BGuthrie Photos: VA -- Bedford -- National D-Day Museum

VA -- Bedford -- National D-Day Museum:

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Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
1. DDAY_081229_030.JPG: Le Monument aux Morts Edmond de Laheudrie (1861-1946), Sculptor Edmond de Laheudrie was born in Trévières France, where he served as mayor from 1896 through 1900. Classically trained as a sculptor, he studied at Paris under Pierre Jules Cavelier (1814-1896), Louis Ernest Barrais (1841-1905), and Marius Jean Antonin Mercie before exhibiting at Le Salon des Artistes Francais and taking a second-class medal in 1901. A specialist in figures, bas-reliefs, and religious groups such as his Christ Entombed at Rouen, Laheudrie, a writer with medievalist leanings, also published several books on the history of Normandy. Installed upon a low pedestal outside the Church of St. Aignan, Le Monument aux Morts was dedicated on 16 May 1921 in memory of the forty-four men of Trévières who died in World War I. The sculpture, a conventionally draped Nike (or Victory), also wears the utility belt and helmet of Poilu, the French counterpart of the American Doughboy of the First World War. Thematically linked to the Romanesque church's celebratory tympanum sculpture, which portrays St. Aignan (aka St. Anianum), the bishop who in 451 defended Orleans against Attila the Hun, and St. Exupère (aka St. Exuperius), a fourth-century Bishop of nearby Bayeux in an attitude of thanksgiving before Christ, Laheudrie's Nike celebrates another successful defense of French soil against "the Hun." A bittersweet reminder of both France's victory in the Great War and the blood split to secure it, Le Monument aux Morts stood for scarcely two decades before finding itself surrounded by a new generation of invaders. Shortly after the Allies came ashore on D-Day, Germany's 915th and 916th Infantry Regiments, 517th Mobile Battalion, and the Reconnaissance Battalion of the 352nd Division established heavily fortified positions in and around Trévières. On 9 June, the 9th and 38th Infantry Regiments and the 38th Artillery Battalion of the US 2nd Infantry Division assaulted the village, which for the two preceding days had been under fire from the 14-inch guns of the USS Texas. The bell tower of St. Aignan sustained major damage on 8 June, probably a result of the naval gunfire. Perhaps Laheudrie's sculpture took damage at the same time, or it may well have been damaged during the ground attack on Trévières, during which, for example, the 38th Artillery Battalion expended more than 3,600 rounds. German counter fire also may have been a factor. Whatever its source, shrapnel or a round struck the head of the figure and removed its faced below the upper lip and most of its throat. Both in situ at Trévières and in this recasting undertaken with the support and cooperation of the Wildenstein Family, La Mairie de Trévières, and Le Conseil General du Calvados. Le Monument aux Morts, preserved as transformed in battle, is a special testament to the destructiveness of war, evanescence of victory, and fragility of peace. Its presence at the National D-Day Memorial mutely and eloquently argues that peace is a consequence of vigilance and justice -- not an accident of complacency or indifference. In bearing witness to that Laheudrie's ruined Nike is the Memorial's most powerful tribute to the valor, fidelity, and sacrifice of the Allied Forces whose rich legacy is our freedom. -- A gift to the National D-Day Memorial, the City of Bedford, and the Nation, from Guy Wildenstein and his family. With our eternal gratitude to the United States of America for restoring France's freedom, for granting asylum to our parents, and for halting the extermination of a people. In memory of the American soldiers who gave their lives on the beaches of Normandy in June 1944.
2. DDAY_081229_073.JPG: Valor, Fidelity,Sacrifice The National D-Day Memorial exists to honor the Valor, Fidelity, and Sacrifice of the Allied Forces on D-Day, June 6, 1944, the qualities giving this allegorical sculpture its name. The soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, coast guardsmen, and merchant seamen it represents did nothing more than what they took to be their duty. They kept faith with the Alliance, their homelands, the chain of command, the mission, their units, and their fellows. it cost them comfort, safety, innocence, youth, blood -- even life itself. Valor, Fidelity, Sacrifice gives homage not only to those who died on D-Day but also to those who lived to secure the beachhead and carry freedom inland, and to those who transported the ground forces by air and sea, delivered their aerial and naval support, and provided their combat and combat-support services. D-Day's success owes an incalculable debt to its participants. That you yourself are free and here today is but a portion of their rich and enduring legacy. Treasure it.
3. DDAY_081229_160.JPG: Omar Nelson Bradley 12 February 1893 - 8 April 1981 Commanding General, United States First Army A 1915 graduate of the United States Military Academy, Omar Bradley was first among the fifty-nine general officers in "the class the stars fell on" to become one. A protege of US Army Chief of Staff George C Marshall (VMI, 1901), Gen. Bradley had served as Commandant of the Infantry School at Ft. Benning, Georgia; Commanding General of II Corps in North African and Sicily; and Commanding General of Field Forces Europe before assuming command of First Army. From the bridge of USS Augusta, he monitored the assaults on Omaha and Utah Beaches, empowering his subordinate commanders to lead the early ground battle. Coming ashore on D+3, "the soldier's solder" established First Army Headquarters and soon began planning Operation Cobra, the Normandy breakout. By August, there were more than 900,000 men in his new command, 12th Army group. Promoting him to the rank of General of the Army on 22 September 1950, President Harry S. Truman made General Bradley, who then was serving as the Army's first Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the fifth and last Army officer to wear give stars.
4. DDAY_081229_179.JPG: Bertram Home Ramsay 20 January 1883 - 2 January 1945 Naval Commander in Chief of the Allies Naval Expeditionary Force Entering the Royal Navy from Colchester Royal Grammar School in 1898, Bertram Ramsay rose to midshipman a year later. His first command in World War I, a monitor on Dover Patrol (1915), was followed by command of destroyer HMS Broke (1917). He later commanded three cruisers and a battleship before retiring with the rank of rear admiral in 1938. Recalled to active service in 1939 with promotion to vice admiral and appointment as Flag Officer, Dover, he commanded Operation Dynamo (1940), the evacuation of Dunkirk. From planner and deputy Naval commander of the Allied invasion of North Africa, Operation Torch (1942), he went on to serve as Naval Commanding Officer, Eastern Task Force for the invasion of Sicily, Operation Husky (1943), honing his mastery of amphibious operations. Admiral Ramsay, at Winston Churchill's insistence and with General Eisenhower's firm support, served as Allied Naval Commander, Expeditionary Force from 19 July 1943 until dying in an airplane crash en route to meet with General Montgomery, 2 January 1945. His distinguished service punctuated with epic achievements numbers him among history's great admirals.
5. DDAY_081229_184.JPG: Arthur William Tedder 11 July 1890 - 3 June 1967 Deputy Supreme Commander, Allied Expeditionary Force (AEF) While reading history at Cambridge (1913), Arthur Tedder secured a commission in the Dorsetshire Regiment. Injured early in World War I, he transferred to the Royal Flying Corps. Following two commands in France (1915-1917), he commanded the School of Navigation and Bomb Dropping in Egypt, and received a permanent commission in the new Royal Air Force (RAF). As a student, staffer, and commander at senior service schools and colleges (1923-1936), he mastered his profession. His posting at the Air Ministry ended in late 1940. Promoted to Air Marshal, he became Air Officer Commander in Chief, RAF Middle East.. Using a bombing tactic known as "Tedder Carpet," his forces contributed to the Allied victory at El Alamein. Taking command of Allied Air Forces in the Mediterranean (1943), he helped plan the invasion of Sicily before becoming Deputy Supreme Commander, AEF. During the Battle of the Bulge, he had the task of asking Russia to relieve pressure on the Western Front. He also represented Gen. Eisenhower at the German surrender ceremony. Made 1st Baron Tedder of Glenguin at war's end, he served as Chief of Staff (1946-1950) until retiring.
6. DDAY_081229_218.JPG: Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower 14 October 1890 -- 28 March 1969 Supreme Commander, Allied Expeditionary Force, Operation Overlord A member of "the class the stars fell on," Dwight David Eisenhower graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1915. Early assignments under Generals John J. Pershing, George V. Mosley, and Douglas MacArthur seasoned him to work with the strong personalities of Winston S. Churchill, Bernard Law Montgomery, Charles de Gaulle, and George S. Patton. Under General Leonard T. Gerow, he served as Deputy Chief of War Plans Division, succeeded him, then became Assistant Army Chief of Staff in charge of Operations Division under Chief of Staff General George C. Marshall. His diplomacy, organizational ability, and administrative skill led to appointment as Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force for the invasion of North Africa, Operation Torch. With the Axis in retreat, General Eisenhower gained a fourth star and assumed command of he Mediterranean Theater of Operations to oversee the invasions of Sicily (Operation Husky) and the Italian mainland. Named to command both Operation Overlord and the European Theater of Operations, he received a fifth star on 20 December 1944. After serving as Military Governor of the US Occupation Zone in Germany, Chief of Staff of the US Army, and first Supreme Commander of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), he was elected thirty-fourth President of the United States.
7. DDAY_081229_243.JPG: Bernard Law "Monty" Montgomery 17 November 1887 -- 24 March 1976 Commander, 21st Army Group Bernard Montgomery attended the King's School, Canterbury, St. Paul's School, London; and Royal Military Academy. He joined the Royal Warwickshire Regiment (1908). After service in India, he fought in Franco-Flanders, receiving the Distinguished Service Order and severe wounding (1914). During World War I, he proved a talented operations staff officer. He attended and taught at the Army Staff College, then served in the Anglo-Irish War and in Palestine, Egypt, and India. By 1938, he had become experienced in amphibious combined operations, a division commander, and a major general. His egotism, abrasive manner, and disdain for convention made him few friends, yet he received a promotion and command of British 8th Army (1942). The dispirited force he transformed stymied the German advance in the Battle of Alam el Halfa, and, two months later, prevailed at El Alamein. Flush with success, another promotion, and a knighthood, he scorned American counterparts in the Sicilian Invasion (Operation Torch) and follow-up campaigning in Italy, which he branded a "dog's breakfast." In December 1943, he assumed command of the 21st Army Group. Before D-Day, he carried the argument to commit five rather three divisions to the assault. After Normandy's liberation, Supreme Commander Eisenhower took command of Allied Ground Forces, keeping new Field Marshal Montgomery 21st Army Group Commander. Montgomery of Alamein retired in 1958 after a half-century's distinguished, if controversial, service to crown and country.
8. DDAY_081229_256.JPG: Trafford Leigh Leigh-Mallory 11 July 1892 -- 14 November 1944 Commander in Chief, Allied Expeditionary Force Air Force Trafford Leigh-Mallory read law at Magdalene College, Cambridge, where he met Arthur Tedder. Serving in the Lancashire Fusiliers, he was wounded at Ypres (1915), and, on recovering, transferred to the Royal Flying Corps (1916). He commanded No. 8 Squadron (1917) and finished the war with a mention in dispatches and Distinguished Service Order. Between the wars he attended, taught in, and commanded a range of Royal Air Force (RAF) and army command-and-staff schools and colleges, in the process becoming an expert on inter-service operational cooperation. Following posting in Iraq, he was made Group Captain in command of No. 12 Group, Fighter Command. During the Battle of Britain (1940), Air Vice Marshal Leigh-Mallory quarreled with fellow commanders over tactics, alienating many but ascending nevertheless to Air Officer in Charge of Fighter Command. His appreciation of inter-service cooperation in tactical environments commended him to command the Overlord air effort. Persuaded that his experience was no match for post-Normandy operations, the Deputy Supreme Commander took control of air strategy. Reassigned to South East Asia Command, Air Chief Marshal Leigh-Mallory, en route to take over, ended thirty years' service when his airplane crashed.
9. DDAY_081229_267.JPG: Walter Bedell "Beetle" Smith 5 October 1895 -- 9 August 1961 Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters, Allied Expeditionary Force Enlisting in the Indiana National Guard at age sixteen, "Beetle" Smith earned a reserve commission at Ft. Benjamin Harrison, Indiana. He served with the 4th Infantry Division in France and finished World War I as a Regular Army first lieutenant. His service leading up to World War II included assignments in intelligence and budgeting as well as completion of Infantry School, Command and General Staff College, and the Army War College. On becoming Chief of Staff of the Army, General George Marshall made him Secretary of the General Staff (1941), then Secretary of the Combined Chiefs of Staff (1942). Reassigned to the European Theater of Operations to act as the Chief of Staff's eyes and ears, he became the inevitable choice for SHAEF Chief of Staff, a post he assumed early in 1944 and held through V-E Day. Brusque, profane, and unencumbered by old-school loyalties, he excelled as the Supreme Commander's hatchet man; indeed, General Eisenhower characterized him as "the greatest general manager of the war," but he was not well loved. He left the army to be US Ambassador to the Soviet Union (1945-49) but returned to command First Army and received a fourth star. President Truman named him Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (1950-53). In the Eisenhower Administration he served as Under Secretary of State (1953-54).
10. DDAY_081229_305.JPG: Supreme Headquarters, Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF) Insignia The design of a special insignia for the SHAEF was approved by General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Supreme Commander for Operation OVERLORD, and came into general use in March 1944. Each element in the insignia is symbolic. The main feature is the flaming sword of avenging justice, shown piercing the black of Nazi oppression. Above the sword is a rainbow, symbol of hope, containing all the colors that made up the national flags of the Allies. Then above the rainbow is the blue of peace to come. http://www.ddnf.org.uk/shaef_insignia.php
11. DDAY_081229_348.JPG: The plaques have the names of the servicemen who died on D-Day itself
12. DDAY_081229_378.JPG: This temporary display paying tribute to the Allied Naval, Coast Guard, and Merchant Sea Forces on D-Day relies on two resonant symbols associated with them: the anchor and the ship's bell. The anchor displayed here is a Danforth Anchor, a particularly efficient device invented by Robert Ogg. Coming into the inventory in 1943, this head-stocked anchor has ten times the holding power of the old-fashioned anchor and is particularly effective in soft bottoms. This one weighs 3,200 pounds, it is ten feet tall and eight and half feed wide. The practice of using a ship's bell doubtless predates late-fifteenth century accounts for its use for warnings and alarms. By maritime law, all ships must have functional bells. Formerly used to keep time (sounded once for every half-hour in a four-hour watch), they are still used for alarms, religious services, and memorial ceremonies, and, like the anchor, represent the tradition and heritage of the naval service.
13. DDAY_081229_469.JPG: Some visitors viewing the twenty-foot-tall bronze relief mounted on the wall below the Overlord Arch might suppose that the sculpture pays particular tribute to the members of the 2nd Ranger Battalion who ascended the cliffs at Pointe-du-Hoc. Such a conclusion, though reasonable enough in itself, fails to acknowledge the piece's broader intentionality, which sculptor Jim Brothers established with its title: Scaling the Wall. This dramatic grouping, if visually linked with the Rangers' inspiring deeds at Pointe-du-Hoc is figuratively connected to the Allied Forces' no less inspiring surmounting of Adolph Hitler's "impregnable" Fortress Europe. Collectively, and on behalf of all the participants in D-Day, June 6, 1944, the four figures portrayed here strikingly personify the hallmark qualities of valor, fidelity, and sacrifice -- qualities that both characterize the D-Day story and inform this monument.
14. DDAY_081229_506.JPG: Though not used in connection with the D-Day landing in France, the restored L-3 "Grasshopper" (thus nicknamed for its similarity to the insect) displayed here does bear the variegated markings of the Allied Air Forces. Alluded to in the granite blocks topping the Overlord Arch, those markings told ground gunners the aircraft bearing them were friendly. Used during the Normandy campaign as a light observation aircraft for a range of missions including reconnaissance, surveillance, and the adjustment of artillery fire, the L-3 could carry two people at a cruising speed of 75 mph. If its canvas covering offered scant protection to those in the aircraft, the L-3's ability to fly on as projectiles passed through it was an offsetting advantage. The three propeller blades from a C-46, the aircraft used for both troop transport and glider deliver, are the other component in this modest, temporary acknowledgement of the Allied Air Forces on D-Day.
15. DDAY_081229_671.JPG: France and Germany Star In the United Kingdom, the next of kin of British service members killed during the Second World War received a Memorial Scroll. Beneath the royal emblem of King George VI, appeared this text: This scroll commemorates [service member's name and organization] held in honour as one who served King and Country in the world war of 1939-1945 and gave his [her] life to save mankind from tyranny. May his [her] sacrifice help to bring the peace and freedom for which he [she] died. Presenting proof of kinship, the next of kin could claim a fallen relative's medals. For most D-Day participants, the France and Germany Medal would have been of them. A British Commonwealth campaign medal whose ribbon colors represent the national colors of France, Holland, Luxembourg, and the United Kingdom, the France and Germany Medal was awarded for operational service in France, Belgium, Holland, and Germany for the period 6 June 1944 through 8 May 1945.
16. DDAY_081229_675.JPG: Deltakermedaljen Instituted on 19 September 1945, the Deltakermedaljen (Defense Participation Medal 1940-1945) was awarded to members of the Norwegian military and merchant marine as well as to eligible allies and civilians who participated in combat or certain defense operations affecting Norway from 9 April 1940through 8 May 1945, the respective dates of the country's invasion and liberation. It was also awarded to those becoming combat casualties in course of the same. The bronze medal's obverse reproduces the Arms of Norway with applicable dates; royal, state, and commercial banners appear on its reverse with the phrase Deltager I Kampen (Participant in the Battle) superimposed. Replicating Norway's colors, its red ribbon has a broad central strips of white upon which there are two narrow stripes of blue. Those who served at home in the early days of the occupation then escaped the Nazis to continue their service abroad were entitled to attach and bronze rosette to the ribbon as shown above. With appropriate documentation, next of kin may claim the award of a deceased relative, including one killed in action.
17. DDAY_081229_683.JPG: Second World War Mothers and Widow Badge The Second World War Mothers and Widows Badge was a silver-colored disk authorized for issue to the mothers and widows of members of the Royal Australian Navy, Australian Imperial Force, Citizens Military Forces, and Royal Australian Air Force killed in action who died of wounds or other causes while in action. Its obverse presents a woman in profile against branches of a laurel wreath. She faces the raised letter of the phrase "For Australia." A hinged securing pin is attached to the reverse upon which, in raised letters, are the phrases "Issued by the C'with Govt" and "Armor Sydney." Two securing rings suspend a flat, rectangular bar with a gold star affixed. Additional stars were affixed as needed. Eligible next of kin applied for the award through a post office. A postal employee witnessed the application form, and it was sent to the relevant service for verification, after which the badge could be issued.
18. DDAY_081229_687.JPG: Memorial Cross GRVI The Memorial Cross. also known as the Silver Cross, was initiated on 1 December 1919 by Order-in-Council 2374. It was awarded to and worn by mothers and widows (next of kin) of Canadians whose death occurred during or in consequence of active military service. In World War II, the obverse of the award bore the cipher of King George VI (Georgius Rex VI) who reigned from 1937 through 1952. The name and service number of the son or husband is engraved on the reverse of the Memorial Cross.
19. DDAY_081229_691.JPG: Medaille commemorative de la guerre 1940-1945 Of Belgium's military medals for the Second World War, the Medaille commemorative de la guerre 1940-1945 had the broadest circulation. Established on 16 February 1945, the War Commemorative Medal 1940-1945 was awarded ultimately to Belgian forces, civilians, and eligible allies who serviced in or supported the resistance at home, forces in exile, and merchant navy during the period 10 May 1940, the date of Belgium's invasion, through 7 May 1945, the eve of VE Day. The applicable years appear on the medal's obverse, flanking a large letter "V" (an allusion to the victory sign that British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill has made an Allied commonplace) above which Leo Belgicus, the Belgian Lion, roars. On the medal's reverse, the dates are repeated with its title in French and Dutch. Its yellow ribbon has narrow white side stripes trapped in black. As shown here, the device of an enameled red cross is attached to the ribbon to indicate wounds. Next of kin with the required documentation may request awards of relatives killed in action.
20. DDAY_081229_697.JPG: Medaille commemorative de la guerre 1939-1945 The Government of France adopted the War Commemorative Medal 1939-1945 on 21 May 1946. On the medal's obverse, a cockerel appears victorious before the Lorraine Cross, symbol of the Free French; the reverse indicates the medal's origin. Republique Francaise, and occasion: Guerre 1939-1945. The pale blue ribbon suspending the medal has green side stripes outlined by thinner red stripes and, in the same red, a central row of Vs for Victoire. The casualty bar shown on this tablet's representation is among the numerous ribbon attachments to which a recipient of this medal might be entitled. Authorized on 8 November 1952, the device, distinguishable by its enameled red star, evolved from the Insigne des Blesses militaires (Military Casualties Badge), which the Chamber of Deputies approved on 11 December 1916 to provide special recognition to France's 3.6 million World War I casualties. The 1952 authorization for eligible veterans of the Second World War to attach the new casualty bar to the ribbon was retroactive. Upon presentation of the appropriate documentation, the next of kin of deceased World War II veterans, including those killed taking part in the operations on D-Day, could claim the medal in their behalf.
21. DDAY_081229_703.JPG: New Zealand Memorial Cross Since the commencement of World War II, the New Zealand Memorial Cross has been presented to the next of kin of the New Zealand servicemen and women killed during war service, operational service overseas, or who later died of wounds received in the course of either. During the reign of King George VI, the Memorial Cross bore his cipher as shown above. The Memorial Cross as awarded in connection with World War II deaths does not appear in the New Zealand order of wear because it is suspended by a purple ribbon and worn around the neck of the recipient.
Wikipedia Description: National D-Day Memorial
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The National D-Day Memorial is a national war memorial located in Bedford, Virginia. It serves as the national memorial for US D-Day veterans. It stands in tribute to the valor, fidelity and sacrifice of all Allied Armed Forces during the D-Day Invasion of Normandy, France on June 6, 1944 during World War II. In 1944, Bedford had a population of about 3,200. Because this community proportionally suffered the nation’s severest D-Day losses, the United States Congress authorized construction of the memorial in Bedford.

The Memorial:

According to the National D-Day Memorial Foundation, the memorial is a continuum of three distinct plazas which follow on a timeline. The first plaza, Reynold's Garden, symbolizes the planning and preparation activities for the invasion through the execution of the order for the invasion. It is in the shape of the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force combat patch. The second level, Gray Plaza, reflects the landing and fighting stages of the invasion. It includes what is called the invasion pool with beach obstacles in the water, sculptures of soldiers struggling ashore, and a representation of the Higgins craft used for the invasion. This section includes intermittent jets of water spurting from the pool replicating the sights and sounds of sporadic gunfire. The names of the United States' losses appear on the west necrology wall of the central plaza, the Allies' losses on the east necrology wall. In the spirit of Dwight Eisenhower's one-team command philosophy for the AEF, no other distinctions are made. The last and uppermost plaza, Estes Plaza, celebrates victory and includes the Overlord Arch and the twelve flags of those Allied nations that served in the Allied Expeditionary Force. The Overlord Arch represents the victory of Operation Overlord and bears the invasion date of June 6, 1944 in its height at 44 feet and 6 inches tall. Dedicated in 2001, over 750,000 people have visited the site.
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