17072491403846029

On June 6, 1944, troops landed in France to fight Nazi Germany. An interview with a soldier revealed the harsh conditions they faced, including extreme cold and lack of proper clothing. The battlefield was gruesome, with blood and bodies scattered. The soldier lost friends but had to move on to survive. The soldier still thinks about them but doesn't obsess over it. D-Day was a major turning point in the war, as it marked the start of the Allies' retaliation against the Nazis. On June 6, 1944, hundreds of thousands of troops landed along 50 mile stretches of coastline to fight Nazi Germany across the five assault beaches in France. Today, I'll be interviewing one of the soldiers who took part in the attack. What was it like being a soldier who took part in the Battle of D-Day? For the individual soldier, it was generally like taking part in any Allied military attack during World War II. These soldiers arriving first at the beach and were attacking first saw most fights and suffered most. Many soldiers didn't eat for days at a time, and the weather conditions were awful. I want to say somewhere around 15, maybe 20 degrees below zero. So very cold. Yes, freezing. And we had no winter clothing, just our normal uniforms. And besides that cold, what was it like on the battlefield? The closest shelters were too far away to get to if you needed one, and the water was a sickening velvet color. Didn't even look like water at all, more like rust. In no way am I saying that war is pretty, but the entire scene was almost grotesque. The color you're referring to, it's from the blood, I'm assuming. Yes, there was a lot of blood, and the surface was littered with bodies from both sides. How many bodies would you say? In my line of sight, a hundred or so, but there were thousands all up the coastline. Anyone you knew or was close with? Well, a lot of soldiers are sort of close in some way, because we don't really have anyone else. There was us, and we kind of had to live like that. Sure. I will say, though, that a couple of people I had gotten to know the most didn't make it, although I had to move on quickly to stay alive myself. I'm sorry to hear that. Does that still affect you now? Are there any scars where they're physical or psychological? Yes. Well, yes and no. I still think about them from time to time. And that's only neutral? As someone who went through war, what did you do? Of course I think about them, sometimes ponder why it was them rather than myself. You know, I really am the lucky one. I was hit in the shoulder by a bullet and probably would have bled out at some point. Well, I can't imagine. It's rough being the one that could have died and still making it while everyone around you is dying, but it's not something I can obsess over. I'm sure. What did you say all those deaths and... Ultimately? Ultimately, the battle itself, would you say it's worth it all? I mean, yeah, it was a huge turning point in the war, and while there were many deaths, the survival rate was pretty high as far as battles go. When you say that D-Day was a huge turning point, how do you mean that? Essentially, it was the beginning of our retaliation against the Nazis. As soon as we started taking countries back, Germany had less power. I don't want to talk about it.