D-Day - June 6, 1944: "The hopes and prayers of liberty loving people everywhere marched with [them]"
June 6th marks the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landing on the beaches of Normandy, France during WW2. This upcoming 75th anniversary of D-Day got me wondering what my family who experienced the war, either in fighting or supporting roles, or 'on the home front' experienced that day. I will start with a (very) brief background of this event. The war had been raging in Europe for nearly five years, when the Allied forces embarked on an invasion of the continent that would turn the tide of the war. This event resulted from years of preparation by the Allied nations to breach the Atlantic front in Europe. Hitler's forces had advanced rapidly across Europe and the allies were at their lowest period. However, the defeat of the Germans by the Russians on the Eastern Front, and the defeat of Mussolini in Italy, gave renewed hope that the fortunes of the allies could turn. It was recognised, though, that a coordinated and well thought out effort would be needed to...