Today we remember the invasion of Europe by the allies that lead the way to victory over the Nazi war machine…….but France was not the only invasion…..ever hear of Operation Forager?

Most people recognize 6 June 1944 as D-Day, when Americans, British, and Canadians, with assistance from the forces of 17 other nations, assaulted northern France in Operation Neptune, the initial phase of the invasion of Normandy, Operation Overlord. Fewer people remember that June 1944 had another D-Day, when on the 15th, the United States conducted a massive amphibious landing on the Japanese-held Mariana Islands. Known as Operation Forager, this D-Day equaled Neptune in some respects and exceeded it in others.

The nature and geography of the objectives, the threats faced, and even the political environment presented each landing with surprisingly different challenges that are interesting to contrast; in fact, the biggest thing the two operations had in common was their immense size. As historian Samuel Morison wrote, “Added together, ‘Neptune’ in Europe and ‘Forager’ in the Pacific made the greatest military effort ever put forth by the United States or any other nation at one time.”¹

75 years ago in the early hours of the morning of 6th of June a massive armada made its way to the North coast of France, Normandy and the begin the end game for the Nazis in World War Two.

There are several myths about the invasion that need to be corrected…….

Anniversaries are useful moments to pause and reflect. For the 75th anniversary of D-Day and subsequent campaign in northern France, it is also an opportunity to look at the past in detail and ask how much of what we think we know is true and how much is well-entrenched myth. Not only is it more interesting, it is also of greater worth as we plan for the future and pray there will never be a conflict like World War II again.

https://www.cnn.com/2014/06/05/opinion/opinion-d-day-myth-reality/index.html

1943 was the year that was suppose to be the start of the Allies push against the Nazis……

In April 1942, General George C. Marshall, the U.S. Army’s Chief of Staff, went to London with a set of plans to bring about the defeat of Germany in northwestern Europe. Operation Bolero detailed a rapid buildup of U.S. forces in England, and Operation Sledgehammer foresaw an emergency 1942 landing in France should the Soviet Union be on the verge of collapse. But the star of the show was Operation Roundup, a large cross-Channel landing in April 1943, to be followed by a drive through northern France and into the Reich. In essence, Roundup was similar to what the Western Allies finally adopted—Operation Overlord—but they executed the latter more than a year later, starting on 6 June 1944.

https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/2019/june/d-day-year-too-late

Further Reading:

https://www.cfr.org/article/seventy-fifth-anniversary-d-day

I agree with John Kerry…”Today is not a day for anything political”.

Remember For Least We Forget!