Omaha Wasn't the Only Beach

It's D-Day Anniversary minus 1. Aside from the related airborne operations, I've been neglecting everything besides the landing at Omaha. Why? Because that was the point of heaviest German resistance; hence the bloodiest battle; hence a significant hinge point in the invasion, the war, and history. But I haven't emphasized it because I don't appreciate what happened on Gold, Sword, Juno and Utah.

Though less dramatic, here's a scene based on the Utah landing, with Henry Fonda playing Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. Now this is more like what military strategists would like to see during amphibious landings. Most of MacArthur's landings in the Pacific met light resistance like this, if they weren't altogether unopposed.

And here's a scene from Sword Beach, so you Anglophiles don't get upset with me. Notice Sean Connery in a fairly early role, before the James Bond persona so rubbed off on him that he carried it with him into every flick he acted in.

Finally, here is a documentary which provides a little perspective on the invasion.

At this time 63 years ago, General of the Army and Allied Supreme Commander Dwight D. Eisenhower was visiting the paratroopers who would be dropping behind the Atlantic Wall in a few hours.

Hope everybody had a good weekend. Stay tuned for more 2-fisted blogging.