D-Day

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Her D-Day Forecast 'Saved God Knows How Many Lives'

Ireland's Maureen Sweeney warned of impending storm, so 1944 Normandy invasion was postponed

(Newser) - We're used to commemorating June 6, 1944, as D-Day, the day when Allied forces stormed the beaches of Normandy in France, helping to shift the path of World War II and defeat the Nazis. That fateful day actually came close to happening on June 5, but thanks to Maureen...

French Commando Helped Liberate His Country on D-Day
D-Day Hero Warned the Young
obituary

D-Day Hero Warned the Young

'War is misery,' said Leon Gautier, who landed with commandos on D-Day to liberate France

(Newser) - Leon Gautier, the last surviving member of an elite French unit that joined US and other Allied forces in the D-Day invasion to wrest Normandy from Nazi control, has died. He was 100. The death was announced Monday by Romain Bail, the mayor of Ouistreham, an English Channel coastal community...

Joy, Sadness as WWII Vets Return for D-Day Ceremony

Events were scaled down for 2 years during the pandemic

(Newser) - Joy and sadness in acute doses poured out Monday on the beaches of Normandy. As several dozen D-Day veterans—now all in their 90s—set foot on the sands that claimed so many colleagues, they are thankful for the gratitude and friendliness of the French toward those who landed here...

Fewer Attend D-Day Events, but France 'Does Not Forget'

Coronavirus restrictions limit attendance as Britain opens new memorial

(Newser) - When the sun rises over Omaha Beach, revealing vast stretches of sand extending toward distant cliffs, one starts to grasp the immensity of the task faced by Allied troops on June 6, 1944, landing on the Nazi-occupied Normandy shore. Several ceremonies were being held Sunday to commemorate the 77th anniversary...

Classic War Dispatch Turns Up in Basement

Bruce Campbell says 'it made my hair stand up'

(Newser) - Most people find spiders and old boxes—but a Florida researcher stumbled on a classic D-Day radio broadcast in his basement, the Smithsonian reports. Bruce Campbell, 63, discovered what's likely the original recording of US war correspondent George Hicks coming under fire from Nazi planes on the USS Ancon...

Unsung D-Day Hero: a Scottish Weatherman

James Stagg convinced Eisenhower to change date, and an RAF weather squadron helped

(Newser) - As the world salutes the soldiers of D-Day on the 75th anniversary of the invasion, Accuweather pays homage to a Scottish meteorologist who played no small role in the mission's success. Royal Air Force Capt. James Stagg convinced Gen. Dwight Eisenhower at the last minute to push back the...

Trump Salutes 'Greatest Americans Who Will Ever Live'

Leaders mark 75 years since Normandy landings

(Newser) - D-Day veterans are "among the very greatest Americans who will ever live," President Trump said Thursday at a ceremony marking the 75th anniversary of the day thousands of American, British, and Canadian troops stormed the beaches of Normandy to begin the invasion of Nazi-occupied France. "Their mission...

Why a 90-Year-Old Is Beating Taylor Swift on the Charts

Jim Radford's D-Day memorial song has been re-released

(Newser) - A 90-year-old is currently beating Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, and Ed Sheeran on Amazon UK's singles chart—but not just any 90-year-old, a D-Day veteran who's out with a tribute to that fateful day in 1944. Jim Radford was just 15 during World War II's D-Day landings—...

UK Honors D-Day With Very Flawed Stamp

Image shows troops wading ashore in Asia, 8K miles from Normandy

(Newser) - Britain's Royal Mail decided to roll out a commemorative stamp in honor of the 75th anniversary of D-Day next year, which is completely fitting. What wasn't so fitting, however: The image used on the stamp, which was captioned "D-Day: Allied soldiers and medics wade ashore." That...

Unknown X-9352 Will Finally Rest Beside His Twin

Brothers reunited 74 years after WWII deaths at Normandy

(Newser) - For decades, he was known only as Unknown X-9352 at a World War II American cemetery in Belgium where he was interred. On Tuesday, the now-identified soldier will be reunited with his twin brother at the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial in France, 74 years after their deaths on June...

WWII Sweethearts to Reunite on Valentine's Day

Norwood Thomas hopes to give his wartime girlfriend a 'squeeze'

(Newser) - Norwood Thomas' reunion with his wartime girlfriend was incredible, but it came with one major drawback: "I can't take you in my arms and give you a squeeze," the 93-year-old World War II vet told Joyce Morris, 88, during a Skype call in November. "Well, we'...

Normandy Invaded Again in Final D-Day Salute

1K paratroopers dropped on beach as 70th anniversary winds down

(Newser) - Nearly 1,000 paratroopers dropped out of the sky in Normandy today—but this time they did so in peace, instead of to wrest western France from the Nazis as they did during World War II. Drawing huge crowds who braved hot weather and lined the historic landing area at...

'Democracy's Beachhead': Vets, Leaders Honor D-Day

Obama in Normandy for 70th anniversary

(Newser) - World leaders joined thousands of veterans who stormed the beaches of Normandy 70 years ago today to commemorate D-Day. At Omaha Beach, the site of the bloodiest fighting, a US military band played while veterans from the 29th Infantry Division stood at attention at 6:30am, the precise moment Allied...

Churchill's Last Surviving Child Dies

Mary Soames passes just ahead of 70th anniversary of D-Day

(Newser) - Mary Soames, the last surviving child of British World War II leader Winston Churchill, has died. She was 91. "She was a distinguished writer and led a distinguished life, with her service in the war, and is part of that generation which is passing," her son, Nicholas Soames,...

9K Silhouettes of Bodies Stenciled on D-Day Beach

Commemoration in France marks Peace Day

(Newser) - Two British artists found a striking way to mark International Peace Day over the weekend on a French beach that was used in the D-Day invasion of 1944. With the help of volunteers, they stenciled the bodies of 9,000 fallen soldiers and civilians onto the sand of the Normandy...

Iran Embassy Raiders Stole Invasion Plans—for D-Day

Protesters 68 years too late to thwart Allied invasion

(Newser) - The Iranians who ransacked the British embassy in Tehran last week made off with some documents labeled "Most Secret" that outlined plans for a massive invasion involving the UK and the US. The intel comes nearly 70 years too late, however: The stolen documents dated from 1943 and outlined...

Sarko Uses Footstool to Measure Up to Obama

5'5" French president shorter than Napoleon

(Newser) - At 5 feet 5 inches, Nicolas Sarkozy seems to feel a bit stature-challenged—so at the recent D-Day tribute, he used a 6-inch footstool, in addition to his elevator shoes, to hold his own against Barack Obama and Gordon Brown, the Daily Mail reports. Sarko “knew he was appearing...

GOP Senator Blasts Obama on Twitter

Grassley angered by health care comment

(Newser) - Sen. Chuck Grassley slammed the president in angry Twitter messages yesterday, saying Barack Obama has "nerve" for declaring "it's time to deliver" on health care while vacationing in Paris. Grassley is a crucial Republican ally on health care reform, which Obama has said needs bipartisan support. But Obama's...

Hardship Made Them the 'Greatest': Brokaw

(Newser) - Even before enlisting, World War II soldiers were made great by the “deprivations and lessons of the Great Depression,” Tom Brokaw writes in the Wall Street Journal. Shared sacrifice and lack of staple goods forged the outlook of the "Greatest Generation," and made the Army almost...

Obama: D-Day Is 'Story of America'

(Newser) - President Obama today paid homage to the men who stormed the beach at Normandy on the 65th anniversary of D-Day, reports the Los Angeles Times. Speaking at Omaha Beach, Obama called the invasion the "story of America" and said it can provide inspiration "for the hardships and struggles...

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