Or is it raisins? I prefer to think they get 72 toothless French whores, myself.

Whatever, they're getting the job done in Afghanistan:

MUSA QALA, Afghanistan - Coalition forces killed 40 militants during combat operations linked to a large-scale anti-Taliban blitz launched across southern
Afghanistan, the military said Friday.

Note the inaccurate use of the word "blitz." But no, they're not biased.

And lest we get accused of just reporting on good news, a mosque is attacked in Iraq.

BAGHDAD, Iraq - A shoe bomber blew himself up inside an important Shiite mosque during Friday prayers, killing at least 10 people and wounding 20, as violence persisted in the capital despite a massive security operation aimed at restoring order.

There is a nugget of good news in this piece, though. The fact that the bomber had to resort to a shoe bomb is evidence that the clampdown is having an effect.

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June 7th, 1944:

Allied forces reach Bayeux and make contact with 6th Airborne Div. First Allied airstrip laid out at Asnelles, N.E. of Bayeux.

German light naval forces and U-boats commence frequent sorties (mainly by night) against Allied invasion fleet, but suffer heavy losses - including 2 destroyers - and sink only small number of transports and LC (landing craft) and 1 destroyer (RNN Svenner).

Italian front: 5th Army takes Civitavecchia, 56 km N. of Rome

[Reference: Chronology of World War II, the Day by Day Illustrated Record, compiled by Christopher Argyle p.158]

I'm going to do another 5 post D-Day, well, posts, from the same book.

If you thirst for more, then maybe I'll start from the beginning and do a post each day starting on September 1st of this year, the day Hitler invaded Poland in 1939.

Or, you can buy the book.

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Forget the "Omen" crap. June 6th, no matter what year, will always be a special day.

Soldiers, sailors, and airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force! You are about to embark upon the great crusade toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you." - Gen. Eisenhower's Order of the Day

D-Day Casualties:

British: 3000

Canadian: 946

U.S.: 6,603

114 Allied planes

German: c.6,500

(figures above taken from Chronology of WWII: The Day By Day Record 1939-1945)

"Casualties" meaning a total of dead, wounded, and/or missing/captured. A good breakdown is here.

June 6th, 1944, has so many lessons to be taught. So many perspectives which are at odds with the perspectives about the war we're fighting now.

Rusty update: Blackfive has an excellent roundup on D-Day remembered.

Fellow MU.NUer Confederate Yankee has reprinted Patton's Normandy Invasion speach.

(via Blogfather)

Ronald Reagan's tribute to D-Day (video)

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