Robert Capa, Omaha Beach, France, 6-6-1944

Diante da chacina e o mar rubro, dá para acreditar que ele desembarcou junto com todos aqueles soldados, jogados a mercê do destino, com uma 50mm na mão?

If Barack Obama, his commie wife, our commie politicians, the liberals, the muslim apologists, etc. REALLY loved America, they wouldn’t run around the word telling everyone how terrible they “think” we are.  They would be telling everyone how great we really are.

These are good

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JFK’S Secretary of State, Dean Rusk, was in France in the early 60’s when DeGaule decided to pull out of NATO.  DeGaule said he wanted all US military out of France as soon as possible.

Rusk responded “does that include those who are buried here?

DeGuale did not respond.

You could have heard a pin drop.

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When in England , at a fairly large conference; Colin Powell was asked by the Archbishop of Canterbury if our plans for Iraq were just an example of empire building by George Bush.

He answered by saying, ‘Over the years, the United States has sent many of its fine young men and women into great peril to fight for freedom beyond our borders.  The only amount of land we have ever asked for in return is enough to bury those that did not return.’

You could have heard a pin drop.

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There was a conference in France where a number of international engineers were taking part, including French and American.  During a break, one of the French engineers came back into the room saying ‘Have you heard the latest dumb stunt Bush has done? He has sent an aircraft carrier to Indonesia to help the tsunami victims.  What does he intended to do, bomb them?’

A Boeing engineer stood up and replied quietly: ‘Our carriers have three hospitals on board that can treat several hundred people; they are nuclear p powered and can supply emergency  electrical power to shore facilities; they have three  cafeterias with the capacity to feed 3,000 people three meals a day, they can produce several thousand gallons of fresh water from sea water each day, and they carry half a dozen helicopters for use in transporting victims and injured to and from their flight deck.  We have eleven such ships; how many does France have?’

You could have heard a pin drop.

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A U.S. Navy Admiral was attending a naval conference that included Admirals from the U.S. , English, Canadian, Australian and French Navies. At a cocktail reception, he found himself standing with a large group of Officers that included personnel from most of those countries. Everyone was chatting away in English as they sipped their drinks but a French admiral suddenly complained that, whereas Europeans learn many languages, Americans learn only English.  He then asked, ‘Why is it that we always have to speak English in these conferences rather than speaking French?’

Without hesitating, the American Admiral replied, ‘Maybe it’s because the Brit’s, Canadians, Aussie’s and Americans arranged it so you wouldn’t have to speak German.’

You could have heard a pin drop.

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AND THIS STORY FITS RIGHT IN WITH THE ABOVE….

Robert Whiting, an elderly gentleman of 83, arrived in Paris by plane.  At French Customs, he took a few minutes to locate his passport in his carry on.

“You have been to France before, monsieur?” the customs officer asked sarcastically.

Mr. Whiting admitted that he had been to France previously.

“Then you should know enough to have your passport ready.”

The American said, ‘The last time I was here, I didn’t have to show it.”

“Impossible. Americans always have to show your passports on arrival in France !”

The American senior gave the Frenchman a long hard look.  Then he quietly explained, ”Well, when I came ashore at Omaha Beach on D-Day in 1944 to help liberate this country, I couldn’t find a single Frenchmen to show a passport to.”

You could have heard a pin drop…

Just back from a short three day holiday to Normandy, France. Lots of lovely food, shopping, and a quick tour of the 1944 invasion beaches… and catching up on much needed sleep.

I’ve posted up some snaps of some of the more dramatic locations visited. These do give the impression that all we* did was tour German bunkers and beaches! Not so! Pre-Christmas shopping and long meals at the superb restaurants of Bayeux took up quite a high proportion of the trip, but these, alas, don’t make such exciting pictures.

We stayed at the Lion d’Or, where photographs of previous guests crowd bar. These mugshots are an incredible record of the famous: everyone from British royalty to Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg have stayed there (or are Hanks and Spielberg Hollywood royalty, therefore the same thing?) They all seem to be grinning like mad for some reason. Perhaps they’d tried the excellent grub in the restaurant.

The battlefield sites were of course very moving, made more so by it being Armistice Day last Wednesday when we were there. There’s certainly lots to see over there for history fans.

Next week I launch the final offensive on the Space Race illustration. Yikes! I’m sure the holiday will quickly become a distant memory.

*we = me and the future Mrs Mowll.

HEROISM
Being scared as hell and saddling up anyway. – John Wayne

(Omaha Beach, D-Day)

Picture by: dunno source Caption by: dunno source via Poster Builder

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Sometimes, when travelling, I have been a little disappointed after finally visiting a place I had really looked forward to visiting after reading about it and seeing pictures of it for many years.  Normandy was not such a place. 

For almost my entire life I have seen pictures of the D-Day landings, seen movies about the battle, and read many history books on the subject.  Similarly, Mont St Micheal is so well-known that it seems as much an icon of France as the Eiffel Tower.  And finally, over the years I have read a great deal about the Bayeux Tapestry, seen pictures of it, and looked forward to visiting it.   In all three cases, however, visiting these sites in Normandy was thrilling, moving, and beautiful, in turns.

On our first day, after a very early morning drive off of the ferry in Ouistreham, outside Caen, we drove to Bayeux, less than an hour away (even allowing for one missed turn on the ring road around Caen).   After petite dejuener in the city centre, we were first in line at the museum which houses the Bayeux Tapestry.  An early start, coupled with the time of year, let us enjoy the tapestry at out own pace, with no crowds.  The tapestry is magnificent, stretching over 70 meters long, and still amazingly colorful after its creation over 900 years ago.  We were given an audio guide in English, which explains the story being told in each of the over 30 panels.  Although some describe the tapestry as “cartoon-like” because of its one-dimensional representation in embroidered wool, I was impressed by the level of detail in the pictures, and thought the artists were able to portray both movement and emotion quite well in the sewing.  Historians still debate the sponsor of the work, the location of its creation, and the identity of the artists, but there is no doubt that it gives a compelling and understandable telling of the events which led up to the Norman Conquest and a depiction of the climactic battle between the army of William from Normandy and the Anglo- Saxon army lead by King Harold.    The museum also contains interesting exhibits which describe the Norman influence in England.    in my history lessons at school we frequently had to address the question in history about how much one individual might affect history versus that person being merely representative of a particular time or mood.  In the case of William the Conqueror,  I think his influence in assembling and leading the invasion force, and then in governing after the Conquest, is tremendous cannot be overstated, his impact lasting up to the present time.

From the tapestry, we headed to the magnificent Bayeux Cathedral, which towers over the city in much the same way that the spire of Salisbury Cathedral towers over our city.  The cathedral is both Romanesque and Gothic, and the Gothic portion of the cathedral contains huge windows, making it one of the brightest cathedrals I have seen.  

The city centre contains many historic buildings, including many timbered buildings that in England we would call “Tudor”.  Thankfully, although the city is only 6 miles from the D-Day beaches, it was spared from destruction during the fighting, and is very beautiful.  Several of the streets had banners with French, British, and American flags flying on them.  On the way out to the edge of the city we walked into a pretty and historic little abbey.  Since we had recently seen the Sound of Music, we kept expecting to see Maria, but alas, we were the only ones about.

On the ring road around Bayeux we found the city museum to on the Battle of Normandy, and we enjoyed the movie and exhibits there.  Just across the street from the museum is the largest British cemetery from the Normandy campaign, and it was very moving to walk among the gravestones there.  The stones contain not only name, age and regiment of the deceased, but also a personal message from each soldier’s family.  These personal messages, such as “Our only child, now gone to a better place”, were especially touching,  as was being reminded by the youth of so many of the soldiers who died fighting for liberty and the destruction of the most terrible tyranny.  The cemetery contains over 4,000 graves, and across the street is a Memorial to over 1,800 Commonwealth soldiers who died in the Battle of Normandy and have no known grave.  The Memorial has a frieze with the following inscription (in Latin), “We, once conquered by William, have now set free the Conqueror’s native land.”   A moving end to a memorable day.

We set off early the next morning from our hotel in Caen for a full day of visiting the Normandy D-Day Landing Beaches.  We began at St.-Aubin, part of Juno Beach where Canadian forces landed, and worked our way westward, through the rest of Juno Beach, then Gold Beach (British), and on to Omaha Beach, with the large American cemetery, and out to the end of Omaha Beach at Pointe du Hoc.  We saw the remains of the huge artificial ”Mulberry” harbor, nicknamed Port Winston, at Arromanches.  We visited the huge German gun batteries at Longues-sur-Mer.  We came through the sand dunes at St.-Laurent, where the Americans made their first exit from the deadly fire on Omaha Beach.  We walked among the still pock-marked landscape of the forbidding Pointe du Hoc,  taken by the American Rangers at a large loss of life.  And we finished the day at the very sad German Military Cemetery in La Cambe.    

It’s difficult to describe my feelings about the day.  All day long I could feel the presence of all those soldiers, so far from home, and the tremendous sacrifices all of them made.  Walking among the beautiful marble crosses and Stars of David in the American cemetery above Omaha Beach,  I could barely speak, or even swallow.  It’s simply a very remarkable place, with a very tangible sense of recent history.  One author in America has labelled the generation that fought here as “The Greatest Generation.”  Seeing this landscape really proved the truth in that description.

On our last full day we headed to the southwest corner of Normandy to visit the fantastic Abbey at Le Mont St-Michel.  As I have already written, the setting of the abbey at the top of the rocky island, the surrounding bay, the small street leading up all the steps to the abbey, and the abbey itself, are all really amazing and beautiful, and to me even more impressive in person than it looked in pictures.  It was a really nice day and different in tone from the day before.

We did have a partial day before returning to England, and we spent that time enjoyably first visiting the Abbaye aux Hommes in Caen, and then touring the apple, cheese and Calvados-producing areas south and east of Caen.   We had a lovely picnic of locally produced apple juice, locally produced Camembert cheese, and a baguette.

We have wonderful memories of Normandy, and we hope to be able to visit again.

driving tour of western france and beyond. from the chambre d’hotes to the soupe de poisson, it was lovely.

intense time at the dday beaches. nice to see life on omaha beach.

mont st. michel.

ile de brehat. a favorite of the tour. post-volcanic flinstones meets…

dr. seuss.

la rochelle.

i think i could enjoy france for awhile. maybe longer than 10 days next time.

Here’s a magazine-style essay piece I wrote about Saving Private Ryan. It’s kind of rambling (1198 words) and won’t make sense unless you’ve seen the film (maybe spoilers for the opening scenes and general plot later on), but I got an A* for it, so I don’t care what you think. The links and pictures are added, but nothing else only a typo has been changed.

Saving Private Ryan came at a crucial turning point in Steven Spielberg’s career. Previously reliably known for his perfect for children yet artistically-unfulfilling chain of blockbusters, this, along with 1993’s Schindler’s List, marked a change of direction into serious historical territory. While awards had always been forthcoming – E.T. was up against Gandhi for Best Picture Oscar® 1983 (Gandhi won, thankfully) – Saving Private Ryan was that rare blend, particularly seen in war movies, of critical acclaim and box offices success, mixing and matching the heady thrill of battles with moral theorizing, often at the same time.

Left to right foreground: Tom Sizemore, Tom Hanks as soldiers on the boats at D-Day

There’s little indication of this to start with. After a mercilessly long and pointless opening with some old dude, the movie proper begins. June 6th, 1944. The date is already ringing a bell. The beach is covered in iron anti-tank crosses. This is Omaha, and the Normandy beach landings are about to begin, now well-known as D-Day. Spielberg mentioned in an interview that his father, who fought in Burma during WW2, used to say, “Nobody ever makes a movie about my war except as an excuse to do action.” Perhaps it was this particular misrepresentation that Steven Spielberg wanted to correct for a modern-day audience with Saving Private Ryan.

The most striking and immediate way that this is achieved in the opening scene is with the camera. Hand-held photography, or “shaky-cam” in common parlance, is employed throughout, creating the feel of a Signal Corps cameraman. These dedicated photographers of still and moving film were there with the soldiers during the real landing at Omaha beach and other military operations, documenting all that transpired for the benefit of the people at home and in the future. Certain shots, where the camera falls over, ducks for cover, or hesitates before running alongside the actors, were deliberately edited into the final film, as well as brief moments when blood or sand cover the camera lens. This makes for a lot of disorientation, confusion, and ultimately the sense that we, the viewers, are there, fighting (or hiding at least) with the characters that we will come to know very personally by the end of the film.

The real D-Day

The whistle sounds. No more time for the little people, this is war on a grand scale. And yet we never lose sight of the individual. As they are shot, maimed, search for their own body parts, cry for far away parents, they are still people. Cut to the other side. The German soldiers are firing relentlessly, but they are all in silhouette. The landings are far away, not so much visually (an extra long lens helps fix that), but personally. We’ve lost the humanity. The enemy have no humanity. This, what propaganda has dictated for decades, is how you deal with the horrors of war. They are your enemy. Don’t get to know them, perhaps they are not even recognizably human. Of course, in reality, this works out very differently, as seen when the principal characters encounter a German later in the film, and no-one knows how to deal with him.

After the initial wave of dead bodies, the humanization of the soldiers continues. A shell explodes next to Tom Hanks, and for a few minutes, he is practically deaf, a hollow ringing in his ears (and in the audience’s through some inspired sound design and mixing). From his point of view, we see people carrying a flame-thrower being engulfed in flames and a soldier searching for his lost arm. He picks up his helmet, tipping out a large volume of mingled water and blood, and returns it to his head. Someone asks for orders. He can’t hear. He is helpless. And likewise, we the audience are helpless, unable to jump through the silver screen and re-assert a peaceful order of things. All we, Sergeant Miller and us, can do is watch, voyeurs to the brutal carnage around us, as our friends from beforehand and acquaintances from the brief time on the boat are cut down all around us. The slow-motion lends a sense of heightened senses and reality, making it all the more torturous being unable to help them.

Basically it’s saying upfront: this movie doesn’t mess around.

The rest of the film rides on the initial strength. For those who don’t know, it chronicles the story of Tom Hanks’ character Capt. John H. Miller, who recruits a rag-tag team of misfit US soldier after the D-Day landings to rescue one James Francis Ryan as he’s the last of three brothers left alive after the Normandy campaign in World War 2.

As the D-Day scene wraps up the loose ends, the weary viewer is unwillingly confronted with the same horrific sight as Tom Hanks; the dead, the dying, the futility of war; and as the sweeping emotional score interjects to yank at the heartstrings, the bloodshed and carnage recedes into the faded-sepia toned memory of the past – quite like history. Saving Private Ryan has a strange relationship with history. Scrawled from the perspective of fifty years later, this presents the movie as an artifact to spur remembrance, of veterans and their comrades’ sacrifices. Post-Vietnam, an unsuccessful and controversial conflict which spawned a whole glut of war movies and their own unique sub-genre, Saving Private Ryan is a constant reminder of a completely different generation’s sacrifice.

Tom Hanks, near the end of the movie.

Although it may not take as brave a stance as, say, Johnny Got His Gun or other examples of the genre, Saving Private Ryan still has a good deal to say about war, dissecting and criticizing the act of it, yet embracing what it stands for. It’s this paradox that somehow staves the characters through the traumatic experiences they are forced into, knowing that they are fighting for a higher cause which is never questioned. Even if the chain of command, the rescue mission itself is criticized, even by Capt. Miller, it’s always imperative that they remember this: their mission is to win the war. This logic jump neatly side-steps all the intrinsic problems that the characters might have with their premise.

The value of life is revisited often throughout Saving Private Ryan. On the face of it, the plot is one expression of this – forcing a group of eight people to risk their lives to save just one. However, it is a theme also befitting war, the backdrop to which this search-and-rescue mission takes place. In one lengthy scene nearing the middle of the movie, Tom Hanks absent-mindedly recollects how he’s always been able to reassure himself that when he was sacrificing men’s lives it was to save more lives than what it cost. In this way, life becomes quantifiable, unimportant, a game of numbers and chance – and pretty big numbers at that. It’s just another way war warps the outlook and perspective of people, including the audience, who are immersed in it. In other words, everything is quite FUBAR.

Saving Private Ryan is, put simply, one of the greatest war films of all time. It deals with all the familiar themes of loyalty, death, and sacrifice, but does so maturely, bringing World War 2, which had never previously been treated in such a way, to life, in all its gory glory.

As well as this one, I also recommend: The Bridge on the River Kwai, Johnny Got His Gun (see above link for DVD trailer), A Matter of Life and Death, The Longest Day as really good war movies.

A moving video of Philip Spooner, an 86 year-old WWII veteran, who testified for gay marriage in Maine. “A woman at my polling place asked me, ‘Do you believe in equality for gay and lesbian people?’ I was pretty surprised to be asked a question like that. It made no sense to me.”

Spooner continues, with candor and compassion: “Finally, I asked her, ‘What do you think I fought for at Omaha Beach?”

As election day nears, polls show that Maine voters are split on marriage equality: 48% in favor; 48% against. Critics worry about a repeat of the Prop 8 fiasco in California. Now, more than ever, we need to voice our support for marriage equality as clearly as Philip Spooner.

What would make Jesus smile?

This guy:

An 86 year-old World War 2 veteran at a public meeting on Maine’s marriage equality bill:

The woman at my polling place asked me do I believe in equality for gay and lesbian people. I was pretty surprised to be asked a question like that. It made no sense to me. Finally I asked her: what do you think I fought for in Omaha Beach?

Note: This is the first of a series of four articles dealing with the campaign in France and Germany in 1944-1945.  The second installment “Mortain to Market-Garden” was posted a couple of months back. The link to that article is here: http://padresteve.wordpress.com/2009/09/17/mortain-to-market-garden-a-study-in-how-armies-improvise-in-rapidly-changing-situations/

The others should be posted in the coming weeks.

Introduction

Eisenhower and 101st Airborne

The American landings on Omaha Beach were critical to the success of the Allied invasion northwestern Europe in the overall Overlord plan.  Without success at Omaha there would have been a strong chance that the German 7^th Army and Panzer Group West could have isolated the remaining beachheads, and even if unsuccessful at throwing the Allies into the sea could have produced a stalemate that would have bled the Allies white.  This quite possibly could have led to a political and military debacle for the western allies which would have certainly changed the course of World War II and maybe the course of history.[i] This is not to say the Germans would have won the war, but merely to state that a defeat on Omaha could have changed the outcomes of the war significantly.   Subsequent to the successful landing there were opportunities both for the Allies and the Germans to change the way that the campaign unfolded, thus the battles leading up to the breakout at Avranches are critical to its development and the subsequent campaign in France.

OVERLORD: The Preparations

The planning for the Normandy invasion began in earnest after the QUADRANT conference in Quebec in August 1943.  The timetable for the operation was established at the Tehran conference where Stalin sided with the Americans on the need for an invasion of France in the spring of 1944.[ii] Prior to this there had been some planning by both the British and Americans for the eventual invasion initially named ROUNDUP.  These preparations and plans included a large scale raid at Dieppe in 1942 which ended in disaster but which provided needed experience in what not to do in an amphibious assault on a heavily defended beach.        The failure at Dieppe also darkened the mood of the Allies, the British in particular to the success of such operations, bringing to mind the failed Gallipoli campaign of 1915 as well as the opposed landings at Salerno and the USMC experience at Tarawa.[iii] Despite this the Americans led by General Marshall pushed for an early invasion of northwest Europe. Churchill and the British due to their weakness in land power pushed for land operations in the Mediterranean, and even in Norway as an option to the assault in France. The conflicted mindset of the Allies left them in the position of planning almost exclusively for the success of the initial landings and build up to the near exclusion of planning for the subsequent campaign once they landed. This especially included what one writer described as “the maze of troubles awaiting behind the French shore.”[iv]

LST-325 at Normandy, Specialized Landing Ships and Craft were in High Demand and Short Supply in June 1944

Despite conflicts between the Americans and British political and military leadership the planning for the Normandy landings detailed in NEPTUNE and OVERLORD moved ahead.  General Dwight Eisenhower was appointed as the commander of SHAEF with his major subordinates for Land, Air and Sea which caused consternation on both sides of the Atlantic.[v] [vi] The planned operation was expanded from the initial 3 division assault on a narrow front to a minimum 5 division assault on a broad front across Normandy[vii] supplemented by a strong airborne force.[viii] Overall the plan as it developed reflected a distinctly “American willingness to confront the enemy head-on in a collision which Britain’s leaders had sought for so long to defer.”[ix] It is ironic in a sense that the British avoidance of the head on attack was based on their known lack of manpower.  Britain had few infantry reserves to sustain the war effort and the Americans only late recognized their own deficiency in both quantity and quality of infantry forces on which their strategy depended.  That the western allies, so rich in material and natural resources would be so deficient in infantry manpower was a key constraint on the subsequent campaign in France and Germany.  The shortage of infantry forces would cause great consternation among the Allies as the campaign in France wore on. The Germans too faced manpower shortages due to the immense losses sustained on the Eastern front, those lost in Africa and those tied down in Italy, the Balkans and Norway as well as the drain caused by Luftwaffe Field Divisions and troops diverted into the Waffen-SS.   The German Army resorted to smaller divisions and the created many “static” divisions manned by elderly or invalid Germans to plug the gaps along the Atlantic wall. The Germans were also forced to recruit “Volksdeutsch” and foreign “volunteers” to fill out both Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS formations.

Omaha Beach

Prior to the final decision to mount an invasion the Allied planners had contended with the location of the assault in northwestern France.  The Pas de Calais provided a direct route was rejected because it was where the Germans would expect the strike to occur and because it was where the German defenses were strongest.  The fiasco at Dieppe had provided ample proof of what could happen when making an assault into a heavily fortified port.  Likewise the mouth of the Seine near Le Harve was rejected because of the few beaches suitable for landing and because the forces would be split on both sides of the river.  Brittany was excluded due to its distance from the campaigns objectives in Germany.[x] This left Normandy which offered access to a sufficient number of ports and offered some protection from the weather. Normandy offered options to advance the campaign toward the “Breton ports or Le Harve as might be convenient.”[xi] Omaha beach, situated on the center right of the strike would be crucial to the success of the assault situated to the left of UTAH and the right of the British beaches.

Outnumbered Paratroops of II Fallschirmjaeger Corps Delayed US Forces Considerably in Normandy

Once Normandy was selected as the location for the strike by the Allies, the planning sessions remained contentious.  This was especially true when the Allies debated the amount and type of amphibious lift that could be provided for the landings, particularly the larger types of landing ships and craft to support the Normandy invasion and the planned invasion of southern France, Operation ANVIL.  The increase in OVERLORD requirements for landing craft had an impact in the Mediterranean and resulted in ANVIL being postponed until later in the summer.

As part of their preparations the Allies launched a massive deception campaign, Operation FORTITUDE.  This operation utilized the fictitious First Army Group under the “command” of General George Patton. Patton was still smarting from his relief of command of 7^th Army following slapping commanded an “Army Group” which incorporated the use of dummy camp sites, dummy tanks, aircraft and vehicles, falsified orders of battle and communications to deceive German intelligence.[xii] The success of this effort was heightened by the fact that all German intelligence agents in the U.K. had been neutralized or turned by the British secret service.  Additionally the Luftwaffe’s limited air reconnaissance could only confirm the pre-invasion build ups throughout England without determining the target of the invasion.[xiii] The German intelligence chief in the west, Colonel Baron von Roenne “was deceived by FORTITUDE’s fantasy invasion force for the Pas de Calais.”[xiv] Despite this Commander of the 7^th Army recognized by 1943 that Normandy was a likely Allied target and efforts were made to shift 7^th Army’s center of gravity from Brittany to Normandy.  The one potential German success in getting wind of when the Allied landings would occur was lost when German intelligence discovered two lines of Verlaine’s “Chason d’ Automme” in June 1944 which were to alert the French Resistance of the invasion.  The security section of 15^th Army heard them transmitted on the afternoon of 5 June and notified General Jodl at OKW, but no action was taken to alert forces on the coast.[xv] Allied intelligence was aided by ULTRA intercepts of coded German wireless transmissions. However this was less of a factor than during the African and Italian campaigns as more German communications were sent via secure telephone and telegraph lines vice wireless.[xvi] Allied deception efforts were for the most part successful in identifying German forces deployed in Normandy. However they were uncertain about the location of the 352^nd Infantry Division which had been deployed along OMAHA and taken units of the 709^th Infantry Division under its command when it moved to the coast.[xvii]

8th Air Force Bombers Helped Hit German Oil Production Facilities and caused the Luftwaffe to spend its fighter squadrons over Germany than France

The Allied air campaign leading up to the invasion was based on attempting to isolate the invasion site from German reinforcements. Leigh-Mallory the Air Chief developed the “TRANSPORTATION PLAN” which focused efforts on destroying the French railroad infrastructure.[xviii] A more effective effort was led by General Brereton and his Ninth Air Force which was composed of medium bombers and fighters.  Brereton’s aircraft attacked bridges and rapidly achieved success in crippling German efforts to reinforce Normandy.[xix] Max Hastings gives more credit to the American bombing campaign in Germany to crippling the German defense in the west. General Spaatz and the 8^th Air Force destroyed German production capacity in oil and petroleum as well as the degraded the German fighter force.  The American daylight raids so seriously degraded the German fighter force that it could not mount effective resistance to the invasion.[xx] Russell Weigley also notes that Albert Speer the Reich Armaments Minister said that “it was the oil raids of 1944 that decided the war.”[xxi]

Landing craft passing USS Augusta

Planning and preparations for OMAHA were based around getting the 1^st and 29^th Infantry Divisions ashore and them securing a beachhead “twenty-five kilometers wide and eight or nine kilometers deep.”[xxii] American preparations were thorough and ambitious, but the American assault would go through the most heavily defended sector of German defenses in Normandy.  The landing beaches were wide and bordered by dunes which were nearly impassable to vehicles and “scrub covered bluffs thirty to fifty meters high…rough and impassable to vehicles even to tracked vehicles except at a few places.  The exits were unimproved roads running through four or five draws that cut the bluffs.”[xxiii] Dug in along those bluffs was the better part of the 352^nd Division. The Americans compounded their selection of a difficult and heavily defended landing zone the Americans failed to take advantage of many of the “gadgets” that were offered by the British which in hindsight could have aided the Americans greatly.  The Americans made use of two battalions of DD (Dual Drive) tanks but turned down the offer of flail tanks, flamethrower tanks, and engineer tanks, the “funnies” developed by General Hobart and the British 79^th Armored Division.[xxiv] Weigley believes that the American view of “tanks as instruments of mobility rather than of breakthrough power.” Likewise the Americans victories in the First World War were won by infantry with little tank support.[xxv] In this aspect the Americans were less receptive to utilizing all available technology to support their landings, something that when considering the fact that Americans were great lovers of gadgets and technology. The British use of the Armor, including the “Funnies” on the beaches to provide direct fire into German strong points lessened their infantry casualties on D-Day. Due to this lack of armor support on the beach American forces on OMAHA had little opportunity to exercise true combined arms operations during the initial landings.[xxvi]

Dual Drive or DD Tanks took heavy Losses at Omaha

German preparations for an Allied landing in Normandy were less advanced than the Pas de Calais.  However they had made great strides since late 1943. Field Marshal Rommel greatly increased defensive preparations along the front, including the Normandy beaches.  One of Rommel’s initiatives was to deploy Panzer Divisions near the coast where they could rapidly respond to an invasion.  However Rommel did not get everything that he wanted.  The OKW only allotted him two Panzer Divisions to be deployed near the Normandy beaches.  Only one of these the 21^st Panzer Division was deployed near Caen in the British sector.  One wonders the result had the 12^th SS Panzer Division been deployed behind OMAHA. [xxvii]

OMAHA: The Landings

Like the rest of the Allied invasion forces the 1^st and 29^th U.S. Infantry Divisions set sail from their embarkation ports with the intent of landing on June 5^th.  General Bradley, commanding the First Army until the American XII Army Group would be activated accompanied the invasion force.  The OMAHA landing was under the command of General Gerow and his V Corps while VII Corps led by the 4^th Infantry Division landed at Utah supported by airdrops of the 82^nd and 101^st Airborne Divisions inland.  American command and control during the invasion was exercised from sea as in the Pacific, although General Officers were to go ashore with each of the American divisions.  A severe channel storm disrupted the plan to land on the 5^th and Eisenhower delayed the invasion one day catching a break in the weather and electing to go on the 6th.[xxviii] This delay while uncomfortable for the embarked troops caused the Germans to believe that no invasion would take place until the next favorable tide and moon cycle later in the month.[xxix] The assumption that no invasion was possible ensured that a number of key senior German leaders, including Rommel were absent from the invasion front when the Allies landed.[xxx]

1st Infantry Divison Troops at the Omaha Beach Sea Wall

The landing beaches at OMAHA stretched about 6500 meters from Colleville-Sur-Mer to Vierville-Sur-Mere in the west.  The beaches are wide with bluffs overlooking them and a seawall between the beaches and the bluffs.  Additionally several small towns dot the beach. To the west of the town of Vierville, a prominent height overlooked the entire beachhead.  Named Pont du Hoc, it was believed to house a 150mm battery sighted where it could enfilade the OMAHA landing zones.  The Americans assigned to the 2^nd Ranger Battalion to make a seaborne assault to land, scale the cliffs and take the battery.  Companies from this battalion made a heroic landing and scaled the cliffs to capture the strongpoint only to discover that the guns had not been emplaced.  The Rangers took heavy casualties and held their isolated beachhead against German counterattacks until relieved by the 29^th Division on the morning of June 8^th.[xxxi]

H-Hour for OMAHA was 0630.  Unfortunately the assault troops were transferred to their LCVP landing craft 16-20 kilometers from the beach.  The result was a long and dangerous ride in the small craft for the infantry.  Most of the infantry were completely soaked in sea spay and seasick before going ashore and they carried loads far above what they normally would carry into battle.[xxxii] The Armor support was one battalion of DD tanks, the 741^st Armored Battalion, supporting the 16^th Infantry Refiment of 1^st Infantry Division. These were also launched too far out and nearly all of the tanks were swamped and lost before firing a shot in anger.[xxxiii] Other American support units needed to provide firepower on the beach were equally unfortunate. Weigley notes that at OMAHA “at least 10 of the LCVPs sank” as did “the craft carrying almost all of the 105mm howitzers that were to be the first artillery ashore after the tanks.”[xxxiv] The losses would cripple the assault on OMAHA and nearly cause its abandonment.

Panzers and Grenadiers in Normandy

As the soldiers of the American divisions on OMAHA came ashore they faced German defenders of the 352^nd, 716^th and a regiment of the 709th Infantry Division, the latter under the tactical command of the 352^nd.   Without the bulk of their tanks artillery and lacking close air support the Americans struggled across the beaches and were cut down in large numbers before being pinned down behind the sea wall.[xxxv] With the Americans pinned down on the beach unable to advance, the time tables for the reinforcing waves became snarled amid the German beach obstacles which had not been cleared.  This was in large part due to 40% casualties among the Combat Engineers and the loss of all but five bulldozers.[xxxvi] Naval officers were frustrated in their attempts to provide naval gunfire support by the lack of identifiable targets on the beaches.  Yet German strongpoint’s were “knocked out by either by superbly directed vigorous gunfire from destroyers steaming as close as 800 yards offshore, or by determined action from Rangers or infantry.[xxxvii]

Soldiers ashore discovered that they were not facing the static 716^th Division but the veteran 352^nd Division as well.[xxxviii] Only the leadership and actions of Brigadier General Norman Cota the 29^th Division’s Deputy Commander and Colonel Charles Canham of the 116^th Infantry kept the situation from complete collapse.  They were able to rally their troops. Under their leadership small units from the 116^th which had its linage back to the “Stonewall Brigade” as well as elements of the 16^th and 18^th Infantry Regiments began to move forward.  Surviving junior leaders began to lead survivors through the dunes and up the bluffs to attack German defenders of the roads leading up from the beach from the flank and rear.  A mid-day break in the weather allowed some close tactical air support giving the troops badly needed support.

With the situation desperate General Bradley considered the evacuation of OMAHA.  At sea events were as confused as Bradley and his staff attempted to make sense of what was going on.  Even later in the evening there was discussion of diverting all further reinforcements from OMAHA to the British beaches.[xxxix]At 1330 hours “Gerow signaled Bradley: “Troops formerly pinned down on beaches…advancing up heights behind beaches.”[xl] By the end of the day Bradley’s aid Major Hansen noted Bradley’s comments to Collins: “They are digging in on Omaha beach with their fingernails. I hope they can push in and get some stuff ashore.”  And Montgomery: “Someday I’ll tell Gen[eral] Eisenhower just how close it was for a few hours.”[xli]

The Author Teaching at Point du Hoc in 2004

The landings at OMAHA succeeded at a cost of over 2000 casualties.  Critical to the success of the landings were the German inability to reinforce their defending troops on the beach.  Likewise the weakness of the units available to mount the standard counterattack that was critical to German defensive plans on D-Day itself kept the Germans from driving the Americans back into the Channel. The 352^nd Division fought superbly under the full weight of V Corps and the British XXX Corps on its right suffering heavy casualties as they contested every inch of ground.  The 716^th Division composed of second rate troops melted under the onslaught.  Allied air supremacy played a key role as sorties by the 8^th and 9^th Air Forces helped keep German reinforcements from arriving and interdicted counter attacks inland.  Weigley credits the Allied air superiority with the success of the landings and with limiting casualties.[xlii] Von Rundstedt and other German commanders in France were limited by the delay and refusal of Hitler and OKW to release Panzer reserves when needed most early on June 6^th.  By the close of D-Day allied forces had secured the five invasion beaches but not achieved their objectives of taking Caen and Bayuex.  Since the forces on the various beachheads had not linked up the beaches would have been extremely vulnerable had the Germans been able to mount a rapid counterattack by Panzers and strong infantry formations as they had at Salerno.

Major Battles to the Breakout at Avranches

Securing the Beachheads:

It took the V and VII Corps nearly a week to secure the beachheads. German forces including the stalwart 352^nd Division resisted stubbornly and mounted sharp local counterattacks which kept the Americans off balance.  Elements of the 29^th Division and the 90^th Division began to push inland and to expand the beachhead toward UTAH. Opposed by the 352^nd Division and elements of the 91^st Airlanding Division and other non-divisional units the fighting revealed the inexperience of the American infantry formations and the uneven quality of their leadership.  As the Americans tackled the Germans in the labyrinth of the Bocage country the defensive skill of the Germans cost many American lives and delayed the joining of the beachheads. On the 13^th the link up was solid enough to enabling the Americans to conduct the follow up operations needed to expand the beachhead, secure Cherbourg and clear the Cotentin.

Tiger Tank and Crew in Normandy

In some American divisions the hard fighting triggered a leadership crisis.  The lack of success of the 90^th Division led General “Lightening Joe” Collins of VII Corps relieve the division commander and two regimental commanders of command, a portent of things to come with other American units.[xliii] As the V and VII corps pushed into the “Bocage” they were followed by a massive build up of troops and equipment delivered to the beaches and to the artificial “Mulberry” harbors.  Despite their numeric superiority, air supremacy and massive Naval gunfire support and facing the weakened 352^nd, 91^st and the 6^th Parachute Regiment and other less than quality formations, survivors of the static divisions, the Americans made painfully slow progress as they moved off the beachhead and into the Bocage.[xliv]

The Capture of Cherbourg

Once the beachheads had been consolidated the Americans turned their attention toward Cherbourg. Cherbourg was the major naval port at the far northwest tip of the Cotentin.  D-Day planners counted on its swift capture and rehabilitation to serve as a supply port for the Allied forces. The 9^th Division drove south to the coast near Barneville on the 18^th of June cutting off the German forces covering the approaches to Cherbourg.[xlv] This put the Germans in a bind as the 7^th Army “had to split its forces in the peninsula in order to hold the fortress a little longer and thus to gain time for the establishment of the southern front on the Cotentin peninsula.[xlvi] The German forces arrayed before Cherbourg waged a desperate defense centered around the 243^rd Infantry Division and other assorted battle groups of LXXXIV Corps, whose commander General Marcks one of the best German Generals was killed in action on 12 June.[xlvii] The U.S. VII Corps under Collins with the 9^th, 4^th and 79^th Divisions pushed up the peninsula capturing Cherbourg on June 29^th.  Bradley pushed hard for the capture of the port as the Mulberries had been ravaged by a severe Channel storm the week prior. The port of Cherbourg was thoroughly demolished by German engineers and would not be fully operational for months. The loss of the Mulberries and delay in Cherbourg’s availability meant that few supplies were landed on the beaches would “hinder the escape from the constricting land of the hedgerows into which the Americans had come in search of a port.[xlviii]

The Battle of Caumont Gap

V Corps under Gerow made a cautious advance by phase lines toward Caumont, St Lo and Carentan.  The deliberate advance by the Corps toward a line weakly held by the Reconnaissance battalion of the 17^th SS Panzer Grenadier Division was directed by Bradley who did not want to divert attention from the effort against Cherbourg.   After capturing Caumont V Corps halted and continued aggressive patrolling to deceive the Germans while digging in.[xlix] The possibility existed that a strong push against the weak German line could have led to an opportunity to envelope the German line west of Caen. This was a missed opportunity that in part led to the bloody and controversial campaign to capture Caen.[l]

British efforts around Caen

Montgomery had ambitious plans to break out of Normandy by capturing Caen on D-Day and driving toward Falaise and Argentan.  The British plans for this were frustrated by the rapid reinforcement of the sector by the Germans and the activities of 21^st Panzer, Panzer Lehr, and the 12^th SS Panzer Divisions.  A flanking maneuver at Villers-Bocage was frustrated by a few Tiger tanks led by the legendary Waffen SS Panzer commander Captain Michael Wittman whose tanks devastated a British Armored battalion.[li] A series of disastrous attacks toward Caen (EPSOM, CHARNWOOD and GOODWOOD) strongly supported by air strikes and Naval gunfire finally succeeded in taking that unfortunate city on July 18^th but failed to take the heights beyond the town.[lii] Against crack well dug in German forces the British took heavy casualties in tanks and infantry seriously straining their ability to conduct high intensity combat operations in the future.[liii] The one benefit, which Montgomery would claim after the war as his original plan was that German forces were fixed before Caen and ground down so they could not be used against Bradley’s breakout in the west at St Lo.[liv]

Panzer Ace Captain Michael Wittmann on His Tiger Tank

Clearing the Bocage: The Battle of the Cotentin Plain

Other German forces arrived, and reinforced the Caumont gap which no longer “yawned invitingly in front of V Corps.” [lv] Bradley wished to push forward rapidly to achieve a breakthrough in the American sector.[lvi] Facing the most difficult terrain in France amid the Bocage and swamps that limited avenues of approach to the American divisions committed to the offensive.  The Americans now faced their old foe the 352^nd division as well various elements of II Parachute Corps, the 17^th SS Panzer Grenadier and Panzer Lehr Divisions.  American tanks and infantry made slow progress and incurred high losses as they dueled the Germans at close range.  In the VIII Corps sector alone the attack “consumed twelve days and 10,000 casualties to cross eleven kilometers of the Bocage…the achievements of the VII and XIX Corps were no better than comparable.[lvii]

St. Lo

St. Lo was a key to Bradley’s breakout efforts.  His Army had to capture it and the roads leading out of it to launch Operation COBRA along the coast.  The task of capturing St. Lo was assigned to GEROW’S V Corps and Corlett’s XIX Corps.  They faced opposition from the tough paratroops of the German 3^rd Parachute Division of II Parachute Corps.  The 2^nd, 29^th, 30^th and 83^rd Divisions fought a tough battle advancing eleven kilometers again with high numbers of casualties especially among the infantry to secure St. Lo on 18 July.[lviii] They finally had cleared the hedgerows.  St Lo epitomized the struggle that the American Army had to overcome in the Bocage.  Hard fighting but outnumbered German troops in excellent defensive country exacted a terrible price in American blood despite the Allied control of the skies.[lix]

US Tanks and German Prisoners at St Lo

Operation COBRA

With the Bocage behind him Bradley desired to push the Germans hard.  COBRA was his plan to break out of Normandy.  Bradley ably assisted by Collins they realized that the better terrain, road networks favored a breakout.  American preparations included a technical advance that allowed tanks to plow through hedgerows. This was the “Rhino” device fashioned by American troops which was installed on 3 of every 5 First Army Tanks for the operation.[lx] VII Corps was to lead the attack which was to begin on July 24^th. American planning was more advanced than in past operations.  Collins and Bradley planned for exploitation operations once the breakthrough had been made. A massive air bombardment would precede the attack along with an artillery barrage by Collins corps artillery which was reinforced by additional battalions.   A mistake by the heavy bombers in the 24^th resulted in the American troops being hit with heavy casualties and a postponement of the attack until the 25th.[lxi] The following day the attack commenced.  Another mistake by the bombers led to more American casualties[lxii] but VII Corps units pressed forward against the determined resistance of the survivors of Panzer Lehr and the remnants of units that had fought the Americans since the invasion began.  Although it was a “slow go” on the 25^th Bradley and his commanders were already planning for and beginning to execute the breakout before the Germans could move up reinforcements.  The 26^th of June brought renewed attacks accompanied by massive air strikes.  While not much progress was made on the 26^th, the Americans discovered on the 27^th that the German forces were retreating.  The capture of Marigny allowed VIII Corps to begin exploitation down the coastal highway to Coutances.  On the 27^th General Patton was authorized to take immediate command of VIII Corps a precursor to the activation of his 3^rd Army.  COBRA ripped a hole in the German line and inflicted such heavy casualties on the German 7^th Army that it could do little to stop the American push.[lxiii] As the American forces pushed forward they reinforced their left flank absorbing the local German counterattacks which were hampered by the Allied close air support.

Avranches and Beyond

As the breakthrough was exploited the command of the forces leading it shifted to Patton and the newly activated 3^rd Army. By the 28^th VIII Corps led by the 4^th and 6^th Armored Divisions had reached Avranches and established bridgeheads over the See River with additional bridges being captured intact on the 30^th.[lxiv] The capture of Avranches allowed the Americans to begin exploitation operations into Brittany and east toward the Seine. Weigley notes that for the first time in the campaign that in Patton the Americans finally had a commander who understood strategic maneuver and would use it to great effect.[lxv]

Conclusion

The American campaign in Normandy cost the U.S. Army a great deal. It revealed weaknesses in the infantry, the inferiority of the M4 Sherman tank to most German types, problems in tank-infantry cooperation and also deficiencies in leadership at senior, mid-grade and junior levels. Heavy casualties among infantry formations would lead to problems later in the campaign. Numerous officers were relieved including Division and Regimental commanders.  Nonetheless during the campaign the Americans grew in their ability to coordinate air and ground forces and adapt to the conditions imposed on them by their placement in the Cotentin.  The deficiencies would show up in later battles but the American Army learned its trade even impressing some German commanders on the ground in Normandy.[lxvi]

[ii] Weigley, Russell F. Eisenhower’s Lieutenants: The Campaign of France and Germany, 1944-1945, Indiana University Press, Bloomington IN, 1981 p.33

[iii] Ibid pp. 34-35

[iv] Ibid p.35

[v] General Montgomery 21^st Army group and Land Forces, Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsey as Allied Naval Expeditionary Force and Air Marshall Sir Trafford Leigh-Mallory as Commander in Chief Allied Expeditionary Air Force. Weigley p.43

[vi] Max Hastings in Overlord: D-Day and the Battle for Normandy Vintage Books, New York, 1984, comments that many in Britain wondered if Eisenhower with the lack of actual battle experience could be a effective commander and that Eisenhower was disappointed in the appointment of Leigh-Mallory and Ramsey, and had preferred Alexander over Montgomery, pp. 28-29.

[vii] Ibid. Weigley p.40.  Montgomery was the first to object to the 3 division narrow front invasion rightly recognizing that seizing Caen with its road junctions could provide a springboard for the campaign into open country.

[viii] Ibid. p.37

[ix] Hastings, Max. Overlord: D-Day and the Battle for Normandy Vintage Books, New York, 1984 p.29  Hastings finds the irony in the selection of the British officers to execute the plan that reflected the American way of thinking.

[x] The Germans agreed with this in their planning leaving Brittany very lightly defended.  See  Isby, David C. Ed. “The German Army at D-Day: Fighting the Invasion.” p.27 The report of General Blumentritt, Chief of Staff OB West noted that only 3 divisions were assigned to Brittany.

[xi] Ibid. Weigley, pp. 39-40

[xii] Ibid. p.73

[xiii] See Isby p. 69.  General Max Pemsel of 7^th Army noted that “During  the spring of 1944, Seventh Army received only tow good photographs of British southern ports, which showed large concentrations of landing craft.”

[xiv] Ibid. Hastings p.63.  Hastings comments also about the success of using the turned Abwehr agents.

[xv] Warlimont, Walter. “Inside Hitler’s Headquarters: 1939-1945.” Translated from theGerman by R.H. Barry. Presidio Press, Novao CA, English Edition Copyright 1964 Wiedenfeld and Nicholson Ltd. Pp.422-423

[xvi] Ibid. Weigley pp. 53-54

[xvii] Ibid. p. 67

[xviii] Ibid. pp.57-64  Weigley spends a great deal of time on the wrangling between Eisenhower, Leigh Mallory and Spaatz on the nature of the plan, the allocation of forces both strategic and tactical assigned to carry it out and its success, or in the light of postwar analysis the lack of effect that it had on German operations.

[xix] Ibid. p.67-68.

[xx] Ibid. Hastings pp. 43-44 In large part due to the long range P-51 Mustang which accompanied the American bombing raids beginning in 1943.  Another comment is that the campaign drew the German fighters home to defend Germany proper and prevented their use in any appreciable numbers over the invasion beaches.

[xxi] Ibid. Weigley p.69

[xxii] Ibid. p.89

[xxiii] Ibid. pp. 88-89

[xxiv] Ibid. p.87

[xxv] Ibid. Weigley also talks about the rejection of General Corlett’s ideas to use Amtracks used by the Marines in the Pacific to land on less desirable, but less defended beaches to lessen casualties on the beaches and the need for additional support equipment even on smooth beaches.  One of Corlett’s criticisms was that too little ammunition was allotted to supporting the landings and not enough supporting equipment was provided. pp. 46-47

[xxvi] Hastings notes that with the strength and firepower of the German forces on OMAHA that many of these vehicles had they been employed would like have ended up destroyed further cluttering the beachhead. “Overlord” p.102

[xxvii] The battle over the deployment of the Panzer Divisions is covered by numerous historians.  The source of the conflict was between Rommel who desired to place the Panzer Divisions on the Coast under his command due to the fear that Allied air superiority would prevent the traditional Panzer counterthrust, General Gyer von Schweppenburg commander of Panzer Group West (Later the 5^th Panzer Army) and Field Marshal Von Rundstedt who desired to deploy the divisions order the command of Rundstedt for a counter attack once the invasion had been launched, a strategy which was standard on the Eastern Front, and Hitler who held most of the Panzer reserve including the SS Panzer Divisions under his control at OKW.  Hitler would negotiate a compromise that gave Rommel the satisfaction of having three Panzer Divisions deployed behind coast areas in the Army Group B area of responsibility.  21^st Panzer had those duties in Normandy.

[xxviii] Ibid. p.74-75

[xxix] Von Luck, Hans.  “Panzer Commander“ Dell Publishing, New York, 1989 pp. 169-170.  Von Luck a regiment commander in 21^st Panzer noted that General Marcks of 84^th Corps had predicted a 5 June invasion at a conference May 30^th.

[xxx] Almost every D-Day historian talks about the weather factor and its effect on the German high command’s reaction to the invasion.  Rommel was visiting his wife for her birthday and planned to make a call on Hitler. Others including commanders of key divisions such as the 91^st Airlanding Division were off to a war game in Rennes and the 21^st Panzer Division to Paris.

[xxxi] Ibid. Weigley p. 96

[xxxii] See Cornelius Ryan, “The Longest Day” Popular Library Edition, New York 1959. pp. 189-193 for a vivid description of the challenges faced by soldiers going from ship to landing craft and their ride in to the beaches.

[xxxiii] Ibid. Weigley. p.78 Weigley talks about the order for the tanks to be carried ashore on their LCTs that did not get transmitted to the 741^st.

[xxxiv] Ibid.

[xxxv] Ibid. Weigley  p. 87 The weather prevented the aerial bombardment from being effective. Because the bombers could not see their targets they dropped their bomb loads further inland, depriving the infantry of support that they were expecting.  Naval gunfire support had some effect but had to be lifted as the troops hit the beach leaving much of that support to come from Destroyers and specially equipped landing craft which mounted rockets and guns.

[xxxvi] Ibid. Hastings. pp. 90-91.

[xxxvii] Ibid. p.99

[xxxviii] Ibid. Weigley p.80

[xxxix] Ibid. p.101  Also see Weigley p.80

[xl] Ibid. p.99

[xli] Ibid. Weigley. p.95

[xlii] Ibid. p.94

[xliii] Ibid. p.99 Both Weigley and Hastings make note of the failure of both the Americans and British to train their troops to fight in the bocage once they had left the beaches.

[xliv] Ibid. Hastings. pp.152-153

[xlv] Ibid. Weigley p.101

[xlvi] Isby, David C., Ed. “Fighting in Normandy: The German Army from D-Day to Villers-Bocage.” Greenhill Books, London,  2001.  p.143

[xlvii] Ibid. Hastings p.173 Allied fighter bombers exacted a fearful toll among German commanders. The Commanders of the 243^rd and 77^th Divisions fighting in the Cotentin were also killed by air attacks on the 17^th and 18^th.   Further east facing the British the commander of the 12^th SS Panzer Division, Fritz Witt on the 17^th.

[xlviii] Ibid. Weigley. p.108

[xlix] Ibid. p.111-112.

[l] Ibid.

[li] The efforts of the 51^st Highland Division and 7^th Armored Division were turned aside by the Germans in the area and were dramatized by the destruction of  a British armored battalion by SS Captain Michael Wittman and his platoon of Tiger tanks.  See Hastings pp.131-135.

[lii] The British 8^th Corps under General O’Connor lost 270 tanks and 1,500 men on 18 July attempting to crack the German gun line on the ridge beyond Caen. Weigley, pp.145-146.

[liii] Hastings comments about the critical British manpower shortage and the pressures on Montgomery to not take heavy casualties that could not be replaced. Overlord. pp.241-242.

[liv] Ibid. Weigley pp.116-120

[lv] Ibid. p.122

[lvi] Ibid. p121 Bradley told Eisenhower “when we hit the enemy this time we will hit him with such power that we can keep going and cause a major disaster.”

[lvii] Ibid. 134

[lviii] Ibid. Weigley. pp. 138-143.  Weigley notes of 40,000 U.S. casualties in Normandy up to the capture of St. Lo that 90% were concentrated among the infantry.

[lix] Weigley quotes the 329^th Regiment, 83^rd Division historian “We won the battle of Normandy, [but] considering the high price in American lives we lost. P.143. This is actually a provocative statement that reflects America’s aversion to massive casualties in any war.

[lx] Ibid. p.149

[lxi] Ibid. p. 152

[lxii] Ibid. pp. 152-153.  Among the casualties were the command group of the 9^th Division’s 3^rd Battalion 47^th Infantry and General Leslie McNair who had come to observe the assault.

[lxiii] Ibid. pp.161-169. Weigley notes the advances in U.S. tactical air support, the employment of massive numbers of U.S. divisions against the depleted German LXXXIV Corps, and the advantage that the “Rhino” device gave to American tanks by giving them the ability to maneuver off the roads for the first time.

[lxiv] Ibid. pp.172-173.

[lxv] Ibid. p.172

[lxvi] Ibid. Isby, David C. “Fighting in Normandy,” p.184, an officer of the 352^nd Division referred to the American soldier “was to prove himself a in this terrain an agile and superior fighter.”

Bibliography

Carell, Paul. “Invasion: They’re Coming!” Translated from the German by E. Osers, Bantam, New York 1964.

Hastings, Max. Overlord: D-Day and the Battle for Normandy Vintage Books, New York, 1984

Isby, David C. Ed. “The German Army at D-Day: Fighting the Invasion.” Greenhill Books, London 2004

Isby, David C., Ed. “Fighting in Normandy: The German Army from D-Day to Villers-Bocage.” Greenhill Books, London, 2001.

Ryan, Cornelius, “The Longest Day” Popular Library Edition, New York 1959

Tsouras, Peter. “Disaster at D-Day: The Germans Defeat the Allies, June 1944,” Greenhill Books, London 1994.

Von Luck, Hans.  “Panzer Commander“ Dell Publishing, New York, 1989

Warlimont, Walter. “Inside Hitler’s Headquarters: 1939-1945.” Translated from theGerman by R.H. Barry. Presidio Press, Novao CA, English Edition Copyright 1964 Wiedenfeld and Nicholson Ltd. Warlimont, Walter. “Inside Hitler’s Headquarters: 1939-1945.” Translated from theGerman by R.H. Barry. Presidio Press, Novao CA, English Edition Copyright 1964 Wiedenfeld and Nicholson Ltd.

Weigley, Russell F. Eisenhower’s Lieutenants: The Campaign of France and Germany, 1944-1945, Indiana University Press, Bloomington IN, 1981

SUSCRIBE

Have You Passed Through This Night by Explosions in the Sky

Dark Was the Night by Blind Willie Johnson

Avalon by Sigur Ros

SUSCRIBE

ESTAMOS DE VOLTA!

Patrick e Oliver fazendo um acustico em Cully, Suiça

Olá pessoal! Depois de passarmos 21 dias viajando, trabalhando e fazendo muita musica pela europa, estamos de volta! Passamos bons tempos por lá. Alguns dos nossos shows foram cancelados mas acabamos fazendo 8 apresentações bem legais. Com voz violão, percussão e muita empolgação das platéias, conseguimos manter um bom astral e fazer a poeira levantar por onde passamos!

Oliver e Patrick em Paris

Nossa primeira parada foi Paris, a capital da França, onde ficamos por 2 dias e fizemos uma apresentação. Fomos com nosso produtor Sebastian e nos divertimos pelas ruas de lá. Passamos pela torre Eiffel, Pelas Champs Elysées, pelo museu do Louvre, pelo D’Orsay, Bastilha e muitos outros lugares lindos! paris, realmente, é linda!

Oliver, Sebastian e Patrick em Omaha Beach, Normandia, França

Depois partimos rumo a Normandia, no norte da França. Local famoso pelo desembarque das tropas aliadas durante a II Guerra Mundial. o Dia-D. A região é linda e os vestigios da guerra ainda são muito presentes. Visitamos os locais do desembarque, campos de batalha, museus, etc… Infelizmente nosso show foi cancelado mas a viagem valeu a pena! O lugar é muito bonito.

Uvas Pinot Noir

Após uma passagem muito boa pela França, fomos para a Suiça, onde tocamos em Lausanne, Cully e Zurique. Foi muito bacana! Em Cully, trabalhávamos nas colheitas de uva durante o dia e tocávamos de noite! Foram duas semanas de muito alto astral, muita musica e animação!

Caixas e mais caixas de uvas

A região é Linda. Quem tiver a oportunidade não pode perder: o pequeno vilarejo de Cully fica na Região do Lavaux, na parte francesa da Suiça! Nesse ano quem também tocou por lá foi o Lenine.

Oliver e Patrick nas vinhas em Cully

É isso ai pessoal! Estamos de volta no Brasil e logo mais o bixo vai pegar pelos palcos desse mundão sem porteira! É bom estar de volta!

Beijos e Abraços

Oliver e Patrick

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NORMANDIA A TODO VAPOR!

Olá a todos!
Apos 2 dias agradabilíssimos em Paris, partimos para uma viagem de 1h40min de trem rumo a Rouen, uma das principais cidades situadas na Normandia, onde alugamos um carro que viria a ser nosso parceiro pelos próximos dias.

Normandia

os 4 guerreiros na Normandia

PARA VER MAIS FOTOS DA NORMANDIA CLIQUE AQUI!!!!

A idéia inicial era de visitar os principais pontos do desembarque das tropas aliadas durante o Dia D e as principais cidades e vilas por onde eles passaram, alem de visitar a vila de Honfleur, dica do Marco (DR. Marco Guedes) de que realmente valia a pena ir pra lá e sentar na beira do lago e tomar um vinho. E foi o que fizemos! Hehe

Normandia

Como nosso tempo seria curto, resolvemos dispensar a entrada nos museus e nos focarmos nas idas às cidades e nas praias do desembarque , baterias antiaéreas, etc…

Omaha Beach

Saímos de Rouen rumo a Caen, depois fomos para Carentan, Saint Maire Eglise, Baterie de Crisbecq e depois fomos beirando a costa da Normandia passando por Utah Beach, Pont du Hoc, Omaha Beach, Golden, Juno e Sword Beaches até chegar em Arromanches e depois partimos rumo a Honfleur (a vila de pescadores que o Marco nos sugeriu).

Nossa rota pela Normandia

Honfleur, Normandia, França

A Vila é Linda! Foi, sem dúvida, a cidadezinha mais bonita que passamos pela Normandia! Para quem passar por lá, vale a pena conferir! E, como prometido, sentamos na beira do lago e tomamos um bom copo de vinho. Valeu Marco! Hehe

Tomando um vinho na beira do lago...

Depois partimos rumo a Rouen onde passamos a noite no carro, na garagem da estação de trem… Vou dizer que não foi das melhores noites da minha vida mas no dia seguinte, bem cedo, já estávamos no trem rumo a Paris, onde pegamos nosso avião com destino a Geneve, na Suíça.

Omaha Beach

Omaha Memorial

Baterias Alemãs na Normandia

Pont Du Hoc - Buracos de bombas pra todos os lados...

PARA VER MAIS FOTOS DA NORMANDIA CLIQUE AQUI!!!!

Beijos e Abraços

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Mi sa che ’sta cazzo di vita è sempre più simile allo Sbarco in Normandia: esci dall’acqua e cominci a camminare contro il fuoco nemico.
Fischiano pallottole dappertutto, molti cadono.
Non necessariamente i coraggiosi o i codardi, i bianchi o i neri, i belli o i brutti, i buoni o i cattivi: una pallottola va da un punto a un altro, se su quella strada ci sei tu, ciao.

Sul mio personale vocabolario a volte mi definisco “Dottordivago: uno che cammina con gli occhi chiusi, contro il vento della vita”
Va già bene che finora è stato vento: alcuni trovano le pallottole.

Mi scrive quello che voi conoscete come “Ragonier Pantofola”, che di nome fa Giorgio, anche se per me è sempre Corrado, infatti le sue figlie mi guardano con sospetto, quelle rare volte che mi vedono.

“Ragionier Pantofola” è storia recente, un’invenzione da web; “Corrado”, invece, è roba da Radio Libere, storie di un altro millennio, ma io non riesco proprio a farlo diventare “Giorgio”.

Mi scrive Corrado:

Questa mattina fanno fatto il funerale a Beppe XXXXXXXX.
Beppe è stato per diversi anni una voce tra le più importanti della vecchia Radio Gold. Uno stile vivace, un amore grande come il suo cuore per la musica e per il suo lavoro di dj. Molte volte Beppe (conosciuto anche con il nickname Black dj) ha anticipato i tempi, sia in radio che in discoteca: quando tutti suonavano la dance anni ‘80, lui proponeva il funk più nero (di lì, forse, il soprannome). Sempre avanti di un passo e, di conseguenza, spesso non capito dagli addetti ai lavori, ma sempre apprezzato dal pubblico, che lui riusciva a coinvolgere con la sua energia ed il suo entusiasmo.
Beppe se ne è andato, portato via da un tumore che lo ha fulminato in pochi mesi.
Non ho nemmeno una sua foto e ho saputo della sua scomparsa a funerale avvenuto.
Ma oggi nella mia testa risuona la sua voce, come se lo stessi ascoltando alla radio.

Io Beppe non lo vedevo da ventanni, ma questa notizia mi ha fatto molto, molto male.
Sapete qual’è la cosa brutta di uno che muore?
È che non c’è più, non lo vedrai più, non lo sentirai più.

Quante volte vi è successo di tenere per una vita una cosa qualsiasi e di non averne mai bisogno? E quante volte vi è successo di averla poi buttato via, per scoprire il giorno dopo che vi sarebbe stata utilissima?
Ecco, ora io sono qui a pensare che se ne va un pezzo della mia vita che forse non sapevo neppure più di possedere, ma in questo momento mi manca.
Cazzo, se mi manca.
Siamo bambini, non consideriamo un giocattolo finchè qualcun altro lo prende in mano: a quel punto piangiamo.

Non so cosa darei per aver la possibilità di dirci ancora quattro cagate, con Beppe.

In un’altra vita, quando entravo al Playback lo salutavo dalla pista: lui staccava per un attimo la musica ed urlava: “Signore e signori… IL CAPO DEI BARBARII!!!”
Io saltavo verso il bancone e lui mi dava il cinque.
Due stupidi, roba da fine anni 70, inizio 80.

Merda, siamo nel 2009 o nel 1944?
E poi, dove siamo, ad Omaha Beach?

Dottordivago.

A la playa Omaha Beach se la conoce en la historia de los teatros de operaciones de la Segunda guerra mundial como Omaha “la sangrienta” (Bloody Omaha).

Su fama siniestra es, desde luego, merecida, pues muchas vidas se perdieron en ella durante las primeras horas del 6 de junio de 1944, cuando se llevaron a cabo los desembarcos norteamericanos en el marco de la Operación Overlord, planificada para invadir el continente europeo, ocupado entonces por los ejércitos alemanes.

Para quienes nos dedicamos a la investigación de los efectos que produce siempre la interacción del ser humano con el medio físico que ocupa, lugares como Omaha Beach poseen un relieve especialmente intenso y llamativo, como todos aquellos espacios en los que se han desarrollado acontecimientos especiales que han desprendido, a su vez, una particular e intensa sensación de sufrimiento.

En el caso de Omaha Beach los niveles de ese sufrimiento experimentado por miles de personas y concentrado en un espacio geográfico muy concreto, son tan elevados que su efecto ha permanecido durante décadas y todavía puede ser percibido hoy.

Una de las pruebas de ello es que aquella playa, extendida entre Vierville sur-Mer y Sainte Honorine des-Pertes en la costa normanda de Calvados, ha conservado durante todos estos años ese nombre clave que recibió en los planes de Overlord: Omaha Beach. Y por ese nombre se sigue conociendo aquél pedazo de territorio arenoso, cubierto y descubierto diariamente por el flujo y reflujo de las mareas.

Se calcula que los norteamericanos perdieron el 6 de junio unos 3800 hombres, entre muertos, heridos y desaparecidos, de los cuales, mas de mil murieron sobre la playa y más de la mitad de esa cifra cayeron en el sector de Vierville (denominado en clave Sector “Dog Green”) en las primeras horas del desembarco.

La playa Omaha está cerrada en toda su extensión -unos ocho kilómetros, aproximadamente- por una cadena de colinas cuya altura media es de 20 a 30 metros. Desde el oeste, donde se encontraba el acceso al pueblo de Vierville sur-Mer, hasta el extremo oriental de la playa, próximo a la localidad de Sainte Honorine, toda la linea costera estaba guardada por unos puntos de apoyo dotados de artillería y ametralladoras, así como de diverso armamento ofensivo y defensivo. Era lo que los alemanes conocían como Widerstandsnest (Nidos de resistencia) o WN.

En Omaha Beach había abundantes Nidos de resistencia. Por ejemplo, en la zona de Saint-Laurent, en el sector intermedio de Omaha Beach, aparecen los más importantes en los mapas de operaciones numerados (de Oeste a Este) como WN68 -en el emplazamiento del actual hotel L’Omaha- próximo a la salida hacia Saint-Laurent; el WN67, armado con cohetes, en el borde derecho de dicha carretera; el WN66, a la salida de la carretera a Vierville, en su lado izquierdo; y los WN65 y WN64, guardando la salida del Vallée du Ruquet.

O los WN64 y WN62, que protegían el terreno en el cual, hoy, está el gran cementerio norteamericano de Omaha Beach. En este sector de la playa desembarcaron Robert Capa y Ernest Hemingway, bajo el fuego de los WN 60 y 61, así como del WN 63, cercano al pueblo de Colleville sur-Mer.

Pero también había otros, no menos peligrosos para los asaltantes, como el WN 72, colocado en el borde mismo de la playa, en el mortífero Sector Dog Green
Hoy, en la paz soleada de una mañana de verano, el Sector Dog Green guarda en silencio sus sangrientos recuerdos y quizá medita en aquellos que, sobre sus arenas y rocas, dejaron este mundo, hace tantos años.
En los Sectores Easy Green y Fox Green, muchos jóvenes dejaron sobre la arena de la playa, aferrados a las redondeadas galets o cantos rodados que cubren todavía hoy alguna de sus zonas, todos sus sueños y esperanzas. La guerra es lo más sucio, terrible y sangriento que existe en este mundo.

En lo alto de las colinas que cierran Omaha Beach, pueden verse los árboles que enmarcan el gran cementerio americano de Saint-Laurent…
El cementerio americano de Colleville sur-Mer, Saint Laurent, ocupa una superficie de 70 hectáreas y es uno de los catorce correspondientes a la Segunda guerra mundial construidos fuera de Estados Unidos. La libre disposición de ese terreno fue concedida a perpetuidad por el gobierno francés al gobierno norteamericano. Las tumbas contienen los restos mortales de 9836 soldados. 307 de entre ellos no han sido identificados. Tres de los soldados allí enterrados fueron condecorados con la medalla de honor del Congreso y entre ellos reposan cuatro mujeres.
Pero el área de ese inmenso camposanto, adornado con pinos negros de Austria, laureles, cipreses y sauces, guarda algún que otro misterio y cierto secreto importante, destinado a las generaciones del futuro. 

Terminadas ya las operaciones bélicas en el teatro europeo, el general Dwight D. Einsenhower, Comandante supremo de las fuerzas aliadas en Europa, decidió un día dejar un mensaje conmemorativo de los desembarcos del Dia-D ocurridos el 6 de junio de 1944, dirigido a los hombres y mujeres que vivieran en el año 2044, es decir, un siglo después de la fecha en que tenía lugar aquella sangrienta guerra. Nadie conoce su contenido. Parece ser que él mismo lo llevó a su destino e hizo que lo enterraran en el cementerio de Saint Laurent. Y allí está, confiado a la custodia de los muertos, hasta que llegue el momento en que pueda ser revelado.
En las paredes exteriores del gran monumento conmemorativo del desembarco norteamericano en playa Omaha, ubicado en el mismo cementerio de Coleville, Saint Laurent, aparece un signo bien conocido por los amantes del misterio. Muy cerca, en un gran semicírculo de marmol, los nombres de todos aquellos desaparecidos en la violencia de la batalla, cuyos restos no han podido ser hallados, nos recuerdan que, por detrás de lo que vemos, casi siempre hay algo más…

La playa entera de Omaha está hoy día abierta al baño y para su utilización y disfrute como cualquier otra. Sin embargo para muchos aquello continúa teniendo el carácter solemne y melancólico de un cementerio militar, carácter que ostentó oficiosamente durante muchos años, después de aquél terrible 6 de junio de 1944. Poca gente se mete en sus aguas. Recuerdo que en mi primera visita, hace cuarenta años, todavía podían verse restos de alambradas y de los famosos y mortíferos obstáculos de Rommel, que hoy se muestran como recuerdo en los numerosos museos oficiales y privados de la zona.

Omaha Beach es, cada año, escenario de un homenaje celebrado en memoria de todos cuantos allí murieron. Algunos veteranos de aquellos días, acuden de vez en cuando a las ceremonias, aunque la edad ya va haciendo estragos entre sus filas. Las conmemoraciones y los recuerdos pasan, pero la influencia y el aura de los terribles sucesos allí ocurridos, puede permanecer durante más tiempo del que muchos piensan.
Si se quiere captar algo de ese ambiente que todavía hoy es posible percibir en aquellos lugares, hay que madrugar, bajar a la playa Omaha y detenerse en cualquiera de sus rincones. En el Sector Dog Green, o en los muros bajos que bordean el cementerio militar de Saint-Laurent, por ejemplo. Cualquier día es bueno. Pero tal vez sea mejor hacerlo un seis de junio, sobre las 6.30 de la madrugada, cuando la oscuridad todavía persiste en el cielo. Sólo hay que sentarse en silencio, arrullado por el sonido del mar y del viento, y esperar…

(Textos y fotografías tomados de mi trabajo de investigación: “Omaha Beach”. Ensayo para una antropología de la guerra. 2004.)

Dedicado a todos los que, de una manera o de otra, con razón o sin ella, con miedo o disputando valientemente su destino, murieron el 6 de junio de 1944 o en los días sucesivos, sobre las arenas, colinas, caminos, trincheras y espacios de Omaha Beach.

                           SIT VOBIS TERRA LEVIS

Vierville sur-Mer, 6 de junio de 2004.

JOSÉ LUIS CARDERO LÓPEZ

www.joseluiscardero.com

Are you planning to get married in the near future??

 Hi, my name is Jillian Taylor, A Celebrant, working in the

Matakana Coast area, North Auckland, New Zealand.

 I have lived here for 17 years.

 I am a graduate of The School of the Feminine Divine, (2006), which is where my passion for Ceremony and Ritual began.

 I have completed two celebrant papers:

Ceremony and Celebration (AUT) 2008

Weddings and Civil Unions (Celebrant School) 2009.

I recently attended the CANZ conference in Auckland. July 2009.

 I believe Ceremony and celebration make up an important

 part of our lives.

 “A life without celebration is a life half lived”.

 The ceremony is without doubt the most important part of a

 Wedding Day.

 My role as a celebrant is to guide a couple through the planning of their wedding ceremony, to offer options for the couple to choose from, information on local resources and services, as well as delivering the ceremony on the day.

 I will help a couple decide, what is right for them, capturing the essence of the uniqueness of their relationship, their cultural identity, and their individual characteristics.

  I will write a ceremony that is personally written for you, creating a ceremony that is unforgettable, uplifting and special.

 It is my job, as a celebrant, to ensure the ceremony runs smoothly. You, The bride and groom do not have to worry about anything but pledging your love and getting married.

 If you would like to discuss Your Wedding give me an email to arrange an interview.

 Until then….

Continue to enjoy..   

Many good things…..

From

 Jillian Taylor

Celebrant

Jillian@qualitytime4u.com

Simboli.Ancora dubbi sulla storica immagine del reporter Usa. A rischio anche il ricordo collettivo della guerra civile di Spagna?

L’odissea di Death of a Loyalist Soldier, il miliziano colpito a morte dalla truppe franchiste, la foto-simbolo della guerra civile spagnola realizzata dal fotografo americano Robert Capa, non è ancora finita. Di nuovo l’accusa di falso. Possibile? È quanto sostiene lo storico spagnolo José Manuel Susperregui, secondo il quale il paesaggio della foto, che Capa disse di aver scattato nel 1936 a Cerro Muriano, alle porte di Cordoba, non corrisponde affatto a quella località, ma ad una località chiamata Espejo, molto lontana dal fronte di battaglia.

Susperregui, docente del dipartimento di comunicazione audiovisiva dell’Universidad del País Vasco, torna alla carica dopo le dichiarazioni polemiche a luglio nel pieno della mostra This Is War: Robert Capa at Work al Museo Nazionale di Arte della Catalogna di Barcellona (che dura fino al 27 settembre), con una intervista al New York Times sul capitolo dedicato a Capa nel suo libro, Sombras de la fotografìa.

Sembrava che i dubbi sull’autenticità della foto si fossero sciolti nel 2008 con il ritrovamento a Città del Messico di alcuni negativi dati per persi, quaranta fotografie scattate nello stesso giorno, nello stesso luogo, scoperte dall´International Centre of Photography di New York, il centro fondato da Cornell Capa, fratello di Robert. Gli scatti, esposti poi a Londra, davano la conferma che il famoso miliziano fosse Federico Borrell García e che la località dello scatto fosse Cerro Muriano.

È dagli anni 70 che si avanzano dei dubbi sull’attimo fatale per il miliziano: coincidenza perfetta o una posa creata a tavolino? Fu proprio l’identificazione del miliziano spazzò via le ombre. Ora i riflettori si spostano sul paesaggio, grazie alle altre foto ritrovate: un’altra località, lontana dal fronte.

«Quando ho deciso di cercare il paesaggio sullo sfondo della foto di Capa, non ho voluto dire il perchè per non influenzare nessuno, vista la portata ideologica ed emotiva della foto». Mostrate a una classe di ragazzi, non c’è stato dubbio sulla località chiamata Espejo. Anche la stampa spagnola si è mossa, El Periòdico de Catalunya ha mandato dei repoter a Espejo, con lo stesso risultao. Crolla dunque il mito di Capa?

Gli esperti del Centro Internazionale di Fotografia di Manhattan dove è custodito l’archivio Capa, non respingono l’indagine di Susperregui, ma invitano a non scivolare nella più ovvia delle conclusioni – come dice il direttore Willis E. Hartshorn ossia che la foto sia del tutto falsa. Per Cynthia Young, curatrice dell’archivio Capa, la tesi è «avvincente, persino persuasiva» ma è anche vero che con la ovvia fretta del reporter di guerra «Capa ha siglato di persona poche didascalie», informazioni integrate a Parigi dall’agente e dall’editore, magari con qualche errore.

Gli storici spagnoli dicono che sebbe a fine mese gli scontri furono intensi, non v’è traccia di spari nella zona immortalata nella foto, quando il 22enne Capa e la sua compagna Gerda Taro passarono di lì. Da New York rispondono che se è vero che nessuna battaglia infuriava, l’alta probabilità di un cecchino potrebbe dare una spiegazione plausibile e alternativa ai dubbi del professore. Ma Susperregui ribatte: «Idea da respingere in toto, perchè le due linee erano troppo distanti. Inoltre, nessuna notizia di attività di cecchini sul fronte di Cordoba». Poi incalza: «Da una pubbicazione anarchica del 1937 risulta che Borrel il miliziano sia caduto dietro un albero e non in campo aperto». Ma la Magnum, di cui Capa era stato uno dei soci, già nel 1996 difese anzi blindò l’identità di Borrell.

La questione è diventata inevitabilmente politica, il governo socialista ha già difeso il carico simbolico della foto: «L’arte è sempre manipolazione dal momento che posizioni l’obiettivo verso una direzione e non un’altra» ha detto la regista e ora ministro della cultura Angeles Gonzalez Sinde. Per Hartshorn «c’è in atto una enorme speculazione ma niente che ci possa far venire a capo della questione. Troppi pezzi sparsi che non possiamo verificare o provare».

Il prossimo 10 ottobre la mostra si sposterà al Nederlands Fotomuseum in Olanda. Altro giro, altra polemica? Resta l’accanimento verso una foto (e un fotografo, Capa, repubblicano e antifascista) simbolo di una guerra che potrebbe sparire dall’immaginario. Obama e McCain hanno il mito di Robert Jordan, il volontario americano nella guerra di Spagna di Per chi suona la campana di Hemingway, ma la loro è una memoria adulta, tutta americana, di un evento remoto e congelato per decenni (con l’eccezione di Ken Loach). La maggior parte degli scatti di Capa fatti a Omaha, finirono bruciati da Life in camera oscura. Eppure a quelle 11 foto sono rimasti aggrappati per anni i ricordi dei reduci, fino al Soldato Ryan di Spielberg. Una legge che vale anche per il miliziano, vero o falso che sia.

Ben: I thought your name was Shaggy? What’s up with Stanley?

Stanley: Yep. It was Shaggy, the Rescue Angels said I needed a new name.  Your Poppa named me in honor of his favorite Uncle who just passed away. He thought we had a lot in common.

Ben: A lot in common?

Stanley: Yep. I landed at the vet’s for a check up, shots and boarding and I was immediately called into duty.

Ben:  Called into duty? Like military service? Now I get it.  Uncle was a WWII War Veteran.

Stanley:  Yep, at the same time I was rescued another doggy needed blood in a hurry. So just like when Uncle was asked to storm Omaha Beach on D-Day… I stormed the surgery room and gave my blood.  

Ben: You just ran in and gave your blood?

Stanley:  Yep…No – Silly Ben you know the vet asked the Rescue Angel if I could donate. They must have been in a jam to ask a boy like me for blood. I might think of selling it if I ever get in a jam again.

Ben:  Jam? Again? Oh you mean the jam that landed you in rescue?

Stanley: Yep. My owners lost their house, moved and left me behind for a WHOLE WEEK!!! Not really that scary, you see I have never been in a house and the Rescue Angel said it looked like I lived in a side yard my whole life. Based on the whispers about my leash manners, I haven’t spent much time on ones of those either.

Ben: Don’t worry about the leash thing. Rumor is I wasn’t too good at the whole leash walking at first, don’t fret about it. Once you see all the fun places you get to go when you are on one, leashes are awesome.  Were they nice to you at the vet’s?

Stanley: Yep. I stayed for two days and was so PAMPERED. I had 2-3 big walks a day, I had treats, toys and they even treated me for fleas and took the tick out of my ear.  No wonder I kept running my head up and down the fence line.

Ben: I heard about the fleas and tick. Glad they took care of those for you.

Stanley: Yep, Me too. Now I have to run. Your peeps are driving my to the OC to catch a ride on the freedom train to Homeward Bound http://www.homewardboundgoldens.org/index.htm

Ben: Travel safe my friend.

Happy Dog

PS. No crates were hurt in this transport – just another example of Stanley’s go anywhere, do anything, can do attitude. Just like Uncle -

RIP S.A.S.

américain d’Omaha beach. C’est à Colleville-sur-mer en Normandie, même si le sol lui, est légalement américain.

9 387 GI reposent ici, décédés pour la plupart sur les plages le 6 juin 1944. Certains ont été adoptés par des familles de la région. Le dimanche, elles viennent fleurir les tombes de ces soldats qu’elles n’ont jamais connus.

Un quart d’entre eux seraient morts noyés avant même d’avoir posé le pied à terre : leur paquetages mal conçus, trop lourds, les emportèrent vers le fonds.

J’ai trouvé que le monument principal, la statue de « l’Esprit de la jeunesse américaine s’élevant des flots » manquait d’originalité. Je me souviens avoir pensé que l’idéal esthétique américain des années 40 n’était finalement pas si éloigné des canons russes ou italiens de la même époque.

« l’Esprit de la jeunesse américaine s’élevant des flots », 1956 (?)

L'Ouvrier et la Kolkhozienne, 1937, Russie, en cours de réparation. (photo : ?)

Palazzo della Civiltà del Lavoro, Rome, 1938 (Photo : Alex Alexandrovna)

J’ai retrouvé en revanche les valeurs toutes libérales de la distinction en constatant que même dans la mort, certains soldats valaient mieux que d’autre. D’ailleurs, sur l’un des mur du Mémorial, il est écrit : « Vous pouvez fabriquez des armes par milliers, à la chaîne sur des tables d’assemblage mais l’héroïsme lui, n’est pas un produit manufacturable. »

Je me suis demandé pourquoi, sur le mur du même Mémorial, était précisé le temps nécessaire à la visite de certaines sections du cimetière. Pour prévoir evidemment, mais prévoir quoi ?

Le tourisme normand a souffert de cette journée d’été 1944. Ce 6 juin, comme on peut le voir sur tous les films et toutes les rares photos de l’évènement, il pleuvait des cordes, entérinant l’image d’une Normandie glauque et grise. En réalité, Omaha beach est une plage magnifique en cette saison.

Non loin d’Omaha beach, sur la face sud du transept de la cathédrale de Bayeux, j’ai vu dieu pour la première fois, tenant son fils à bout de bras. Cette violation, dans un lieux saint, du deuxième commandement tel qu’il est énoncé dans l’Exode m’a laissé perplexe.

Dieu travaille les pieds nus, comme sur les plateaux de télé.

Ce qui m’autorise donc de mettre un point final à cette polémique : non les doigts de pieds de Dieu ne sont pas égyptiens, mais grecs.

I get a lot of emails sent and forwarded to me about every topic you can imagine.  Some are true, and probably many are not.  Some are funny and others are in really poor taste.  I thought this was funny. 

We are often jealous of success.  People of people, business of business, churches of churches, and of course country of country.  America takes a lot of heat from countries that are jealous of our success.  When you are a leader you take a lot of hits.  They can’t wait for us to fall.  Often times they forget that our success brought them success. 

Robert Whiting, an elderly gentleman of 83, arrived in Paris by plane. At French Customs, he took a few minutes to locate his passport in his carry on.

“You have been to France before, monsieur?” the customs offi cer asked  sarcastically.  

Mr. Whiting admitted that he had been to France previously.  

“Then you should know enough to have your passport ready.”  

The American said,

‘The last time I was here, I didn’t have to show it.”  

“Impossible. Americans always have to show your passports on arrival in France !”  

The American senior gave the Frenchman a long hard  look.  Then he quietly explained,

”Well, when I came ashore at Omaha Beach on D-Day in 1944 t o help liberate this country, I couldn’t find a single Frenchmen to show a passport to.”