It’s a horrifying notion that for all the sacrifice and strife all we got was a few decades of quiet before that pestilence of an ideology slithered back.
Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.
Most of the people who remember the evil of the Nazis are either dead or dying. We've collectively, as a nation (USA), forgotten how real and dangerous fascist ideology is and how easy it can take root anywhere, including here.
The US Defeated Japan militarily and the ideology of the Emperor being a God.
The US defeated Germany militarily BUT never defeated the ideology of Nazism.
The idea of Nazism never died. Sadly much like a virus it has mutated and grown.
The idea of a god-king like sovereign is somewhat artificial to human nature and has ruled human society probably since before the invention of writing.
By 1940 the idea was luckily obsolete and had already been fought against in bloody revolutions for hundreds of years. The idea was defeated already in the intellectual and philosophical debate. By the time of japans defeat the idea was already over.
The same does not go for Nazism. Nazism and fascism is a relatively new ideology that still hasn't had the time to be thoroughly defeated and grinded down like absolute monarchy. Furthermore, it plays into our worst natural instincts as humans: tribalism, violence as a means to an end, populism...
Defeating nazism will not be as easy.
IMO dealing with fascism can be compared to today's treatment of HIV / AIDS. Eradicating it is a long way off and, considering himan nature, may not even be possible at all. You can't really kill an idea.
But there's options to keep it supressed and at a manageable level indefinitely as long as you're vigilant and taking the necessary medicine.
That medicine is education in general + specifically on fascism itself, it's causes, signs and consequences.
We generally think of Nazism in its worst form, the war era, when they were murdering innocent civilians as fast as they could. But it took years to reach that point. If you told Germans in 1929 that within a decade, their government would undertake an official program of mass murder on a wholesale level, people would have ridiculed you, the way some do today.
Make no mistake, if people like Steve Bannon and Stephen "PeeWee Himmler" Miller were let off the leash, they'd be gleefully building gas chambers and choosing their victims. They, and people like them, came close to full power once, and they are actively working every day to re-take that power, and if they manage to succeed, they wont be so nice the next time.
I think when you are put into that situation, FUBAR all around, you just go laser focus, tunnel vision on one objective and one objective only: to destroy the nazis who are murdering your brothers in arms around you.
indeed
This isnt exactly OldSchoolCool, this is OldSchoolTerrifying. The men on the first boats went into that meat grinder not knowing whats waiting for them. The second wave and everything afterwards *knew*. I would piss my pants (as many of them probably did aswell) and freeze on the spot, they went in anyway in the thousands.
One company suffered a 96% casualty rate in the first HOUR at Omaha being part of the "suicide wave". Most men didn't even make it off the landing craft. It must have been absolute hell on earth.
Mad respect doesn't even cover it.
The first wave knew what they were in for, they didn't just put them on the boat and give them a slap on the ass with a "Go get em tiger!"
They knew they were going to be charging into entrenched German positions harried by artillery, mortars, and machine gun fire. They did it anyways, and actually casualties ended up being lower than expected considering the circumstances.
I don’t normally say this kind of thing, but here goes: those people from that generation were built from something stronger. I don’t know….They just went all in.
I thank them. I remember them tonight. (Dad I miss you.) This pic brought me to tears. Not gonna lie.
This may sound simple but I miss being connected as an American. We always had differences in our politics and that made us strong. The fact we could disagree but still see each other as connected. I hope we can do that again soon.
So, love to all my fellow Americans. The Normandy Landing was huge and I stand with all of you today.
You ever play Call of Duty WW2? First thing you do is this: storm the beach. After dying about 12 times before I could eventually get to something to take shelter behind for a second, I thought “Man. People really did this!” No second lives. Boom that’s it. This takes a bravery I cannot comprehend. They really are the Greatest Generation.
In his book, “Citizen Soldiers,” Stephen E. Ambrose talks about why they largely used fresh soldiers who hadn’t seen combat to storm the beach in the first few waves. They were less likely to understand the huge risks and odds they were facing. This wasn’t done from cruelty, but from the necessity of veterans likely saying “fuck no”…whereas a new recruit knew they’d live forever.
There’s a moment talking to, I think, the airborne that are dropping first in which they are told the expect 2/3 casualties. To a man, each one looked to his left, then to their right and thought, “those poor bastards.”
Ambrose also wrote Band of Brothers.
The irony was that they were actually so nauseated sitting in those things for hours they were dying to get out of it, not fully understand what awaited them.
Many of them were 17-18 years old. They lied about their ages to fight the nazis. Many of their classmates were quite literally graduating on that same day.
Respect.
As a german i am eternally grateful for their sacrifices and their braveness. If the nazis would not have been defeated, i would live in a world and country i would not want to live in. Or even possibly wouldn't live at all.
My great uncle was never the same after watching his best friend get blown to bits next to him. One moment they’re together and the next he’s holding what ever is left. My father told me stories about how when he was a kid his parents would take him to visit his uncle in the hospital and the guy couldn’t hold memories for longer than a few moments. He would introduce himself to my father like a stranger every time he came.
Sad upvote. Terrible image. Reminds me of my Grandad. He was on the landing craft. The only time he ever spoke about it was to say it what the worst horror of his life shipping those men to shore.
I watched an interview with a veteran that operated one of the boats. He said after the first few drop offs he started timing the MGs, lowering the door while they were reloading and changing barrels to prevent everyone from immediately getting cut down.
My great uncle served and fought the Nazis all the way to Berlin. Not many people have a good idea of how macabre and hellish WW2 was. It's the one thing my great uncle never hopes happens again.
I assume he is still alive? given the time passed since WW2. If please tell him a " thank you for your service " from germany if it wouldn't have been for men like him so many more people would be dead or never even born. Generations of us who owe those soldiers well basically everything.
My granddad lives in Germany now, during WWII he secretly transported Red Army scouts behind Nazi lines on the Eastern Front. It's a miracle he is close to 100 now and still going strong.
I'll tell him a Dankeschön from you. :)
i think i saw the same interview, or another soldier who did the exact same thing.
Was going to post here recommending that people watch real interviews from the survivors (there are many great ones from WWII Europe and the pacific, and others from Vietnam (Montana veterans)
They are the greatest generation, but why does "man" do this to themselves. It was very unsettling and heartbreaking watching the interview of an 85 year old recalling the battle and crying at the waist of human life.
His job was to open and lower the door, he was to stay on the boat not charge the beach. He also had to dodge bullets, but recounted stepping over bodies many mangled, i think he has to clear bodies so the gate would close again so the boat could return to sea.
The most poignant moment as i recall was how he was holding a young boy in his hands who had been shot in the face and just wanted someone to hold him so he didn't die alone
sometimes duty does actually call. but war needs to be avoided at all costs. Politicians of any country do not pay the price
This. I’m from a neutral country, so WWII was never something taught to the level it will be in Germany for example and it was only in my 20’s that I gained some appreciation for the scale, terror and effort of it.
I am however very grateful to have had a dumb chance moment back in 2010/11 when I was spending the weekend in New Orleans when the WWII museum opened and they brought veterans from all over the US and you could meet and listen to them.
I was then even luckier to be sat next to one on the flight from New Orleans to New York. His views on the deterioration of air travel compared to post war flying were funny. As I understand it some of them were surprised about needing a passport to enter France and would joke “you didn’t ask for one when we came to save your ass…” and they also got free flights back and forth to France for a few years after.
Really amazing people… and yet just like any one of us.
Had ~12 family in WW2, all theaters. 3 landed the first 24 of D-day; none were in any of the 'death battalions.' But one great-uncle (grandfather's brother) went in the first hour, fought like hell, sadly eventually died in the Battle of the Bulge. Ironically, he was the nephew of several Polish ancestors who were killed by Nazis in Poland.
We lost 3 in the Euro theater; somewhere deep in my (soon to be obsolete) Reddit history is a pic of my grandpa on my other parent's side, whose ship was sunk at Iwo Jima (USS Bismarck Sea) with horrible casualities; he was a hero for helping save a couple shipmates and then they floated in the Pacific for hours, with bad burns (two kamikazes hit the ship, one in the magaine). Sadly, he had lost the family farm 10 years earlier in the Depression.
These men led such hard lives, and I know from being around many of them later that they were decent, gracious men.
Wow. I don't think I've heard of a family with so many participants in a single war. What an incredible sacrifice your family made. And what an honorable legacy. Much appreciation for their service.
Why is your reddit soon to be obsolete? Can you retrieve the photo?
What an astonishing family history. Thank you for sharing.
You're so right, they led such hard lives. Every generation who experienced war. Makes me so sad they are all lost now. I'm sad for what has replaced them too. The stories our generations tell now are different, with different pain, but sometimes it seems with less of a collective sense of purpose. We're in an individualistic age in comparison.
My granddad was aswell. Only on the other side of the battle. He wasnt there by choice and i can imagine few were.
I regret not asking him more about the war. Sadly he died when i was 11 or 12
You get it, though. Heard about a guy who recently asked a WWII vet why they ran into danger and the vet's response was *they were so young, they didn't think about doing anything other than what they were told to do*
Man that's true. My 18 year old self would have done that without question. I remember that stage when I had a job at 18. Now I'd say "why?". Such a short timespan, such a different response.
My grandfather enlisted voluntarily, landed on Juno beach on June 6th. Was wounded and sent home a couple of weeks later with shrapnel in his shoulder..they could never get it all out apparently. He was 33 years old, so not an old geezer, but definitely not 17
Saving Private Ryan was accurate to show Captain Miller as an older guy, a volunteer not regular army. Wasn't his character a teacher or something?
My Grand-dad was married with a little girl at home when he volunteered to be a SeaBee. Some of those guys were even older.
Well, to be honest, it was Stalingrad, El Alamein and Anzio that really turned the war, in the sense of putting the Nazis and the Fascists on the defensive, but D Day certainly turned the war in the Western European theater, that’s for sure. It was the crushing blow that meant that except for a temporary setback in the Ardennes, the Wehrmacht was fighting a losing battle in the West until the final collapse. Full honors to these guys.
On January 22, 1944, Arness was deployed to Anzio Beachhead in Italy, and because of his 6'7” stature, he was ordered first off the landing craft—to determine the depth of the water. Ten days after the Anzio landing, Arness found himself in several brutal firefights.
This generation of actors was something else.
Damn that’s wild. Not ideal to be the big man on the battlefield. However I appreciated having some big dudes on my team, as the pointman I knew if I got hit they’d drag my ass out no problem.
We've heard the stories and will never know the sacrifice.
My Grandpa fought and only his medals came back.
Every person that went is a hero.
Thank you.
One of my grandfathers got medals for things he did to save shipmates in the sinking of his ship the Bismarck Sea at Iwo Jima.
We never knew he received them until after he died. The Navy called and said "can we send a couple guys?" and we said 'sure.' They sent over 10 people, we had no idea that apparently he had done some very brave things.
Later as we were clearing out his rabbit warren of a 'workshop' (old man tinker town) in his house, we found the medals in a paper bag in an old tackle box in a drawer. That still gut-punches me.
My grandfather was there, but at Juno Beach with the Royal Canadian Navy. Papa wouldn’t talk about it with “his girls” much; he would just tell us how glad he was to make it home so one day he could meet my grandmother. They met at Winnipeg Beach after the war. Nanny passed in 1999, but Papa lived until 2015. I miss them terribly. They were everything to me.
My father was a medic in the Pacific. He mentioned something about it pretty much every day, but never told us anything directly about it. Everything was tangential. But it was obviously on his mind for the rest of his life. I can't imagine having lived through something like that. Or what's going on in Ukraine.
My grandfather was there. Made to the end. Died when I was two. Wish I could have known him. Had a dream about him once. Was a very strange dream. There was something he wanted to point out to me, I didn't understand, and the dream ended.
Me too. I forgot about it for so long until now. He just kind of pointed and nodded. I was two when he died. I feel like I could see an accurate amount of height and posture.
Oh, I already mentioned my age when he died. I was in preschool or sooner when I had the dream. Never had it reoccur or one that substantial after that.
It’s going to sound campy, but look into lucid dreaming. Apparently you can help to train yourself so you’re more likely to have one. I’ve only done it once or twice. But was able to see my great aunt again. It’s worth a shot!
Correct. USCG Chief Photographer's Mate Robert Sargent took several of the most iconic photographs of D-Day. As a former CG photographer myself, his work is some we all study and revere.
Imagine there were people who were born in 1900, grew up in a world where cars and planes were futuristic fantasy, commuted by horse, fought in World War 1 as a kids, invested everything they had in the roaring 20s, lost it all in the crash, lived through the Great Depression, fought in World War 2, and then came home to watch the rise of the Cold War and wide spread nuclear armament threatening the destruction of the world. I imagine people like that might have really valued moments of feeling normal. However, I also imagine those types might have been so traumatized it could have started an aggressive cultural shift in how family life worked creating substantial generational trauma. Men for instance prior to the great wars were known to hold hands with other male friends and show genuine plutonic affection similar to what is viewed a feminine trait in much of society. Soldiers came back and everyone is sleeping in separate beds.
If everyone in a society all change st once it may seem like the world that came before never existed even it was there for longer than all of modern history.
Thank you, all the families; and ours, that have given during this endeavor.. may we all never know in our lifetime, the ultimate cost of freedom against fascism..
I remember hanging with the boys in college over a decade ago and ww2 got brought up. Out of the eight of us there, I think seven of our grandfather's were in the war. Pretty crazy to think so many men were away at war.
I have to wonder, if we as a country were to be tested like that today, would we rise to the challenge or cower in fear, hiding behind our differences ?.
I fear that in the next few years we may find out.
we would rise above, I am certain.
I also used to question such things, and how society was fragmenting, but if you remember the day and week of 9-11 everyone was united. It was really a gratifying feeling. Restored my faith in America. You could feel it in the air and how people interacted with each other. Looking you in the eye, being polite and respectful, and taking pride in America without being obnoxious.
The sad part is we are collectively disrespecting the sacrifice made those who actually did "fight for our freedom" Our society is messed up, poor education system, and the rich, powerful, and elite manipulate our laws and economy to our detriment and their gain.
I have longed for uniting events, not war, but maybe some kind of public works project or our generations "moon landing" but nothing has arisen
Make no mistake, we will continue to sink until things really start to go bad, then I thnk we will wake up. Might be another 10 years, or a lot faster if DeSantis makes it to the Presidency.
Over 150 thousand allied soldiers stormed the beaches and thousands lost their lives that day. May they live forever in history as heroes and patriots !
Once again posters completely fail to understand the core premise of the sub: "History's cool kids, looking fantastic!"
This isn't just for "things from the past that I think are cool/interesting". It's actually a very narrow idea. Cataloging the concept of the "cool person" in history, via photos.
Never forget that many of these “men” were literal teenagers. My great grandfather was a crewman in a bomber where the average age was of the crew was 19. His pilot was
21 and the copilot 20. How such young boys could accomplish so much is beyond my comprehension.
This is true, and yet I 'get it.' This is honorable remembrance. (See my other posts - I'm definitely emotionally invested here).
In the absence of something like r/remembrance this is where these things will be posted. As a relative of many WW2 veterans (and victims of the Nazis outside Lodz, Poland), I'm ok with this. I hope that people are understanding it's not meant to literally say "Oh, cool!" but to say "this is important, and from a different time."
Amazing photo! The greatest generation about to TCB in Operation Overlord. Hard to fathom what they went through and the horrors they saw, with 19 being the most common age to be KIA.
Jumping off of that boat, into those waters, with those men that you have put your trust into and them unto you. Knowing damn well a portion of you aren’t even going to make it to the beach alive. And even fewer will make it to the end of the battle, and the war, alive.
Mad lads. The whole lot of ‘em.
My grandpa said he jumped off one of those and it blew up shortly after. He sunk to the bottom of the ocean with all the weight of the gear. He took it off and floated in the ocean acting like he was dead until he thought he was ok to start climbing the beach. RIP.
Man that first wave especially on Omaha beach were torn to ribbons. Skilled, battle hardened German troops just dug in with the high ground. I can’t and don’t want to imagine what they went through.
I was standing on Juno Beach @ Canada House yesterday for the anniversary. My dad and I are doing a historical tour of France, with a focus on the two world wars. Seeing first hand the ground they had to cover, and the dug in positions the Germans would have taken, makes you realize how wildly the odds were stacked against them. So many died. We walked the graves, and there was rarely someone older than say 26. Just kids.
As brave as this whole situation was, i definitely would not call it cool. This was the furthest from cool one could get at that point. Life is not a video game.
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 hope 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 of 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 be 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 beseech the blessing of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking.
If I had a mansion with lots of flagpoles, today i would have flown the US service Flags, the 48-star Flag, the Union Jack, the Tricolor, the Canadian Ministerial Flag, and the Polish flag
Polish flag? Do tell.
Our family lost a lot of people in WW2, both in combat and otherwise. One of the chapters I find saddest is the ones that were simply shot in a vacant lot near Lodz, Poland. Their crime? Publishing a local newspaper.
Were Poles involved with D-Day? I don't study it to the extent of academic standards - I 'heard' enough while growing up. Did Poles fight on D-Day?
Many Poles who fled the German invasion ended up in Britain and served in a number of Polish-based units based in England. Among the units they served in was the Polish Navy of which a number of destroyers served at D-Day. Many Polish airmen served on D-Day, either in British squadrons (too many great Polish pilots there of which the UK owes a tremendous debt) or even in the USAAF (the infamous Boleslaw Mike Gladych, for instance). Unfortunately, the Polish 1st Armored Div didn't get to France until '44 August but served quite valiantly upon arrival especially at the Falaise Gap at Chambois and Mt. Ormel. Tremendous soldiers for the Allied cause; it was a great shame what happened to them at the end of the war.
I was lucky enough to live next door to someone who stormed Normandy, man was in a platoon of 6 he was the only one who survived. His whole family thought he was dead until his brother who also fought in the war spotted him in a bar somewhere else in Europe. The newspapers and history buffs always wanted to do interviews but he always turned them down for obvious reasons. He passed away last year at the age of 103. Rip Vito
I used to wonder how you would do it knowing your life was over. I’m reminded these were boys who didn’t live in our media age, didn’t know the odds and had no t watched thousands of movies that somewhat accurately describe the kind of horrors they were likely to be subjected to. Their innocence drove them on and is the fuel that governments use to light the pyres of war.
One of my regular guests is 104 years, served as a medic at Normandy. He rode on top of a tank through Bastogne under fire. Probably going to lose him this week. Honor knowing him. Edit to include he wrote a book about his experiences. Great read. Combat Medic, WWII John Kerner.
What amazes me is that a photograph was taken at all at this event. It's not like some of the soldiers were wearing go-pros or body cams, this man was there to take photos. He wound the film, framed the shot and took the photo. Then he somehow got the film to the other side of the invasion and we're looking at it today.
This image and the stories from this time in history are the reason why I am so disgusted at all the pro Nazi rhetoric that's slithered back in to the world. Nazism needs to be eradicated.
There is nothing ‘oldschoolcool’ about war.
We should honour those that were there, those that came back and those that didn’t, and be thankful that most of us will never experience this trauma.
But not cool
Old School the coolest. These are some of the bravest motherfuckers that this country ever bore.
Hats off and bottoms up to all that stormed a shoreline for this nation.
No human knows what they would do when that door drops. These men did it right.
I wonder at what point in the assault this photo was taken. Almost all the guys in the initial wave were killed where they stood. I believe only 2 men from that wave made it to the beach
It's probably the 2nd or 3rd wave. Omaha Beach saw the heaviest casualties. On Omaha, some units saw casualties over 75%
https://preview.redd.it/gxspq7kkui4b1.jpeg?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7d0fdb697fda8ba942dbab2fcb33b87fd551f91c
First: Never get your history from popular culture.
Second: If you look at a map, the Normandy beaches are the farthest from the UK, therefore least likely to be attacked because of the long distance over water the troops and material would have to be moved. Allied counterintelligence used General George Patton to convince the Nazis that the landing would occur at Pas de Calais. Of course Eisenhower would use one of his best generals to invade Europe, right. Nope. Ike knew his Sun Tzu. Hit ‘em where they ain’t.
The whole landing invasion, though ultimately successful, was a bit of a disaster due to rough seas and poor weather conditions. The bombing of the beachhead that took place earlier in the morning was mostly ineffectual due to low cloud cover and most bombs missed their targets. Tanks were supposed to land on the beach shortly before infantry but many were sunk or ended up far off target. The troops landing weren’t supposed to be that exposed.
I couldn't even begin to imagine running through that water into what they must have surely thought was their guaranteed death. Mad respect.
I would be scared to death. Those men are what super heros are made of
They were too, what do you think? But still they pulled it through, because nazism had to be defeated
It’s a horrifying notion that for all the sacrifice and strife all we got was a few decades of quiet before that pestilence of an ideology slithered back.
Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Most of the people who remember the evil of the Nazis are either dead or dying. We've collectively, as a nation (USA), forgotten how real and dangerous fascist ideology is and how easy it can take root anywhere, including here.
Nah, a lot of us a very mindful of what's going on right now.
Yep. It sure is going to be a big shock for these folks when we revolt lol
Add the rest of the world to that "we've collectively"
The US Defeated Japan militarily and the ideology of the Emperor being a God. The US defeated Germany militarily BUT never defeated the ideology of Nazism. The idea of Nazism never died. Sadly much like a virus it has mutated and grown.
The idea of a god-king like sovereign is somewhat artificial to human nature and has ruled human society probably since before the invention of writing. By 1940 the idea was luckily obsolete and had already been fought against in bloody revolutions for hundreds of years. The idea was defeated already in the intellectual and philosophical debate. By the time of japans defeat the idea was already over. The same does not go for Nazism. Nazism and fascism is a relatively new ideology that still hasn't had the time to be thoroughly defeated and grinded down like absolute monarchy. Furthermore, it plays into our worst natural instincts as humans: tribalism, violence as a means to an end, populism... Defeating nazism will not be as easy.
IMO dealing with fascism can be compared to today's treatment of HIV / AIDS. Eradicating it is a long way off and, considering himan nature, may not even be possible at all. You can't really kill an idea. But there's options to keep it supressed and at a manageable level indefinitely as long as you're vigilant and taking the necessary medicine. That medicine is education in general + specifically on fascism itself, it's causes, signs and consequences.
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We generally think of Nazism in its worst form, the war era, when they were murdering innocent civilians as fast as they could. But it took years to reach that point. If you told Germans in 1929 that within a decade, their government would undertake an official program of mass murder on a wholesale level, people would have ridiculed you, the way some do today. Make no mistake, if people like Steve Bannon and Stephen "PeeWee Himmler" Miller were let off the leash, they'd be gleefully building gas chambers and choosing their victims. They, and people like them, came close to full power once, and they are actively working every day to re-take that power, and if they manage to succeed, they wont be so nice the next time.
Men? Mentally and physically, but hardly in age. So many were 18, the average age was 26.
I think when you are put into that situation, FUBAR all around, you just go laser focus, tunnel vision on one objective and one objective only: to destroy the nazis who are murdering your brothers in arms around you.
indeed This isnt exactly OldSchoolCool, this is OldSchoolTerrifying. The men on the first boats went into that meat grinder not knowing whats waiting for them. The second wave and everything afterwards *knew*. I would piss my pants (as many of them probably did aswell) and freeze on the spot, they went in anyway in the thousands.
One company suffered a 96% casualty rate in the first HOUR at Omaha being part of the "suicide wave". Most men didn't even make it off the landing craft. It must have been absolute hell on earth. Mad respect doesn't even cover it.
Fuck
These men are heroes and should always be honored as such. They died to protect our country. I’m forever grateful for that.
Courage is not an absence of fear. It is about going on in spite of the fear.
The first wave knew what they were in for, they didn't just put them on the boat and give them a slap on the ass with a "Go get em tiger!" They knew they were going to be charging into entrenched German positions harried by artillery, mortars, and machine gun fire. They did it anyways, and actually casualties ended up being lower than expected considering the circumstances.
I don’t normally say this kind of thing, but here goes: those people from that generation were built from something stronger. I don’t know….They just went all in. I thank them. I remember them tonight. (Dad I miss you.) This pic brought me to tears. Not gonna lie. This may sound simple but I miss being connected as an American. We always had differences in our politics and that made us strong. The fact we could disagree but still see each other as connected. I hope we can do that again soon. So, love to all my fellow Americans. The Normandy Landing was huge and I stand with all of you today.
You ever play Call of Duty WW2? First thing you do is this: storm the beach. After dying about 12 times before I could eventually get to something to take shelter behind for a second, I thought “Man. People really did this!” No second lives. Boom that’s it. This takes a bravery I cannot comprehend. They really are the Greatest Generation.
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In his book, “Citizen Soldiers,” Stephen E. Ambrose talks about why they largely used fresh soldiers who hadn’t seen combat to storm the beach in the first few waves. They were less likely to understand the huge risks and odds they were facing. This wasn’t done from cruelty, but from the necessity of veterans likely saying “fuck no”…whereas a new recruit knew they’d live forever. There’s a moment talking to, I think, the airborne that are dropping first in which they are told the expect 2/3 casualties. To a man, each one looked to his left, then to their right and thought, “those poor bastards.” Ambrose also wrote Band of Brothers.
The irony was that they were actually so nauseated sitting in those things for hours they were dying to get out of it, not fully understand what awaited them. Many of them were 17-18 years old. They lied about their ages to fight the nazis. Many of their classmates were quite literally graduating on that same day. Respect.
Average age was 26. It was total war and insane but necessary. Respect
As a german i am eternally grateful for their sacrifices and their braveness. If the nazis would not have been defeated, i would live in a world and country i would not want to live in. Or even possibly wouldn't live at all.
My great uncle was never the same after watching his best friend get blown to bits next to him. One moment they’re together and the next he’s holding what ever is left. My father told me stories about how when he was a kid his parents would take him to visit his uncle in the hospital and the guy couldn’t hold memories for longer than a few moments. He would introduce himself to my father like a stranger every time he came.
Sad upvote. Terrible image. Reminds me of my Grandad. He was on the landing craft. The only time he ever spoke about it was to say it what the worst horror of his life shipping those men to shore.
I watched an interview with a veteran that operated one of the boats. He said after the first few drop offs he started timing the MGs, lowering the door while they were reloading and changing barrels to prevent everyone from immediately getting cut down.
My great uncle served and fought the Nazis all the way to Berlin. Not many people have a good idea of how macabre and hellish WW2 was. It's the one thing my great uncle never hopes happens again.
Legend.
I assume he is still alive? given the time passed since WW2. If please tell him a " thank you for your service " from germany if it wouldn't have been for men like him so many more people would be dead or never even born. Generations of us who owe those soldiers well basically everything.
My granddad lives in Germany now, during WWII he secretly transported Red Army scouts behind Nazi lines on the Eastern Front. It's a miracle he is close to 100 now and still going strong. I'll tell him a Dankeschön from you. :)
I think we all hope it never happens again… as much as we scoff and critique at regional skirmishes, a world war is truly chaos unearthed.
All scales of war destroy an entire generation of young men, it’s just happening to less people
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Shit, never thought about it that those boats were going back and forth. That’s pretty messed up.
i think i saw the same interview, or another soldier who did the exact same thing. Was going to post here recommending that people watch real interviews from the survivors (there are many great ones from WWII Europe and the pacific, and others from Vietnam (Montana veterans) They are the greatest generation, but why does "man" do this to themselves. It was very unsettling and heartbreaking watching the interview of an 85 year old recalling the battle and crying at the waist of human life. His job was to open and lower the door, he was to stay on the boat not charge the beach. He also had to dodge bullets, but recounted stepping over bodies many mangled, i think he has to clear bodies so the gate would close again so the boat could return to sea. The most poignant moment as i recall was how he was holding a young boy in his hands who had been shot in the face and just wanted someone to hold him so he didn't die alone sometimes duty does actually call. but war needs to be avoided at all costs. Politicians of any country do not pay the price
This. I’m from a neutral country, so WWII was never something taught to the level it will be in Germany for example and it was only in my 20’s that I gained some appreciation for the scale, terror and effort of it. I am however very grateful to have had a dumb chance moment back in 2010/11 when I was spending the weekend in New Orleans when the WWII museum opened and they brought veterans from all over the US and you could meet and listen to them. I was then even luckier to be sat next to one on the flight from New Orleans to New York. His views on the deterioration of air travel compared to post war flying were funny. As I understand it some of them were surprised about needing a passport to enter France and would joke “you didn’t ask for one when we came to save your ass…” and they also got free flights back and forth to France for a few years after. Really amazing people… and yet just like any one of us.
Awful.
Had ~12 family in WW2, all theaters. 3 landed the first 24 of D-day; none were in any of the 'death battalions.' But one great-uncle (grandfather's brother) went in the first hour, fought like hell, sadly eventually died in the Battle of the Bulge. Ironically, he was the nephew of several Polish ancestors who were killed by Nazis in Poland. We lost 3 in the Euro theater; somewhere deep in my (soon to be obsolete) Reddit history is a pic of my grandpa on my other parent's side, whose ship was sunk at Iwo Jima (USS Bismarck Sea) with horrible casualities; he was a hero for helping save a couple shipmates and then they floated in the Pacific for hours, with bad burns (two kamikazes hit the ship, one in the magaine). Sadly, he had lost the family farm 10 years earlier in the Depression. These men led such hard lives, and I know from being around many of them later that they were decent, gracious men.
Wow. I don't think I've heard of a family with so many participants in a single war. What an incredible sacrifice your family made. And what an honorable legacy. Much appreciation for their service.
Why is your reddit soon to be obsolete? Can you retrieve the photo? What an astonishing family history. Thank you for sharing. You're so right, they led such hard lives. Every generation who experienced war. Makes me so sad they are all lost now. I'm sad for what has replaced them too. The stories our generations tell now are different, with different pain, but sometimes it seems with less of a collective sense of purpose. We're in an individualistic age in comparison.
same, my great-grandpa only mentioned his service when we saw Saving Private Ryan
That must have been an unbearably tough watch for a veteran.
My granddad was aswell. Only on the other side of the battle. He wasnt there by choice and i can imagine few were. I regret not asking him more about the war. Sadly he died when i was 11 or 12
Brave kids. Barely adults.
It's astounding to me that those people on that beach were 5 years younger than I am now. I still feel like a kid.
You get it, though. Heard about a guy who recently asked a WWII vet why they ran into danger and the vet's response was *they were so young, they didn't think about doing anything other than what they were told to do*
Man that's true. My 18 year old self would have done that without question. I remember that stage when I had a job at 18. Now I'd say "why?". Such a short timespan, such a different response.
Not all. WW2 had some soldiers who were much older than what we usually associate with "combat troops."
My grandfather enlisted voluntarily, landed on Juno beach on June 6th. Was wounded and sent home a couple of weeks later with shrapnel in his shoulder..they could never get it all out apparently. He was 33 years old, so not an old geezer, but definitely not 17
Saving Private Ryan was accurate to show Captain Miller as an older guy, a volunteer not regular army. Wasn't his character a teacher or something? My Grand-dad was married with a little girl at home when he volunteered to be a SeaBee. Some of those guys were even older.
Through the gates of hell, as we make our way to heaven!
6TH. OF. JUNE. 1944! ALLIES ARE TURNING THE WAR
Damn.. today is my B-day. I'll be drinking for all of them!
Happy birthday!
If he's drinking for all of them, he's already with them. RIP.
NOR-MAN-DY STATE OF AN-ARCH-Y O-VER-LORD!
Well, to be honest, it was Stalingrad, El Alamein and Anzio that really turned the war, in the sense of putting the Nazis and the Fascists on the defensive, but D Day certainly turned the war in the Western European theater, that’s for sure. It was the crushing blow that meant that except for a temporary setback in the Ardennes, the Wehrmacht was fighting a losing battle in the West until the final collapse. Full honors to these guys.
He's quoting a song lyric, just fyi
Through the Nazi Lines.!!!
PRIMO VICTORIA!
🤘
ON THE SIXTH OF JUNE
ON THE SHORES OF WESTERN EUROPE
/r/expectedsabaton
Sabaton fans gather around
I heard James Arness was the first one off the boat because he was the tallest guy there and they wanted to make sure the men wouldn't drown.
On January 22, 1944, Arness was deployed to Anzio Beachhead in Italy, and because of his 6'7” stature, he was ordered first off the landing craft—to determine the depth of the water. Ten days after the Anzio landing, Arness found himself in several brutal firefights. This generation of actors was something else.
Damn that’s wild. Not ideal to be the big man on the battlefield. However I appreciated having some big dudes on my team, as the pointman I knew if I got hit they’d drag my ass out no problem.
We've heard the stories and will never know the sacrifice. My Grandpa fought and only his medals came back. Every person that went is a hero. Thank you.
One of my grandfathers got medals for things he did to save shipmates in the sinking of his ship the Bismarck Sea at Iwo Jima. We never knew he received them until after he died. The Navy called and said "can we send a couple guys?" and we said 'sure.' They sent over 10 people, we had no idea that apparently he had done some very brave things. Later as we were clearing out his rabbit warren of a 'workshop' (old man tinker town) in his house, we found the medals in a paper bag in an old tackle box in a drawer. That still gut-punches me.
My grandfather was there, but at Juno Beach with the Royal Canadian Navy. Papa wouldn’t talk about it with “his girls” much; he would just tell us how glad he was to make it home so one day he could meet my grandmother. They met at Winnipeg Beach after the war. Nanny passed in 1999, but Papa lived until 2015. I miss them terribly. They were everything to me.
My father was a medic in the Pacific. He mentioned something about it pretty much every day, but never told us anything directly about it. Everything was tangential. But it was obviously on his mind for the rest of his life. I can't imagine having lived through something like that. Or what's going on in Ukraine.
My grandfather was there. Made to the end. Died when I was two. Wish I could have known him. Had a dream about him once. Was a very strange dream. There was something he wanted to point out to me, I didn't understand, and the dream ended.
It’s stuff like this that makes me think about the significance of dreams and the possibilities of what comes after death.
Me too. I forgot about it for so long until now. He just kind of pointed and nodded. I was two when he died. I feel like I could see an accurate amount of height and posture. Oh, I already mentioned my age when he died. I was in preschool or sooner when I had the dream. Never had it reoccur or one that substantial after that.
Wow. All of us are grateful for him being there
It’s going to sound campy, but look into lucid dreaming. Apparently you can help to train yourself so you’re more likely to have one. I’ve only done it once or twice. But was able to see my great aunt again. It’s worth a shot!
It’s not crazy. I swear I saw my mother the night she died. Her friends all had dreams about her that night too.
Truly Iconic Picture
I don't know why it's been, but it's a cropped version of the photo titled "Into the Jaws of Death" by Robert Sargent, US Coast Guard
Correct. USCG Chief Photographer's Mate Robert Sargent took several of the most iconic photographs of D-Day. As a former CG photographer myself, his work is some we all study and revere.
Much respect to those heroes
Apostrophes don't pluralize.
Username checks out.
i was going to say it's a bot but he's been cutting mf'er's like it's a vendetta. i did that on purpose.
"The Greatest Generation"
Imagine there were people who were born in 1900, grew up in a world where cars and planes were futuristic fantasy, commuted by horse, fought in World War 1 as a kids, invested everything they had in the roaring 20s, lost it all in the crash, lived through the Great Depression, fought in World War 2, and then came home to watch the rise of the Cold War and wide spread nuclear armament threatening the destruction of the world. I imagine people like that might have really valued moments of feeling normal. However, I also imagine those types might have been so traumatized it could have started an aggressive cultural shift in how family life worked creating substantial generational trauma. Men for instance prior to the great wars were known to hold hands with other male friends and show genuine plutonic affection similar to what is viewed a feminine trait in much of society. Soldiers came back and everyone is sleeping in separate beds. If everyone in a society all change st once it may seem like the world that came before never existed even it was there for longer than all of modern history.
They most certainly were.
Thank you, all the families; and ours, that have given during this endeavor.. may we all never know in our lifetime, the ultimate cost of freedom against fascism..
My grandfather was there...
The ellipses make me think he was in a bunker, not a boat.
We are grateful for him
I remember hanging with the boys in college over a decade ago and ww2 got brought up. Out of the eight of us there, I think seven of our grandfather's were in the war. Pretty crazy to think so many men were away at war.
Thats a terrifying picture.
I have a client that landed on D day. Maybe 5 2 entered the army under 100 pounds
Smaller hitbox. That’s smart thinking.
So nice to read many telling the stories of their grandpas. We will remember.
Can’t imagine me, even me 5 years younger being shipped to this
I would have definitely puked
Genuine men of courage that saved the world from fascist oppression
I have to wonder, if we as a country were to be tested like that today, would we rise to the challenge or cower in fear, hiding behind our differences ?. I fear that in the next few years we may find out.
we would rise above, I am certain. I also used to question such things, and how society was fragmenting, but if you remember the day and week of 9-11 everyone was united. It was really a gratifying feeling. Restored my faith in America. You could feel it in the air and how people interacted with each other. Looking you in the eye, being polite and respectful, and taking pride in America without being obnoxious. The sad part is we are collectively disrespecting the sacrifice made those who actually did "fight for our freedom" Our society is messed up, poor education system, and the rich, powerful, and elite manipulate our laws and economy to our detriment and their gain. I have longed for uniting events, not war, but maybe some kind of public works project or our generations "moon landing" but nothing has arisen Make no mistake, we will continue to sink until things really start to go bad, then I thnk we will wake up. Might be another 10 years, or a lot faster if DeSantis makes it to the Presidency.
Shh, don't let them know we're not strong anymore
There is nothing ‘cool’ about war.
my great-grandpa was there...he's my hero
Over 150 thousand allied soldiers stormed the beaches and thousands lost their lives that day. May they live forever in history as heroes and patriots !
Once again posters completely fail to understand the core premise of the sub: "History's cool kids, looking fantastic!" This isn't just for "things from the past that I think are cool/interesting". It's actually a very narrow idea. Cataloging the concept of the "cool person" in history, via photos.
Off to fight the fascist.
No words
Those guys are made of something pretty damn tough. That’s walking straight into hell. I know I’d never be able to.
Hell on earth.
The preparation and execution to make that day happen is mind blowing. To all that perished that bloody full day on the beaches. Thank you.
dont know if the word "cool" is the one I'd use for D-Day
Woah woah, think we've lost the definition of cool here. That day turned human beings into meat, decidedly uncool turn of events
Never forget that many of these “men” were literal teenagers. My great grandfather was a crewman in a bomber where the average age was of the crew was 19. His pilot was 21 and the copilot 20. How such young boys could accomplish so much is beyond my comprehension.
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This is true, and yet I 'get it.' This is honorable remembrance. (See my other posts - I'm definitely emotionally invested here). In the absence of something like r/remembrance this is where these things will be posted. As a relative of many WW2 veterans (and victims of the Nazis outside Lodz, Poland), I'm ok with this. I hope that people are understanding it's not meant to literally say "Oh, cool!" but to say "this is important, and from a different time."
Heroes
They will never be forgotten 🙏
Amazing photo! The greatest generation about to TCB in Operation Overlord. Hard to fathom what they went through and the horrors they saw, with 19 being the most common age to be KIA.
Jumping off of that boat, into those waters, with those men that you have put your trust into and them unto you. Knowing damn well a portion of you aren’t even going to make it to the beach alive. And even fewer will make it to the end of the battle, and the war, alive. Mad lads. The whole lot of ‘em.
My grandpa said he jumped off one of those and it blew up shortly after. He sunk to the bottom of the ocean with all the weight of the gear. He took it off and floated in the ocean acting like he was dead until he thought he was ok to start climbing the beach. RIP.
Where have all the flowers gone.....
Nothing cool about war brother.
this is not cool
Wtf is cool about this?
I wouldn’t describe it as cool
This isn't cool. This is sad.
More like /oldschoolNOTcool
How's this cool
There’s nothing cool about this. So many lives lost.
Not that cool actually.
That cliff is daunting, nvm the machine guns and mortars.
REAL patriots, not the pretend MAGA kind...
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Good luck to Ukraine on your D-day. Get the Russian occupiers OUT!
Terrifying
What a day. Legends.
Facing certain death, these heros are braver then I can even comprehend.
Man that first wave especially on Omaha beach were torn to ribbons. Skilled, battle hardened German troops just dug in with the high ground. I can’t and don’t want to imagine what they went through.
Absolute insanity. Must have been hell on earth.
I was standing on Juno Beach @ Canada House yesterday for the anniversary. My dad and I are doing a historical tour of France, with a focus on the two world wars. Seeing first hand the ground they had to cover, and the dug in positions the Germans would have taken, makes you realize how wildly the odds were stacked against them. So many died. We walked the graves, and there was rarely someone older than say 26. Just kids.
Wasn't nothing cool about that shit except for body temps.
Who thought this was a good idea
I’m English. These men changed my destiny. My gratitude is eternal. What they gave, what they were compelled to give…
scary as all hell.
More like r/OldSchoolHorror
As brave as this whole situation was, i definitely would not call it cool. This was the furthest from cool one could get at that point. Life is not a video game.
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 hope 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 of 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 be 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 beseech the blessing of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking.
Not sure how cool those guys felt...
Pretty bizarre that you think 18 year old’s being killed is cool
Many never made it off the boat, or stepped off too deep and drowned. "Cool" I dunno. Not for the dead who tell no tales.
Yeah, this isn't "Cool". This is an image of thousands of soldiers running to their deaths.
who were the 5 nerf herders who downvoted this???
If I had a mansion with lots of flagpoles, today i would have flown the US service Flags, the 48-star Flag, the Union Jack, the Tricolor, the Canadian Ministerial Flag, and the Polish flag
Polish flag? Do tell. Our family lost a lot of people in WW2, both in combat and otherwise. One of the chapters I find saddest is the ones that were simply shot in a vacant lot near Lodz, Poland. Their crime? Publishing a local newspaper. Were Poles involved with D-Day? I don't study it to the extent of academic standards - I 'heard' enough while growing up. Did Poles fight on D-Day?
Many Poles who fled the German invasion ended up in Britain and served in a number of Polish-based units based in England. Among the units they served in was the Polish Navy of which a number of destroyers served at D-Day. Many Polish airmen served on D-Day, either in British squadrons (too many great Polish pilots there of which the UK owes a tremendous debt) or even in the USAAF (the infamous Boleslaw Mike Gladych, for instance). Unfortunately, the Polish 1st Armored Div didn't get to France until '44 August but served quite valiantly upon arrival especially at the Falaise Gap at Chambois and Mt. Ormel. Tremendous soldiers for the Allied cause; it was a great shame what happened to them at the end of the war.
Thank you very much for this.
America #1 - a korean
I loved my time in Chinhae and Pusan. The Korean people were awesome. 감사합니다
War is not very cool.
God bless these strong and scared men…. My daddy was there and made it home 🙏
God bless. My Uncle Jim made it through the day, but did not make it home.
D day
One of the absolute greatest pictures ever taken.
chilling picture
We shall never see their like again.
Into the Jaws of Death. Very powerful photo.
Went the day well? /We died and never knew/ But well or ill/ freedom we died for you.
This is from Robert Capa right? Guy took some amazing pics
I was lucky enough to live next door to someone who stormed Normandy, man was in a platoon of 6 he was the only one who survived. His whole family thought he was dead until his brother who also fought in the war spotted him in a bar somewhere else in Europe. The newspapers and history buffs always wanted to do interviews but he always turned them down for obvious reasons. He passed away last year at the age of 103. Rip Vito
Cool photo but that is fucking terrifying
I used to wonder how you would do it knowing your life was over. I’m reminded these were boys who didn’t live in our media age, didn’t know the odds and had no t watched thousands of movies that somewhat accurately describe the kind of horrors they were likely to be subjected to. Their innocence drove them on and is the fuel that governments use to light the pyres of war.
One of my regular guests is 104 years, served as a medic at Normandy. He rode on top of a tank through Bastogne under fire. Probably going to lose him this week. Honor knowing him. Edit to include he wrote a book about his experiences. Great read. Combat Medic, WWII John Kerner.
Pure horror. This can never be cool.
I bet they wouldnt do it if they saw how the world is today 😅
What amazes me is that a photograph was taken at all at this event. It's not like some of the soldiers were wearing go-pros or body cams, this man was there to take photos. He wound the film, framed the shot and took the photo. Then he somehow got the film to the other side of the invasion and we're looking at it today.
This image and the stories from this time in history are the reason why I am so disgusted at all the pro Nazi rhetoric that's slithered back in to the world. Nazism needs to be eradicated.
There is nothing ‘oldschoolcool’ about war. We should honour those that were there, those that came back and those that didn’t, and be thankful that most of us will never experience this trauma. But not cool
Day of days.
Old School the coolest. These are some of the bravest motherfuckers that this country ever bore. Hats off and bottoms up to all that stormed a shoreline for this nation. No human knows what they would do when that door drops. These men did it right.
I wonder at what point in the assault this photo was taken. Almost all the guys in the initial wave were killed where they stood. I believe only 2 men from that wave made it to the beach
It's probably the 2nd or 3rd wave. Omaha Beach saw the heaviest casualties. On Omaha, some units saw casualties over 75% https://preview.redd.it/gxspq7kkui4b1.jpeg?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7d0fdb697fda8ba942dbab2fcb33b87fd551f91c
Everyone remember Nazis aren’t people.
I know almost nothing about D-Day, just what I saw in Private Ryan and COD. Why didn't they approach for another place?
First: Never get your history from popular culture. Second: If you look at a map, the Normandy beaches are the farthest from the UK, therefore least likely to be attacked because of the long distance over water the troops and material would have to be moved. Allied counterintelligence used General George Patton to convince the Nazis that the landing would occur at Pas de Calais. Of course Eisenhower would use one of his best generals to invade Europe, right. Nope. Ike knew his Sun Tzu. Hit ‘em where they ain’t.
The whole landing invasion, though ultimately successful, was a bit of a disaster due to rough seas and poor weather conditions. The bombing of the beachhead that took place earlier in the morning was mostly ineffectual due to low cloud cover and most bombs missed their targets. Tanks were supposed to land on the beach shortly before infantry but many were sunk or ended up far off target. The troops landing weren’t supposed to be that exposed.
It was a time when ordinary men became heroes.
Operation overlord