Surprised this hasn’t been mentioned, D-Day anniversary today, Carolyn’s spitfire was roaming over the beaches, and my old man was bobbing about in a landing craft.
I think we should all take a minute off to remember, and pay our respects.
For those of you who have’nt been to Normandy, please go, it’s quite a place.
By: flyingcloggie - 11th June 2007 at 19:23
Who can tell me if the story that was in the book Spitfire the New Zealand story is correct ore wrong. Because as it is right, will the honour go to the Dutch Spitfire?
By: flyingcloggie - 9th June 2007 at 12:46
For those of you who may be interested we flew ML407 this afternoon almost 63 years to the hour she earned her stripes..
mick
Did ML407 fly during D-Day? As stated in Spitfire the New Zealand story. The engine failed to start at first attempt. At the end in his haste to to catch up with the other aircraft he collided with flying controller’s poorly placed telephone and chair. ML407 required a new propeller.
Houlton took of in the end with ML176!
By: BlueRobin - 6th June 2007 at 23:37
Any truth in the story that Richard Dimbleby (“how absolutely marvellous”) reported on the invasion, or soon after, from overhead the beaches in a Piper Cub?
By: moocher - 6th June 2007 at 23:20
For those of you who may be interested we flew ML407 this afternoon almost 63 years to the hour she earned her stripes..
mick
By: Scouse - 6th June 2007 at 17:36
I always thought a sprightly old chap who drinks in my local was one of that select band who went in on D-Day day one.
I mentioned this to him a couple of years back. ‘You were in on day one, weren’t you, Frank.’
‘No.’
‘I’m sorry, I always thought you were…’
‘I was in the day before, minus one…’
He was one of that even more select band parachuted into Normandy the day (or night) before. Now that’s a put-down I’m almost proud to have been on the receiving end of.
I’ll buy him a drink on Saturday night. He deserves it.
William
By: stuart gowans - 6th June 2007 at 17:05
My father was in with the Canadians, he was 21; who fancies being 21 (again) and doing that?
By: Melvyn Hiscock - 6th June 2007 at 10:29
My old man was a Royal Marine on HMS Hawkins bombaring Omaha and Utah beaches and almost being sacrificed to get the Americans off. Had the invasion on Omaha failed, as it nearly did, the Marines were to go ashore and cover the retreat as an entire French Division had at D. Day.
As it was Hawkins was one of the ships that risked grounding to get in close to bombard the gun positions on the coast after the amphibious tanks were let off too far out and nearly all sunk.
A narrow victory on that beach.
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June 6, 2007 at 10:24 am