The untold story of the battle that helped end WW2 in Europe

[S-W4EVER]

When we were kids, it seemed like everyone’s Dad was a WW2 Vet. I’m a first-born so my Dad was a Korean War Vet.

Many of these men were wounded but no one made an issue out of it. My Pee Wee Football Coach’s knee would lock up periodically from an old wound, and he was a mail man.

When I worked after school at the local (DFW) Ford-Mercury dealership, one day the Vets were reminiscing about WW2 and the Sales Manager showed a horrible shrapnel scar on the right side of his stomach. He got it at Anzio and said the seawater was blood red…

The younger guys were Vietnam War Veterans. Being younger than my Dad, I could really relate to them. I knew if I didn’t serve I would someday have to sit on my hands while the Vets told their war stories.

Ultimately I quit HS and enlisted in the Army and I still believe that is one of the best decisions I ever made. It changed my life.

I taught my daughters that all US Soldiers are in a way related and we live on a continuum. We are related to the Soldiers at Valley Forge. My girls served in the Army too (they were pretty young when I began training them. We spent a lot of time on the Range).

In less than two weeks our Army will be 250 years old, older than our Country.

 

[CajunBass]

I used to work in a grocery store in Fredericksburg, Va. One afternoon, taking a customers groceries out, I noticed his 17th Airborn cap. We got to talking about his experiences in the war. He said his unit had missed D-day, and Market Garden, but "We were in on the last big jump crossing the Rhine. Some genius, who no doubt went to West Point, came up with the bright idea to drop us on top on the German Artillery. Right on top. That way we didn't have to march far to get into the fight, I guess."

"Those Krauts shot the "stuffing" (not his word) out of us on the way down." Then pulling himself up to his full 5-6, he snapped almost to attention and said, with pride filling his voice, "But we took those guns."

It was a real honor to meet him, and several other WWII vets.

 

[fordson]

The zones of occupation were already decided at Yalta with Berlin and its approaches in the Soviet zone. Eisenhower had previously decided that he didn’t want to “waste” Allies lives and material taking territories that would be handed back to the Soviets. The prestige of marching to Berlin did not outweigh the cost.

 

[Mr. Vito]

When France fell to the Germans, the remnants of the British Army were trapped at Dunkirk. Goering wanted the honor of destroying the British force with his Luftwaffa, but bad weather kept them from effectively doing the job, giving the Brits the opportunity to evacuate most of the troops back to the U.K. Had it not been for the bad weather, the Brits likely would have lost their entire military force, increasing the likelihood of a German invasion of Britain itself. Without military forces its very likely that the Brits would have quickly fallen or surrendered to the Germans. And without the U.K. as a staging area, the U.S. would probably have not had a viable option for engaging the Germans and would have focused solely on the Pacific theater. Germany would have not had a second front, and likely would have ultimately defeated the Soviet resistance. Our world today would have been totally different, and all due to a few days of bad weather over the Atlantic coast of France.

 

[S-W4EVER]

Amazing how a little out-of-the-box thinking can change the course of history. Absolutely brilliant…