75th Anniversary of the largest para drop in military history....

[tac]

which included a 97-year-old veteran...

Mass parachute drop marks Battle of Arnhem

While I was visiting Oosterbeek Cemetery a few years ago, i chanced on a maroon-beret-wearing old soldier visiting his brother, who had died on the fifth day of the hand-to-hand battle in the town. Both were medics, and both had jumped about ten minutes apart, but had only briefly encountered each other in the mayhem that followed.

His brother had died whilst giving aid to a German soldier.

It was that kind of fight, sometimes.

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[Caveman Jim]

SALUTE!

 

[GOG]

The Band of Brothers.
Rest in peace.

 

[Ura-Ki]

DAMN!
Freedom isn't free, Remember the greatest generation who gave everything so we could maintain that freedom! NEVER FORGET!

 

[DirectDrive]

Thanks for posting.
We must never forget the sacrifices of the Greatest Generation.

 

[OutwardHound]

I just finished reading 'A Screaming Eagle in Holland, The Road to Arnhem' for about the 5th time. Field Marshall Montgomery 'Monty' and his tanker corp commander General Horrocks left those paratroopers hanging in the wind there @ Arnhem. ( no pun intended). Operation Market Garden called for speed, daring and down to the minute timetable ... none of that was in Monty's tool kit.

 

[Ura-Ki]

Monty should have bees sacked early on! He would always hold and wait and then make the wrong decision every time! No telling how many got killed because of that guy!

 

[DirectDrive]

I just finished reading 'A Screaming Eagle in Holland, The Road to Arnhem' for about the 5th time. Field Marshall Montgomery 'Monty' and his tanker corp commander General Horrocks left those paratroopers hanging in the wind there @ Arnhem. ( no pun intended). Operation Market Garden called for speed, daring and down to the minute timetable ... none of that was in Monty's tool kit.

Patton would have been the guy for that job.

 

[tac]

Or Rommel. Sadly, he fought on the wrong side. My late Uncle Micky, who had also been on the losing side, worshipped him. as an aside, he noted that Montgomery was not overly respected by the Wehrmacht, in spite of what appeared to be great successes in Africa, based mostly on other generals' stamina and determination. His nick-name for Monty was General Wartensee - a German pun, of all things, meaning General Wait and See.