[rktman]

For those that sacrificed all. There are still people in parts of europe that remember, honor and respect them as well for what they did. One regret I have is not visiting the beaches while in europe. Thanks to those that do remember and honor what happened.

[PGR88]

This place is 21 miles Southwest of Omaha Beach.

[luv2ski]

I was able to visit Normandy and the beaches of D-Day in 2000. The local French people were very pro American, clearly understanding the role we played in their eventual liberation. Walking along the cliffs above the beaches where allied boats landed, my impression was “how did we beat these guys?” The bunkers they had built were several feet thick containing huge guns and only a slit for us to fire into. If the Germans had had a legit air force, we would have been decimated that day.

[Skooz]

BFL

[far sider]

Wow. This made me cry.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

War is Hell.

That’s why, if you’re ever in one, you want to win.

[GOPJ]

“It was tough for them to come back because they felt that in some way they had abandoned the villagers, left them to face the Germans’ revenge,” said Denis Small, mayor of Graignes for the past 22 years. “But the village received them for the liberators that they were.” Two years later, in 1986, the U.S. government recognized Rigault for her courage in aiding the troops as a young girl with an Award for Distinguished Civilian Service.

Great post - thanks rktman...

[FLT-bird]

For all the attention it gets, 2500 KIA and 10,000 casualties total on D-day was relatively not so bad from the American perspective.

Compare that to the Hurtgen Forest where casualties are estimated at between 33,000 and 55,000 depending on what’s counted as part of that battle, or the Battle of the Bulge with 89,000 casualties including 19,000 KIA. Those two battles happened in pretty quick succession too.

[2banana]

Well, you just invited destruction to the entire village...

#####

“The Americans converted the village boys school into a command center, mined access roads and turned the belfry of Graignes’ 12th century church into an observation post.”

[TheDandyMan]

The German troops involved in the massacre were from the 17th SS Panzergrenadier. Graignes consisted of 200 homes before the battle, just two after, the rest were burned. almost 4 dozen French villagers were shot.

The article mentions that the village has invited both American and German veterans to the anniversary. I can’t believe the German vets invited are from the 17th SS.

As a result of being sidetracked digging the Americans out of Graignes, the 17th SS didn’t reach Carentan in time and was pushed back by the 101st Airborne.

[Midwesterner53]

Can a Presidential Medal of Freedom be awarded to a town?

[Tunehead54]

Good post - I’d never read of this - thanks.

Memorial Day Bump!

[GreyFriar]

D-day ping