June 6, 1944 D-Day The Invasion of Normandy

. . . these men came here - British and our allies, and Americans - to storm these beaches for one purpose only, not to gain anything for ourselves, not to fulfill any ambitions that America had for conquest, but just to preserve freedom. . . . Many thousands of men have died for such ideals as these. . . but these young boys. . . were cut off in their prime. . . I devoutly hope that we will never again have to see such scenes as these. I think and hope, and pray, that humanity will have learned. . . we must find some way . . . to gain an eternal peace for this world. (Eisenhower: A Soldier's Life, by Carlo D'Este, p. 705.)

What was it like to come ashore during D-day?  How were the Allies able to accomplish their mission, despite formidable German defenses?  In this clip, African-American veterans recall events of June 6, 1944.

Soldiers, like those featured in this clip, were given little credit for their participation at the time of the Normandy invasion.  After the war, they faced ongoing discrimination when they returned home. 

An Emmy-nominated documentary, about their participation, was finally made in 2008.  This is a clip from that work, entitled A Distant Shore: African Americans of D-day

Here is a site with more facts.  Follow here.

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