The Fight after D-Day
The commitment of the World War II soldiers was the greatest sacrifice that any man could ever make, as they risked their lives for our country. War heroes are bold, courageous, faithful and all around steadfast men who are more than worthy to receive praise for their tremendous accomplishments. Learning of their hardships and battles will lead to understanding how noble our heroes are. The Allied soldiers continued through their determination through the horrendous D-Day attack against the United States, and returned the German’s fierce attacks with hard-fought victory.
The journey over to the invasion in Normandy was extremely hard on the Allied forces. The boat trip to Normandy exemplifies the difficulties the troops faced. Eugene Hildebrand, a United States 
sailor, describes the horrible beating the boats took during the storm, “The bottom of the boats was flat and, as you can imagine, the boats were easily pushed around by the giant waves. It was a good decision that they decided to call us back.” Because of the harsh weather, it was decided that they should wait until the weather conditions were suitable to travel across the English Channel. They were forced to wait a day, and Hildebrand described the feelings of the soldiers around the base, “We were all extremely tired, so tired that are eyes were dark red from the lack of sleep. We were already stressed out enough and this just added to it. All of us felt especially bad for the soldiers who had to wait even longer to storm the beach. The storm affected those soldiers the worst mentally.”
There was a determined Allied offensive that basically handed the victory of the war over to the Allied forces. The battle began with attacks on the five major points along the Normandy coast. It is pointed out that the Allied forces also fought against a fierce but a badly coordinated German defense. Hildebrand said what it was like to view the action, although he did not touch the Normandy beach until a day after the actual invasion, “Once when we were trying to pick up a soldier out of the water we had to drop him back because he was missing the lower half of his body and he would have died anyway. My job was to shoot rockets at the stationed guns so you could hear the rockets going over your head…” Hildebrand, along with all of the soldiers who were stationed at Normandy, were deeply impacted and changed by the intense experiences.
Beginning with Normandy, there were battles all across Europe that sprung up which would later be major factors in the victory of the Allies. The 83rd Infantry, who was the first troop trained at Camp Atterbury in Indiana, made tremendous accomplishments in Normandy As they were headed towards Plymouth, England, across the channel, they were notified of their much needed aid at Omaha Beach, Normandy after D-Day. The troops there were in a desperate situation, and climbing up the hill to reach the Germans did not make the task any easier. While they were in Normandy at Omaha Beach, they were needed in St. Lo. Thousands of bombers were sent in to eliminate the growing threat of the Germans. The ground shook as the Allies brought their wrath to the Germans. “It was a frightening thing to hear” (Maguire). All during their stay in Normandy, the Germans fired relentlessly. “We constantly dug into foxholes so if they hit nearby you might survive” (Maguire). After tremendously contributing to pushing back the Germans in Normandy, they moved on.
The Germans were holding out on the St. Malo Peninsula in Brittany, France. The Thunderbolt’s assignment was to drive out the Germans. The goal was achieved with their hard effort, so they moved on to Luxembourg, where they faced another tough battle. Going into Luxembourg, they proceeded to travel along the Loire River. To continue their progress, they fired across the Moselle River. After that, they were sent to relieve a division in Duren who was being dominated by the Germans.
While the Thunderbolt was finishing up in France, the Germans broke through in Belgium. They were in store for awful weather in Belgium. “But more than the mere German we fought the weather” (Moeller s-bottom). They were called to immediately come and reinforce the troops there. The place they were breaking through was in the Adrennes Forest. Their efforts here led to the ultimate victory at the “Battle of the Bulge.” “We did not advance far, as compared to some of our other successes, but we never fought harder, were never faced by stronger opposition that that which we encountered at the ‘Bulge’” (Thunderbolt 72). Next they were headed to the Rhine River, participating in the race to reach the River to earn a key victory. “We were after something pretty big and pretty important, something that might put the finishing touch to German morale were we to reach or cross it—the Rhine River” (Thunderbolt 76). Their plan was to first capture three bridges that connected Neuss with Dusseldorf. Several problems in their plan arose due to planning by the Germans, so the Thunderbolt attacked from the Erft Canal. This change in plans worked and led them to victory. Newspapers all over recognized the Thunderbolt as the first Allied troops to reach the Rhine River. “Again the world turned its eyes on the Thunderbolt. Again the photographers and reporters rushed to our area to give world-wide publicity to our achievements” (Thunderbolt 81).
Their spirits rose as they moved from the Rhine River to the ultimate destination, the Elbe River near Magdeburg. To assist them in getting across the river, they built the Truman Bridge. “It was here that we met the first real opposition in our drive across Germany” (Thunderbolt 89). The Allied troops were closing in on the Germans all around Europe so this was the Germans last attempt to push them back. “Almost continuously for several days and nights, German tanks, artillery, and riflemen slashed at our positions” (Thunderbolt 90). However, to further prove their strength, the Thunderbolt gained their last win against the Germans. Their presence in Europe, in addition to the many other troops, had a profound effect on the victorious outcome in World War II for the Allies.
The victory in Normandy and all across Europe after D-Day was possible through the determination and bravery of soldiers such as Hildebrand and Maguire. Without the United States sailors and 83rd Infantry, the Allied troops would have suffered through countless losses and disappointments. World War II soldiers are the paradigm for troops in any war, displaying their excellence in dominance, perseverance and determination.
Works Cited
Astor, Gerald. June 6, 1944: The Voices of D-Day. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1994.
C. Carnes, Mark and John A. Garraty. American Nation: A History of the UnitedStates. New York: Longman, 2003.
E. Ambrose, Stephen. D-Day June 6 1944: The Cilmatic Battle of World War II. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1994.
F. Ziemke, Earl. “The Normandy Invasion.” 2005. Encarta Encyclopedia. MSN. April 2006. <http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761563737_11/World_War_II.html#p94>.
Hildebrand, Eugene. Personal Interview. 22 April 2006.
“Normandy Invasion.” 2006. Brittanica Encyclopedia. Brittanica. April 2006. <http://www.britannica.com/dday/article-236178>.
Maguire, Francis. Personal Interview. 21 April 2006.
Moeller, Carl. “The Thunderbolt Across Europe.” ©1998-2000. 83rd Infantry Division Re-Enactment Group. 20 April 2006. <http://www.atomic.pair.com/wwii/>.
“The 83rd Infantry Division.” 20 April 2006.Washington, D.C.: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. <http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/article.php?lang=en&ModuleId=10006145>.
The Thunderbolt across Europe. Munich, Germany: Fr. Bruckmann K G.
By: Joe Mattingly and Anne Maguire