Thread: June 6, 1944: The World War II D-Day invasion of Normandy, France

Ghosts of History

Welcome to France 2: Another US Coastguard photo of the landings on Omaha beach on D-Day 1944 - 2014

Ghosts of History

Horse power: US troops on a requisitioned horse and cart Saint Mere Eglise. 1944 - 2014

Ghosts of History

Heads Up:US troops landing on Utah beach 1944 - 2014 ( with thanks to Valerie Purks Phillips and Nick Lieten for the photo)

Ghosts of History

Juno: Canadian troops march across the beach at low tide
1944 - 2014

Ghosts of History

Jo's Panther of Cologne. The original is an iconic image from the war. On March 6, 1945 a US Pershing tank got into battle with this Panther tank and it was destroyed outside the Cologne Cathedrawl. Earlier in the day this Panther had taken out at least 1 Sherman tank. There is some sad footage of the tank battles in Cologne on the net. There are no winners in war. www.GhostsOfHistory.co.uk

70 years later, D-Day vet Jim 'Pee Wee' Martin jumps again

By Jim Bittermann and Greg Botelho, CNN
updated 5:50 AM EDT, Fri June 6, 2014

Video at the page link:

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Martin was in the U.S. 101st Airborne Division, and parachuted into Normandy
• He parachutes from a plane again into the same area again, at the age of 93
• It didn't compare to his D-Day jump "because there wasn't anybody shooting"
• Martin wants to show "you don't have to sit and die just because you get old"

Normandy, France (CNN) -- Jim "Pee Wee" Martin acted like he'd been here before, like jumping from a plane is as easy as falling off a log.
Maybe that's because he had -- 70 years ago.
"I'm feeling fine," Martin told reporters moments after landing in a French field. "... It was wonderful, absolutely wonderful."
Martin was part of the U.S. 101st Airborne Division that parachuted down over Utah Beach in their bid to retake France and, eventually, the rest of Europe from Nazi Germany. They actually touched down in enemy-controlled territory a night before what's referred to as D-Day.
Photos: The Allied invasion of Normandy


D-Day by the numbers



Viewing WWII through a soldier's lens
Vet recalls 'Saving Private Ryan' battle
His jump Thursday in the same area was different and -- despite his being 93 years old now -- a whole lot easier.
"It didn't (compare)," Martin said, "because there wasn't anybody shooting at me today."
Every year, every day it seems, the number of surviving World War II veterans like Martin dwindles. He estimates there are only a few dozen members of his unit who took part in the now historic D-Day invasion who are still around.
It's ironic, in a sense, because Martin was among the oldest of his bunch in June 1944 -- at 23 years old -- surrounded by others who were mere teenagers.
Together, they parachuted onto France's northern coast in the dark of night not knowing what awaited them. Whatever it was, it would not be friendly or easy, they expected.
"Everybody (was) scared all the time, and if they tell you anything differently they are full of crap," the former paratrooper recalled. "But you just do what you had to do regardless of it. That's the difference."
And they didn't stop. According to a Facebook page he regularly updates, Martin fought for 43 days as part of the Normandy campaign before moving onto invade Holland, fending off Nazi fighters during the Battle of the Bulge and finishing off by taking Berchtesgaden, site of Hitler's "Eagle's Nest" redoubt in the German Alps.
None of it was easy, but Martin insists, "I don't ever have flashbacks. Never. Nothing ever bothered me."
All these years later, he has become a celebrity of sorts -- as evidenced by a mob of reporters who greeted him after his parachute landing Thursday. Martin says he feels "kind of humbled and embarrassed at the adulation because I don't feel we did anything that we weren't supposed to do or anything exceptional."
German soldier reflects on Normandy
D-Day: By the numbers
He adds: "We just did what we trained to do."
Seven decades later, Martin did it again -- not fighting a bloody war but at least reliving his role in a military campaign that changed the course of history. Others joined him in this now daytime jump, though he was the only one from his generation.
This time, he said that he wasn't scared because, "once you get in the plane, you forget everything." Bored would be more like it.
As he told reporters afterward, "To tell you the truth, riding around in the plane is boring. It's when you get off the plane, that's when it gets exciting ... But there's no fear to it. It's just something you do."
Martin admitted that he was motivated by "a little bit of ego, (to show that) I'm 93 and I can still do it."
"And also I just want to show all the people that you don't have to sit and die just because you get old," he added. "Keep doing things."
Among those things he'd like to do is another jump in the same plane, one year from now.
"If I come back next year, I'll make a jump next year. You can bet on it."
READ: D-Day: Exploding the myths of the Normandy landings
READ: Obama: D-Day vets' stories should remain 'seared into memory'
CNN's Jim Bittermann reported from Normandy, and CNN's Greg Botelho wrote from Atlanta.


http://www.cnn.com/2014/06/05/world/...html?hpt=hp_t1

Bernard's Great Escape: D-Day veteran, 89, who was reported missing by care home staff is found in Normandy - after escaping to join his former comrades

• Bernard Jordan, 89, sneaked out of The Pines care home, Hove, yesterday
• D-Day veteran had been told by staff that he could not travel to Normandy
• Donning war medals under a raincoat, he joined his comrades on a coach
• Sussex Police were called and launched search for former mayor of Hove
• But care home later received call from a younger veteran reassuring them Mr Jordan was safe and would return home after the celebrations were over
  

By Sophie Jane Evans
Published: 12:10 EST, 6 June 2014 | Updated: 13:45 EST, 6 June 2014
13,403 shares

843View comments

A D-Day veteran who was reported missing from a care home has been found in Normandy after travelling to France to mark the invasion's 70th anniversary.
Bernard Jordan, 89, a former mayor of Hove, sneaked out of The Pines nursing home in Furze Hill yesterday after being told by staff he could not make the trip to Normandy.

Donning his war medals under a raincoat, the Royal Navy veteran joined his former comrades on a coach, before arriving at a hotel in Ouistreham, northwestern France, 12 hours later.



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Found: Veteran Bernard Jordan has been found in Normandy after travelling to France to mark the anniversary of D-Day. Above, The 89-year-old is pictured now (left) and during his time as a member of the Royal Navy (right)





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Escape: Mr Johnson sneaked out of The Pines nursing home (pictured) yesterday after being told by staff he could not travel to Normandy. Donning his war medals under a raincoat, he joined his comrades on a coach


Sussex Police were called at 7.15pm yesterday by care home staff, who said Mr Jordan had gone out at 10.30am and had not been seen since.
Officers started searching the area, including checking nearby hospitals and speaking to bus and taxi companies, but nobody knew where he was.


More...

• D-Day 70th anniversary celebrations end in spectacular style with huge daytime fireworks display as Duke and Duchess of Cambridge meet British veterans for tea party
• Samantha Cameron walks hand-in-hand with veteran's family member as they attend commemorative service to mark the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings
• A royal salute for the fallen heroes of D-Day: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge join Charles and Camilla and the Queen as they pay their respects in Normandy

However, the care home later received a phone call from a younger veteran, telling them he had met Mr Jordan on a coach to France and that he was safe and well.

Mr Jordan, who is yet to be formally identified by police, was the mayor of Hove from 1995 to '96.



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Former mayor: The veteran, who is yet to be formally identified by police, was mayor of Hove from 1995 to '96





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Destination: After getting on the coach, Mr Jordan (not pictured) arrived at a hotel near the beach in Ouistreham







He called the care home himself today to reassure them he is well and that his friends are going to make sure he gets home safely when the commemorations end.
This morning, Chief Superintendent Nev Kemp, police commander for the City of Brighton & Hove, tweeted: 'Love this: 89yr old veteran reported missing by care home who said he can’t go to Normandy for #DDay70 remembrance. We’ve found him there!'
Hundreds of British veterans are in Normandy today to pay tribute to the heroic actions of the 150,000 Allied troops who attacked Nazi-occupied France on June 6, 1944.
This afternoon, the Duke of Cambridge made a speech at a memorial event in Arromanches-les-Bains, during which he acknowledged those who gave their lives during the mission.




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Celebrations: Hundreds of veterans are in Normandy today to pay tribute to those who gave their lives in the invasion. Above, a veteran (not Mr Jordan) salutes a grave during a memorial service at Bayeux Cemetery




He said: 'They gave up everything for our freedom. They lie now together in the beautifully kept cemeteries that lie on the coast.'
Earlier in the day, the Queen had bowed as she laid a wreath during a poignant service of remembrance in Bayeux, the first town in Normandy to be freed from Hitler's grip.
Her Majesty then thanked the gathered veterans at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery, saying it was 'an opportunity to reflect on their experiences and the incredible sacrifices that were made'.


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Paying tribute: Earlier today, the Queen bowed as she laid a wreath during a poignant service of remembrance in Bayeux, which was the first town in Normandy to be freed from Hitler's grip in 1944


Today's events ended in style with a firework display in front of world leaders at Sword Beach in Ouistreham.
In a statement about Mr Jordan's trip, Sussex Police said: 'We have spoken to the veteran who called the home today and are satisfied that the pensioner is fine and that his friends are going to ensure he gets back to Hove safely over the next couple of days after the D-Day celebrations finish.
'Once the pensioner is home we will go and have a chat with him to check he is ok.'


Read more: Veteran disappears for Normandy trip

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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...g-friends.html

Pensioner who hid medals and absconded from care home found at D-Day celebrations in France

The 89-year old was reported missing from his Hove care home but actually sneaked onboard a coach for a final reunion with his D-Day comrades across the Channel

Bernard Jordan, former mayor of Hove, was identified as the veteran who absconded from his care home and made his way to Normandy Photo: GRACEWELL HEATHCARE


By Ben Farmer, Defence Correspondent
3:10PM BST 06 Jun 2014

An 89-year-old Second World War veteran told he could not attend today’s D-Day events in France went AWOL from his care home and was found 12 hours later in Normandy with comrades police have confirmed.

The unnamed veteran decided to disregard his carers’ orders, put on his medals under his raincoat and set off to join events on the beaches of Northern France for the 70th anniversary of the landings.

After the alarm was raised at the care home in Hove, Sussex, police searched the area and checked hospitals and bus and taxi companies.

But the extent of the veteran’s resolve became clear on Thursday evening when police were informed by another veteran that the missing man had joined a coach party and made his way to Ouistreham.

Ch Supt Nev Kemp, police commander for Brighton and Hove, said the man was “reported missing to us by a care home who said he can't go to Normandy for D-day remembrance. We've found him there!”

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A spokesman for Sussex police said: “We were called at 7.15pm yesterday (Thursday 5 June) by staff at a nursing home in Hove who said an 89-year-old who lived there had gone out at 10.30am that morning and had not been seen since.
“The nursing home received a phone call from a younger veteran from Brighton at 10.30pm who said he had met the pensioner on a coach on the way to France and that they were safe and well in a hotel in Ouistreham.
“We have spoken to the veteran who called the home today and are satisfied that the pensioner is fine and that his friends are going to ensure he gets back to Hove safely over the next couple of days after the D-Day celebrations finish.”


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/1088...in-France.html

Latest updates: 70th anniversary of D-Day

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/...sary-of-d-day/