D-day remembrance: June 6, 1944...

[TIDE-HSV]

Re: D-day rememberance: June 6, 1944

Without doubt he was a huge factor in winning WWII. He was feared by the Germans, and the faux army made of rubber tanks in England convinced Hitler that Patton would land at Calais; lessening the forces available at Normandy. Oscar simply hated him for fining officers for not wearing ties in a combat zone, and for his grandstanding. He and Montgomery were both prima donnas of the first water.

I'd have to place McArthur in that group...

 

[bamachile]

Re: D-day rememberance: June 6, 1944

I'd have to place McArthur in that group...

MACARTHUR AND EISENHOWER, THE ODD COUPLE

It is fairly well known that Eisenhower served as General Macarthur’s Chief of Staff. Their mutual summations of the other have been often reported. MacArthur referred to Eisenhower as ¨The best clerk I ever had.¨ Eisenhower returned the compliment, saying, he had ¨studied theatrics under MacArthur.¨

I've always loved left-handed compliments. :smile:

 

[Tidewater]

Re: D-day rememberance: June 6, 1944

I wish I could have confidence in that. However, "Perc" (perchlorethylene) is not only a good dry cleaning solvent; it's a common component of rocket fuel. The groundwater in south HSV adjacent to Redstone is contaminated with it, as is the portion of the arsenal next to it. Of course the Army is under no obligation to do anything about it - nor release the information about what they did. They're outside the jurisdiction of ADEM. However, if you're a private citizen, don't even think about spilling it or you'll pay for years. It's nasty stuff. You can spill it on an asphalt parking lot and it'll go straight to groundwater and degrade into compounds even worse. I represented one shopping center where a test drill showed perc. It took me five years to get it resolved with ADEM, although the amount was tiny and finally disappeared. It became more and more obvious that the engineering company's drilling equipment must have been contaminated (although they'd never admit it). Finally, we were required to place a deed restriction that no drinking water well would ever be drilled on the premises. ("Well, sure, it's a shopping center. Why didn't you just tell me that five years ago?")

Was the "perc" released a while ago?
I think environmental compliance is probably stronger now than it was in the 1950s or 1960s. Heck, in the 1940s and 50s, the Army marched soldiers through the fallout zone of atomic/nuclear blasts just to see what it would do to them.
Is "perc" still being released at Redstone?

 

[crimsonaudio]

Re: D-day rememberance: June 6, 1944

Ended up receiving VIP passes to the ceremonies on D-Day after we arrived at our hotel, an unexpected bonus. It's an incredibly moving experience being there for the ceremony - I intend on being there next year as well for the 70th. Here are some pics from this year:

The laying of the wreaths:

Real hero: Robert J. Blatnik - recipient of numerous medals including the Purple Heart, Silver Star, and Bronze Star with five oak leaf clusters, member of the 1st Infantry Division, aka "The Big Red One":

Too many of these...

 

[BamaPokerplayer]

Re: D-day rememberance: June 6, 1944

I don't think I'd like to serve under Patton, but he was the kind of guy you'd like to have on your team.

Patton was so b.a. Do you think U.S. assassinated him?

 

[Tidewater]

Re: D-day rememberance: June 6, 1944

Patton was so b.a. Do you think U.S. assassinated him?

No way. Who would have done it, anyway?

 

[GrayTide]

Re: D-day rememberance: June 6, 1944

I thought he died from injuries sustained in an auto accident.

 

[BamaPokerplayer]

Re: D-day rememberance: June 6, 1944

No way. Who would have done it, anyway?

I thought the U.S. was having massive problems controlling him. Wasn't his death caused by a head on collision on a way one road? I'm sure if you have never heard anything about it than there probably is nothing to it.

 

[TexasBama]

No way. Who would have done it, anyway?

There are a couple of books out there. Wild Bill Donovan and the Rooskies are alleged.

 

[TIDE-HSV]

Re: D-day rememberance: June 6, 1944

Was the "perc" released a while ago?
I think environmental compliance is probably stronger now than it was in the 1950s or 1960s. Heck, in the 1940s and 50s, the Army marched soldiers through the fallout zone of atomic/nuclear blasts just to see what it would do to them.
Is "perc" still being released at Redstone?

I'm sure it's not. If I have a problem, it's with the smokescreen which seems to be dropped over anything the Army does. The people in the adjacent English Village subdivision have been trying to get information for years. As you pointed out in the chaff topic, the Army doesn't seem to have learned the lesson of "Hey, we screwed up and we're doing all we can..."

 

[Tidewater]

Re: D-day rememberance: June 6, 1944

I thought the U.S. was having massive problems controlling him. Wasn't his death caused by a head on collision on a way one road? I'm sure if you have never heard anything about it than there probably is nothing to it.

The US military strength and defense budgets immediately after WW II:
Date men Defense budget
May 1945 12M $81.4B (FY 45)
July 1946 3M $44.7B (FY 46)
July 1947 1.6M $13.1B (FY 47)

As you can see, the US was in the "get out of the defense business" mode.
Controlling Patton wasn't hard. If Pres. Truman wanted him out of the way, he could easily have ordered him home and given him some desk job.

 

[Tidewater]

There are a couple of books out there. Wild Bill Donovan and the Rooskies are alleged.

Russians I could possibly see (although even Stalin would have demanded a very high degree of plausible deniability), but Bill Donovan would have laughed at anyone who suggested he murder Patton.

 

[Bazza]

"To most people coming here they're just a series of names," 100-year-old veteran Kenneth Hay told the BBC. "To people like myself, they're people, I can see their faces."

World War Two veterans arrive in France on anniversary of D-Day

Tributes are under way to mark the largest military seaborne operation ever attempted.

www.bbc.com

82 years ago today.......

 

[Padreruf]

Stumbled across "Ghosts of Sicily" by Mark Harmon and Leon Carroll -- and probably a ghost writer or 2. It concerns the use of "Mafia" members in intelligence both with regard to our ports of NY, etc., as well as the lay of the land, etc., in Sicily in WWII and the invasion of Italy. Interesting to say the least.

 

[Bazza]

Column: Yogi Berra: D-Day hero

Even casual baseball fans know Yogi Berra, born Lorenzo Pietro Berra, is one of diamond history’s greatest players.

www.postandcourier.com

 

[UAH]

Column: Yogi Berra: D-Day hero

Even casual baseball fans know Yogi Berra, born Lorenzo Pietro Berra, is one of diamond history’s greatest players.

www.postandcourier.com

They don't make them like they used to:
Hank Bauer, the former New York Yankees outfielder and manager, was a highly decorated United States Marine Corps platoon sergeant during World War II. Enlisting just one month after Pearl Harbor, he survived 32 months of brutal combat in the Pacific Theater, earning 11 campaign ribbons, two Bronze Stars for valor, and two Purple Hearts. His brother, Herman, was not so fortunate. Herman Bauer was killed in action in France while with the 3rd Armored Division on July 12, 1944.

 

[Crimson1967]

Normandy, June 6, 1944: Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. - One of Only Two Generals on the Beach - Congressional Medal of Honor Society

On the morning of June 6, 1944, American, British and Canadian military forces landed on the beaches of Normandy, France. This would be the beginning of the end for Nazi […]

www.cmohs.org

Here’s the story of a man awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions on D-Day.

He didn’t have to be there. He was a general. He had health issues. He used a cane due to injuries in WWII. Had a bad heart that would kill him a month later. Had one brother die in WWI and another took his own life a year earlier while serving in the Army. But he did his duty anyway.

Oh, did I mention his dad was president?

 

[TIDE-HSV]

Normandy, June 6, 1944: Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. - One of Only Two Generals on the Beach - Congressional Medal of Honor Society

On the morning of June 6, 1944, American, British and Canadian military forces landed on the beaches of Normandy, France. This would be the beginning of the end for Nazi […]

www.cmohs.org

Here’s the story of a man awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions on D-Day.

He didn’t have to be there. He was a general. He had health issues. He used a cane due to injuries in WWII. Had a bad heart that would kill him a month later. Had one brother die in WWI and another took his own life a year earlier while serving in the Army. But he did his duty anyway.

Oh, did I mention his dad was president?

IIRC, he was only 54 when his heart trouble caught up with him, and having to use a cane. It's a shame he didn't live long enough to see the full fruition of his courage and leadership on the beach...

 

[Crimson1967]

IIRC, he was only 54 when his heart trouble caught up with him, and having to use a cane. It's a shame he didn't live long enough to see the full fruition of his courage and leadership on the beach...

TR was awarded the MOH in 2001, making them the only father/son duo to receive the award.

This guy had children serve in WWII and a grandson was a SEAL in Vietnam. Quite a number of TR’s descendants have served their country.