| Location | Europe |
| Age | 5 years |
| Date of Birth | 01/09/1939 |
| Date of Death | 08/05/1945 |
| Visitors | 1,314 since 25/05/2007 |
| Creator |
*THIS SITE IS DEDICATED TO MY DAD*
HORACE EDWARD WILLIAMS
WHO WAS A GUNNER IN WWII WHO DIED
21.1.1988 R.I.P DAD.
ALSO
MY FATHER IN LAW LEONARD MORGAN
WHO WAS IN THE WELSH 1/5TH BATTALON
IN WWII WHO DIED 16.6.2005
R.I.P LEN.
GOD BLESS YOU ALL!
The total estimated human loss of life caused by World War II, irrespective of political alignment, was roughly 72 million people. The civilian toll was around 47 million, including about 20 million due to war related famine and disease. The military toll was about 25 million, including about 5 million prisoners of war. The Allies lost around 61 million people, and the Axis lost 11 million. (Note that some Axis countries switched sides and reentered the war on the side of the Allies; those nations are included in the Allied count, regardless of when the deaths occurred.) There was a disproportionate loss of life and property; some nations had a higher casualty rate than others, due to a number of factors including military tactics, crimes against humanity, economic preparedness and the level of technology.
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World War II began on Sept. 1, 1939, when Germany, without a declaration of war, invaded Poland. Britain and France declared war on Germany on Sept. 3, and all the members of the Commonwealth of Nations, except Ireland, rapidly followed suit. The fighting in Poland was brief. The German blitzkrieg, or lightning war, with its use of new techniques of mechanized and air warfare, crushed the Polish defenses, and the conquest was almost complete when Soviet forces entered (Sept. 17) E Poland. While this campaign ended with the partition of Poland and while the USSR defeated Finland in the Finnish-Russian War (1939–40), the British and the French spent an inactive winter behind the Maginot Line, content with blockading Germany by sea.
In 1939, a group of senior German Army officers, including Erich von Manstein and Franz Halder, devised a plan to inflict a major defeat on the French Army in northern France. The Manstein Plan, as it became known, included a attack through southern Belgium that avoided the Maginot Line. The ultimate objective was to reach the Channel coast and to force the French government to surrender.
Adolf Hitler gave his approval to the Manstein Plan on 17th February, 1940, but it was not activated until the 10th May, when the Luftwaffe bombed Dutch and Belgian airfields and the German Army captured Moerdijk and Rotterdam. Fedor von Bock and the 9th Panzer Division, using its Blitzkreig strategy, advanced quickly into the Netherlands. Belgium was also invaded and the French 7th Army moved forward to help support the Dutch and Belgian forces.
The 7th Panzer Division under Erwin Rommel and the 19th Corps commanded by Heinz Guderian and the 6th and 8th Panzers led by Gerd von Rundstedt, went through the heavily wooded and semi-mountainous area of the Ardennes, an area, north of the Maginot Line. The French military had wrongly believed that the Ardennes was impassable to tanks. Seven panzer divisions reached the Meuse River at Dinant on 12th May and the following day the French government was forced to abandon Paris.
Winston Churchill now ordered the implementation of Operation Dynamo, a plan to evacuate of troops and equipment from the French port of Dunkirk, that had been drawn up by General John Gort, the Commander in Chief of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF). Between 27th May and 4th June, 1940, a total of 693 ships brought back 338,226 people back to Britain. Of these 140,000 were members of the French Army. All heavy equipment was abandoned and left in France.
The battle of France had ended the battle of Britain had begun.
Battle of Britain 1940
Battle of Britain is the name commonly given to the effort by the German Luftwaffe to gain air superiority over the Royal Air Force (RAF), before a planned sea and airborne invasion of Britain (Operation Sealion) during the Second World War. Neither Hitler nor the Wehrmacht believed it possible to carry out a successful amphibious assault on the British Isles until the RAF had been neutralized. Secondary objectives were to destroy aircraft production and ground infrastructure, to attack areas of political significance, and to terrorize the British people with the intent of intimidating them into seeking an armistice or surrender.
British historians date the battle from 10 July to 31 October 1940, which represented the most intense period of daylight bombing. German historians usually place the beginning of the battle in mid-August 1940 and end it in May 1941, on the withdrawal of the bomber units in preparation for the attack on the USSR. The failure of Nazi Germany to destroy Britain's air force, or to break the spirit of the British government or people, is considered the Third Reich's first major defeat. Some historians have argued no invasion could have succeeded; given the massive superiority of the Royal Navy over the Kriegsmarine, Sealion would have been a disaster. They argue the Luftwaffe would have been unable to prevent decisive intervention by RN cruisers and destroyers, even with air superiority.
The Battle of Britain was the first major battle to be fought entirely by air forces. It was the largest and most sustained bombing campaign yet attempted, and the first real test of the strategic bombing theories developed since the previous World War.
Battle of Normandy June 6 1944
The Battle of Normandy was fought in 1944 between Nazi Germany in Western Europe and the invading Allied forces as part of the larger conflict of World War II. Operation Overlord was the codename for the Allied invasion of northwest Europe, which began on June 6, 1944, and ended on August 19, 1944, when the Allies crossed the River Seine. Over sixty years later, the Normandy invasion still remains the largest sea borne invasion in history, involving almost three million troops crossing the English Channel from England to Normandy. Operation Neptune was the codename given to the initial assault phase of Operation Overlord; its mission, to gain a foothold on the continent, started on June 6, 1944 (most commonly known by the name D-Day) and ended on June 30, 1944.
The primary Allied formations that saw combat in Normandy came from the United States of America, United Kingdom and Canada. Substantial Free French and Polish forces also participated in the battle after the assault phase, and there were also contingents from Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Greece, the Netherlands, and Norway.
The Normandy invasion began with overnight parachute and glider landings, massive air attacks, naval bombardments, and an early morning amphibious phase began on June 6. The “D-Day” forces deployed from bases along the south coast of England, the most important of these being Portsmouth. The battle for Normandy continued for more than two months, with campaigns to establish, expand, and eventually break out of the Allied beachheads, and concluded with the liberation of Paris and the fall of the Falaise pocket in late August 1944.
The Allied air forces lost nearly 12,000 men and over 2,000 aircraft in operations which paved the way for D-Day.
Total Allied casualties on D-Day are estimated at 10,000, including 2500 dead. British casualties on D-Day have been estimated at approximately 2700. The Canadians lost 946 casualties. The US forces lost 6603 men.
Casualties on the British beaches were roughly 1000 on Gold Beach and the same number on Sword Beach. The remainder of the British losses were amongst the airborne troops: some 600 were killed or wounded, and 600 more were missing; 100 glider pilots also became casualties. The losses of 3rd Canadian Division at Juno Beach have been given as 340 killed, 574 wounded and 47 taken prisoner.
The breakdown of US casualties was 1465 dead, 3184 wounded, 1928 missing and 26 captured. Of the total US figure, 2499 casualties were from the US airborne troops (238 of them being deaths). The casualties at Utah Beach were relatively light: 197, including 60 missing. However, the US 1st and 29th Divisions together suffered around 2000 casualties at Omaha Beach.
The total German casualties on D-Day are not known, but are estimated as being between 4000 and 9000 men
Today, twenty-seven war cemeteries hold the remains of over 110,000 dead from both sides: 77,866 German, 9386 American, 17,769 British, 5002 Canadian and 650 Poles.
Between 15,000 and 20,000 French civilians were killed, mainly as a result of Allied bombing.
IITH NOVEMBER 2009
✿..LET US REMEMBER THEM...✿
✿ 'Please wear a poppy', the lady said
and held one forth, but I shook my head.
Then I stopped and watched as she offered them there,
And her face was old, and lined with care;
But beneath the scars the years had made
There remained a smile that refused to fade.✿
✿ A boy came wistling down the street,
Bouncing along, on care free feet
His smile was full of joy and fun,
'Lady', said he, 'May I have one?'
When she pinned it on, he turned to say,
'Why do we wear a poppy today?'✿
✿ The lady smiled in her wistful way,
and answered, 'This is Rememberance Day,
And the poppy there is the symbol for,
the gallant men who died in war,
and because they died you and I are free--
Thats why we wear a poppy, you see'.✿
✿ 'I had a boy about your size,
with golden hair and big blue eyes.
He loved to play and jump and shout,
free as a bird he would race about.
As the years went by, he learned and grew
and became a man--as you will, too.' ✿
✿ 'He was fine and strong, with a boyish smile,
but he'd seemed with us such a little while
When war broke out and he went away,
I still remember his face that day.
When he smiled at me and said'Good-bye,
I'll soon be back, mom, so please don't cry'.✿
✿ 'But the war went on and he had to stay,
and all I could do was wait and pray.
His letters told of the awful fight,
(I can see it in my dreams at night),
with the tanks and guns and cruel Barbed wire,
and the mines and bullets, the bombs and fire.'✿
✿'Till at last the war was won-
and thats why we wear a poppy son'.
The small boy turned as if to go,
Then said 'Thanks lady, I'm glad to know.
That sure did sound like an awful fight,
But your Son-- did he come back alright?'✿
✿ A tear rolled down each faded cheek;
she shook her head, but didn't speak.
I slunk away in a sort of shame,
and if you were me you'd have done the same;
For our thanks, in giving, is oft delayed,
though our freedome was bought-and thousands paid.✿
✿ And so when we see a poppy worn, let us reflect on the burden borne
By those who gave their very all
and asked to answer their country's call
That we at home in peace might live.
Then wear a poppy. Remember-- and give!✿
✿ Lest we forget......✿
Copyright ~ 2009 by Blair Leger & ilovepoetry.com
WHERE PEACE FLOWS LIKE A RIVER.
Together We Will Journey
To That Land Up In The Sky
Where The Flame Does Burn Eternal
And The Soul Does Never Die.
Where The Harps Are Gently Playing
As A Host Of Angels Sing
Where The Road Is Paved With Diamonds
And The Golden Bells Do Ring.
Where The Path Is Set Before Us
Shining Brightly As The Sun
We Will See The Face Of Jesus
When Our Final Race Is Run.
Where The Peace Flows Like A River
Winding Through The Streets Of Gold
We Will Dine With Priests And Prophets
When The key To Life, We Hold.
Where The Flame Does Burn Eternal
In That Sacred Promised Land
Where God Holds The Gift Of Freedom
In The Cleft Of His Right Hand.
Where We'll See The Face Of Loved Ones
Long Before Us, Gone Away
What A Day Of Sweet Rejoicing
When We Meet Again Someday.
Where We'll Gather At The River
In Our Home Up In The Sky
Where The Peace Flows Like A Fountain
And The Soul Does Never Die.
Author/Written By: Marilyn Ferguson
� 2004
GOD BLESS YOU ANGELS ** ~~ ** ~~ **
♥ I am the wind in your hair, with you everywhere
I am the stars in the sky and the sun up high ♥
** ~ ** ~ ** ~ ** ~ ** ~ ** ~ ** ~ ** ~ ** ~ ** ~ ** ~ **
♥ I am the waves in the ocean, with your every emotion
I am the snow on the ground, I am all around ♥
** ~ ** ~ ** ~ ** ~ ** ~ ** ~ ** ~ ** ~ ** ~ ** ~ ** ~ **
♥ I am the flowers in the meadow, wherever you go
I am the moon at night, please know I'm alright ♥
** ~ ** ~ ** ~ ** ~ ** ~ ** ~ ** ~ ** ~ ** ~ ** ~ ** ~ **
♥ I am the bird's sweet song, I am not gone
I am the blossom on a tree, you'll never forget me ♥
** ~ ** ~ ** ~ ** ~ ** ~ ** ~ ** ~ ** ~ ** ~ ** ~ ** ~ **
♥ I am the rain on your face, a rainbow's embrace
I am the leaves on the ground, I'll always be around ♥
** ~ ** ~ ** ~ ** ~ ** ~ ** ~ ** ~ ** ~ ** ~ ** ~ ** ~ **
♥ I am the fluffy white clouds, innocent and pure
Look all around you, you'll feel me I'm sure ♥
** ~ ** ~ ** ~ ** ~ ** ~ ** ~ ** ~ ** ~ ** ~ ** ~ ** ~ **
♥ I am that warm loving feeling, deep in your heart
My memories live on, we'll never be apart ♥
** ~ ** ~ ** ~ ** ~ ** ~ ** ~ ** ~ ** ~ ** ~ * ~~ ** ~**
♥ I am all around you, in all that you see, hear and do
Just reach right out now, I am always here with you ♥
** ~ ** ~ ** ~ ** ~ ** ~ ** ~ ** ~ ** ~ ** ~ ** ~ ** ~ **
unknown
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ Angels Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~♥x♥~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~♥x♥~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~♥x♥~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~♥x♥~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ
The touch of His hand will let me know
He takes me in and lets me go
If not for love, who would believe?
Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, in you and me
We're lifted up by angels
Higher than the world
Strong enough to leave it
Bound to learn the secrets
Angels never heard
Close enough to heaven
Far above the rain
Darkness cannot reach us
Let the angels teach us
Only love remains
We're lifted up by angels
To understand, yet never say
How every plan would fade away
If not for love, where would we be?
Ashes to dust, water to rust, eternally
We're lifted up by angels
Higher than the world
Strong enough to leave it
Bound to learn the secrets
Angels never heard
Close enough to heaven
Far above the rain
Darkness cannot reach us
Let the angels teach us
Only love remains
We're lifted up by angels
Given wings to fly
Leave the night behind us
Trust the light to find us
Even as we rise
We're lifted up by angels
We're close enough to heaven
Far above the rain
Darkness cannot reach us
Let the angels teach us
Only love remains
We're lifted up by angels.
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~♥x♥~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~♥x♥~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~♥x♥~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ~♥x♥~ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ
unknown
do you know the number
please do you know the number for heaven up above i want to make a call to someone that i love,telephone directories enquiries,oh yes i have tried them all,i even asked the local priest because he talks to god you see i thought he,d have a direct line but he was no help to me,i tried the yellow pages but nothing seem to fit i just want to talk to you for just a little bit, love theresa xxx
Lottery money for D-Day veterans
Veterans who want to attend the D-Day 65th anniversary ceremonies in Normandy will be funded by lottery money.The Big Lottery Fund said it will pay for veterans who want to to take part - whether that is in France or elsewhere.
The news came after Gordon Brown said he wants to be 'very much part' of this year's commemorations of the landings in Nazi-occupied France, which marked the beginning of the end of the Second World War.
The Prime Minister also said he hoped there would be a service at Westminster Abbey to mark the sacrifice made by a 'great generation of heroes'.
His comments came after the Government went back on a previous decision and said it would provide support for veterans who wanted to mark the landings in Normandy.
The announcement was hailed as a victory after Veterans Minister Kevan Jones said last year it was a 'long-standing policy' to use public money only for landmark anniversaries 25, 50, 60 and 100 years after major events.
The change of heart came after more than 300 people signed a petition on the Downing Street website urging Mr Brown 'to give funding to those war veterans wishing to attend the 65th D-Day anniversary in Normandy'.
On 17 September 1944 thousands of paratroopers descended from the sky by parachute or glider up to 150 km behind enemy lines. Their goal: to secure to bridges across the rivers in Holland so that the Allied army could advance rapidly northwards and turn right into the lowlands of Germany, hereby skirting around the Siegfried line, the German defence line. If all carried out as planned it should have ended the war by Christmas 1944.
Unfortunately this daring plan, named Operation Market Garden, didn't have the expected outcome. The bridge at Arnhem proved to be 'a bridge too far'. After 10 days of bitter fighting the operation ended with the evacuation of the remainder of the 1st British Airborne Division from the Arnhem area
1. British 1st Airborne Division, including the Polish 1st Parachutists Brigade
2. American 82nd Airborne Division, 'All American'
3. American 101st Airborne Division, 'Screaming Eagles'
4. British XXX Corps
The withdrawal of the 1st British Airborne Division and the few Poles who had reached the perimeter continued until the Tuesday morning. Daylight made it impossible for the remaining soldiers to cross the river in full sight of the Germans. Urquhart's Division was almost annihilated. Of the original 10,000 men who arrived at the Arnhem sector during Operation Market Garden only about 2,000 reached the village of Driel. The rest were killed, wounded or taken prisoner. For the British soldiers, Arnhem was a second Dunkirk. Casualties were even higher than the British had suffered on D-Day, the invasion of Normandy. The Americans had fewer casualties. In the Nijmegen sector, Gavin's 82nd 'All American' lost about 1,500 men. Taylor's 101st 'Screaming Eagles' lost about 2,100 men in the Eindhoven sector. All together (including casualties from XXX Corps, VIII Corps, XII Corps, British and American air crew) the number of casualties was 17,200 (Note: casualties include wounded and missing and is not the same as the number dead).
The worst part was that Arnhem was never reached despite all the men who gave their lives to hold the bridge or the 'perimeter', referred to by the Germans as Der Hexenkessel (the witches' cauldron). Montgomery still called Market Garden 90% successful and said: 'In my -prejudiced- view, if the operation had been properly backed from its inception, and given the aircraft, ground forces, and administrative resources necessary for the job, it would have succeeded in spite of my mistakes, or the adverse weather, or the presence of the 2nd SS Panzer Corps in the Arnhem area. I remain Market Garden's unrepentant advocate.' Looking at the number of captured bridges Montgomery's statement that Market Garden was 90% successful was correct, but from a military point of view it was anything but true. The 80 kilometer corridor which was held had no, or at best, little strategic value.
Why did Market Garden fail? Several things can be mentioned. Untested Allied radio communications, bad weather, Intelligence’s failure to place the 2nd SS Panzer Corps in Arnhem, the narrow corridor.... The biggest problem of it all probably was the small margin the whole operation had. Everything had to be carried out on a tight schedule and if anything were delayed, the whole plan would fall apart. One setback may have been surmountable and Arnhem would have been reached in time, but that's not what happened.
An operation should be planned so that if 25% of its objectives are achieved, it’s called a success; the other 75% should be left for unexpected circumstances. With Market Garden it was the other way around. 75% of the operation had to be achieved as planned. Other causes were lack of efficient co-ordination and over cautiousness in some situations, such as the choice of drop zones remote from their targets and the XXX Corps failure to advance aggressively.
Market Garden wasn't a total failure. The corridor served as sally point for further assaults on the Germans and eventually led to the liberation of southern part of the Netherlands. The Dutch will always remember September 1944 and the soldiers who died for the liberation of Holland.
Their names liveth for ever more.
Major-General John Dutton (Johnny) Frost, CB, DSO and Bar, MC, (December 31, 1912 - May 21, 1993) was a British airborne officer best known for being the leader of the small group of airborne forces that actually got to Arnhem bridge (Operation Market Garden). He was one of the first to join the newly formed Parachute Regiment and served with distinction in many airborne operations until he was injured at Arnhem.
Frost is most known for his involvement in Operation Market Garden (at Arnhem bridge). During this battle Frost was to spearhead the 1st Airborne Division's assault on the bridges at Arnhem, hold them while the rest of the division made its way to them. If all had gone to plan there would have been up to nearly 9,000 men[1] holding Arnhem bridge for the two days it was supposed to take XXX Corps to reach them.
On the 17th September 1944 Frost, still as commander of the 2nd Parachute Battalion, commanded a mixed group of about 745 lightly-armed men, landed near Oosterbeek and marched into Arnhem. The battalion reached the bridge capturing the northern end, but Frost then found that his force was surrounded by the II.SS-Panzerkorps and cut off from the rest of 1st Airborne. Frost led the incredible four day battle in which the Germans rained artillery fire on to the Para's positions, and sent tanks and infantry into some of the most fierce fighting seen by either side with very little mercy given. The Germans were astounded by the Paras refusal to surrender and their continuous counter attacks. After a short truce on the third day, when 250 wounded were removed, the battle continued until the remaining paras had run out of ammunition. There were around one hundred paras left.
Frost had been wounded by shrapnel in his feet during the battle. Frost was made famous in the Paras and the British Army from this action.
In action, Frost was a tough leader whose clear head in battle won the respect of every Paratrooper in the battalion. 'He didn't mix his words and seemed to inject confidence in everyone, even if you didn't like what he said. We would have followed him anywhere' said one Para.
Following his surrender, Frost was held as a prisoner of war at Spangenberg and later a hospital in Obermassfeldt. He was freed when the area was overrun by United States troops in March 1945.
In 1978 the bridge over the Rhine at Arnhem was renamed the John Frost bridge in his honour, reportedly after much reluctance to accept the honour from Frost. His role in the battle was told in Cornelius Ryan's bestseller A Bridge Too Far. Frost himself wrote an autobiography A Drop Too Many based on his wartime experiences which was published in 1980. His second autobiography Nearly There was published in 1991. Frost acted as a military consultant to Richard Attenborough's film adaptation of Ryan's book. In the movie Frost was portrayed by Anthony Hopkins.
By the time of his retirement from the army in 1968, Frost had attained the rank of Major-General and had been awarded the Companion of the Bath, the Distinguished Service Order and Bar, the Military Cross, and was made a Grand Officer of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.
Major-General John Dutton 'Johnny' Frost died on May 21, 1993 and is buried at Milland Cemetery, East Sussex.
TO CHRISTOPHER McGRATH AND ALL THE BRAVE MEN WHO LOST THERE LIVES ON
HMS KITE YOU WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN XX
For every red poppy
That grows in the field
Marks the bravery of men
That the battle did kill
For every soldier
That lay down his life
He left behind
A family, a life
For every red poppy
That sways in the breeze
Remember the men
Who died for our peace.
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