D-Day, the 76th anniversary...

[Mike999]

"The replacements, mostly teenagers, were physically unfit for all but limited military duty, because of food shortages in Germany." 

Quote from Lt Col. Fritz Ziegalmann, Chief of Staff of the German 352nd Infantry Division at Normandy.  The 352nd I.D. defended Omaha Beach, where the hardest fighting of the day took place for the Allies. 

Along with those hungry teenagers, the 352nd also contained quite a few veterans of the Russian Front. They were tough as nails and didn't give up easily. Unlike many of the German "Static Divisions" defending Normandy, which were made up of foreign conscripts and laborers who couldn't wait to surrender.

Ziegalmann was captured and sent to the United States as a POW, where he wrote a detailed history of the 352nd Infantry Division at Normandy.  A researcher for the Jewish Virtual Library found his original report in German and translated it.  It's interesting reading for history buffs.

https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/german-infantry-at-omaha-beach 

[Ace-Garageguy]

 

[DonW]

A great day.

Does anyone know what the 'D' in D-Day stands for?

VE day is of course Victory in Europe. Similarly VJ day. I have a photo of my Dad, in well-worn tropical RAF uniform, squatting on a squadron office desk like a demented frog. On the back of the photo is written: 'Self, drunk, on VJ day'.

But what the D stands for I have no idea. 

[Mike999]

1 hour ago, DonW said:

Does anyone know what the 'D' in D-Day stands for?

Here you go...and you're not alone. "This is the most frequently asked question by visitors to The National WWII Museum."

https://www.army.mil/e2/downloads/rv7/d-day/the-meaning-of-dday-fact.pdf

Edited June 6, 2020 by Mike999
omit

[DonW]

23 hours ago, Mike999 said:

Here you go...and you're not alone. "This is the most frequently asked question by visitors to The National WWII Museum."

https://www.army.mil/e2/downloads/rv7/d-day/the-meaning-of-dday-fact.pdf

Thanks, Mike.It worked out OK, anyway! 

[Lizard Racing]

I always thought the D stood for "Debarkation Day."  When everyone got off the ships.

So many of the young men storming the beaches were only 18 or 19 years old.  I once saw a documentary about B-24 missions and they mentioned the 22 year-old pilot. My son was 22 at that time and I couldn't imagine him commanding a bomber aircraft.  Extrodinary times bring out the best in people.