I'm a very proud & happy man today, Fred Norris, in the photos on NOTW website, I helped organise his trip, just had the family back with the vehicle (blonde lady in glasses to his left, holding his arm) and they were telling me the stories from the weekend, almost in tears here.
D-DAY 
Comments
Good on you mate
Heroes one and all of them
You big softy
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years contemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.
It must be great to have the privilege of knowing some of these men.
The pictures on saturday were very moving.
We who came after should never forget the debt we owe to these incredibly brave men who were prepared to give their lives that we may enjoy the freedoms we now take as read. Yet again, whether by cock up or for other reasons our Government got on the wrong end of this! I think that Gordon Brown is at the stage that if he fell into a barrel of t*ts, he come up sucking his thumb!
My son has been learning about D Day at school. In my opinion it should be a compulsory part of the curriculum for children to study this. In the "bang your dead" explicit world of high tech games that kids experience these days, learning about real heroism and the horrors of real war should be used as a positive counterbalance to the consequence vacuum these games bring with them.
My 10 year old son has asked me if I will let him watch Saving Private Ryan. As it is a 15 Cert film, I have refused thus far. Am I right? Part of me thinks that letting him watch films that get close to the true horrors of warfare will help to shape his understanding of the truth better than anything I could say to him. On the other hand should he be spared, at his tender age, the traumas of reality for a while longer? I wonder what is for the best in the long run?
The beginning is very violent, but it isn't gratuitious - does that make a difference ?
My advice would be to watch the film yourself first and gauge whether or not you think a "15" cert is justified. You also know your own child and how impressionable he is (or not) and thus whether he is likely to be adversely affected by any excessive violence, blood and gore etc.
If you think it is ok after roadtesting it yourself then sit and watch it with him.
If you think it is too much for him at this age promise him that you will watch it with him when he is a little older if he is still interested.
Plus its less Hollywood storyline following one patrol and closer to a documentary of what happened to the US, Canadian and British forces. Oh and the French
Wiki Link
I'd say let him watch it but be careful you don't order shaving ryans privates by mistake!
My all time favourite war film, followed by A Brideg Too Far, Saving Private Ryan, and have the Band Of Brothers box set, which is awesome.
I have seen Saving Private Ryan and I think, all bar the first twenty minutes, it's probably OK for him, but it's that twenty minutes that specifically related to D Day, thats the dilemma. I'll have another look at the "twenty minutes" and then make a decision.
As for Shaving Ryans Privates, I've not seen it, any one got a copy?............
.......only joking!!
But He's currently in Darenth Valley Hospital fighting his final battle , not sure who is worse the Germans, or the NHS and the Social Services.
love him
Regards to him...
D-Day is only part of the struggle, the battle for France and the liberation of Paris took a lot longer to achieve and the breakout from Normandy saw fighting and casualty levels similar to WWI trench warfare. The Germans were considerably more prepared for this element of the battle and the Panzer divisions were some of the elite regiments in the German Army, plus they were armed with the Tiger tank against the inferior Sherman and Churchill tanks. The British armoured divisions fought valiantly in the battle to free France.
I'm sure all on CL send our best wishes.
I forget who it was but one of the actors who played a one of the Officers in the 6th Airborne who secured the bridges behind the German lines had taken part in the actual attack in '44 and played the part of his CO.
Must have been hard for him to relive that with all the memories that would have come flooding back.
That was it!
All the best to your dad.
My dad drove the Sherman Tank which acted as a mine sweeper and they would normally go in first , he saw his elder brother's Tank blow up at St Lo in the Battle for Caen , and almost got court martialled for leaving his Tank and running to get his brother out , luckily my uncle survived and even luckier received a Blighty wound.
Dad was also one of those unlucky enough to liberate Belsen, which although he will say 'I don't like to talk about it ', but once he gets going .......
My brother and I grew up in awe of what he did and I think he knows most of our generation respect those who did their duty, although he never had much time the Politics of it all. Some years ago we took him back to Lion Beach in Normandy , which was moving. I Remember him saying how much it had changed , which amused us all.
Many Thanks to Curb_it , Da9 , Blackforest and miserable for their kind words
Here the Shermans and Churchills could get closer to their target and use this to their advantage whereas the long barrelled Tigers actually had a disadvantage because the barrell took that much longer to swing around and engage and even at times would get blocked by trees, hedgerows, walls etc
It was actually the 88mm Panzerschreck (Bazooka) and their 88mm anti-tank guns that did most of the damage to Allied armour during the breakout.
The Tigers were designed to fight the Russian T34s at long range on the open plains not for the tight fields, towns and lanes of Normandy.
Here the Shermans and Churchills could get closer to their target and use this to their advantage whereas the long barrelled Tigers actually had a disadvantage because the barrell took that much longer to swing around and engage and even at times would get blocked by trees, hedgerows, walls etc. Therefore the tank battles were a little more balanced, especially when the Sherman Fireflys were involved as they had been fitted with the British 17lb anti tank guns. A normal Sherman could not destroy a Tiger, unless it was within 100m and the shell impacted on the side of the Tiger.
The 88mm Panzerschreck (Bazooka) and their 88mm anti-tank guns that did pretty much 50% of the damage to Allied armour during the breakout.
Right - Nerd moment over!