History buffs and trivia experts will already know that the epic D-Day film “Saving Private Ryan” was loosely based on the story of Fritz Niland, a soldier in the fight for Normandy. Niland had, as loosely scripted in the movie, lost three brothers in a...
It was after one of our Veteran Day commemorations that the man stopped by our offices in Bedford. He had a couple of items he wanted to donate, related to the service of a distant relative. He’d inherited the collection, but thought it belonged at...
A letter recently donated to the National D-Day Memorial gives a fascinating glimpse into the events of D-Day and the weeks following. But the letter leaves quite a few mysteries unresolved—such as who wrote it, and to whom. Dated July 4, 1944 from “Somewhere in...
The collection of the National D-Day Memorial is admittedly very 29th-Division heavy. Located in Bedford, where Company A of the 116th Regiment, 29th Division mustered, and founded by Roanoker Bob Slaughter, another 29er, it stands to reason that a large proportion of our artifacts would...
Seventy-five years ago, American boys were still fighting the hellish Battle of the Bulge. Beginning with surprise attacks along Allied lines which caught our forces entirely off guard, the German forces made rapid advances to knock a “bulge” in the front. The battle was marked...
Who were the first Allied fatalities in the Normandy Invasion? Some would immediately picture paratroopers (perhaps specifically even mention British Lieutenant Den Brotheridge). Others may claim an air crew knocked from the sky in the early hours of June 6th. [caption id="attachment_24102" align="alignright" width="390"] The USS...
It often comes as a surprise to visitors to the National D-Day Memorial when we mention the US Coast Guard’s involvement on D-Day. Everyone knows the army and navy were there, and that there were pilots and aircrew flying overhead. But the Coast Guard? Didn’t...
June 1940: The British Expeditionary Force, as much as could be saved, and the remnants of the French Army, have been successfully evacuated from Dunkirk. Some would even say miraculously evacuated. It means that Britain will live to fight another day. But that raises a...
[audio m4a="https://www.dday.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Hicks-Excerpt-mp4.m4a"][/audio] “Here we go again; another plane’s come over, right over our port side. Tracers are making an arc right over our bow now. … Looks like we’re going to have a night tonight.” The sound of anti-aircraft fire fills the night air of the...
Every artifact in our collection tells a story. The only problem is—we don’t always know what the full story is. Such is the case with a fascinating—and touching—German journal and sketchbook in our archive. Little is known of the origins of the item—the donor purchased it...