D-Day – 2019 The 75th Anniversary

On June 6, 2019 we will commence the celebration of the 75th Anniversary of the Allied Invasion of Normandy. It is a momentous and historical occasion to celebrate reconciliation, liberty, and most of all Peace. Peace and liberation from the, then, NAZI Occupation of North-West Europe.

My name is Kerry Harkins and I am a USAF Veteran from the Vietnam Era… As such, I cannot provide, you, the reader with first hand knowledge of how D-Day came about or what happened when men stepped off their Navy landing craft into the temperate waters of Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword Beaches…, but like all of you I must study its History… I am 76 years old and retired but strive to do my best for Veterans as a Massachusetts Commander of DAV Chapter #90, Norwood, MA.

At 76 years old, I was only a child of two on June 6, 1944, so I never knew much about D-Day until many years later… The average age of the men on that fateful D-Day was 26, which would make most of the Soldiers, Marines, Navy, Airmen and Coastguardsmen about 101 years old today. Granted that some men may have been 18-years old when they enlisted and that would make them 93-years old this year… One can easily draw the conclusion that there are very few WWII former military men still alive today… Sad but true… In a few more years there will be no one from WWII remaining… We shall have only the History of that very sad, but necessary, WWII occurrence in Europe.

I was honored recently by One of our RP Members, CW4 Craig Urban , who provided me with a report that His Uncle “Matt Urban” the ghost, as the Germans called him “Stormed Normandy”. After his Executive Officer and Battalion Commander were killed in battle, He took over as the Battalion Commander. Because of His heroic action, over and above, He received three (3) Silver Stars, Seven (7) Purple Hearts, and the Medal of Honor. CW4 Craig Urban’s Uncle, Matt Urban, died at the ripe old age of 93 in Holland, Michigan.

“Matt Louis Urban was a United States Army lieutenant colonel who is best known for being one of the most decorated American soldiers of World War II. Urban performed valiantly in combat on many occasions despite being wounded in action several times.” Wikipedia
Matt Louis was born on August 25, 1919, Buffalo, NY, and was a graduate of Cornell University. He died on March 4, 1995, in Holland, MI. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA. In WWII, He participated in Operation Overlord (Normandy), the North African Campaign, and the Allied invasion of Sicily.

D-Day, June 6, 1944:

Twelve allied Nations were part of a broad coalition of forces in the invasion of Normandy. These Coalition Forces included Australia, Canada, Belgium, France, Czechoslovakia, Greece, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, the United Kingdom, and the United States… This coalition and the Normandy invasion became known as “Operation Overlord”.

This Operation was an extremely important component of the Allied invasion of Normandy and Continental Europe… It became the impetus for defeating Hitler’s 3rd Reich throughout Europe.

During the initial landing, some 13,000 American paratroopers for both the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions parachuted out of the sky, early on June 6, 1944, and were followed by 3,937 glider troops flown in during the daylight hours… From the Navy landing craft came some 112 tanks from the 741st & 743rd Tank Battalions and included both Sherman tanks and Sherman bulldozers for clearing debris and major obstacles.

On the Air side of the battle, there were some 12,000 allied aircraft available in support of the Beach landings in Normandy… Amazingly, some 14,674 sorties were flown on D-Day and a small number of aircraft were lost during the air bombings. Over 100,000 Allied and German troops were killed during the battle of Normandy as well as approximately 20,000 French civilians. Many of those killed were deemed to be a result of Allied Bombing…

For the record, casualties at Utah Beach were a bit lighter, in the range of 197, and that included about 60 reported as missing. Omaha Beach was a different story, however, as the U.S. 1st & 29th Divisions reported something in the order of 2,000 casualties.

One of the questions most often asked is: How many died at Normandy on D-Day? It is all about the odds. It has been reported that over 425,000 Allied and German Troops were either killed, wounded, or missing. The 425,000 figure includes more than 209,000 Allied casualties. Ground based troops were hit

hard, with close to 37,000 dead, while the Allied Air Forces attributed about 16,700 deaths. It was said that a paratrooper had about a 25% of survival during the Normandy invasion…

The approximate cost of Operation Overlord, in human lives lost was high on both sides of the grid. It is amazing to learn that from D-Day to August 21, 1944, that the Allies landed more than 2,000,000 men in Northern France with more than 226,000 casualties. In addition, there were some nearly 73,000 either killed or missing and upwards of 154,000 wounded.

Did you know that in the Normandy American Cemetery, there are 9,387 Americans buried there and most who gave their lives in the landing and invasion on D-Day? This cemetery is located on land that France bequeathed to the United States in perpetuity. It is also one of the fourteen (14) permanent WWII military cemeteries that was constructed on foreign soil.

To conclude this 75th Anniversary Tribute, it is important to note that if this day, this D-Day had not transpired as it unfolded on June 6th, 1944, the outcome of WWII in Europe might have been different. However, it was the collective strength of a strong coalition of Nations who dug in, worked almost seamlessly together to overthrow the radical regime of Adolph Hitler and his attempt to wipe out the Jewish population and run rampant over Europe.

Summary:
In the months and years leading up to D-Day, Adolf Hitler and his Nazi party decimated the Germany the world knew in the 1930’s and early 1940’s! Any freedoms that existed were soon eliminated by his radical approach to governing… Germany was taking over Europe and faced a tough Russian opponent to the East…and a war between Germany & Russia became a single front war against Russia!
The Allies saw that there was an opportunity to squeeze Hitler’s Armed Forces if they could hit them from the West… Thus, the military powers devised a plan of attack on the west coast of France on the beaches of Normandy… Germany, however, had fortified their front on the west, basically taking over France up to the Atlantic’s English Channel and building huge armed fortifications to protect themselves from forces at sea.
D-Day, June 6, 1944 was the beginning of the world’s fight against Nazi Germany and would lead to ultimate victory over Hitler and His ravaged Country.
On this 75th anniversary beach heads of Normandy we reflect on the the sacrifices made & the many strategic and tactical plans and achievements that resulted in a change to the balance of power in this region.  

Notes:

1) The included video #1 is the Hymn of the Fallen, by John Williams and the backdrop images delineate WWII burial locations of our Fallen Military men and Women who died in combat and the numbers at each location…

2) The included video #2 is from the National Archives help one understand, in part, what occurred prior to and during D-Day, June 6, 1944. (Cont’d)


Accompanying Videos for 75th Anniversary of D-Day by requested order of use. Kerry F. Harkins

1) Video – “Hymn to the Fallen”, by John Williams - https://youtu.be/Omd9_FJnerY


2) Video – National Archives – hosted by YouTube - https://youtu.be/9gwLfdLOmgM