Before D Day Invasion there were a lot of other invasions during WWII. The ones I am familiar with are the Invasion of North Africa, 8-16 of November 1942. Next was the Invasion of Sicily, 9-10 of July 1943. The Invasion of the Italian "Boot" was on 3 September 1943.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Torch
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allied_invasion_of_Sicily
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allied_invasion_of_Italy

The last one, the Invasion of Normandy, we honor today, 6 June 1944.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invasion_of_Normandy

I heard the stories of these operations many times as I was growing up. Being a USAF dependent, I heard the stories first hand from my old man the many friends of my old man. He made all 4 of the Invasion. I was lucky enough to visit the sites of some of the places during his assignments to Europe. May he Rest in Peace.

Thank You All

Glad you got your 100k on D Day.

Yes Sir. My blood hit that beach in Normandy, fought until the war was over and lived. Lots of good men died in other campaigns that are seldom remembered. RIP

One of my most memorable trips.

Awesome post!

Great Post and well played DC.

My very best to the greatest generation we'll ever know. They defined us as a country, and still influence everything I do and say that is good about our great country.
DC

My Grandfather fought the Nazis in ww2. He always instilled in me the importance of D-Day. It also happens to be my birthday. 59 years ago today I was hatched

Happy birthday Old Man! My mom couldn’t hold on for one more day

June 6th, 1944 -- Rudder's Rangers fight with distinction on Normandy beaches
On this day in 1944, D-day, James Earl Rudder commanded the Second Ranger Battalion as it achieved one of the great feats of arms of the Normandy invasion. Rudder, a native of Eden, Texas, had served in the army in the 1930s and was recalled to duty during World War II. He became commander and trainer of the elite Second Ranger Battalion in 1943. On D-day Rudder's Rangers stormed the beach at Pointe du Hoc and, under constant enemy fire, scaled 100-foot cliffs to reach and destroy German gun batteries. The battalion suffered higher than 50 percent casualties, and Rudder himself was wounded twice. In spite of this, he and his men helped establish a beachhead for the Allied forces. In later life Rudder became president of Texas A&M. In 1967 he received the Distinguished Service Medal from President Lyndon Johnson.

Wow, Snake. That's right. You were born on the 5th...Happy belated birthday, youngster. .


A poem I wrote a few years ago

"The 6th of June at 6:00 in the morn, our ships and our troops rolled in like a storm."
"With weapons and courage they hit the beach, taking fire from the enemy looking for a path they could breach".
"With fear and trepidation, bombs and bullets they endured,
They never stopped pushing so our freedom would be assured.
On this day, the anniversary of my birth, sometimes it's hard to see my own worth.

"Such courage and sacrifice I may never find, let us all agree, no soldier left behind."
"After all of the wars and all the lives lost, let us always remember freedom DOES have a cost."

"To our soldiers and veterans, Men and Women who served, who may not have received the thanks they deserved.
"On this day of remembrance let's not forget, it's never too late to "God bless our vets".

Have a blessed day everyone, and God bless America.

Another good one. We discussed it on THF awhile back.

A good old Texas boy who became a man after he went "To Hell and Back."

Normandy was not the last D-Day The invasion of Southern France came in August and every invasion of an island in the Pacific had it's D-Day.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Dragoon