Return to Normandy: A WBIR documentary

70 years after they first put boot to sand in France, 10News followed two World War II veterans on their return trip. The Return to Normandy special is a look at the largest land and sea invasion in history through the eyes of two self-described “farm boys” from East Tennessee. MORE: bit.ly/2rNJyel
94-year-old Lawrence Brannan walked the grounds of “Bloody Omaha” where hundreds of his fellow troops died before even reaching the beachhead. 93-year-old Clinton Riddle shares what it was like to crash land behind enemy lines in a glider during the D-Day invasion. Mr. Riddle credits a small book he kept in the breast pocket of his uniform with guiding him through that day and dozens of others he spent under fire.
Their stories help frame a half-hour history lesson on a day seared into the memories of all who witnessed it and the dwindling number of troops who lived it.
Winner of the 2015 Regional Edward R. Murrow Award for News Documentary. The 2015 awards honor coverage during the 2014 calendar year.
More Service and Sacrifice stories, here: www.wbir.com/service-and-sacr...
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00:00 Intro
01:37 Landing the gliders
02:42 Storming the beaches
03:15 Lawrence returns to Bloody Omaha
06:41 Touching tribute to D-Day in Knoxville
08:42 Celebrating their service
10:25 Obama honors D-Day at Normandy
12:19 Clinton returns to Normandy
15:07 Clinton reads his poetry
16:16 Paratrooper John Steele
16:37 Ken Russell paratrooper story 2004
17:24 Paratroopers recreate air assaults
17:57 Musical tributes to D-Day
19:11 WWII veteran stats
20:10 Tales from a tour guide
(22:42) Reflections from the trip

[@salvadorvizcarra769]

From Dunkirk, at the beginning of World War II, to Normandy, almost at the end, the Allied Armies did not put a single soldier in Germany. Not a single one. The participation of the Allied Forces in Europe was limited to Aerial Bombing. These actions received a lot of publicity to make us believe that the Aerial Bombings were winning the war. But, there is a very long list of Bombing cities by “Mistake”. The bombing of Nijmegen in the Netherlands (February 1944), it occurred when US bombers returning from a failed mission, as occurred in most cases, were looking for "Optional" targets. Nearly 1,000 Dutch civilians were killed by the bombing. It is proven fact that Aerial Bombardment does NOT win wars, unless it’s Atomic. Aerial Bomb't can destroy cities but does NOT destroy armies. If there is any doubt, then Nazi Germany would have defeated England, after nearly a year of bombing, or the US would have won in Korea, Vietnam or Afghanistan. In fact, it wasn't until 1949-50 that Precision Instruments were available for aerial bombardment. Until then, if a bomber hit within 300 or 400 meters of the target, it was considered a "Bullseyes". In night bombing raids, 500 meters off target was then considered a "Perfect Shot". Propaganda has always led us to believe that we, "The Yankees", beat Hitler. But, I have news for you: The US did not win the war against Germany. The Russians won it. The Allied Army of the US, UK, Canada, Belgium and France (and Poland, and other countries), was able to reach Normandy, thanks to the Soviets destroying the Nazis in Stalingrad, Leningrad, in Kurks and in Kiev, in 1943. It took them 289 days but the Russians won and without the help of nobody… OF NOBODY! Normandy was until June 1944, and Mr. “Hollywood” Patton did NOT manage to set foot on Germany until February 1945, when the Red Army was going over Berlin. In Fact, General Patton was able to cross the border into Germany only when the Russians were 150 kilometers from the Oder River (LOL). The Allies were defeated at Arnhem (Market Garden Sep. 25-1944), and at The Battle of the Bulge (Jan. 25-1945). Now, "Operation Varsity" took place near the end of the War (March 1945), and only 85,000 German soldiers fought against almost 700,000 Allied Forces who could NOT cross the Rhine River due to the heroic resistance of an "Army" of 18-year-olds and 50-year-old Reserve Infantry. So, here General Patton was paralyzed without fuel, while the Red Army was preparing for its last offensive into Berlin. Look here: The average age of the German Army that fought in Normandy was between 18 and 24 years old. And these soldiers faced each other in a ratio of 37 to 1, without Tanks, without Artillery, no Navy nor Air Force. To make matters worse, knowing that four Parachute Divisions were inland behind their backs. This was the reason the Allies won in Normandy. Never the less, It took the Allies 8 months to advance only 500 kilometers from Normandy to Arnhem, and from there, start the Withdrawal back to the border of France/Belgium (What?), facing a virtually defeated German Army cuz USSR. It's a Verifiable Fact that is written in all the History Books, that the German High Command surrendered to the Russian Generals six days BEFORE the first US soldier set foot in Berlin.