A really marvelous video was posted at YouTube today depicting a somewhat fictional press outlet – the People’s News Network – reporting on the American invasion at Normandy as if it happened today with the present antiwar media.
Lots of fun moments for those possessing a sense of humor (video available here, h/t NBer Bender).
I don't know who created it, but it marvelously captures how today's media would have reported events 63 years ago.
Enjoy.
*****Update: NBer botg accurately points out that this video was created by the folks at Combat Report.
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To be funny, a parody must ha
June 6, 2007 - 23:10 ET by saw the lightTo be funny, a parody must have an element of truth. I think this parody has an entire periodic table!
Thanks for all the D-Day videos from someone who's mother was born just before the war ended.
"Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb (insert terrorist-supporting nation here)"
Noel, Blackfive attributes
June 6, 2007 - 23:15 ET by botgNoel,
Blackfive attributes this to the Combart Report
http://www.thecombat...
Supreme Court, National Security, Borders, Fiscal Restraint, my litmus test for President.
botg
June 6, 2007 - 23:28 ET by Noel SheppardB,
Thanks for the assistance! :-)
ns
Noel, No worries Do you hav
June 6, 2007 - 23:37 ET by botgNoel,
No worries
Do you have any info on the comments not allowing links and having to use HTML tags instead of the usual push-buttons?
Supreme Court, National Security, Borders, Fiscal Restraint, my litmus test for President.
botg
June 6, 2007 - 23:42 ET by Noel SheppardB,
I know there are some upgrades being worked on. I had to input my piece using Firefox, for IE was impossible. Wish I could tell you more.
If you've got Firefox, switch now, for it's working much better. ns
It's not that big a problem a
June 6, 2007 - 23:46 ET by botgIt's not that big a problem as long as IT is aware
Thanks
Supreme Court, National Security, Borders, Fiscal Restraint, my litmus test for President.
Is this Cyber D-day attack?
June 6, 2007 - 23:51 ET by Cool ArrowCaptain, If I don't make it back to Poughkeepsie, give this to my girl.
ROTFL. That was very goo
June 6, 2007 - 23:18 ET by shawn228ROTFL. That was very good
Good evening----Geraldo here--
June 6, 2007 - 23:25 ET by misterbillJune 5 , 1944 London England
Good evening----Geraldo here---Mister and Missus America and all our soldiers and the German Army. Contrary to what the German high command thinks --the invasion will start tomorrow at 6AM at Normandy.
Boy are you germans surprised. Why I bet it takes you all night and 10 trains to get sufficient defenses to Normandy. You don't even know which beaches are Gold, Juno, Omaha or Utah. Furthermore, forgive my laughter at the fact that you don't know that we are sending gliders in so you won't here them. Why they will land 10 miles inland and you'll never hear them. And thanks to the British, Australian and other nations' soldiers for helping out.
For CNN radio, this is Geraldo signing off.
Nicely done except for the an
June 6, 2007 - 23:47 ET by Space CowboyNicely done except for the anchorwoman who was poorly lit and couldn't pull off the part. And, couldn't they afford a teleprompter? The rest of the production looked good if not a bit heavy-handed. Nice attempt but definitely not ready for prime time.
And curious timing for me as I saw a documentary the other evening that went into great detail on the preparations for D-Day. In particular, what was noteworthy to me was the creativity of the British in creating an amphibious tank as well as several other tank adaptations such as a flailing device on the front that exploded mines as well as tore through barbed wire. They offered their creations to the Americans who passed on them.
As a result, the Americans arrived with no armor protection in the initial waves and no way through the barbed wire except sapper mines. As for the mines, well you can guess how those were "cleared". As a result, they were pinned down and torn to pieces. It would be interesting to compare the casualty figures for the British and the Americans in relation to their total forces.
So, the You Tube piece, while trying to parody Iraq War critics, actually came close to telling the truth. Ouch, don’t you hate it when that happens?
And, please, no you-hate-America or you-hate-the-troops screeds. My Dad was there that day leading a squadron of P-51’s strafing behind the beach. They were in the air close to 12 hours that day.
Omaha Beach was considered th
June 7, 2007 - 02:47 ET by stratmanOmaha Beach was considered the most difficult of all the landing sites as it was the most heavily defended by the Germans. Also the German troops defending Omaha Beach were considered to be better trained and experienced than those at some of the other landing sites.
God bless your father. Thank you, sir, for your service and sacrifice to protect our nation and keep us safe from harm.
God bless your father. Than
June 7, 2007 - 02:54 ET by bigtimerGod bless your father. Thank you, sir, for your service and sacrifice to protect our nation and keep us safe from harm.
Amen to that.
If my memory of the history i
June 7, 2007 - 08:52 ET by danboIf my memory of the history is correct. Old vets can correct me. Sword, Juno and Gold were flatter terraine. Thus tanks were of more use. Unfortunately the amphian tanks the the American Army used never made it to the beaches. If they did, they had that shingle and 100-170 foot cliffs.
The allies initially opted against an assault on Omaha, because of the terraine and the German defenses. They decided they had to attack there because the gap between the British/Canadian beaches was too great. There was the potential that the Germans could use this wedge to divide the allies, and use it to their advantages. So the more difficult Omaha beach was attacked by American forces.
Likewise an even more difficult spot. Pointe du Hoc. Was attacked by special forces. Pointe du Hoc had the ability to fire on both the Utah and Omaha beaches.
The draws or exits from the Omaha beach were difficult. Any tanks making it to the beach would have to exit through a few bottlenecks.
It's easy to make criticisms after a battle. Sometimes founded sometimes not. that's what CNN and the other media does all the time. They never do anything they just second guess. And criticize.
"The urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to rule.” H.L. Mencken
Danbo, your case for Pointe D
June 7, 2007 - 09:08 ET by GalvanicDanbo, your case for Pointe Du Hoc and its field of fire on the beaches is certainly what Allied intelligence had assessed, and the reason for the assault up its cliff face by elements of the 2nd Ranger Battalion. But when the Rangers reached the summit and secured the fortifications, they discovered that there were no guns up there.
The US Army forces at Omaha a
June 7, 2007 - 08:40 ET by GalvanicThe US Army forces at Omaha actually had tanks assigned to support them. They were an amphibious adaptation of the M-4 Sherman known as DD tanks (for dual-drive -- track and propeller). Basically, the Sherman was fitted with a pop-up canvas skirt which extended upward from the top deck of the tank, creating a crude boat-like appearance.
Unfortunately, all the DD tanks swamped in the rough seas. I don't believe any made it through the surf zone, leaving the first several waves without armor support.
As the first waves stacked up in the surf zone at Omaha without their armor, the US Navy took initiative. Each assaulting battalion had a destroyer assigned for direct fire support, but communications grew difficult in the chaos. Destroyer skippers could see the deteriorating situation on the beach, and in the tradition of John Paul Jones and sailing in Harm's Way, closed at considerable risk to within a couple hundred of yards of the beach in order to get a clearer view and pump 5" gunfire directly into the German defenses. This initiative, and the small unit leadership on the beach, got the assault moving inland again. Later, in describing the initiative of the destroyer captains, V Corps commander MGen LeGrow was quoted as saying, "Thank God for the United States Navy."
On another note, those specialized tanks and other armored vehicles of the British 79th Armored Division were nicknamed "Funnies."
test
June 6, 2007 - 23:59 ET by Matthew Sheffieldtest
test2
June 7, 2007 - 00:00 ET by Matthew Sheffieldtest2
The problem seems to be an ad
June 7, 2007 - 00:06 ET by Matthew SheffieldThe problem seems to be an ad (dunno if it's a Flash or JavaScript error). I can't duplicate it on any consistent basis but I can verify you haven't gone crazy botg :-)
As Noel mentioned, the problem does not seem to affect FF.
I'm using FF 1.0.7 on Windo
June 7, 2007 - 00:19 ET by Free StinkerI'm using FF 1.0.7 on Windows ME and that's working fine tonight.
Looking around a bit, I rea
June 7, 2007 - 00:24 ET by Matthew SheffieldLooking around a bit, I realized that the problem could be with an old version of Flash. I upgraded my test computer to the latest Flash (here's the link), exited IE, and have not encountered any problems since.
I would suggest everyone else having a problem with crashes upgrade their Flash as well.
Remember technical difficulties
June 7, 2007 - 00:36 ET by Cool ArrowRemember Technical difficulties messages on TV screens. I always wanted to hear the announcer say:
The problem is with your set. Please adjust your set.
Matthew S.,It is midnight mou
June 7, 2007 - 02:05 ET by bigtimerMatthew S.,
It is midnight mountain time now, I clicked your link, did the upgrade, it made no difference for me.
I notice now everything is normal since the advertisement above the masthead is gone....I do notice these things...adn I was wondering anyway beforehand when this started happening early for me if it had anything to do with it...
Anyway, I am glad it is working now just fine, I wonder why sometimes these advertisements are hurting us out here....on the other hand I know it is revenue for this site...so anybody out here fill me in if you know.
Obviously I learn as I go and am just asking.
Almost scary -- but damned true...
June 7, 2007 - 04:07 ET by spiderdanI doubt the liberal contingent can manufacture a viable explanation to the ironic truths this "satire" exposes about the dreadful state of American media. While they struggle, and we laugh at them for the 900,00th time, I am slow to inject such humor on such a somber occasion.
The Normandy campaign was a brutal event that took our people into a new era of war fighting. No liberal can stand to see regular men and women absorb so much courage and resolve -- no liberal can remotely imagine what it took to negotiate that beach on that day, then live to tell.
There were damned sure no liberals on Omaha Beach on June 6, 1944. The depiction of a moronic, liberal newscast is but one more example of why America needs to get its collective head out of its rectum and send these morons in the media packing. Canada, Mexico, Venezuela.....need some toilet scrubbers?
Noel. If today's democRATic p
June 7, 2007 - 09:14 ET by danboNoel. If today's democRATic party, and media had been around in 42. There would have been screams to bring the troops home after Kasserine Pass.
The reports at Falaise Gap would have been critical of the Allies. The poor Germans were only trying to retreat, and the mean old terrorist US army was firing on them as they tried to run away. And the bloody carnage of American viciuosness.
I once heard a lib talking about negotiation. It was always better to talk than have bullets fly. He didn't like it when I pointed out, out that it depended on what those words did.
Hilter launched the German counter offensive in late 44 at the bulge. His belief. If he could spill enough allied blood, the US wouldn't have the stomach of it. And negotiiate. If we had negotiated, Hitler would have remained in power. And the death camps would have continuied.
Great catch, Noel/ It should be run as an ad on TV.
"The urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to rule.” H.L. Mencken