The invasion
of France on June 6, 1944 was a triumph of intelligence, coordination, secrecy,
and planning.
The bold
attack was also a tremendous risk. Ultimately it succeeded because of individual
soldiers' bravery in combat.
An invading
army had not crossed the unpredictable, dangerous English Channel since 1688 --
and once the massive force set out, there was no turning back.
The
5000-vessel armada stretched as far as the eye could see, transporting over
150,000 men and nearly 30,000 vehicles across the channel to the French beaches.
Six parachute
regiments -- over 13,000 men -- were flown from nine British airfields in over
800 planes.
More than 300
planes dropped 13,000 bombs over coastal Normandy immediately in advance of the
invasion.
By nightfall
on June 6, more than 9,000 Allied soldiers were dead or wounded, but more than
100,000 had made it to shore securing French and coastal villages.
D-Day
Monument
In recent
years, only 3 times did a president fail to go to the D-Day Monument that honors
the soldiers killed on D-Day.
Those 3 years
missed by a US President were:
1. Barack
Obama 2010
2. Barack
Obama 2011
3. Barack
Obama 2012
For the past
70 years, all presidents, except Obama, have paid tribute to the fallen soldiers
killed on D-Day. This year, instead of honoring the soldiers, he made a
campaign trip on Air Force One to California to raise funds for the upcoming
election.
Commander in
Chief?
Surprised?
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