“Soldiers, Sailors, and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force!”
You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you. In company with our brave Allies and brothers-in-arms on other fronts, you will bring about the destruction fo the German war machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of Europe, and security for ourselves in a free world.
Your task will not e an easy one. Your enemy is well trained, well equipped and battle-hardened.He will fight savagely.
But this is the year 1944! Much has happened since the Nazi triumphs of 1940-41. The United Nations have inflicted upon the Germans great defeats, in open battle, man-to-man. Our air offensive has seriously reduced their strength in the air and their capacity to wage war on the ground. Our Home Fronts have given us an overwhelming superiority in weapons and munitions of war, and placed at our disposal great reserves of trained fighting men. The tide has turned! The free men of the world are marching together to Victory!
I have full confidence in your courage, devotion to duty and skill in battle. We will accept nothing less than full Victory!
Good Luck! And let us all beseech the blessing of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking.
–Dwight D. Eisenhower
Supreme Commander, Allied Expeditionary Force
6 June 1944
And that’s pretty much how it happened.
Allied dead were about 3000 the first day alone. I question whether our generation would be capable of such a thing.
gst
June 6, 2010
My dad’s uncle, Col. Reed Jordan, was the PIO for SHAEF, and he left with my uncle the originals of his daily press releases from June 6, 1944, to May 8, 1945. They are now at BYU, and they make interesting reading. When he died a couple of years ago, he was the last living witness of the signing of the instrument of surrender.
As to your question, Vader, I believe that the American fighting man is still capable of that kind of sacrifice, but I tend to doubt that the rest of us are.
Vader
June 6, 2010
The fact that those actually doing the dying seem willing to take that chance for their country, and those denouncing casualties are rarely in a position to become one, suggests that the former are mere props to the latter.
I acknowledge that there are exceptions.
jeremy
June 22, 2010
our generation wouldn’t need to do such a thing.