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Rather than give a headline that waxes sentimental, political; I'll just say June 6th was a momentous day in history, and let you take what you will from this photo. (i.imgur.com)

submitted ago by TheRealBramtyr

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[–]Samuel_Gompers 24 points25 points ago

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I've always called my grandfather on D-Day. He wasn't at Normandy, he was in Italy at the time (he hit Southern France in Operation Dragoon), but we always have something to talk about and I guess we like the history of the date.

This said, I always find this picture to show the smallness of the individual in the face of invading a continent. It's very powerful. This image, however, gives a better sense to the scale of the invasion.

[–]weber82 11 points12 points ago

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My grandpa was at Normandy on D-Day. He didn't like to talk about that day very much. But over the years I was able to get bits and pieces of what happened to him. He was in charge of carrying the radio equipment. He was one of the first soldiers off his boat when it hit the beach. Not long after the boat was hit by a mortar and blown up. There were bullets flying everywhere. He told me the bullets were like mosquitoes. He had to drop the radio equipment and run for cover. He lost most of his war friends on that day and was lucky to survive it himself. I can only imagine what he must have went through. He was grazed by a bullet and ended up getting a purple heart. When Saving Private Ryan came out the local newspaper interviewed him. They also offered him free tickets to the movie. He heard how realistic the D-Day scene was in the movie. And he said anything that realistic he didn't want to ever see. I am not sure any D-Day survivor would want to see a reenactment of that day. He passed away awhile back. But we still have quite a bit of things he brought back from the war. I personally have a Nazi wallet with quite a bit of money in it. My dad has a Nazi issued P38 as well as all his medals.

[–]paxifista 1 point2 points ago

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He sounds like an amazing person. :)

When you say Nazi wallet, do you mean an SS branded one?

[–]weber82 3 points4 points ago

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Here are a few pictures of the wallet.

One

Two

Three

Here is a picture of the P38. It also has a swastika on it, but it is hard to see in the photo.

P38

[–]trexmoflex 1 point2 points ago

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holy shit -- that is incredible, thanks for posting -- any chance you could get some photos up of the contents of the wallet?

[–]weber82 1 point2 points ago

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Here are more pictures.

There is quite a bit of money in it. Not sure how much the Nazi money is worth today, but there is quite a bit in there.

[–]trexmoflex 0 points1 point ago

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incredible -- thanks for sharing

[–]weber82 1 point2 points ago

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You're welcome, glad you enjoyed the pictures. I would be curious to see how much money in US dollars is there.

[–]AtomicDog1471 2 points3 points ago

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That picture was taken maybe a day or so after the initial seige.

[–]elite_killerX 0 points1 point ago

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The Italy landing was a lot larger in terms of number of troops, but the Germans weren't as prepared as in Normandy, so the operation was a bit less difficult. Maybe that's why we never talk about this one... My hometown's regiment took part in the Italy landing as well.

[–]TheRealBramtyr[S] 1 point2 points ago

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My grandfather was at Anzio. Never talked about it, but apparently that was one of the "tougher" Italian landings.

[–]shnoobles 2 points3 points ago

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My Grandfather was in Italy as well and he refused to talk about it. The only thing he ever said on the subject was that he never wanted to go back. By the end of his mission there, the only thing he could associate with Italy was the smell of blood.

[–]strangenotastranger 0 points1 point ago

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In my experience, veterans generally don't talk about the combat they saw.

[–]TheRealBramtyr[S] 0 points1 point ago

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Agreed. My grandfather was a medic. His silence about his experience was understandable.

[–]strangenotastranger 0 points1 point ago

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My grandfather was a pilot, he did multiple tours of duty. Every now and then, the family finds out the story of how he got one of the medals he has when someone else writes an article about what happened.

[–]randomscarab 0 points1 point ago

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Your grandpa seems like one bad ass mutha...

[–]dustballs 0 points1 point ago

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I really feel like your grandfather was Lt. Dan in a previous war..

Take that as a compliment, sir.

[–]ducttape83 0 points1 point ago

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This image shows how much of a motherfucker it must have been to scale these cliffs.

[–][deleted] 18 points19 points ago

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I hate that picture because I'm pretty sure all I would do is jump out of the boat and hide behind it. I can't comprehend the courage and bravery that those men must have had. They are real superheroes and it just blows me away whenever I talk to a survivor.

[–]BonzoTheBoss 7 points8 points ago

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I know exactly what you mean. I actually went on a tour of the Normandy beaches with my uncle. We saw the different beaches, toured the museums and the other remains of coastal defences the germans had built. (We even visited the grave of one of our great-uncles who died in WWI, but that's another tale)

As I stood on those beaches I tried imagining what it was like, to put myself on that shore, on that day. I was frightened. It's memories like that, and the images from the day itself that remind me of how lucky I am to be living my life today, where I am not called upon to defend my country or kill in the name of freedom. My deepest respect to those who served and died that day, and to those who still serve today.

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points ago

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I visited Normandy in July 1999 and I thought the same things pretty much.

[–]bhamby 8 points9 points ago

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They jumped out of the boat because their friends jumped out before them and they didn't want to let them down. Simple as that IMO.

[–]bvanmidd 3 points4 points ago*

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In Dave Grossman's On Killing, he goes into lengthy detail on this point.

As a vet, I absolutely agree.

[–]bhamby 4 points5 points ago

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Thanks for your service.

[–]bvanmidd 2 points3 points ago

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Don't thank me, thank the dead.

I just earned a paycheck.

Don't thank me for my service, you had the same opportunity I had.

And lastly, Hal Muskat wrote a rant about this.

[–]bhamby 1 point2 points ago

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Wow didn't expect that response.

[–]bvanmidd 2 points3 points ago

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I know you meant no offense.

Peace be with you.

[–]bhamby 1 point2 points ago

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And with you my friend!

[–]ThisistheHoneyBadger 0 points1 point ago

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It would get harder and harder to hide behind that boat as it pulled back out into the ocean for more troopers.

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point ago

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I think you are misunderestimating the amount of my fear. My fingers would dig into the steel.

[–]nodoubledipping 7 points8 points ago

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Read this obituary about Bill Millin, D-Day Piper. Its the best one I've ever read: http://www.economist.com/node/16885894?story_id=E1_TGRRVRJQ

He hit the beach with nothing but his war pipes and a kilt. Apparently they didn't want to let him do it but since the bagpipes were ruled instruments of war (hence war pipes) in the 1700's, off he went.

[–]Illycia 5 points6 points ago

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We, europeans, will never be thankful enough to those men who gave their life this day(s).

[–][deleted] ago

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[deleted]

[–]Illycia 0 points1 point ago

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I think most of them are grateful too anyway...

[–]jayhat 6 points7 points ago*

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Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force!

You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you. In company with our brave Allies and brothers-in-arms on other Fronts, you will bring about the destruction of the German war machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of Europe, and security for ourselves in a free world.

Your task will not be an easy one. Your enemy is well trained, well equipped and battle hardened. He will fight savagely.

But this is the year 1944! Much has happened since the Nazi triumphs of 1940-41. The United Nations have inflicted upon the Germans great defeats, in open battle, man-to-man. Our air offensive has seriously reduced their strength in the air and their capacity to wage war on the ground. Our Home Fronts have given us an overwhelming superiority in weapons and munitions of war, and placed at our disposal great reserves of trained fighting men. The tide has turned! The free men of the world are marching together to Victory!

I have full confidence in your courage and devotion to duty and skill in battle. We will accept nothing less than full Victory!

Good luck! And let us beseech the blessing of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking.

SIGNED: Dwight D. Eisenhower

Edit: I am not a religious person, just really like this speech.

[–]TheRealBramtyr[S] 1 point2 points ago

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Thanks, Ike!

[–]widgetas 4 points5 points ago

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And these photos too, and many others like them:

1 & 2

[–]brumi 3 points4 points ago

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Excitement in the face of danger, fear in the eyes of death, happiness in the scent of success and rage in the hand war. That's what this means to me.

[–]orange_jooze 3 points4 points ago

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I love this one.

[–]bhamby 1 point2 points ago

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V-E Day

[–]stefanmago 2 points3 points ago

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The begining of the cold war?

[–]sevendarkdays 5 points6 points ago

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That one is lovely, soviets and the allies meeting.

Reminds me of the stories in WWI where people from both sides of the trenches temporarily made peace and celebrated christmas and whatnot.

[–]AtomicDog1471 5 points6 points ago

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Except soviets and allies were on the same side in WW2

[–]orange_jooze 4 points5 points ago

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I don't think that's what he meant. And the downvotes were unneccessary.

[–]rdfiii -1 points0 points ago

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Same side eh?

[–]mrkyle3 3 points4 points ago

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Can you imagine what it must have felt like to step off the boat in a hail of bullets with tons of corpses visible in the water and on the beach? Fucking crazy.

[–]rsilk 2 points3 points ago

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I was at Juno Beach a few weeks ago. It's weird, but there is almost nothing left from the war, just the roofs of a couple German bunkers buried in the sand. It's amazing what time will do.

[–]fishyman 1 point2 points ago

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damn low-high tide make a difference. Thanks for this great photo.

[–]kettish 2 points3 points ago

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It's sobering, and the fear and courage these men felt is in and of itself worthy of remembrance. The fact that they actually won this battle, in a full frontal assault, is awe inspiring.

The greatest generation. Let's try and keep up, shall we?

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points ago

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D-Day was a day that changed not only a war, but the whole world. Imagine if we had just let japan walk over us; the tides of the war would never have changed and hitler, Mussolini, Benito and Hirohito could have quite possibly taken control of the whole eastern hemisphere. God bless every man in the military, and more importantly on those beaches- both the ones who made it off and the ones who didn't.

[–]F0GHORN86 1 point2 points ago

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Can anyone do a colour version of this? I'm always amazed at some of the photos that appear when people colour old black and white photographs. Anyone fancy doing that for this photo?

[–]SANDBOX1108 1 point2 points ago

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it's also my birthday :D

[–]Hello_Operator 1 point2 points ago

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Who took this photo? It's not Capa is it? The naval archives have it listed as Photo #: 26-G-2343.

Scratch that, found the photographer's name. Figure I'll post this in case anyone else wants to know:

"Landing on the coast of France under heavy Nazi machine gun fire are these American soldiers, shown just as they left the ramp of a Coast Guard landing boat." CPhoM. Robert F. Sargent, June 6, 1944. 26-G-2343.

[–][deleted] 7 points8 points ago

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to me it's a reminder that mankind has the will to do whatever it takes to end tyranny across the globe. it reminds and gives me hope for the revolutions going on today, and see that same will to earn liberty and freedom and end oppression for everyone.

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points ago

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This post reminds me that some people are still terribly naive when it comes to the inner workings of our society.

[–]AtomicDog1471 5 points6 points ago

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Which is true for modern wars (and maybe even America's involvement in WW2) sure, but it would have been incredibly easy for Britain to simply have appeased Hitler rather than declaring war on Germany in response to the invasion of Poland. Mankind does have the capability to fight in the name of ending tyrrany rather than corporate interests.

[–]glass_canon -5 points-4 points ago

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reminder that some of mankind has the will to do whatever it's ordered to do.

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points ago

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I came to this thread expecting to see people singing me happy birthday. Boy, was I disappointed.

[–]annoyedatwork 2 points3 points ago

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Talk about a shitty commute to work.

[–]Learz 2 points3 points ago

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I think this sums it up.

[–]jondiced 0 points1 point ago

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Alternate title:

June 6th was a momentous day in history.

[–]ThisistheHoneyBadger 0 points1 point ago

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It also marks the day my parents started their shitty 30-year marriage marred with bickering and fighting for decades. At least D-Day did something to STOP fighting in europe for a little while.

[–]stronglikedan 0 points1 point ago

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So you also watched Discovery channel this weekend?

[–]TheDancingRobot 0 points1 point ago

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today is my birthday, and i've always had a fascination with operation overlord.

[–]Spotpuff 0 points1 point ago

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The day the Canadian army took Rome?

[–]timotab 0 points1 point ago

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My grandfather's wedding anniversary was June 6th. He apparently caused a bit of a security incident when he wrote home to his wife sometime before D-Day with the words "thinking of you on 6th of June". There was concern that there had been a leak and that he was sending a message out about the date of the planned landing. Apparently he was able to provide his marriage certificate to confirm that the message was innocent.

[–]Vee_Vee 0 points1 point ago

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Just think, all those men died for your karma. Use it wisely.

[–]kitatatsumi 0 points1 point ago

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The first Allied casualty was a paratrooper who fell out of the plane while flying over the Channel

[–]cryptie 0 points1 point ago

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What I'm using as my wallpaper... i want a higher rez one so i can print it out as a poster.

[–]Teozac 0 points1 point ago

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God damnit 6th of june is our day! the swedes day!

[–]sevendarkdays -1 points0 points ago

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Not if you were a nazi.

[–]Powerfist -1 points0 points ago

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Looks like a bunch of American tourists ruining the Germans beach party!

[–]i_dont_seed -1 points0 points ago

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Most important day of the 20th century by far.

[–][deleted] -1 points0 points ago

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Seen alot of American WW2 movies lately?

[–][deleted] ago

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[deleted]

[–]AtomicDog1471 0 points1 point ago

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You can totally see the strings

[–][deleted] -3 points-2 points ago

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Where's the version with the AT-ATs?

[–]orlanthrex 2 points3 points ago

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http://www.murdoconline.net/2008/nazi_at-at_walker-thumb-500x400.jpg

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point ago

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That's awesome, but that isn't the one I'm looking for.

[–]TisseLeif 2 points3 points ago

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this one? http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l2rqtlxD1S1qawi1qo1_500.jpg

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point ago

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I'd like that one in hi-res wallpaper size, but the one I saw a while back was that same picture but with only two AT-ATs on the right side.

[–]ohsoclumsy -2 points-1 points ago

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chevy should make a commercial

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