Necessarily Brutal - D Day memory from my friend Tom

After communion service this morning, while it was just Tom and I in church, he said "It's D Day today, je me'en suviens tres bien, and then translated it to English "I remember it well." I mentioned how it must be such a memory for him as he was stationed in England at the time. He told me the following.

He was in the Army mapping division assigned to the 8th Air Force. The division was stationed at what had been a girls school. They would get photos taken from reconnaisance aircraft and using 3D glasses and topographical maps, would create bombing maps for the Air Force. With the use of the glasses they could find the enemy's camouflaged munition dumps, arms factories, etc. The 3D glasses used the same technology as the stereoscopes used in the early 1900s but designed to have the glasses with folding legs so they could place them over the photographs on the table and focus in on specific areas of the photos.

Every morning, the maps would be given to bomber pilots who would then carry out their mission. No pilot knew his destination before he received that map and flew out on his mission. 

The men in Tom's unit all knew an invasion was going to take place but no one knew where or when. On D Day, they knew the invasion was under way when they heard the large force of B52s flying overhead. 

While he was not in the invasion force on D Day, Tom knew the story well. He told of the Normandy and Omaha beaches - the German pillboxes all along the ridge. The Allied planes overhead barraging the pillboxes. The Allied troops from the Navy vessels debarking from the vessels into the ocean. Many broke their legs tangling in the rope ladders, many drowned falling into the ocean. Those who made it to the beach were mowed down. Tom gravely said it was a "Necessary Brutality." 

The sheer enormity of loss of lives hit me and I teared up. He teared up as well and I said this is so overwhelming to think about. He patted me on the arm and moved on to his prayers and I moved on to my day with a humbling gratitude for all those who gave their lives to give me another beautiful day in this great, free, country of ours.