all of their families as well. While my grandpa was not there for the invasion, he helped to push the Germans back into Germany later in the European campaign. I was struck to learn from my wife that he was 25 years old when he was commissioned, which tells me that America was digging deep into the pool to throw all available resources at winning the war in Europe as swiftly as possible.
My current WWII study is Eisenhower's memoir
Crusade in Europe, and it is outstanding: