Tag: World War II

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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
Learn About the Elite ‘Screaming Angels’ on D-Day

  By Virginia Choi • June 1, 2014 Uncategorized
Easy Company, 2nd Battalion of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division, the "Screaming Eagles." Source: Unknown.

“I think adrenaline was such that you didn’t have the normal response to this kind of thing. You had an urgency…you had to start doing something and doing it quickly or you were in big trouble.” -Sergeant Bill Coleman Paratroopers of the Easy “E” Company, 2nd Battalion of the 506th … 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
Guilt Over Seasickness at Juno Beach

  By Virginia Choi • June 1, 2014 Uncategorized
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Decorated veteran Gordon Smith, part of the 1051 Port Company Royal Engineers, recalls arriving at Juno Beach a day after the Normandy Landings. Smith recalls collapsing while trying to keep himself steady in a packed and tottering barge as his unit awaited orders to get to the beachhead. Strangers placed … 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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Attack on Pearl Harbor
An Eyewitness to Pearl Harbor

  By Witnify • May 22, 2014 Uncategorized
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World War II veteran Harold Ward, who served with the U.S. Navy, experienced the attack on Pearl Harbor firsthand. Ward recalls observing the entire attack from his battle station on the U.S.S San Francisco, describing it as both “scary” and “awesome.” Ward later goes on to explain what his assignment … Continue reading

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Tuskegee Airmen
Charles McGee as a Tuskegee Airmen

  By Witnify • May 22, 2014 Uncategorized
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Veteran Charles McGee discusses why he decided to enter the military during World War II. McGee signed up to become part of the first African American aviation group for the war known as the Tuskegee Airmen. He recalls the preparation to become a fighter pilot and what his first missions … Continue reading