D-Day was the most invigorating battle of the war. It was then that we had some hope of winning. Germany had made many mistakes, Hitler was struggling and we were beginning to close in. I was unable to be directly part of this even. Even though the Women's Army Corps had been in action for more than three years, even though women were given the same rankings as men, we still weren't allowed to fight. But I'm not complaining. I helped in my own way.I was among a group of women who had been sent to London to the companies that had been set up in the Canadian Military Headquarters in 1943. There, I worked as a mechanic, repairing and building tanks, air crafts, trucks, etc. It was hard work, but rewarding. Although there was a lot of prejudice and sexism, men and women were united in their goal to overthrow the enemy as we worked together on machinery that would hopefully help to bring an en to the war. On the day that then men went over the English Channel to invade, I remember being very afraid. For the first time, I realized that the war was a very close thing. This for me was the pinnacle. My heart was in my throat as I watched men from America, Britain, Poland, Australia, Canada board air crafts and ships, division after division....Their attack was staged for very early in the morning - the ships and planes were starting over by 3-6am; parachuting troops had been dropped down at midnight. Everything was set, there was nothing more I could do. I had done my part. I remember sitting anxiously by the radio, along with women, older men, children, people of all races and nationalities: waiting.
I remember the first news of success - the boys had reached the shores of Normandy; parachuting troops were inland, but all were under heavy fire from the Germans. The stress and tension was almost too much to bear - we were all wondering who was going to come back home. Another radio broadcast: the casualties for Canadians' on Juno Beach were high, but they had made it and were advancing inland. It was a time of fear, happiness, relief and overwhelming sadness. We cheered, for, even though the battles were far from over, the end of the war was insight.
What was significant for you on D-Day? Where were you when it happened? How did people around you react? How do YOU remember D-Day?
I remember D-Day like it was yesterday. At that time I was still being held as prisoner of war in Hong Kong but there were enough newspapers and radio broadcasts that kept me updated with the situation. Even though we were in such a negative situation in Hong Kong, we were still quite confident in our soldiers. We have seen how tough our men could be, back then when I was still serving in Britain, the soldiers I encountered were all people that would rather bleed to death than give a single drop of tear and surrender. There was a soldier who visited the hospital 8 times in a month because he kept receiving bullets. Luckily every area he was shot, there was “fat” and wouldn’t require him to amputate or be a threat to his life. Despite how lucky he was, a normal person after being hit so many times would feel scared and probably want to quit the army but he didn’t.
ReplyDeleteBritish General Bernard Montgomery was the commander of this mission and a good friend of mine. I would always speak to him before I left for Hong Kong but was unhappy to see him in the newspaper under the headline, “The allies, off to a bad start.” A soldier sitting in the room with me read the newspaper out loud, “On June 6, 1944, the U.S, British and Canadian troops landed on the beaches of Normandy, France, on the English Channel. They had sent over 50 000 vehicles for this mission but due to the Germans that contained the Allies, they caused over 3000 casualties before the Allied troops could establish their positions. On D-Day itself, the allies had suffered more than 10 000 casualties.” When we all heard about the number of casualties, we felt a cold wind in our heart and was scared our confidence in the soldiers could be wrong. The soldiers were very emotional especially after hearing all these casualties because many of them were friends they trained with and probably die with if they weren’t trapped in Hong Kong at that moment. Luckily, the horrible times were soon coming to an end and good news kept coming. Around mid-August, we heard the Allied troops had encircled and destroyed much of the Germany army in Normandy and raced across France. We also saw a headline on the newspaper saying “Free French forces liberated Paris.” We knew the allies were winning because the U.S troops reached the border of Germany and we instantly saw hope in our country again. Even though I was not there to help those who were injured from D-Day, I still felt I was part of this historical moment and prayed for those brave men who sacrificed for us.
I was too not near the battle area but I did hear lots of news about it on the radio. It was exhilarating listening in while hearing about the men landing in Juno Beach with the American and British troops side by side. I was glad when Operation Overlord was a complete success, although it did cost us the lives of 340 Canadians in one day. The Royal Canadian Navy supplied the ships and about 10 000 sailors were on board. It made me proud knowing that I was able to replace a sailor so that they could be a part of such a tremendous adventure. I was on my corvette vessel and on our way back to receive more supplies when I heard the news. Captain Sawyer was the most ecstatic of us all. Every hour he would start applauding and invite us to applaud along. Every sailor on the ship was pleased with the news, knowing that the end of war was within our grasp. Everyone was smiling all day long This was one of the most memorable days of my time at war. My husband was one of the sailors fighting on D-Day. After the war ended, every year on June 6, my husband would relive the memory by telling me about his adventure and reminisce the great feelings of pride and accomplishment.
ReplyDeleteI remember working like a dog, trying to construct as much equipment as I could just weeks before the Normandy Landings. Employers told us that the soldiers needed our help most urgently now to be prepared for the be-all, end-all battle.
ReplyDeleteOn June 6th, all workers in the factories gathered around radios, just waiting and listening for news or progress of the battles. At first, when news was released that the allied troops had lost 10,000 soldiers, we feared that all was lost. How could we recover from such a heavy blow to our numbers? We prayed together as a group, hand in hand, for our men before resuming our work. Days later, I remember being ecstatic from the news that our Canadians and the allied forces were on the way to victory. Margaret and I embraced joyously along with other workers, and you could probably hear that chatter of all the women in the factory from a mile away! It was the first sign that we received on the home front that our men were triumphing over the Germans!
D. Day. The final stand and culmination of years of fighting and effort. I am sure that I heard news of the fight and its success over the radio along with countless others. I was not anywhere near the fight when it happened and since I was only a civvy, I was no longer able to help out any more, but I must admit I felt some pride, assurance and righteousness when I listened to that radio broadcast. I'm sure many of you feel the same way. We have all contributed to the war effort and to finally "see" a victory like this over the Germans after all our work, it truly grants a feeling of accomplishment. A proud day, not just for Canadians but for all allied forces!
ReplyDeleteI was not directly part of D-Day since I was never called to perform a task in the front lines. I remember it was June 6th, 1944 and everyone was talking about how this would potentially be the last day of fighting and supporting Canada in battle. Everyone at the RCAF woman’s division base gathered around a radio and listened to the results of the battles. Canada showed courage, determination, and self sacrifice which were the reasons why Canadians were victorious on this day! The Royal Canadian Air Force were involved with D-Day as a unit. All the training endured, and hard work was all rewarded since the RCAF bombed and attacked key enemy targets in support of the victory.
ReplyDelete