Day of Days, Why?

What happened that led to the greateast invasion in the history of man?

It starts and ends with the Suez canal. Kid you not.

After the French surrendered to the Germans and the British evacuated 350 thousand men (including 100k Frech soldiers) from Dunkirk, it was down to invading England and mopping up. The battle of Britan was an air battle that the Canadians and the British won, remember Churchil saying "if the empire shall reign for a thousand years, this was our finest hour" and "never has so much been owed by so many, to so few". WOW.

So they sent Rommel to North Africa to cut off the Suez with the help of the Italians, and here is the good part, THE FRENCH.

The French surrender in like 8 days and left the 2nd largest naval force in the world up for grabs. The English asked them to turn it over to them to help free the French but they refused. The English sank most of the French naval forces to keep them from the Germans. I will never understand the French but I wasn't there. The French western coast that the English had just creamed, later became the launchpad for the wolfpacks that sank more ships that any other time in history. It could have been much much worse. Yep, kid you not.

The Americans finally join the Europe war after the Japs bombed Pearl. So, now you got Rommel kickin ass on Montgomery and the Americans in North Africa. When we showed up, The French force in North Africa attacked the Americans. Read that again, kid ya not. The Americans repeatedly asked them to join and that we were there to liberate, but they attacked anyway. A lot of men and materials were lost before we had to fight back and kicked the French's ass. THEN they saw the light and joined up with the Americans. Again, kid ya not.

We needed a leader that knew how to use a mobile fighting force, kind of a shock n awe. That was Rommel's genius. They replaced the American general with George Patton. A real fighting leader. First move was to flank all the way behind Rommel and kicked his ass. Patton never stopped kickin ass after that. He used mobile speed as his primary weapon. Later in the war, he again used those tactics to go fill the Battle of the Bulge and drive the Germans from Bastone. Yep, he was a total bad ass. Absolutely politically uncool, much like Grant, he would never be accepted today. Folks, Never forget how bad you might need a warrior one day. Stay tough.

Malta is a little place just south of Sicily which is just southwest of the Italian coast (yep, we launched two major land invasions there later in the war. But why Normandy?

Malta kept Rommel from his supply lines, but man they got their asses kicked. Planes would land and people would exit and run to a sandbag bunker. If the plane stay on the runway for any time at all, the German airforce (The Luftwaffe) would blow them up right on the dang runway. Still they held on, just to distrupt Rommel and protect the canal because that is where England got its oil, the most vital supply in the world. Yep, ...

All of that had to be done BEFORE you could have a Normandy invasion. We also invaded southern France (operation Dragoon) and Italy at Naples and Anzio. Readup on Monte Cassino. I still think the Italians and Germans lied about it, but that is my opinion.

In the end, it was all about oil and the Suez canal.

Oil, the wolfpack subs, Battle of the Atlantic, North Africa, Rommel/Patton, one hell of a lot had to come before we could gain air superiority to have a Normandy invasion. There were mistakes after Normandy, (operation Market Garden), but Normandy was still a lucky move that caught the enemy off gaurd.

Why Normandy, June 6th Day of Days..80 years ago today, because we had to. If the Germans got the bomb before the Americans. That created a front to begin the push all the way to Berlin. We had to do it and we had to do it there.

I tell my kids about my grandparents, great uncles that brought the fight in both theaters of WW2. I be sure to tell them about the sacrifice and that generation of people is why they don't speak Japanese or German today. They were all tough sons a bitches that have my love and respect forever. Later on in the war, we really found out, Why We Fight, when they found the camps.

Thank you to all of you that had family that gave so much so that I could be free enough to write this today, on the Day of Days remembered 80 years ago.

Dave