“Forgotten Hollywood”- D-Day Plus 75…

Posted on June 5, 2019 by raideoman1 | No Comments

Manny P. here…

“`It was seventy-five years ago, today, minutes before June 6, 1944, when a global fight for freedom was set forth with a unified coalition against an extreme fascism that was ravaging countries and subjecting its people to tyranny and eventual extermination. The jury was out whether the Allies would succeed. Only the iron will of Winston Churchill, and the resolve of the British people, kept the promise of victory alive despite earlier confrontation generating mixed results. Looking back, Operation Overlord could have gone horribly wrong.

“`Today, veterans of D-Day celebrate this most worthy anniversary as paratroopers jumped out of aircraft, even though they are well into their nineties.  Queen Elizabeth re-visited the spirits of her past to honor the campaign. She knows what the ramifications of defeat might have meant for June 7, 1944 and beyond.

“`In 1962, The Longest Day was made in an effort to recreate the campaign with sets that were incredibly accurate. Omaha, Juno, Sword, Utah and Gold beaches, as well as Pointe du Hoc and Sainte-Mère-Église were vividly brought to life, complete with A-list stars, including Robert Mitchum, Eddie Albert, Henry Fonda, Jeffrey Hunter, and Roddy MacDowell. This flick utilized several Axis and Allied military consultants who actually participated. They offered a relatively accurate recounting of the largest amphibious military assignment in history.

 

“`Steven Spielberg used the Invasion of Normandy as the catalyst for the opening of Saving Private Ryan. Historians have noted that the actual scene was the most believable depiction of the conflict along Omaha beach. Tom Hanks brought all the horrors of war to life.

“`I personally met was Charles Durning (right) a number of years back. He was drafted at age twenty and participated in the Normandy invasion.  I also visited Normandy in 2006, with stops at Omaha, Pointe du Hoc and the adjacent Allied cemetery. It was breathtaking and sober.

“`D-Day… Perhaps the most consequential twenty-four hours of the twentieth century.

Until next time>                              “never forget”

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 5th, 2019 at 6:46 pm and is filed under Blog by Manny Pacheco. You can follow any comments to this post through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.


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