This is a Google Earth overview of the landing beaches used for D-Day, June 6, 1944 when the allied forces began their liberation of Europe from Nazi Germany.
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@AgiDaKinG6 жыл бұрын
It's still crazy to me that this is a real event, I hope those men who died that day know their sacrifice hasn't been forgotten.
@_DrMemes3 жыл бұрын
@@PunkMonkey81 LTE exists ya know
@mariovanderwal16953 жыл бұрын
@@PunkMonkey81 I doubt a single person on this entire planet thinks losing wifi connection is equivelent to what those people did on d-day
@PresidentGas13 жыл бұрын
LOl ... based on what America has become, I guarantee nobody gives a shit about that sacrifice. Young people in the US aren't even taught these events growing up anymore.
@tonicipriani11703 жыл бұрын
@@PresidentGas1 That's sooo true, kids in america don't get enough education, they don't even know what D-day is.............
@tonicipriani11703 жыл бұрын
@James Bird Yeah that is true wath you said, but still you can't just say that when it doesn't come to math or history it's a waste of time, but ok everyone has his own opinions. Well, the education in america is good, but most kids don't listen to the teacher, probably around 60% of kids in america don't know anything about WW1: Who killed Franz. Ferdinand? I think only 4% of american kids can answer that question correctly.....
@mikefleckenstein93144 жыл бұрын
Been there as well. My dad landed at Omaha on day 2. There is a "feeling" about that area that's hard to describe. The American cemetery at Omaha is beautifully maintained. Every American should visit if possible.
@FRANCESGUM4 жыл бұрын
Respect to your dad!!
@diemman704 жыл бұрын
I definitely will as soon as this COVID crap settles down.
@davecrupel28173 жыл бұрын
It's the first place in France I intend to visit.
@mikefleckenstein93143 жыл бұрын
@@davecrupel2817 That entire area of Brittany shows a respect for history that I wish the rest of the world would copy
@diemman703 жыл бұрын
Dave Crupel 👍
@Crusty_Camper5 жыл бұрын
An excellent video. My parents were 9 when the war started and 14 when D Day happened. They lived on the south coast of England which was closed off from the rest of the country for three weeks prior to the invasion. Every tree hid a tank, a truck or some other piece of equipment. Thousands of troops ( Canadians in their area near Brighton ) were everywhere. D Day began early and My Mum told me the sky was filled will planes, all heading south. The houses shook with the sound. At the docks, all the ships were gone in the night and the Mulberry Harbours ( still a mystery at that time ) had been floated and towed across the channel. All brave men, regardless of nationality or what part they played.
@forresthaggertychannel43015 жыл бұрын
Crusty Camper thank you for sharing. That is very interesting! Are your parents still alive?
@Crusty_Camper5 жыл бұрын
@@forresthaggertychannel4301 Sadly not. Both had narrow escapes as children in the war. Dad was missed by inches from a red hot piece of an aircraft that came from the sky during the battle of Britain. Mum was staffed by a German raider while she was taking newspapers to the ATS girls mannig anti-aircraft guns on the seafront.
@dave1314 жыл бұрын
Such great stories from our elders. Hope they are well.
@WesT-ge2jh6 жыл бұрын
I’ve been to Pointe du Hoc. It was surreal to stand in the northern-most bunker on the top of the point. There is still barbed wire around the perimeter. Also, the craters are even more massive than they look from the bird’s eye view. There were children running through and playing in them. Just an incredible feeling to be there where the invasion took place that it’s really beyond words or comprehension.
@forresthaggertychannel43016 жыл бұрын
Wes T I will be going there someday in my near future. Thanks for the information!
@WesT-ge2jh6 жыл бұрын
Forrest Haggerty I was there in Aug 2017. Stayed in nearby Bayeux in an Airbnb. Life changing experience!
@forresthaggertychannel43016 жыл бұрын
Wes T my wife and I have been making plans to go to France in the next couple years. I plan on visiting the D-Day beaches. I’m looking forward to it!
@johnrogers94815 жыл бұрын
Wow. Because of the high number of men and the high emotions being released,, I bet that the vibes of their emotions are still embedded in the rock and crystal sand.!! I bet those emotion frequencies can still be felt today.!!
@_Tommmmmm_5 жыл бұрын
Some of those craters were a bitch to climb out of. Place was like the moon
@garnhamr5 жыл бұрын
So much easier to understand without all the music and drama added into the documentaries on the tele.
@midnightrider76486 жыл бұрын
I'm always interested in looking at videos about d-day. My dad was in the 147th combat engineers. They were among the 1st wave that landed on omaha beach. I was too young to understand the magnitude of what happened that morning/day & night, but even now i can barely conceive those turn of events. My dad passed 4-1-13. I miss him every day. He was a good man. Thanks dad.
@capt.danieldavidson62916 жыл бұрын
My Gratitude and Respect to him as well. kzbin.info/www/bejne/rZOrgZadbt-Wetk
@ArreBarreBjorken6 жыл бұрын
i hope he rests well in heaven
@jdb855 жыл бұрын
chin up bro , may your old man r.i.p , you'll be together again 1 day
@georgeramirez31205 жыл бұрын
Respect! Thanks to him Europe its free. We spread democracy to the World!
@dawidos18745 жыл бұрын
@@georgeramirez3120 yea spreading democracy like in vietnam teaching vilages democracy with napalm bombs
@randymartens18233 жыл бұрын
Just discovered this amazing series of videos 20 minutes or so ago. Based on the three of them I've watched thus far, they are excellent. Folks really can't understand historical events without a basic understanding of the geography of them. The geographical aspect just makes them become so much more real. Plus, the fact that these wonderful videos are free of all the distracting background music and overly-dramatized visual effects most documentaries covering these events have. Great job!
@TheMB23336 жыл бұрын
Bumped into this channel. Glad I found it! I think your content is going to take off.
@forresthaggertychannel43016 жыл бұрын
Michael B. Thank you. I’m happy you enjoyed it!
@wmarcoux96 жыл бұрын
Michael B. Man war truly is skill. Imagin the pressure the generals have.
@davidhalabi6646 жыл бұрын
William Marcoux Imagine the soilders stress as well, and the airforce.
@budmeister5 жыл бұрын
@@davidhalabi664 The Airforce wasn't around in WW2, it was the Army Air Corps.
@davidhalabi6645 жыл бұрын
@@budmeister Ah I see, thanks for informing me!
@pjingham114 жыл бұрын
Just a note Pointe Du Hoc, The Rangers were able to find the guns that were moved inland and knock them out.
@Jamy-dc9kk4 жыл бұрын
Paul Ingham I think they were stationed a few hundred yards from the coast
@pjingham114 жыл бұрын
@@Jamy-dc9kk They were
@katherinec4094 жыл бұрын
Thank you. Your presentation was so good. I went there and my experience at the Omaha Beach American Cemetery was solemn, sacred, spiritual and very uplifting. A one in-a-lifetime experience which I won't forget. You can feel the presence of the fallen heroes.
@jayjay3500005 жыл бұрын
I was in Normandy about seven years ago and Pointe Du Hoc really was an amazing historical battle. The craters were so deep and wide and are not as protected as they should be, Children were seen running up and down these craters and even tire tracks from beach vehicles. There is security but as a visitor i'm not sure if the security do a 24 hr surveillance on this historical monuments. The whole of Normandy is a treasure trove for war history buffs like myself.
@ontarioobserver12873 жыл бұрын
My father was a member of the Royal Canadian Engineers and landed on Juno the day after on June 7,1944...He fought his way south then north east up to the Netherlands before the war ended. These men were all part of the greatest generation.
@willmartin10336 жыл бұрын
An interesting historical point about D-Day and Omaha casualties. The British, still nervous of another Galipoli, developed lots of amphibious vehicles for D-Day, especially amphibious tanks to offer close armoured support for the infantry going ashore. These were the famous "Hobarts Funnies". The Americans were offered these vehicles and declined all but the Duplex Drive Shermans. On D-Day there were embedded amphibious experts to instruct US commanders on DD usage. The commander on Omaha failed to follow instructions and released his tanks too far from shore, which all sank, leaving Omaha as the only allied beach with no armour and lead to the heavy casualties, also highlighting the incredible feat the infantry managed alone. The story goes that the British officer responsible for liaising on DD operations was so furious that he threatened to shoot the officer responsible with his service revolver!
@mpk66646 жыл бұрын
RABBLE ROUSER They also shot katushkya-like rockets off of the decks of the ships, but failed to range them properly.
@muserock23675 жыл бұрын
I believe a small handful of DDs did land on Omaha, but they were quickly knocked out by defences. Having visited Omaha a couple of years ago you can still see a few concrete anti tank gun positions directly on the beach which would have had no problem taking out a tank the moment it landed. The other issue with casualties was a shallow sand bar off the beach which led to a lot of the landing craft beaching 20 or so meters off shore. This meant their troops had to wade through water making them easy targets for German gunners. Also the shape of the beach, a slight curve, meant German machine guns could sweep the whole beach and denied the Americans almost all cover
@capt.danieldavidson62916 жыл бұрын
Thank you for taking the time to put this all together. Lest We Forget.
@roberthenry93194 жыл бұрын
Your work is one of the best history sites on the Internet. It is wonderfully creative, unique and innovative. It has tremendous impact in bringing graphic reality to extraordinarily important events. History students, teachers and all lovers of history take note: Forrest's channel is a winner. R.Henry, M.D.
@Mark-qq9cd4 жыл бұрын
My Uncle Jim was a member of the 2nd Ranger Battalion, Company B. He told us the same... That of the whole team, only 80 to 90 made it. He also told us that he did not scale the Point because the tides had pushed their landing craft towards troops landing on Omaha Beach. They went in with them. (To the right on you map.) Another informative vid. Thanks
@ElShrodri6 жыл бұрын
Just discovered your channel, I find this google earth exploring series very interesting, you seem too really know what you are talking about, keep them up!
@forresthaggertychannel43016 жыл бұрын
Rodrigo Aronson thank you for your kind words!:)))
@-Gumbo6 жыл бұрын
Anyone who likes D-Day, please watch 'The longest day'. It's old but historically on point and has a huge cast, some of which served in WW2. Several Axis and Allied military consultants who also served on D-Day were also portrayed in the film. Richard Todd (who plays Major John Howard) was a paratrooper who dropped early in the morning to reinforce Pegasus Bridge. The very bridge Major Howard secured hours earlier. He acted in a film in the very spot he had been fighting in.
@MWarne585 жыл бұрын
rigsby2222 Yes one of the greatest of all war movies
@millypuppydog5 жыл бұрын
Yes indeed. A fantastic film with a star studded cast and some great cinematography.
@ToddSauve4 жыл бұрын
I found it an extremely poor film, as it touched on Juno Beach for all of about 1 minute, when in fact Juno was the hardest fought for beach of all--exactly as the D-Day planning staff had anticipated. Omaha piled up more dead due to poor execution of their landing plans, but Juno came second and the armoured fighting was the fiercest of all five landing areas. A real meat grinder for infantry and tanks on both sides.
@-Gumbo4 жыл бұрын
@@ToddSauve Good point, it also doesn't mention the attack on the Merville gun battery. Only a third of the attacking force made it to the guns to attack them. As far as D-Day films go though, it's still the best all rounder
@robertgregory26184 жыл бұрын
Saving private Ryan by far the best movie about D-day landings and the carnage.
@tomwalsh73676 жыл бұрын
Your videos using google earth is a great way to teach people about historical events. Thankyou!
@StopFear6 жыл бұрын
Very interesting concept for videos . I’ve not seen another channel where someone shows places of historic battles on google maps. Gives greater sense of scale.
@forresthaggertychannel43016 жыл бұрын
StopFear thank you for your kind words and I’m happy you enjoyed it!
@tubadude9054 жыл бұрын
I went there in late June 2019...very humbling place. Highly recommend taking a tour but in addition, do lots of research and get around on your own and exploring. Maisy Battery, Winderstandnest 60, beaches and man-made Mulberry harbor at Arromanches. And don't forget the Bayeux Tapestry and WWII museum in Bayeux. Its definitely worth spending a few days there and while you are there, partake in some Calvados...outstanding local adult beverage, there's several distilleries.
@FRANCESGUM4 жыл бұрын
I have a Euro trip planned in August and I am really hoping that things simmer down enough to travel by then. Always been a dream to tour world war locations.
@tubadude9054 жыл бұрын
@@FRANCESGUM Hope it works out for you. It's incredible. We're supposed to go to Europe again in September...we'll see I suppose.
@tootsie50524 жыл бұрын
My dad was at Omaha beach and he made it to Aachen Germany where he was wounded.
@FRANCESGUM4 жыл бұрын
Thank your dad for his brave service!!!!
@stevek88294 жыл бұрын
I'm glad he made it home. Lucky for you as well. A lot of us would have never been born except for our dads having a bit of luck.
@bedazzled645 жыл бұрын
Love your channel, such great in depth coverage. My father fought in WWII on the Pacific side. He never really liked to talk about it, but I wish that I had asked him more questions. Anyway, I had heard that on that morning they fed their men very well which turned out to be a bad decision and also that the gear they were wearing was very heavy and also very difficult to get out of which is why alot of the men drowned before ever making it to shore. Very sad part of our history. Thank you so much for sharing!
@salamander3375 жыл бұрын
Wow I can listen to you talk about the history of all the beaches for hours. Wish the video was longer. This is great.
@Mantis_Toboggan_TrashMan5 жыл бұрын
Imagine being a German and seeing 1000's of ships come over the horizon. At that point they knew the war was lost.
@Mantis_Toboggan_TrashMan5 жыл бұрын
@brentprodz I know that but I'm speaking in the mind of the soldiers on the beach.
@himlingpatrice5 жыл бұрын
You can have an idea of the german soldiers thought in the movie "The Longest Day"
@sgtdanny691485 жыл бұрын
"Please don't shoot me, I am not German, I am Czech, I didn't kill anyone, I am Czech!"
@stephenmanuel11204 жыл бұрын
Look up the book WN 62, it's the first hand account of Heinrich Severloh a German soldier manning a machine gun in the Easy Red Sector of Omaha Beach...Severloh is known as the beast of Omaha Beach...
@davecawood98534 жыл бұрын
DeathTrooper 67 Mein gott
@ToddSauve5 жыл бұрын
It is interesting to note that as Montgomery drew up his plans for the Normandy campaign, the Canadians found themselves assigned to the toughest section of the Normandy front. Why was it the toughest? Because it was so wide open in so many places that it was regarded as by far the most favourable territory for tank warfare. So the very terrain of the Juno Beach regions was far and away recognised as the worst for infantry. Hedgerows were fewer or farther between, but the wide open access for the excellent German armoured divisions made it a terrible place to fight for the generally inferior Allied armour. In response to this, D-Day plans called for double the number of artillery pieces to be landed on Juno than on any other beach and immediately put into action, coordinated with the forwardmost Canadian infantry units-the Regina Rifles and the Winnipeg Rifles-both of whom had previously stormed the beach early on June 6. It was in precisely this sector of the Canadian front that the Germans planned to mass their armoured divisions and try to push the Canadians back into the sea, and then spread left and right to attack Gold and Sword beaches. This is what Montgomery realised when he drew up the plans for the Normandy campaign. The terrain literally dictated the Nazi’s strategy. During the lynch-pin Battle for Bretteville (June 7-10, 1944) this artillery support was vital and broke up numerous German infantry and 12 SS Panzer attacks. That and the sheer guts and unbelievable determination of the two aforementioned infantry regiments saved the day. These were some tough Canadian kids from the Prairies who took on the German SS Panzer divisions and beat them! The commander of the 12 SS Panzer division, Kurt Meyer, had smugly concluded that his men would sweep the Canadians back into the English Channel like so many “little fishes.” Needless to say, Meyer and his 12 SS Panzers were the ones licking their wounds and howling in misery when they finally fled from Bretteville-minus 43 dead, 99 wounded, 10 missing and 29 panzers destroyed including a good number of Panther Mark Vs. And other than the 29 lost panzers, that was just on the first night! It was here and at nearby Abbey d’Ardenne that Kurt Meyer’s 12 SS and the Canadians began executing each other’s prisoners tit for tat, with no quarter given. The two sides really hated each other and this made for likely the bitterest fighting in Normandy. Here is a limited account of the terrible fighting at Bretteville: www.canadiansoldiers.com/history/battlehonours/northwesteurope/brettevillelorgueilleuse.htm And here is an excellent and much more detailed scholarly account of the Battle of Bretteville in .pdf format: scholars.wlu.ca/cmh/vol16/iss4/2/ [Be prepared to meet Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott of the original Star Trek series fame, as he was actually right in the area, being a Canadian artillery officer who landed on Juno Beach on D-Day. I bet you didn’t know that! ;)] In fact, the Canadians made the greatest penetration of the German lines on D-Day, beating them back almost seven whole miles in the first 24 hours. Neither the Americans nor the British came anywhere close. Indeed, three Sherman tanks of the Canadian 1 Hussars actually reached their assigned D-Day objective-the Caen-Bayeux highway next to Carpiquet airfield-before having to pull back when they could not make radio contact with army HQ and request reinforcements. (And it was hard fighting with the Canadians losing 359 men killed landing on the first day alone-second only to Omaha for men KIA!) Perhaps the great progress was because the Canadian army was the only Allied army in Normandy that was entirely volunteer. (Originally Juno beach was to be called Jelly, but Churchill forbade it noting it was a sorely inappropriate name for a place where so many men were going to die.) And yes, the two British and one Canadian beaches faced the bulk of the German armour-something like 70% of all German armoured divisions in Normandy faced us around Caen. Indeed, German armour was lined up virtually cheek by jowl! Historians have carefully investigated the numbers involved and the Germans, Canadians and British had more tanks per square mile all around Caen than the Russians and Germans had at Kursk! Around Caen and Carpiquet alone, the Germans had seven panzer divisions supplemented by an additional battalion of more than 100 Mark V Panthers! They were Panzer Lehr, 2 Panzer, 9 Panzer, 116 Panzer, 1 SS Panzer, 9 SS Panzer and 12 SS Panzer. Though few people understand this, these were the heaviest, most concentrated tank battles of WW2! In his analysis of the fighting against the Canadians of the Regina Rifles Regiment at Bretteville (which contained a number of Sherman and Firefly tanks, as did virtually every Canadian and British regiment), Hubert Meyer, the commanding general of the 12 SS Panzer division (after Kurt Meyer had been captured in September 1944) wrote later in “The 12th SS: The History of the Hitler Youth Panzer Division, Volume 1” that: “The tactic of surprise, using mobile, fast infantry and Panzers even in small, numerically inferior Kampfgruppen, had often been practiced and proven in Russia. This tactic, however, had not resulted in the expected success here against a courageous and determined enemy, who was ready for defense and well equipped. Through good battle field observation, the enemy had recognized the outlines of the preparations for the attack and drawn his own conclusions. The deployment of D Company [of the Regina Rifles] to Cardonville had prevented a breakthrough by 2./26 [of the 12 SS] from the farm south of the rail line to Bretteville, only 1,000 meters away. The anti-tank defenses all around the village were strong enough to thwart all attempts by the Panzers to by-pass the town to the south and north. The surprising use of parachute flares with glaring magnesium light blinded the Panthers and clearly outlined them to the enemy Pak [anti-tank guns like 6 and 17 pounders]. This enemy was especially strong in the defense and could not be taken by surprise. He fought with determination and courage.” [pages 186-87] One is unlikely to find higher praise from the SS than 12 SS Panzer General Hubert Meyer had for the Regina Rifles Regiment of the Royal Canadian Army! In hindsight, it is something of a feather in Montgomery’s hat that he beat his own estimate of 90 days for capturing Caen and destroying the German armies-by two full weeks minus one day-but who is counting when numbers are so great and the opposition so terrible? And finally, Montgomery (and all the Allied generals) had insights into overall German strategy and counterattack plans through the Ultra intercepts at Bletchley Park, England. On many occasions he chose to withdraw his forces a short distance in order to preserve them, when informed that much superior German armoured divisions were being moved up to recapture territory lost. This was only sensible. You do not throw away large masses of men and armour to be ground up by superior numbers of enemy armour simply to display your bravado. No, you withdraw and rebuild your own forces until you can overcome what you positively 100% know is a much stronger force facing you only a short distance away. Many have questioned Montgomery’s leadership, perhaps with some reason. But how many know that he had to preserve his forces (as much as he could anyway) when Ultra intelligence revealed that not doing so would only be a futile gesture and the deliberate squandering of many men’s lives? Moreover, London had already told him that infantry reserves were virtually nil (though armour was abundant) and he had better save as many of his men as possible. So let’s try to be a little bit fairer in our criticisms of him. My hat comes off to the many, many brave and excellent fighting men from the US! They fought as well as anyone else and that is a fact. But it was a team effort between the three great English speaking nations of the world that defeated Nazi Germany in Normandy, as well as the many brave French, Polish and other freedom loving European soldiers who fought alongside us. Bravo to all involved! PS I am not trying to glorify war here, just so anyone who might think this to be so can understand that I do not approve of war-for all the good this will do.
@SunnieSnell5 жыл бұрын
Thanks from Aus It was a team effort
@ToddSauve5 жыл бұрын
@@SunnieSnell There were quite a few Aussies involved, too! The RAAF was there in force!
@lawxxxx98535 жыл бұрын
‘In fact, the Canadians made the greatest penetration of the German lines on D-Day, beating them back almost seven whole miles in the first 24 hours. Neither the Americans nor the British came anywhere close.’ I’m not sure this energetic tub-thumping is particularly helpful or relevant, but nor does it seem to be accurate. There is a difference between ‘penetration’ and ‘front-line’ - the latter, being more permanent, is important in the context of D-Day. I have before me a map of the front lines at the end of 6th June, and I see that in distance reached inland the Canadian front-line is equivalent to, but no greater, than the adjoining British front-line on Gold Beach. Ditto the front-line the other side on Sword Beach, which is roughly equivalent. The front-line on Utah Beach was at least as far inland, if not more, actually reaching its planned front-line at one point, which nobody else had managed. In light of this, your comment is very misleading. Many brave man lost their lives or suffered dreadful injuries that day, and I don’t think it is helpful for a particular group try to take the limelight, or claim pole position. Particularly not in the circumstances outlined above.
@marklittle88054 жыл бұрын
Canada was there and did her part. Too bad every WW2 Hollywood movie did their best to ignore that reality... Great video that gives people the scope of the geography involved. The beaches covered 50 miles of coast. That ought to give people an idea of how massive this was. 7000 ships and they didn't run each other over....amazing
@ToddSauve4 жыл бұрын
@@lawxxxx9853 Sorry, but I didn't see your post until today. KZbin does sometimes miss updating any replies I may get from my posts. No, Canada is universally acknowledged as having penetrated farther inland on the first day of the Normandy campaign. You will search in vain for any competent historian who will claim otherwise. It is not "energetic tub-thumping" but actual and universally acknowledged historical fact. And this was not just "penetration" as you claim, but hard fought for front lines that had to be defended from numerous German counter-attacks. The British at Sword Beach got hung up at a particularly nasty artillery fortification about 3 miles from the beach which took them some time to overcome. They also were unable to land as many troops as they needed in order to reach Caen on day one. Caen was between 9 and 10 miles from Sword beach and Carpiquet airfield about the same distance from Juno, but the fighting was not carried out in a straight line fashion. Fighting bulged out to the left and right as different challenges arose. Gold beach troops were not expected to take any part in the reaching of Caen on D-Day. What you may be looking at is the front lines of the left flank of the Canadian front, which did not move as fast as the right flank. Canada lost at least 359 dead on the first day of fighting alone, (and probably over 1000 wounded), so there was considerable opposition. In fact, as I said, Canada was the ONLY country to reach its D-Day objective, the Carpiquet airfield right next to Caen. Three tanks from the 1 Hussars arrived there late on June 6 but were unable to make radio contact with army HQ (due to German radio jamming) and have reinforcements rushed up to bolster them. Even so, by late on June 7, 1944 the Regina Rifles and Winnipeg Rifles reached Bretteville and Putot respectively, with Bretteville being only about 3 miles west of Carpiquet airfield--a suburb of Caen itself, the D-Day objective. But by June 7, the 12 SS Panzer division had fully occupied Carpiquet rendering its capture a month long series of horrible tank battles. In fact, the tank battles all around Carpiquet and Caen were the densest and most heavily fought of WW2--surpassing even Kursk in number of tanks involved per square mile. It took another month to cover those last three miles and force the 12 SS out of Carpiquet airfield! Still, we must remember that Canada's was the ONLY all volunteer army and even General Eisenhower said the Canadians were his best troops! Here's the proof. In a statement from him, cited by celebrated historian Andrew Roberts in his “History of the English-Speaking Peoples Since 1900,” 2007, on page 343, he points out a little-known quotation from Eisenhower that “man-for-man the Canadians were the best soldiers in his army.” Only Omaha beach produced more dead, mostly because of the US forces launching their armour much too far from shore (about 3 miles) whereupon only one or two of about 30 tanks made it to the beach. The rest sank to the bottom of the English Channel taking their crews with them. What a waste of human life! Moreover, the American brass refused to use "Hobart's funnies" that Canada and the British used. These were the specialized tanks that British Major General Percy Hobart developed for particular purposes, like bridging tank traps and "chain flailing" tanks for clearing minefields, etc. It cost many brave American soldiers their lives and for that they have their ignoramus senior officers to thank. Moreover, the US rocket firing barges that were to bombard Omaha beach refused to come close enough to actually hit their targets on shore, and all their ordinance fell short into the water. 👿 Thankfully, the US troops who landed on Utah beach missed their landing point by about a mile and were able to overcome all German opposition with comparatively much smaller losses of around 200 dead. By the way, half of my family came to Canada from the US and the other half from Britain, so I have no particular axe to grind. I do find, however, that neither the US nor Britain acknowledge the great successes that Canada's army worked in Normandy in any of their films or documentaries on the subject. Is this ignorance, arrogance or jealousy? The British tend to be a little more even handed but the Americans tend to focus exclusively on themselves, as if they won WW2 all by their lonesome. The truth is that the Russian's bore 80% of the burden of fighting Nazi Germany on the ground and without them on the Eastern front things would have been much grimmer, indeed! Download the .pdf file I linked in the first post, as it has a lot of maps and other relevant material that I'm sure you will find helpful. Are you an American or British?
@chrislane51454 жыл бұрын
I really appreciate the work you put in to create these videos. I love to study history and I am fascinated by anything to do with WWII. The way you use the maps it gives you a sense of the where the event occurred and the scale of that event.
@bobwickman6584 жыл бұрын
I have been to all the Normandy beach’s. It’s surreal to actually go inside one of hundreds of German bunkers and look out over the English Channel and imagine what the German soldiers saw on that day. Over 5,000 ships headed right for them. They had no idea of the shit storm that was about to hit then. I took a 4 hour tour of all the beaches in Normandy. It started out and ended from the Normandy museum and went to the American cemetery sector of Normandy just above Omaha beach. I have a picture of my Dad walking on Omaha beach 2 days after the invasion. It was him and his ship mate with their ship in the background, LST 539. He NEVER talked about his 20 year in the U S Navy. My mom gave me the picture along with many other things from his enlistment in the Navy. Our family comes from a long line of servicemen, Dad 20 years Navy, 2 uncles 10 years Navy, 1 uncle 5 years in the merchant marines, myself 3 Navy and lastly my son 4 years Army. If you ever have the opportunity to go to France, take the time to go to the Normandy museum and take to tour of the beach’s of Normandy. It’s a trip you will NEVER forget.
@Jamy-dc9kk4 жыл бұрын
bob wickman I’ve been there too, and besides the war, Normandy really does have nice parts of coast, with astonishing views!
@dithperlay32924 жыл бұрын
Im French and went to the main beaches and Pointe du Hoc for the first time last summer. It is breath taking, idk how you guys did it but we are so thankful and grateful for what you’ve done.
@forresthaggertychannel43014 жыл бұрын
Dith Perlay how far from the beach do you live?
@dithperlay32924 жыл бұрын
Forrest Haggerty i live south Brittany, which is like 4h away driving
@devinhale79185 жыл бұрын
My great grandfather was there with the big red one I never got to meet him he is my hero I know he is in a better place with his friends that he lost over there
@MH-WM3 жыл бұрын
I'm about an hour from Ft Riley, BIG RED ONE!
@barbdavis4624 Жыл бұрын
Thanks for laying this out. A picture is worth a thousand words.
@Wardell436 жыл бұрын
One of the best 7 minute videos on KZbin.
@jonnymclaughlin4775 жыл бұрын
Been to all the landing sites several times now , done Pointe du hoc last year what a place, some of the bomb craters are huge , when you visit you can still feel the presence of the soldiers as if some how the ghosts are still there , really humbling.
@finigan25 жыл бұрын
75 years ago today. Never forget.
@DrRichtoffen14 жыл бұрын
Sad to think about, i reenact WW1 and NO ONE knows anything ;/
@jacob55126 жыл бұрын
This is what I call quality content. You just earned another subscriber! Keep it up brother!
@DesireeStamat3 жыл бұрын
Thank you. I've been studying WWii recently and your explanation mixed with the photos have helped me sort out the massivness that was operation overlord.
@will_28_646 жыл бұрын
Fantastic video and great channel, super glad I found it. Last summer on the anniversary I was lucky enough to go to all these beaches and a lot of the museums around them, it was an incredible experience and I only wish I’d seen your video sooner! The beach heads haven’t really changed that much over the last 70 odd years and as the gun batteries and bunkers were build to last so the history is preserved remarkably well. The costal defence gun battery at longues sur mer (near gold beach) is in incredible condition, the only real damage visible is the shelling done by the allies on dday +2 rather than any sign of ageing. If you do ever get the opportunity to visit then I couldn’t recommend it more.
@stflaw4 жыл бұрын
These are the boys of Pointe du Hoc. These are the men who took the cliffs. These are the champions who helped free a continent. These are the heroes who helped end a war. Gentlemen, I look at you and I think of the words of Stephen Spender's poem. You are men who in your ``lives fought for life . . . and left the vivid air signed with your honor.'' . . . Here, in this place where the West held together, let us make a vow to our dead. Let us show them by our actions that we understand what they died for. Let our actions say to them the words for which Matthew Ridgway listened: ``I will not fail thee nor forsake thee.'' Strengthened by their courage, heartened by their value [valor], and borne by their memory, let us continue to stand for the ideals for which they lived and died. Ronald Reagan June 6, 1984
@jimdekimpe80135 жыл бұрын
Great job. We’ll put together. As a suggestion, it would also have been good to zoom in on the cemetery.
@May_Sun6 жыл бұрын
I'm so happy I stumbled upon this channel.
@freddieleethompson35364 жыл бұрын
Great channel. I live in Folkestone which has a heavy history with WW1 & WW2. I enjoyed the way this is explained.
@tood64594 жыл бұрын
Took a day trip from Paris to Normandy, and toured Pointe du Hoc, Omaha Beach, and the American Cemetery. An unforgettable day.
@iblesbosuok5 жыл бұрын
Much victims many casualties. That's why I hate war. Cheers from Indonesia
@1099Deusvult5 жыл бұрын
Thank you for your video, I'm going to Normandy next week and it's helped alot
@forresthaggertychannel43015 жыл бұрын
Jake Dowling I’m happy to hear that! I hope you enjoy your visit.
@jasonwcoleman2506 жыл бұрын
Your channel is just in time! Too many people are forgetting our nation's history, so we're inevitably repeating it. I hope this channel takes off and changes things.
@forresthaggertychannel43016 жыл бұрын
Jason Coleman that would be a good thing. I started this channel as an experiment and now I might have to give it some serious attention!:))))
@DodgyDaveGTX6 жыл бұрын
Do they still teach this stuff in schools? Fortunately, they did when I was in school (~10-15yrs ago, UK).
@mpk66646 жыл бұрын
Yes... Yes they still teach WWII history in school. They could teach us how to do taxes, but this is more important. Now don't get me wrong, I love history, but it's not going to help me get a job as historian jobs are over saturated the last time I checked. Oh by the way, they still like to try and push the Bible down kids throats because they can't stand the fact that kids nowadays don't need a fairy tale to function.
@Johnaxl6664 жыл бұрын
Two grandfathers and a great uncle landed on Juno Beach.🇨🇦
@patriciat15145 жыл бұрын
My mother's brother, Herbert King, Uncle Buddy, was one of the Rangers who survived.
@XrexterX16 жыл бұрын
Just stumbled to your videos somehow and I'm glad that i came across your channel. Keep up the good! I hope you make a lot more videos!
@GH-oi2jf2 жыл бұрын
Andy Rooney wrote an excellent memoir which includes information on D-day.
@your_royal_highness Жыл бұрын
Was just in Normandy this summer. Amazing.
@ImJasperKrombeen6 жыл бұрын
Interesting historical information. Hope your channels grows, i enjoy your vids.
@forresthaggertychannel43016 жыл бұрын
jspr101 thank you for your kind words!
@Mr.Deleterious5 жыл бұрын
They even recruited top directors of the time from Hollywood as well as several actors to teach the doubles how to act naturally during Operation Bodyguard. I remember my High School history teacher telling us about this. Awesome stuff.
@adrianwapcaplet27734 жыл бұрын
Really enjoy many of the videos you create - they add some good context to memorable events. Just one thing though...your pronunciation of French words. Oh boy... Anyway, please keep up the good work!
@dansullivan86484 жыл бұрын
It would be the same thing if you asked someone who spoke only French, Italian, Spanish or any other language to pronounce another country's city. Would you be as critical in that instance? There's no reason for that.
@adrianwapcaplet27734 жыл бұрын
@@dansullivan8648 The absence of perfection is excused with a modicum of effort.
@PhilbyFavourites4 жыл бұрын
Omaha Beach has got a lovely golf course on it now. The odd pill box still marks part of the course
@noahsimmons41075 жыл бұрын
Dear Heavenly Father May those souls lost on that beach rest in paradise
@marquezphotos4 жыл бұрын
Nice.. thanks for not inserting movie clips and just sticking to the history
@raynus11603 жыл бұрын
Little-known D-Day facts: The British beaches 'Sword' and 'Gold' were actually short for Swordfish and Goldfish. They wanted Canada's landing beach, Juno, to be called Jelly (for Jellyfish). The Canadians, understandably, refused. Also, a sixth beach, Band, was located just east of Sword. It was determined that a landing there was not required, & the troops were re-allocated to other landing sites.
@forresthaggertychannel43013 жыл бұрын
Thank you for sharing. I didn't know that.
@daveygivens7355 жыл бұрын
And didn't the Allies set up Patton as the commander of the Calais "invasion"?
@Jamy-dc9kk4 жыл бұрын
Davey Givens Yup, they put him in charge of that Operation, and it successfully ended
@MK-rr7cg5 жыл бұрын
I remember going on Holiday to this area, near Gold Beach. I remember going to the beach and i was trying to dig for bones, i feel a bit bad now that i'm older.
@thomasdaniels68244 жыл бұрын
Don't.
@MK-rr7cg4 жыл бұрын
@@thomasdaniels6824 No shit sherlock 🤦♂️
@Loup-mx7yt6 жыл бұрын
You also should have done the paratroopers landing
@-Gumbo6 жыл бұрын
Next episode i hope.
@mattwalters68346 жыл бұрын
Loup5264 it would be neat but he would be going all over Normandy for that; the planes came under such heavy fire that they mis-dropped all over the place.
@LoveVintage1733 жыл бұрын
my grandfather landed on gold at ver sure mer, brilliant to see all this! x
@RioBow5 жыл бұрын
God bless them all. Thank you
@johnrogers94815 жыл бұрын
Forrest. You did a good job here in your presentation.! I will check out the other videos you have posted about WW2 as seen from google earth, today. I see there are many other people with similar videos, I will check those out.! Bottom line, a Salute to those extremely brave men who attacked those beaches to stop the scourge of Nazism and Fascism. Brave, Brave men who accepted their fate and did what the plan was.!!!
@johnnyquest37076 жыл бұрын
Great videos. Glad I stumbled onto them.
@forresthaggertychannel43016 жыл бұрын
Johnny Quest I’m happy you enjoy them!
@aubiejazz6 жыл бұрын
They were all brave Americans giving their lives for their country. Thanks!
@tnutz5693 жыл бұрын
Love all your videos. Very educational. Very informative. No disrespect for the video or to all the heroes who got in those boats, gliders, and jumped from the planes. Even the defenders, much respect. I just wanted to say, when the video started you said "...a place in france." And a song from when I was kid immediately popped in my head and I said out loud "Where the na#ked ladies dance. There's a hole in the wall where.." lol sorry had to share.
@davidsnider77085 жыл бұрын
Well done! Everyone should know of the sacrifice made by the allies to save the world.
@stephenmanuel11204 жыл бұрын
I have visited Omaha Beach, Pointe du Hoc, Utah Beach, the American Cemetery above Omaha Beach and a number of other places in Normandy, as an American it's hard to describe how awesome it is to actually visit these places, standing on the Dog Green Sector of Omaha Beach at low tide and seeing how far these men had to run under enemy fire is surreal to imagine...
@Jamy-dc9kk4 жыл бұрын
Stephen Manuel Ooh, I have been there too, And the cemetery you talked about is called “Garden of the missing” right??
@Mickcotton4 жыл бұрын
Just Amazing thank You So Much 😊
@arturdelima12303 жыл бұрын
this got recommended for me 06/06/2021, 77 years later
@NWUnerschrocken4 жыл бұрын
Yeah ... absolutely great channel. Thank you for this. Run, Forrest .... run ...
@amEricaneurOstar6 жыл бұрын
when you realise those huge casualties alone on Omaha Beach and start thinking "that goddam war.." and then you continue looking at casualties of the battle of stalingrad...
@josephburke72245 жыл бұрын
Utah beach was much wider in planning. The current drift placed units at the eastern sector. Few german guns there, so chose to fight from there. Mission was to link up with paratroopers from the 101st. Thus, until that was accomplished, the 4th Infantry did not try to widen their beach. In effect, they landed in the wrong spot. Few of their men were killed in sight of the beach, but in the attack inland. The 4th wears a cloverleaf patch. They sure were lucky that day.
@johnt.wolfbanger57316 жыл бұрын
Funny thing is, the short distance to Calais would have hindered the invasion. Too small a distance. Would have been a maritime bottleneck. Also, not a wide enough area to land as many divisions as they did.
@FRANCESGUM4 жыл бұрын
A Maritime Bottleneck, wow that's a crazy thought and vision!
@michaelmcmanus51964 жыл бұрын
If anyone interested in expanding their understanding of D-Day should read the following books: D-Day Through German Eyes by Holger Eckhertz The Dead and Those About to Die: D-Day: The Big Red One at Omaha Beach by John C. McManus Omaha Beach: D-Day, June 6, 1944 by Joseph Balkoski
@corporalsilver69816 жыл бұрын
I think it's worth mentioning that the Allied powers ruse wasnt to just invade Calais, but there were several other landing sites that they were feeding to the germans, which forced them to spread their troops out, and even when the landings in normandy occured the germans still thought that an invasion was going to occur in the other places.
@shifty389 Жыл бұрын
I live in a small village on the Kent coast on a clear day I can see Calais and one part of the concrete harbour used on these beaches according to local history it came loose on route to France and was just left there
@GaryVerderamo5 жыл бұрын
I read an article, not too long ago, that said they knew the guns were gone (before invading) and the commander of the Ranger unit made the decision to go in anyway.
@stevenweaver33865 жыл бұрын
My grandfather and his brother landed with the 18th Field Engineers of the 3rd Cdn Division. They were in the 3rd wave and landed in front of Courselles du Mer.
@vector86334 жыл бұрын
It's "Courselles sur Mer"
@Jamy-dc9kk4 жыл бұрын
vector8633 no, it’s Courseulles Sur-Mer
@miked.50895 жыл бұрын
Your channel is awesome!!!
@Breakdown17444 жыл бұрын
Hi Forest can you cover amelia earhart please ?
@miatafan5 жыл бұрын
God damn 2500 guys dead before they made it inland, those mg-42s really tore it up
@robertgregory26184 жыл бұрын
Yup, as soon as some ramps were dropped all the men were immediately mowed down. mg-42s = 1500 rounds a minute
@PresidentGas13 жыл бұрын
@@robertgregory2618 I need to get my hands on a few of these.
@RandomDudeOne3 жыл бұрын
The Rangers who took Pointe du Hoc did find the guns that were pulled back later in the day and destroyed them. Their mission was successful.
@notdyingsober5 жыл бұрын
These videos give me the chills
@TheNinjaPicker5 жыл бұрын
Good stuff, the question I have always had is we had a good idea Ohama was the most well defended so why didn't we try to outflank them from other beaches?
@gordon2352 жыл бұрын
I have been to Omaha beach and Juno Beach not much left there to remind you this event took place.
@colonelcrockett22506 жыл бұрын
0 dislikes - let’s keep it that way!
@paulpowder43596 жыл бұрын
2 flat-earthers have since disliked the video :/
@chrimony6 жыл бұрын
Who fucking cares? Why are people so obsessed with a few dislikes?
@annoyingbstard94074 жыл бұрын
The howitzers were moved to Maisy battery - near to the village of Grandcamp-Maisy.
@Joe-fe4xi3 жыл бұрын
They were actually only moved a few hundreds yard back, into a farmer’s field.
@user-ky6vw5up9m5 жыл бұрын
Spanish double-agent Pujol, working for the Allies, radioed to the Germans that the invasion was on for Calais. He timed his message so that it was too late for the Germans to move down the coast.
@woodesroger5 жыл бұрын
I saw Hastings, and was wondering if you've looked at doing similar videos but with more ancient battles?
@henrihyttinen42325 жыл бұрын
Great video, the only thing you could have done differently is if you would have talked about the German casualties as well, even though they were the "bad guys" they were people as well. You have other intresting videos as well, earned a sub right here.
@imyourgodmachine4 жыл бұрын
Love your channel! Could you do a video on the zodiac killer?
@durango-CODEBUILDER6 жыл бұрын
I love the way Americans say British... couldn't tell you why.
@davedruid74274 жыл бұрын
I did not know the story about Point Du Hoc! That was very interesting.
@bvierville16 жыл бұрын
Vierville su Mer is a lovely little town
@yamatosucks5 жыл бұрын
uhm...not trying to be rude but why are you recording this at 8 in the morning ?O.o
@DodgyDaveGTX6 жыл бұрын
BTW I'd love to see a vid like this on the "battle" (aka evacuation) of Dunkirk! Especially after the recent film, it should garner some more attention from people interested in finding out more.
@bobsjepanzerkampfwagen41505 жыл бұрын
Just go there for once i am lucky to be European and having these breath taking historic places close i will be at the 75th anniversary of D-day its going to be huge.
@Jamy-dc9kk4 жыл бұрын
bluewaffle 45 Hey, someone else who visited Normandy during the 75th anniversary (I was there July 6th until July 20th), good times... And a lot of activities to keep yourself going throughout the day!
@nav-ride-fast58086 жыл бұрын
I have beenin Bayeux,Omaha,Utah,Gold,Point du Hoc,Merville and Coleville batteries and more places near,you are right in information,like your vids but reaaly love that vid.
@darinbermudes81462 жыл бұрын
I could imagine what was waiting for them in the supposed invasion area