D-Day 65th Anniversary

Discussion in 'All Anniversaries' started by jagdpanther44, May 16, 2009.

  1. Ron Goldstein

    Ron Goldstein WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    So here we are, the 6th of June 2009 and the 65th Commemoration of D-Day

    I shall be watching the TV this afternoon if only to see if I can spot an old friend of mine who will be paying his respects on the beaches, but the actual day itself doesn't mean an awful lot to me apart, of course, for it's world wide significence as the beginning of the end of WW2.

    As you must be aware by now, I was one of those terrible "D-Day Dodgers" and on the 6th of June 1944 the only way I found out what was happening was by a BBC News announcement picked up on the 19 set of my wireless truck whilst at Frosinone in Italy.

    I see the Regimental Diary didn't even think it worthwhile reporting the event !!!!!

    By 4 Jun the regt was almost concentrated and the only tps in action were A/280 at Frosinone and A and B/84 on Route 6 south of Frosinone. 52 LAA Regt relieved these tps on 6 Jun.
    On the 7th (June) HQRA reported that 38 Bde, with 280 Bty under command, were moving that day to a cone area north of Rome but this moved was postponed. A tp was to be placed under command of each div fd regt and was to move with those regts. These moves took place
    on 8 Jun Tp 280 with 17 Fd regt, Tp 84 with 132 Fd Regt and Tp 80 with 138 Fd Regt. The remainder of the regt in the order RHQ, 84,280 and REME moved late on the 8th but while en route the CO was ordered to turn off to a staging area to clear the route. The CO decided that the regt would return to their old locations and await new timings.
    At midday on the 9th the head of the column was at the start point waiting for Main HQ 8th Army to pass. The convoy eventually got under way and' passed through Rome at 1630 hrs. At 180 hrs, after a 77 mile journey, the regt arrived at the staging area and was there ordered to move, the next day, to Civita Casteliana about 25 miles north of Rome. In fact this journey became impossible owing to road congestion an, additionally, 280 Bty was ordered to send a party to make smoke at a diversion.
     
  2. Smudger Jnr

    Smudger Jnr Our Man in Berlin

    Ron,

    I tend to think that you and all the others in Italy had your hands full at the time, just trying to stay alive, knowing that you had several Divisions withdrawn.

    Regards
    Tom
     
  3. RabidAlien

    RabidAlien Nobody special.

    I'm looking for a little emoticon of a saluting smiley. My utmost respect for those who stormed the beaches on this day 65 years ago...for those who dropped from the skies much earlier to raise a ruckus behind the lines....for those who came in succeeding days to consolidate the hold won at such a price....and for those who held the lines elsewhere, even after having been sucked dry to provide troops for the landings. My grandfather was in Italy at the time (ground-crew maintenance for a B-24 squadron in Italy....dangit, I'm gonna have to write down his unit, since my braincell can never remember it...). To everyone who served on this day, my heartfelt thanks!
     

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