72 years ago today

Great pictures! I'll try to listen to the radio recordings tonight.

Because "the family experience" as been first born sons serve in the military---(not some grand design just the way it worked out) being Frederick Carl von Gortler IV, and drafted in the US Army, seems I was successful in teaching my son to NOT follow and thus I am last of this world gene pool addition to have served.

I can trace grand fathers back to before WWI...So a lot of this history interests me.... contrasting.... I know little or nothing of the US Civil War and not overly enthusiastic to take the time to learn about it

Lieven, AKA OVERLORD, did a superb job of presenting a perspective that I personally lived (the NOW side of each place from history)

I made it a point on each of the five postings to Germany to visit many significant WWI or WWII places and reflect on my fore father's conditions as it must have / or might have, been.

In almost all places I (usually in US Army uniform) met many many local citizens who sincerely desired to buy me a glass of wine or beer and chat about the actions of the resistance and allies in LIBERATING the area I was visiting...

We tend to focus a lot at these times on Americas GREATEST Generation mostly forgetting each country had a lot of folks fighting or assisting from within their enclaves of existence

Not meaning to diminish the extraordinary actions of the allied forces ....but there are thousands of graves filled with patriot French/Italian/Dutch/Belgium/ and many many others countrymen

I am in awe of all the forces that stood for good and risked their lives to try to get back to PLAYING ON THE BEACH...at least for their children and generations after them

Thanks OVERLORD...well done photo essay

Remarkable pictures. The contrasts are amazing. The P-47? washed up on the beach, the captured German Kubelwagen, the destruction restored to normalcy. And the perspective, same camera angles make it so real.

I don't remember D-Day, but I was seven when the war ended and saw the big black headline ATOMIC BOMB DROPPED!! in the New Hampshire Union-Leader. A year later my brother and I each received surplus backpacks full of mess kits, medical supplies, canteens, ammo belts. We used them for years during our camping trips.

Thanks Jacob and Lieven.