D-Day

Last Thu., June.06 was the 69th anniversary of D-Day, the day that allied forces landed in northern France and started an invasion which led to the defeat of Germany a year later. Allied forces at the time consisted Americans, British and Canadians, mainly. Unlike what I had expected there was nothing on the news or no especial ceremony in the country.

Americans entered the war simply seeking opportunities and they got that later. Their gift to Europeans was Marshal Plan. Based on that plan the US provided a total of $13 Billion in terms of economic and financial help to the European countries which their economy had been destroyed as a result of the long WWII.

Many call this as the most unselfish act of helping but there is no doubt that the US benefited from a lot by simply accessing the European markets for years even after the plan was ended!

In military terminology the letter D simply stands for Day and D is the day of an operation. The days which come after that are called D+1, D+2 and so one while the days prior to the military operation are named as D-2, D-1 and similar. So D-Day is general term but since it signifies the most important invasion of all time, everyone who thinks of D-Day immediately thinks of the day that invasion started in Europe to pass the Atlantic Wall and liberate France, rest of occupied Europe and eventually defeating the Nazis. Discussions about the WWII are so long and broad and there's no room and time for it here in post. I just have to point at two post-war occasions: First, The Nuremberg Trial, the most ridiculous juridical event of the all times! You are in fight with someone and he defeats you and then he takes you to the court and sentenced you to be punished to this much! There is no doubt that what Germans did during the WWII was evil but didn't Americans do even worse in many corners of the words in the past 60 years!? Did anybody condemn them? Did anything happen to them? No! Did any of those who killed civilians ever go to prison? How about the bombs on the two Japanese cities? Did anyone take the Americans to the court, especially the Japanese?

With thousands of pictures available on the net these days, it's  hard to find a reliable one . This apparently shows  what is left from the Fuhrer's residence in the southeastern part of Germany but to be sure, I will go there to see it with my own eyes one day soon.

The other one is the destruction of Berghof, Hitler's residence in south east Germany. Berghof without a doubt is the most beautiful residence that someone ever resided in. The Americans blind from jealousy bombed the place and wiped it out while it could have stayed to become a museum. There is nothing actually, absolutely nothing left from the villa, I would call it but just the location is amazing. I would love to see it, if it still existed.

(Photo: This map shows the stages of the alliance invasion in Normandy started in 06-Jun-1944)