Eighty years ago tonight...

[Beemerguy53]

...this very C-47, tail number 42-92847, took off from Greenham Common airfield in Britain, and led 800 sister ships, carrying 13,000+ paratroopers, to begin the invasion of occupied Europe.

Eighty years already! Eight decades since those brave young men parachuted into the darkness, and stormed the beaches at daybreak, to liberate the oppressed people of Europe from the yoke of Third Reich fascism and Hitler's tyranny.

The veterans of D-Day are fading into history now...the youngest among them are at least 97 or 98 years old...but free people everywhere will never forget their courage and determination on that June night in 1944...

That's All, Brother – The airplane that led the main airborne formation on D-Day

 

[rwsmith]

I had no idea....

...that they dropped that many paratroopers. Well, have a solemn but happy D-Day celebration!

 

[Beemerguy53]

...that they dropped that many paratroopers. Well, have a solemn but happy D-Day celebration!

Can you imagine the sound of 800 twin-engine aircraft, flying slowly at low altitude as they neared the drop zones? The Germans surely knew this was it...

 

[NYlakesider]

Can you imagine the sound of 800 twin-engine aircraft, flying slowly at low altitude as they neared the drop zones? The Germans surely knew this was it...

Good thing Hitler was sleeping and could not be disturbed. That prevented a bigger loss of young lives!

 

[Glynn863]

My paternal uncle's late father (Buddy) was a radio operator on a C-47 and participated in D-Day. He told me several years ago that they made 3 paratroop and equipment drops that day, and then evacuated wounded back to England when a suitable airfield had been secured in France. His unit was transient, and also served in Italy. Buddy later worked for and retired from the telephone company and lived to be 98.

 

[Rudi]

An amazing feat! Carried out by heroes. We still owe them.

 

[LAH]

I'm standing here with Lee Tucker at our local assembly a few years back. He was on one of those planes.

 

[Old 44 Guy]

I was 13 then. Remember WW2 very well. Worked with a bunch of ex Gi's and remember their stories, lots of memories. All are gone now

 

[Beemerguy53]

For those of us who have seen Band of Brothers...

I have had the privilege of visiting the graves in Luxembourg of Skip Muck and Alex Penkala (KIA in the Battle of the Bulge) and Dick Winters and Wild Bill Guarnere, who are buried a few miles apart west of Philadelphia.

Brave men all...God bless them...

 

[Exaviator]

The fought and died for democracy, something that should not be taken for granted, and each generation should be prepared to defend...

 

[S-W4EVER]

I was 13 then. Remember WW2 very well. Worked with a bunch of ex Gi's and remember their stories, lots of memories. All are gone now

My Dad turned 13 a couple weeks after D-Day. When I was a kid in DFW it seemed like every man I knew either served in WW1, WW2, Korea, or Vietnam. I looked up to all of them. I remember them occasionally telling war stories. I knew if I didn't enlist I'd just have to sit there and listen as I wouldn't have any war stories of my own to tell. It seemed like doing a hitch in the Military was a rite of passage.

My Dad did 20 in the Silent Service, his sister and four brothers also served in the Military. I served in the Army as did my daughters. My cousin's husband served in the Air Force in Vietnam and their three children served in the Army. I'm told our family has served in every war this Country has fought. I guess it's the family business...

 

[oldbrownhat]

Can you imagine the sound of 800 twin-engine aircraft, flying slowly at low altitude as they neared the drop zones? The Germans surely knew this was it...

One of the several video clips I saw, a collection of Canadian D-Day veterans' stories, had a brief comment from Vice Admiral Friedrich Ruge, then in his 80's, who said that they knew that if the Allies made it up off the beaches, they couldn't be stopped. They did, and they couldn't.

There was another interview with one of the Canadian glider pilots. He said he wasn't afraid as they glided in, "until they started shooting at us, and that changed our attitude a little."

 

[HOUSTON RICK]

Good thing the panzer units were held back. Let's keep the faith and do what we can to honor and maintain the country these men and other men sacrificed and risked everything for.