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Recognizing June 6, 2019 as the 75th Anniversary of the Normandy Landings in World War II (also known as D-Day). And honoring and recognizing the incredible bravery and sacrifices of the soldiers who risked their lives.
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WHEREAS, In the early hours of June 6, 1944, the Allied Invasion of Europe would begin marking a turning point in World War II; and
WHEREAS, The Allied Forces landed on five beach heads; Omaha & Utah beaches for the US Forces, Gold & Sword beaches for British Forces, and Juno beach for British & Canadian Forces; and
WHEREAS, Before troops would begin landing on the beaches at Normandy, airborne paratroopers would be dropped over key positions, installations, and objectives in order to inhabitant Nazi response times, destroy/capture bridges, and allow allied forces to expand the beachhead; and
WHEREAS, Paratroopers of the 82nd and 101st Airborne divisions totaling over 13,000 men were dropped over Normandy, with the mission of the 101st Airborne to take controll over the causeways behind Utah Beach, and destroying roads and rail bridges over the Douve River; and
WHEREAS, The 82nd Airborne’s mission was to capture bridges over the River Merderet, and destroy two more bridges crossing the Douve River; and
WHEREAS, Notably, many paratroopers were knocked off course due to cloud cover, intense wind, along with flak and machine gun fire from the Nazi’s. While these obstacles made the mission of the paratroopers more difficult, they would ultimately succeed in their duties; and
WHEREAS, The troops landing at Utah Beach, from the 4th and 90th Infantry Divisions of the VII Corps initially benefitted from the poor weather. The currents pushed members of the 4th Division 2,000 yards from their original landing zone, to a less fortified position - enabling an easier landing; and
WHEREAS, From there, Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. made the decision to re-route all further landings on Utah Beach to his position at the less fortified position; and
WHEREAS, The 1st and 29th Infantry Divisions of the V Corps assaulted Omaha Beach, which was the most heavily defended beach. As with other landings, the strong currents forced many of the landing crafts east of their planned positions. This diversion delayed US bombers from dropping their payloads onto Omaha Beach; and
WHEREAS, Men had to wade 160 - 330 ft in the water while under heavy fire before they could reach the beachhead due to the diverted landings. Some of the fiercest fighting took place on Omaha Beach; and
WHEREAS, We must never forget the bravery and sacrifice of those who fought and died to free Europe and defeat the Nazi Regime of Germany; and
WHEREAS, We must recognize the staggering impact of D-Day, as the European Theatre would end in less than a year thanks to the combined efforts of the Eastern and Western fronts converging on Germany; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That we hereby recognize June 6, 2019 as the 75th Anniversary of the Normandy Landings, and honor the bravery and sacrifice of the soldiers who risked their lives.
FURTHER RESOLVED, That an Engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to Veterans of the Normandy Landings as evidence of the sincere sentiments of this legislative body.
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