June 6 - 69th Anniversary of D-Day Landings in Normandy, France

Today marks the 69th anniversary of the Allied D-Day landings in Normandy, France. While there were other major battles that preceded and followed this one on all fronts of the war, this particular day was monumental in turning the tide in the European war against Germany because it opened up a major western front that began the squeeze on Nazi forces from the west by the U.S., Britain, Canada and free French forces and from the east by the Soviet Union's Red Army.

In 1994, I went to Normandy and visited many of the major sites of the D-Day battle just after the 50th anniversary. Below are three shots I took while there. More can be seen on my Flick Photostream HERE.

Omaha Beach

This is Omaha beach where U.S. Army forces landed. I took this shot standing at the water's edge looking back up at the beach and the cliff above. Imagine having to charge across this expanse littered with iron obstacles put there by the Germans and unrelenting machine gun and mortar fire. All round you, fellow soldiers lay dead or wounded while others scramble for cover. Eventually on June 6, forces here overcame the German defenses and moved in land.

Sainte Mere Eglise

The next shot is the church and town square of the village of Sainte Mere Eglise. This is a town behind the landing beaches that the U.S. 82nd Airborne division was charged with securing following their early morning jump into France. However, airborne forces were scattered all over the area, and many came down directly into the town where Germans were waiting. If you've ever seen the movie The Longest Day, this battle is depicted in one of the sequences in the film.

Point Du Hoc

The third shot here is Point du Hoc. This is where U.S. Army Rangers came in by small boat, scaled the steep cliffs under German fire and secured the area so the Germans could not fire down onto the main landing beaches. Again in the move The Longest Day, you can see this battle sequence dramatized.








All pictures in this post were taken by Marc Osborn. Marc Osborn owns the copyright for this images and no use of them for any purpose is permitted without prior written permission from Marc Osborn.

It's Never A Good Idea To Link Yourself to WWII Germany

Political pundits sometimes throw out how certain people or policy positions compare with - in their minds - those of Nazi German or what Hitler did or "would have" supported. The translation of any such argument is that the person saying these things is calling their opponent "a Nazi" or "Hitler" and implying that they harbor the associated racism, hate, anti-Semitism and responsibility for the deaths of millions of people that goes with that accusation.

This never works as an effective way of discrediting an opponent because it comes across as desperate, mean spirited or out-of-touch...even if the assertion happens to be technically correct on some level. And, no matter what the issue is, the public isn't going to believe that whatever political issue or hypothetical argument that's being discussed on TV in the U.S. in 2010 is as bad as what actually happened in Europe because of the Germans before and during World War II (because it's not).

OK, so it's clear that it's not effective to try and link an adversary to WWII Germany. But, FOR SURE you should not link yourself or your own organization to them.

As evidence, this week the University of Tennessee head football coach tried to explain the mindset and status of his team by saying they were "like the Germans in World War II." He went to explain how his team is like the defenders of the D-Day beaches. Really? That's the comparison you want to make? That your student athletes are akin to German soldiers in World War II trying to kill Americans, Brits, Canadians and others as they try and liberate Europe?

The coach is probably a big WWII buff and knows well how the Allies successfully invaded France in 1944 - starting with D-Day on June 6. So, he probably was trying to make a point along the lines of...so complete was the Allies plan and execution of the D-Day invasion that it totally confused and completely defeated the Germans defending the coastline, and that's how our team feels right now. We're young, beat up and overwhelmed.

Two problems with that analogy:

1. Whatever your intentions, you just aligned yourself, your school and your team with the Nazis. Virtually nobody will get the comparison you were trying to make, but they definiately will conclude that you are an idiot who just associated their beloved school and team with "Nazis." 
2. The Germans went on to lose World War II - badly. If you ARE going to use a war analogy, is that the side you want to compare yourself to when talking to your team, fans and supporters? I think not. For free, I'll give you an appropriate WWII analogy - even though I'm against using them in business, politics or sports because war is horrific and whatever "sacrifices" your team or company is making they are nothing compared to what real soldiers in a real war sacrificed. OK, so you could say that your team is like the Americans at the outset of the Battle of the Bulge - surprised, overwhelmed and confused. But, like those American soldiers, the team will rebound, re-double efforts, fight hard and in the end emerge victorious. There. Everybody is happy. Your analogy is aligned with the right side and your (feeble) point is made.

So the big sum up is...when making an argument or an analogy, never bring in references to the Nazis, Hitler or the Germans in WWII. Just don't. You're more than likely wrong, you look desperate and you greatly undermine your own credibility rather than making your point.

Solemn Anniversary This Week

I did not realize it until Thursday, but Wednesday Jan. 27 was the 65th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi Auschwitz death camp in Poland by the Red Army in 1945.

Diane and I visited the camp grounds in 2002 on our trip to Poland. We felt that it was important for us to see the camp - especially since we were staying in not-too-far-away Krakow, Poland. (Below: The entrance building of the huge Aushwitz II camp.)

You can see pictures I took at and a few other places in Poland by clicking HERE.

The primary reaction I had when visiting the site in 2002 was that this was ground where evil was performed, systematic murder. Seeing the site live, in person is such a overwhelming experience. I mean, the mere SIZE of the place just puts you back. The Germans spent a LOT of time, energy and money to create a way to kill off huge elements of their population - mostly Jews. And a large amount of that happened at Auschwitz.

Sure, you read about this place in history books and even get a glimpse of what it might have been like in important movies like Shindler's List. But, to actually stand in this enormous, sprawling, massive camp you know for sure evil was afoot.

The next thing I remember thinking as I walked through the prison quarters and viewed the ruins of the gas killing chambers was...how dare anyone deny this happened! It is here. It is real. It is tragic. It was genocide. We need to remember.

Related to that, another sensation I felt was that despite the big time problems and issues that the USSR had itself with totalitarian government (especially under Stalin) and anti-semitism...even THOSE GUYS realized this place had to be preserved for history and indeed did a good job of making sure the grounds were kept in tact for people like us to see and experience all these decades later.

Look, I am a firm believer in seeing things for yourself if you can. Want to know about China? Go to Xian, the Great Wall and Beijing. Want to judge Cuba? Spend a few days in Havana. Have issues with India or the third world? Go there. See it for yourself. Inform your view.

Visiting Auschwitz is the same. Yes, you know about it at some level. But seeing it in person drives. It. Home. Like nothing else. A lifetime experience. The suffering. The death. The evil. Premeditated mass murder. The location of scene of so much killing. The desperate perseverance of the survivors. The final liberation by the Russian. The elation of having survived. The sorrow of knowing loved ones were killed. All of things are surfaced in a visit...at least as much as they can be for someone who was not even alive when this all happened.

And on this solemn anniversary, I am here to tell you as someone who saw the remnants that for these reasons Auschwitz is a place that is well worth remembering.