Fiasco?

This is coolbert:

"You mean - - we came all this way - - for nothing??!!" - - American Ranger, in the aftermath of the assault of Pointe' du Hoc.

"[war] is not a dinner party, or writing an essay, or painting a picture, or doing embroidery; it cannot be so refined, so leisurely and gentle, so temperate, kind, courteous, restrained and magnanimous" - - Mao.

Again, from the BBC article on the celebrations and commemorations surrounding the 65th anniversary of the D-Day landings, extracts and comments:

"Revisionists challenge D-Day story"

"Far from being an unmitigated success, Mr Beevor found, the landings came very close to going horribly wrong."

"Twenty-five years ago, in his book Overlord, Max Hastings had already described it as 'one of the most futile air attacks of the war.'"

"According to American historian J Robert Lilly, there were around 3,500 rapes by American servicemen in France between June 1944 and the end of the war."

"The evidence shows that sexual violence against women in liberated France was common," writes Mr Hitchcock.

"29 soldiers executed for rape by the US military authorities"

Comments:

NONE OF THIS IS NEWS! NONE OF WHAT "HISTORIANS" SUCH AS BEEVOR AND HASTINGS HAVE DEALT WITH IS NOT ALREADY KNOWN! HAS BEEN COMMON KNOWLEDGE [?] FOR A LONG TIME!

HAS ANYONE EVER SUGGESTED THAT THE NORMANDY LANDINGS WERE AN UNMITIGATED SUCCESS??!!

I THINK NOT!!

1. Even after much planning of the most meticulous variety, and preparations of the most intensive nature, a lot of things went wrong with the D-Day landings, and have been generally acknowledged and commented upon.

Difficulties, problems, poor performance and downright failure to include: [but not limited to!]

* Troops landing on the wrong beaches [U.S. 4th ID].

* Troops [U.S. 1st ID] meeting very strong unexpected resistance.

* Airborne forces landing in unexpected places, way off course.

* British troops not reaching goals set for the first day.

* Aerial bombardment totally missing targets.

* German positions [Pointe' du Hoc] thought to be critical assaulted but found to be unoccupied.

BY THEIR VERY NATURE, AMPHIBIOUS OPERATIONS ARE CONSIDERED TO BE THE MOST DIFFICULT OF ALL MILITARY MISSIONS TO ACCOMPLISH! THIS IS JUST INTUITIVELY OBVIOUS? AND THIS - - THE MOST AMBITIOUS AMPHIBIOUS OPERATION OF ALL TIME, WOULD BE BY DEFINITION BE FRAUGHT WITH GREAT DIFFICULTY!!

2. American soldiers, found guilty of raping Frenchwomen, sentenced to death by the U.S. Army and executed. I would be interested to know if at the time, A FRENCHMAN GUILTY OF A SIMILAR OFFENSE [RAPING A FRENCHWOMAN], WOULD HAVE RECEIVED THE SAME PUNISHMENT FROM HIS OWN GOVERNMENT?? Devoted readers to the blog will remember the prior blog entry regarding the executions in England of U.S. military personnel for the crime of raping Englishwomen. Rape was a crime for which no Englishman had been executed since the 1860's! Soldiers are EXPECTED to behave in a better manner! Be more disciplined - - not becoming a riotous mob - - no matter what!!

3. That bombardment by the strategic massed American and British air forces on June 6 WAS a total fiasco. Recognized as such by all at the time! Massed air forces elements attempting to drop their bomb loads ON THE BEACH DEFENSES OF NORMANDY, DROPPING THEIR ORDNANCE THROUGH A CLOUD COVER NOT BEING ABLE TO SEE THE TARGETS, TIMING THEIR BOMB RUN INCORRECTLY AND IN GRIEVOUS AND GROSS ERROR!! Almost without exception a lot of ordnance was dropped on farm fields and villages!

4. One too, cannot forget the second bombardment of Normandy by the massed strategies allied air forces, about one month subsequent to the D-Day landings. An attack that had the force of a tactical nuclear weapon being dropped, all a prelude to the Operation Cobra breakout!!

5. The British too had their fiascoes that cannot be overlooked. NOT being able to secure the objective of Caen on June 6th meant a month long battle culminating in "Goodwood"! Four hundred allied tankers [Canadian?] destroyed in a three day battle! Montgomery and the English army still persisting even in spite of almost catastrophic casualties!

Hey dude, no one ever said this was going to be easy!!

OH, Mr. Beevor and Mr. Hastings really are eminent historians who do good work.

coolbert.