Operation Neptune / D-Day 75th Anniversary

I visited London on June 6, 2019, the 75th anniversary of Operation Neptune, better known as D-Day.  Operation Neptune was the Allied code name for the assault phase of the larger Operation Overlord, the invasion of northwest Europe.  To give you an idea of the scope of this operation I have provided the following:



The Cenotaph

Almost 7,000 ships were involved in Operation Neptune with the vast majority of them being British.  Eighty-percent of the 6,939 naval vessels engaged in the operation were provided by the Brits. Though the US contributed over 1,100 ships, it made up less than seventeen-percent of all vessels.  Other nations contributed to the sea lift of men and material to the beach heads; France, Holland, Norway and Poland had seamen and ships involved.  At total of close to 200,000 naval personnel of all nationalities participated. 

When it came to feet hitting the beach heads the US lead the way; 73,000 American soldiers came ashore on the two landing site of Omaha and Utah Beach.  The men of the 4th Inf. Div. at Utah Beach, the extreme western beach-head, faired best in the landing with only 197 men of the 23,000 who waded ashore being killed or wounded, while Omaha took the worse of it suffering 2,400 casualties of the 34,000 men of the 1st & 29th Inf. Div. who landed (over seven-percent).

Further east on the Normandy coast the British 30th Corps landed on Gold Beach, pushing 25,000 men ashore, while a combined Canadian and British unit came ashore at Juno Beach (3rd Canadian Inf. Div. & British Royal Marines Commando 48).  On the eastern flank the Brits landed 29,000, the remainder of the 1st Corps, on Sword Beach.  Juno took the heaviest losses for the Commonwealth troops losing 1,200 soldiers of the 21,400 who landed (over five-percent).

Altogether, soldiers from twelve nations participated in the landings.  In addition to the US, British and Canadian forces the countries of Australia, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Greece, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Norway, and Poland had fighting men engaged in the landings.  In addition to the French Resistance fighters behind the lines, a French commando unit of 177 men came ashore on D-Day.



Horse Guard

Aiding the assault from the sea were American and British airborne units.  The US 82nd & 101st Airborne executed a night drop of paratroopers and glider forces on Cotentin Peninsula behind Utah Beach while the British 6th Airborne jumped into the fray on the east bank of the Orne River.  Protecting the skies, Allied aircraft flew over 14,000 sorties.

Operation Neptune is listed in history books as the largest amphibious operation in history.

For the anniversary the BBC dedicated much of their broadcasts on June 5th and 6th to D-Day and those few men and women who participated in the operation in 1944.  All those who remain are in their 90's, and almost to the man they state that the heroes of D-Day reside in the 27 cemeteries in Normandy that are the resting place of more than 110,000 soldiers, sailors and airmen.



The red poppy, the symbol of memorial to the fallen from war, was prevalent throughout London the week of the 6th.  Attractions specific to D-Day or WWII were crowded throughout the week.  We visited The Imperial War Museum, The Churchill Bunker, the Horse Guards Museum, St. Clement-Danes Church (the official RAF church) with rolls of honor dedicated to the many squadrons of all nations that participated in the Battle of Britian and the European invasion, and St. Paul's Cathedral with its American Memorial Chapel directly behind the high alter.  Other sites we did not get a chance to see include the HMS Belfast, anchored on the Thames near the Tower Bridge, the RAF Museum at Hendon, and the Blizwalkers tour.  Outside of London on the coast of the English Channel you can find the Royal Navy Museum and Dock Yards in Portsmouth and the Royal Tank Museum in Bovington, home to tanks from the US, Britain, Russia and Germany. 



Roll of Honor for American Air Force at St. Clement-Danes

Spitfire in Imperial War Museum



St. Paul's Cathedral - American Memorial



The Kings Troop Royal Horse Artillery Royal Salute

While on a recent visit to London I was honored to attend Prince Philip, HRH Duke of Edinburgh's, 98th birthday royal salute in Hyde Park.  The salute was performed at noon on a rainy Monday by the precision Royal Horse Artillery. 

Pulling World War One vintage 13-pound field guns and caissons, six teams of six black horses charged across the Hyde Park green to the accompaniment of a military band.  At their line of fire, the gun crews rapidly dismount, unlimber the artillery and ready the guns to fire, as the horse handlers swiftly move the caissons and horses to the rear.

 As the clock struck noon the unit commander gave the command for gun-one to fire, repeating the fire command every ten-seconds down the gun line from gun one to six, looping the command until a 41-gun salute had been rendered to Prince Philip.

At the conclusion of the salute the horse handlers returned across the field where the gun crews rapidly limbered the guns, mounted the horses and stormed off the green to the cheers of the spectators.  At this point the military band formed up and march away playing a rousing tune.

What a great experience.  I just happened to be in London at the right time and was lucky enough to have a local Londoner alert me of the when and where of the royal salute.