One Of Those Days We Must Not Forget

[I think it's better today that I let others speak for D-Day.

I've given my sources given in parentheses below each article.

Never forget, David]

“Perhaps sometimes we do have too many monuments, too many holidays, and things of this kind,” Schulz said, “But D-Day is not one of them. No, it’s one of those days we must not forget.” 🇺🇸

June 6th, 2017, marks the 73rd anniversary of the Normandy invasions during World War II, known as D-Day. Schulz served with the Twentieth Armored Division as a machine-gun squad leader in the European Theater of Operations. His service remained an integral part of his life, to which he paid homage in Peanuts comic strips with D-Day and Veterans Day themes. This strip was published on June 6, 1993.

(from the Charles M. Schulz Museum Facebook page, 1116 hrs)

Though it is known as the largest seaborne invasion in history, the assault on the beaches of Normandy that began on D-Day remains staggering in its scale to this day.

Some numbers below provide an indication of the massive effort involved.

Around 156,000 Allied troops landed in Normandy on the first day of the invasion.

61,715 of those were British soldiers, with 73,000 American and 21,400 Canadian.

11,590 aircraft took part in the landings.

The aircraft carried 23,400 airborne troops and conducted 14,674 sorties.

6,939 vessels were involved in the huge naval effort during Operation Neptune.

Operation Neptune - the codename for the initial stage of the Normandy invasions - lasted from 6-30 June.

4,413 Allied soldiers died on D-Day alone.

This, according to recent research by The US National D-Day Memorial Foundation, is far higher than previous estimates of around 2,500 dead.

German losses are estimated to be somewhere between 4,000 & 9,000.


No official tally of German losses on D-Day currently exists.

Within five days 326,547 troops & 104,428 tons of supplies had been landed on the beaches.


The assaults took place on five beaches, codenamed Juno, Gold, Omaha, Utah, and Sword.

Research from D-Day Museum, Portsmouth and the US National D-Day Memorial Foundation.
(from the ITV website, 060614, 0600 hrs, "D-Day in numbers: The remarkable statistics behind the largest seaborne invasion in history" -- also, this came up first in a search for "D-Day statistics")


MORRISON, Colo. — Wilson “Bill” Colwell returned to Normandy, France nearly a dozen times since D-Day.  But his presence will be missed on Tuesday, when the world marks the 73rd anniversary of the allied invasion that changed the course of World War II. Colwell, who lived in Morrison, Colo., died on Monday at age 89.


His death was first announced by The Greatest Generations Foundation, a Denver-based charity that returns war heroes to the battlefields where they once served. Colwell served as an ambassador for the foundation in recent years, traveling all over the world to educate children about the service and sacrifice of those who fought in World War II.


Colwell was just 16 years old when he parachuted into France on June 6, 1944.  He had enlisted at age 15, after lying about his age.  He was a paratrooper with the famous 101st Airborne.
Three years ago, on the 70th anniversary of the invasion, FOX31 accompanied Colwell back to Europe.  He was featured in our special report, “The Last Reunion: A Final Return to Normandy.”


At a ceremony marking that anniversary, Colwell caught the attention of President Obama.


“Think of Wilson Colwell, who was told he couldn’t pilot a plane without a high school degree. So he jumped out of a plane instead, and he did it here on D-Day with the 101st Airborne when he was just 16 years old,” Obama said from the podium at Normandy American Cemetery.


Colwell told FOX31 back in 2014, leaping out of a plane in the middle of the night while being shot at is the kind of thing that makes you grow up fast.


“I remember that first jump, you know.  I just turned 16 years of age, and as I came up to that door, I hesitated.  A boot went in to my back – and out I went,” he said.


Colwell was a fixture in Normandy on the D-Day anniversary in recent years.  He was always greeted with a handshake and a hug by French citizens.  And if his health had allowed, he would no doubt have been there for this anniversary too.


But we know he’ll be there in spirit, alongside the few remaining survivors of that day that changed the world.

(Jeremy Hubbard, 060517, 0745 hrs, "On eve of Normandy anniversary, Colorado D-Day survivor dies", FOX31 Denver, kdvr.com)