INFANTRY IN NORMANDY, 79TH DIVISION NEAR LASSAY; ADVANCING IN HEDGEROWS - LMWWIIHD148

[@vancehawkins8900]

My uncle died 18Jul1944. I have tried to find out where for years. He is buried in the American Cemetery, in Normandy, France. He died 8 years before I was born. He belonged in the 315 Reg, 79th Division. It seems his unit was in or near Lessay at that time. Thank you for providing this information.

[@daniellemorocco9242]

My grandfather was also 315th infantry 79th division he was wounded on the front line in France July 1944. Private Raymond D. Wallace, there’s a news article on him by the Chicago tribune by his bedside that I found on google that you can look up. I plan to go to the museum to get more info in the future. I hope you find where your uncle is buried. So grateful for all of the brave men who served, Forever in my heart. RIP

[@vancehawkins8900]

@@daniellemorocco9242 I wonder if my Uncle and your grandpa knew each other. Thank you for sharing.

[@daniellemorocco9242]

@@vancehawkins8900 I like to think they did. When I was around 14 my maternal grandma told me all about these heroes with tears in her eyes. She was in Poland during the war, she got taken at 15 and my maternal grandfather was 16 fighting at the Montecassino in Italy. After the war they came to the USA and they had my mother. I’ll be visiting the museum here in Illinois very soon to get all of my grandparents info I’ll be back in touch maybe they have the info you need. Yvw thank you for replying back!!

[@vancehawkins8900]

@@daniellemorocco9242 -- My father also served in WW2, as did most of his generation. He was from southwestern Oklahoma. He joined the Artillery because the Army Artillery training center was at Fort Sill. He used to say he joined the Artillery so he could get stationed close to home. But his first duty station was at "Schofield Barracks" on Oahu,Hawaii where a year later, the Japanese plance flew over on their way to bomb Pearl Harbor. He used to tell his story of how he was standing in a chow line to be served breakfast when the Japanese flew over them strafing them and they scattered. He could stretch that story out a half of an hour . . . :) He was always sad about his brother in Normandy and he said on many occasions, "noone wanted to be buried overseas". He used to tell many ww2 stories -- many were humorous, some informative, and his last few years he told some sad stories.

[@daniellemorocco9242]

@@vancehawkins8900 thank you so much for sharing this!! As a child my grandmother would always reference things to before or after the war and it was heartbreaking. She never let me waste or complain and I miss her stories. Glad that you got to have that bond with your dad and that he had you to open up to because so many never spoke of it again. My dad died when I was 4 years old. I like to lay on top of his grave and talk to him. I like to think they stay with us even when they die and that one day we will be together again. Very nice chatting with you Vance!!

[@Skinny_Karlos]

The audio was definitely the best part.

[@mastro4886]

Lmao, you must be young.

[@daniellejones5981]

I think this is a Training Film! The Hedgerows were an enormous surprise, and it cost a lot of lives before they learned how to fight them. New Divisions were trained before being sent in!

[@ryszardapawowska3601]

Takie filmy się zachowały. To dokument o bohaterach.

[@MrBlysko]

It Is A very rare footage you can see the bravory of the us army !

[@daniellemorocco9242]

Thank you so much for saying this!!❤️

[@rolandofarrington7795]

To Clark Gable, My step grandfather told me in 1986, when I visited my G parents, " One of the best things you can do when alive, is to be remembered after you are dead, I don't mean Hitler, but for something good. "

[@rolandofarrington7795]

Actually the rifle grenade was a much used military tool in a soldiers arsenal, relying on a great deal of skill in the user, that is, in it's aiming. Tilting your weapon and angling it just right before firing the special "blank" that launched the grenade. Your aim was critical.

[@Pudge4400]

Looks like "B" roll of a few pogues killing trees to me...just to have something to show the folks back home. That BAR gunner doesn't even know how to shoulder the weapon. If there were any enemy combatants around, the cameraman wouldn't be standing straight up... head and shoulders exposed above the berm...

[@BorealSpaceSystems]

What do you know?

[@rochrich1223]

They did look green didn't they. No camo, trouble clearing misfires on the machine gun, walking behind a bazooka, trouble with the bipod of the mortar. 2/3s of those in the National Guard at the start of the war were 2nd Lieutenant or higher by the end. Other third, PSG, SSG or dead?

[@rochrich1223]

Whoops, I meant 1/3 were Second Lieutenant or higher. BTW, Do you think 1/3 of your high school class were officer material?

[@Tim.et.o]

its "Lessay" not Lassay

[@clacicle]

This looks like a training film.

[@dennispfeifer7788]

Yep. The geniuses of war landed the troops in front of the almost impenetrable hedgerows...one of the greatest blunders in military history...but, no one ever talks about it in a historical sense. They could easily have moved the landing areas to the north and avoided the hedgerows. 10's of thousands of dead GI's would agree that were slaughtered in the small fields of the hedgerows.

[@zainulzainul1880]

Really ? That horrendous losses ? What a waste of fine young men ...for both sides . And all of that for , as is known now , the industrialists and bankers . Yet , we haven't learn .

[@jonprince3237]

That's nonsense, Normandy was chosen for a number of reasons, the strength of German defences and lack of suitable landing beaches further north being one of them. No campaign can be entirely without loss, the allies had already been fighting and dying for 4 years and ultimately they fought a succesful campaign that took less time than was actually envisioned in planing to meet its objectives, it was certainly no blunder and losses were comparable to others periods of the n.w. European campaign and many others campaigns during the war.

[@Skinny_Karlos]

It was definitely a blunder but there was no choice but Normandy. Your armchair Generalship has a lot to go on, and on, Den.

[@TheCleb21]

Looks like a live fire exercise with outdated machine guns, not actual combat…..

[@Biffo1262]

Looks staged to me too and staged army at that.