Tag: Normandy Landings

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Invasion of Normandy
WWII Vet: ‘When We Got to the Beach, There Was No Segregation’

  By Sarah Dejak • June 2, 2014 Uncategorized
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Charles Sprowl, a veteran who served as an army technician in the U.S. First Unit Special Brigade, landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day with his unit. He describes the camaraderie that was created when landing on the beaches of Normandy during World War II. Sprowl explains that there was no … Continue reading

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Invasion of Normandy
Ian Fleming’s 30 Assault Unit Member on the Battle of Cherbourg

  By Virginia Choi • June 1, 2014 Uncategorized

Marine James “Sandy” Powell was a member of the 30 Assault Unit (AU), an elite British Royal commando unit that helped to gather intelligence and carry out interrogations. The group was commanded by Ian Fleming, author of the James Bond spy novel series. Powell explains what his D-Day landing near … Continue reading

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Invasion of Normandy
Barely Surviving the Jump into Sword Beach

  By Virginia Choi • June 1, 2014 Uncategorized
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Fred Millward, a paratrooper of the British 9th Parachute Battalion, part of the 6th Airborne Division, was one of the only paratroopers to survive D-Day and participate in the Allied attack on the Nazis’ Merville Gun Battery, a German coastal fortification on the Atlantic Wall in Normandy. Millward describes how … Continue reading

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Invasion of Normandy
From Utah Beach to Closing the Falaise Pocket

  By Virginia Choi • June 1, 2014 Uncategorized
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Robert Baldridge, a corporal in the U.S. Army, describes what it was like to land on Utah Beach on June 6, 1944 and the days following the Normandy Landings. Baldridge explains what happened during the Battle of Mortain all the way to the Battle of the Falaise Pocket: “There were … Continue reading

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Invasion of Normandy
‘Self-Preservation Is Always at the Cost of Somebody Else’

  By Virginia Choi • June 1, 2014 Uncategorized
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“Part of your thoughts is self-preservation. And unfortunately self-preservation is always at the cost of somebody else.” British veterans Peter and Len go on a road trip to visit Sword Beach, the area where they had landed on D-Day. They describe what their orders were as they arrived on the … Continue reading

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Invasion of Normandy
Two Thousand African-Americans Fought on D-Day

  By Virginia Choi • June 1, 2014 Uncategorized
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African-American soldiers reflect on the Normandy Invasion that took place on June 6, 1944. One veteran emotionally reacts to the cemetery that honors the Americans who fought on Omaha Beach at Pointe du Hoc hill. Allen Price describes being part of the 32 75th Quartermaster Company on D-Day: “Blood all … Continue reading

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Dwight D. Eisenhower
[Text] Eisenhower’s Message to Normandy Invaders

  By Virginia Choi • May 22, 2014 Uncategorized
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After hearing that decent weather may take place on the coasts of Normandy on June 6, 1944, Dwight D. Eisenhower–Supreme Commander of Allied Expeditionary Forces during World War II and future U.S. President–made the momentous choice to begin the Allied Forces advance into Europe on June 5. This invasion was … Continue reading

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Invasion of Normandy
A Veteran Remembers His Close Call on Omaha Beach

  By Witnify • May 22, 2014 Uncategorized
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World War II veteran Torre Tobiassen recalls how Beach Master Joe Vaghi saved his life on D-Day as he and his battalion took Omaha Beach during the Normandy Campaign. Tobiassen also talks about his family taking him to see the movie, Saving Private Ryan, due to the D-Day scene in … Continue reading

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Invasion of Normandy
‘You Didn’t Have Time to be Frightened’

  By Witnify • May 22, 2014 Uncategorized
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Ian Hammerton, British commander of a flail tank during WWII, recalls landing on Juno Beach during D-Day. Hammerton describes seeing many dead and wounded soldiers already on the beach as he arrived. He also remembers the hectic environment that surrounded him during the Normandy landing.

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Invasion of Normandy
[Text] Vivid Description of Surviving Omaha Beach

  By Veterans History Project • May 21, 2014 Uncategorized
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“All of our leaders were gone. It was just — just a bunch of privates and sergeants and corporals trying to, you know, get something going and trying to get it to succeed…Nobody could possibly be trained for what we found that day. But you learn fast, you know. It’s … Continue reading