It has been 75 years since hundreds of thousands of young men of all free nations focused their energy and their lives on the beaches of Normandy, France. As that generation slips away from us, we have to remember that it was young men, not the ships, airplanes, or arms that caused history to turn a corner. Their success on that day is the seed from which the lives we now enjoy grew.
You leaned against the steel side of the landing craft as it pitched and dived over the surf. The steel was cold. And wet. You were wet. Each time the craft fell off a wave and dived, the surf broke over the top of the ramp front of you. The noise was incredible. Explosions everywhere. Ships firing behind. Explosions on the bluffs ahead. Enemy fire heard mostly as incoming whistles followed by explosions.
The thought of what lay on the other side of the steel bulkhead ahead of you that you knew was going to fall and expose you to the war any second all but paralyzed you. You could feel the adrenaline coursing through you, causing the muscles in your legs and upper arms to twitch and your teeth to clinch so tightly together you were afraid they’d break. But there was nothing you could do about it. You knew it was fear doing its best to cause your brain to short-circuit, and you had to fight it. Which was clearly impossible.
A part of you wished that damn ramp would suddenly yawn open and the waiting would be over.
This story is from the June 2019 edition of Flight Journal.
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This story is from the June 2019 edition of Flight Journal.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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Scourge of the Allied Fighters
IT HAD TO BE THE MOST HELPLESS FEELING in the world: you're at 25,000 feet over Europe knowing that your primary function is to drop bombs-or flying escort for the bombers while being a slow-moving target for some of the world's finest shooters. However, you have John Browning's marvelous .50 caliber invention to give some degree of protection. Unfortunately, you're absolutely helpless against flak. Piloting and gunnery skills play no role in a game where sheer chance makes life and death decisions. For that reason, the Krupp 88 mm Flak 18/36/37 AA cannon could be considered WW II's ultimate stealth fighter. You never saw it coming.
ZERO MYTH, MYSTERY, AND FACT
A test pilot compares the A6M5 Zero to U.S. fighters
Fw 190 STURMBÖCKE
The Luftwaffe's \"Battering Rams\" against the USAAF heavy bombers
American BEAUTY
\"Forgotten Fifteenth\" top-scoring Mustang ace John J. Voll
BANSHEE WAIL!
Flying Skulls over Burma
KILLER CORSAIR
Albert Wells, Death Rattlers Ace
BACKSTREET BRAWLER
A young man, his Hurricane and the Battle of Britain
Still Flying After All These Years
One of the oldest airworthy J-3 Cubs
NOORDUYN NORSEMAN
Canada's rugged, fabric-covered workhorse
A good landing is one you can walk away from
NO, THIS IS NOT A SCENE FROM A MOVIE where the hero staggers away from a \"good landing\" on Mindoro, Philippine Islands, after being shot down by a Japanese Zero.
