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Surviving D Day

  • 18-08-2012 10:37pm
    #1
    Midnight Oil
    Closed Accounts Posts: 114 ✭✭


    Enjoying watching Surviving D Day on Discovery. To have got through and survived what they went through was some feat!

    I heard years ago that only 1 person that landed on D Day survived to the end of the war without ever getting shot. This seems unbelieveable. Does anyone have any other figures?


Comments

  • #2
    KickstartHeart
    Registered Users Posts: 311 ✭✭KickstartHeart


    Midnight Oil wrote: »
    Enjoying watching Surviving D Day on Discovery. To have got through and survived what they went through was some feat!

    I heard years ago that only 1 person that landed on D Day survived to the end of the war without ever getting shot. This seems unbelieveable. Does anyone have any other figures?


    I remember reading in Dick Winters book about Easy Coy 2nd Batt 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment (American's in the 101st Airbourne division) in WW2 that they had some startling casualty figures, all wounds like shrapnel and small arms fire etc. I don't have figures but that book will give you a good idea if you want to give it a read. It does completely focus on the experiences of the parachutists though so you won't get much on the guys that landed on the beaches during the invasion.


  • #3
    Owryan
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,024 ✭✭✭Owryan


    Midnight Oil wrote: »
    Enjoying watching Surviving D Day on Discovery. To have got through and survived what they went through was some feat!

    I heard years ago that only 1 person that landed on D Day survived to the end of the war without ever getting shot. This seems unbelieveable. Does anyone have any other figures?

    I would be inclined to disregard that belief but it could well be in reference to a specific unit. So instead of it being only 1 person from the entire landing force , maybe it was only 1 person from a certain infantry company (as an example) ?

    i remember reading a book about the "Green Howards" and in one passage an officer recalled how when the war in Europe ended their were on 6 men in his company who had come ashore on 6 June, and in the battalion he was the only "D-Day" officer still standing.


  • #4
    KickstartHeart
    Registered Users Posts: 311 ✭✭KickstartHeart


    Midnight Oil wrote: »
    Enjoying watching Surviving D Day on Discovery. To have got through and survived what they went through was some feat!

    I heard years ago that only 1 person that landed on D Day survived to the end of the war without ever getting shot. This seems unbelieveable. Does anyone have any other figures?


    Sorry I forgot to address that in my last post. That's probably an over all average figure or more likely a figure for a particular unit. One person overall from the whole landings without being shot by the end of the war wouldn't make sense at all.

    If you're in university look through academic articles on JSTOR and other history sources and there's an abundance of works on D-Day. You should be able to get some figures there. If not just look through amazon and find a book dedicated totally to operation overlord and you should find a few books with the relevant figures you're looking for!


  • #5
    The Master of Disaster
    Registered Users Posts: 127 ✭✭The Master of Disaster


    Owryan wrote: »
    i remember reading a book about the "Green Howards" and in one passage an officer recalled how when the war in Europe ended their were on 6 men in his company who had come ashore on 6 June, and in the battalion he was the only "D-Day" officer still standing.

    18 Platoon by Sydney Jary?


  • #6
    DipStick McSwindler
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,460 ✭✭✭DipStick McSwindler


    This post has been deleted.


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  • #7
    tac foley
    Registered Users Posts: 5,504 ✭✭✭tac foley


    Midnight Oil wrote: »
    Enjoying watching Surviving D Day on Discovery. To have got through and survived what they went through was some feat!

    I heard years ago that only 1 person that landed on D Day survived to the end of the war without ever getting shot. This seems unbelieveable. Does anyone have any other figures?

    Both my uncles went ashore on D-Day - both were in the Princess Pats CLI. Both survived the war without a scratch. Tom, the oldest, is still with us - he is a compére at the Calgary Stampede most years, but Geoff died in a farming accident back in '74.

    tac


  • #8
    DipStick McSwindler
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,460 ✭✭✭DipStick McSwindler


    This post has been deleted.


  • #9
    Midnight Oil
    Closed Accounts Posts: 114 ✭✭Midnight Oil


    IrishFeeney92 wrote: »
    Anybody who fought with the Allies is a hero in my eyes

    And anyone that fought with the Axis are what? Just because they lost doesnt make them any less heroic in their actions.

    Not everyone in the German Army was a Nazi nor were many people involved in the atrocities that went on in comparison to the grand scheme of things


  • #10
    goldie fish
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,195 ✭✭✭goldie fish


    Midnight Oil wrote: »
    And anyone that fought with the Axis are what? Just because they lost doesnt make them any less heroic in their actions.

    Not everyone in the German Army was a Nazi nor were many people involved in the atrocities that went on in comparison to the grand scheme of things

    Revisionist much?

    Those who served in the wehrmacht and survived would disagree with you. There is a reason Germany does not celebrate or commemorate the non nazis who served in WW2. They don't even celebrate Oskar Schindler.
    Everyone in the German army between 1939-1945 has a lot to be ashamed of. Everyone in germany knew and supported the forced deportations. Everyone knew they invaded Poland, Czechslovakia, Belgium, Luxumborg, France, Holland etc for no other reason than settling old scores and promoting the aryan way. Their options were (a) Object (and end up in the camps) (b) Support actively, Join the Wehrmacht, Kriegsmarine, Luftwaffe etc, and be prepared to die for your beliefs, (c) Leave, Like Einstein and others did when they realised what hitlers greater plan was.
    Allowing the mob to carry you along was the easy option..


  • #11
    Midnight Oil
    Closed Accounts Posts: 114 ✭✭Midnight Oil


    remember the victors write the history books.

    I am not pro Nazi by any stretch of the imagination just saying there were many heroic acts carried out by their soldiers. Not all were Jew murderers


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  • #12
    DipStick McSwindler
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,460 ✭✭✭DipStick McSwindler


    This post has been deleted.


  • #13
    BlaasForRafa
    Registered Users Posts: 7,020 ✭✭✭BlaasForRafa


    goldie fish wrote: »
    Revisionist much?

    Those who served in the wehrmacht and survived would disagree with you. There is a reason Germany does not celebrate or commemorate the non nazis who served in WW2. They don't even celebrate Oskar Schindler.
    Everyone in the German army between 1939-1945 has a lot to be ashamed of. Everyone in germany knew and supported the forced deportations. Everyone knew they invaded Poland, Czechslovakia, Belgium, Luxumborg, France, Holland etc for no other reason than settling old scores and promoting the aryan way. Their options were (a) Object (and end up in the camps) (b) Support actively, Join the Wehrmacht, Kriegsmarine, Luftwaffe etc, and be prepared to die for your beliefs, (c) Leave, Like Einstein and others did when they realised what hitlers greater plan was.
    Allowing the mob to carry you along was the easy option..

    The Germans doe not commemorate the non-nazis who served in WW2?

    The Uboat memorial at Kiel would suggest you are at least partially wrong

    briaskThumb_emal7.jpg

    Naval Memorial at Laboe, Kiel

    300px-Marineehrenmal_Laboe_2004.jpg

    There is also a fighter pilot memorial

    Geisenheim_0012.JPG


  • #14
    goldie fish
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,195 ✭✭✭goldie fish


    The Laboe memorial commemorates those who died and was built in 1936. Before WW2.
    The U-Boot memorial also commemorates those who died. It was built in 1930. It also commemorates bundesmarine U-Boat sailors who have died.
    They commemorate those who died, it does not celebrate their acts.


  • #15
    BlaasForRafa
    Registered Users Posts: 7,020 ✭✭✭BlaasForRafa


    goldie fish wrote: »
    The Laboe memorial commemorates those who died and was built in 1936. Before WW2.
    The U-Boot memorial also commemorates those who died. It was built in 1930. It also commemorates bundesmarine U-Boat sailors who have died.
    They commemorate those who died, it does not celebrate their acts.

    The U-boat and Laboe memorials were changed after WW2 to include sailors who had died in that war.

    YOU are the only one who mentioned anything about celebrating their acts, stop trying to put words in other peoples mouths.


  • #16
    RMD
    Registered Users Posts: 2,662 ✭✭✭RMD


    Midnight Oil wrote: »
    remember the victors write the history books.

    I am not pro Nazi by any stretch of the imagination just saying there were many heroic acts carried out by their soldiers. Not all were Jew murderers

    Likewise how many Russian reprisal attacks on the German civilian populations were sickening. Raping, pillaging and looting from German towns as they moved on Berlin. We rarely hear of these accounts unless looking for them, while it's very easy to find stories of the big bad Germans.

    I'm not supporting German actions in the slightest, but to view all Axis as bad and all Allies as good is an ignorant view to say the least.


  • #17
    DipStick McSwindler
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,460 ✭✭✭DipStick McSwindler


    This post has been deleted.


  • #18
    Midnight Oil
    Closed Accounts Posts: 114 ✭✭Midnight Oil


    IrishFeeney92 wrote: »
    Anybody who fought with the Allies is a hero in my eyes
    IrishFeeney92 wrote: »
    The Russians were worse than the Germans

    Make up your mind ...


  • #19
    RMD
    Registered Users Posts: 2,662 ✭✭✭RMD


    IrishFeeney92 wrote: »
    The Russians were worse than the Germans, even in Chechnya they were sick fothermuckers

    Short of mass genocide, Checnya was a whole different kettle of fish in comparison to even some of the worst events seen in WW2. The Russians can be some of the vilest creatures when they want, calling them animals wouldn't even be fair.


  • #20
    DipStick McSwindler
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,460 ✭✭✭DipStick McSwindler


    This post has been deleted.


  • #21
    DipStick McSwindler
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,460 ✭✭✭DipStick McSwindler


    This post has been deleted.


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  • #22
    WhatNowForUs?
    Closed Accounts Posts: 687 ✭✭✭WhatNowForUs?


    There is a whole lot of generalisations in this thread. It can't be that simple otherwise there would not be so many books written. I can't believe I'm saying this but WW2 is a very complex matter.


  • #23
    Midnight Oil
    Closed Accounts Posts: 114 ✭✭Midnight Oil


    IrishFeeney92 wrote: »
    Midnight Oil wrote: »
    Make up your mind ...

    Ah now your not stupid, im sure you know who I mean.....

    You said the Allies and then incinuated that all of the Axis powers were anythung but heroic. Now you are saying that you are discounting whole swathes of the Allied powers.
    I give up


  • #24
    DipStick McSwindler
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,460 ✭✭✭DipStick McSwindler


    This post has been deleted.


  • #25
    Midnight Oil
    Closed Accounts Posts: 114 ✭✭Midnight Oil


    IrishFeeney92 wrote: »
    Midnight Oil wrote: »
    You said the Allies and then incinuated that all of the Axis powers were anythung but heroic. Now you are saying that you are discounting whole swathes of the Allied powers.
    I give up

    I said one of the powers, not plural. Do you disagree with me that they weren't as bad?


    I do not know enough about the specific actions of the Russian Army during WWII to be able to offer anything to counter your points nor do I have anything to support them.

    I just dont see how you could go from saying that all allied forces were heros to, well actually it was just the Brits, Yanks and Canadians that were heros.

    Picture yourself as an 18yo German soldier sitting in a pill box on a beach in Normandy in 1944. Suddenly hundreds of ships and planes appear on the horizon firing heavy weapons at you and dropping bombs on you. Then tens of thousands of troops disembark and attempt to land on the beach hell bent on putting as much metal into you as it takes to get you to stop moving. You know that you will be killed if you stay and that you will be killed in you try and run away. You know that you are fighting for what is left of your short life.

    Do you not think that took the same amount of courage and bravery as it did for the soldier that landed by boat and is firing at you?

    Maybe it is just me but I think they were just as heroic.


  • #26
    bluecode
    Closed Accounts Posts: 794 ✭✭✭bluecode


    People should stop bandying around the word 'hero'. Not one of the men involved would see themselves that way. Their did their duty, that is all. The word hero has been cheapened by overuse. They were ordinary people caught up in extraordinary times.

    On the point of who was a Nazi and who wasn't. More than one Allied soldier cynically commented that it was hard to find any German who admitted to being a Nazi after they surrendered. But it suited them just fine when they were winning and a blind eye was turned by many of them to the atrocities committed by the Nazis right to the end. To them it may have distasteful but neccessary.

    But for the most part they later had the decency to realise the cause they fought for was vile.

    Unlike some recent revisionists of late who seek to rehabilitate the Third Reich by emphasising the Allied atrocities notably the Soviets. As if one excused the other.


  • #27
    DipStick McSwindler
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,460 ✭✭✭DipStick McSwindler


    This post has been deleted.


  • #28
    Midnight Oil
    Closed Accounts Posts: 114 ✭✭Midnight Oil


    IrishFeeney92 wrote: »
    I do indeed, but it would have taken a heroic amount of courage to say no to a sick twisted regime.

    Not defending the disgraceful actions that happened against certain elements of society but take the example of the 18yo that I hypothesized about earlier, he was 6 in 1933 when the Nazis came to power so he has been indoctrinated and brainwashed his whole life. No such thing as the internet or international media in those days. The Nazis had a very effective propaganda machine.

    Not defending the atrocities but .....


  • #29
    DipStick McSwindler
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,460 ✭✭✭DipStick McSwindler


    This post has been deleted.


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