Saturday, June 6, 2009

Overlord

1944, the Allied invasion of Normandy, France.
British, Canadian, Australian, French, American, Polish, and Norwegian forces versus German. Total losses (killed, wounded, captured) on both sides, about 16,000 men--that is, about the same as all the male undergrads at Purdue or Michigan State. 

1 comment:

Lux Mentis said...

And this was one of the few unambigous military actions of the 20th century - with the clear goal of bringing down European Fascism as exemplified by Nazi Germany.

And I'll bet the Germans had some Poles, Norwegians, and various other nationalities fighting alongside them in small numbers as well.

Like all wars, it was a waste of human potential. Unlike some other military engagements of the last century, at least the underlying moral imperative (freeing Europe from tyranny) was a clear one.

My respects once again go out to all of the veterans of the Allied nations. It is a pity that so much of the gumption that this generation showed is harder to locate today.