| |
| |
|
|
R E S O L U T I O N
|
|
|
WHEREAS, On June 6, 2019, Americans and freedom-loving people |
|
|
from around the globe will pause to reflect, honor, and commemorate |
|
|
the 75th anniversary of the D-Day invasion by principally American, |
|
|
British, and Canadian military troops by amphibious assault from |
|
|
the English Channel on the beaches of Normandy, France, and via |
|
|
airborne assault in the French countryside by their fellow |
|
|
paratroopers, totaling nearly 160,000 men, this military campaign |
|
|
code-named "Operation Overlord" significantly led to the ultimate |
|
|
liberation of Europe and the end of World War II; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Though Germany's Third Reich was suffering heavy |
|
|
military losses on the Eastern Front, it still controlled much of |
|
|
Europe; after entering the war in December 1941, U.S. armed forces |
|
|
joined with other Allied forces to drive the German Africa Corps out |
|
|
of North Africa in May 1943, and in July of that year, the American |
|
|
and British forces began the liberation of Europe with the invasion |
|
|
of Sicily; by the summer of 1944, World War II had been raging for |
|
|
nearly five years; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Planning for an Allied invasion across the English |
|
|
Channel subsequently commenced, and in January 1944, General Dwight |
|
|
D. Eisenhower was appointed as commander of Operation Overlord; |
|
|
faced with a 2,400-mile German defensive line of bunkers, land |
|
|
mines, and beach obstacles known as the Atlantic Wall, the Allies |
|
|
began to train a force of American, British, and Canadian troops in |
|
|
Britain; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, In the months leading up to the invasion, the |
|
|
British and American air forces flew 200,000 sorties and dropped |
|
|
195,000 tons of bombs on German installations in France, attacking |
|
|
rail centers, airfields, military bases, radar stations, and |
|
|
coastal artillery batteries; the Allies also engaged in an |
|
|
extensive deception operation intended to fool the Germans into |
|
|
thinking the invasion would take place near Pas-de-Calais, instead |
|
|
of the real target, the coast of Normandy; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Late in the day of June 5, 1944, almost 6,000 ships |
|
|
and landing craft loaded with troops and supplies left Britain and |
|
|
started across the English Channel toward France; that night, |
|
|
approximately 800 aircraft carrying paratroopers and towing |
|
|
gliders dropped members of the American 82nd and 101st Airborne |
|
|
Divisions and the British 6th Airborne Division behind enemy lines |
|
|
in Normandy; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, At 6:30 a.m. on June 6, 1944, the first of 156,000 |
|
|
Allied troops landed on the shores of Normandy; the soldiers at the |
|
|
beachheads of Gold, Juno, Sword, and Utah met light German |
|
|
resistance, but at Omaha Beach, the U.S. 1st Division encountered |
|
|
strong Wehrmacht defenses; the Americans fought for every inch of |
|
|
ground, suffering more than 2,000 casualties before finally seizing |
|
|
control and taking the beach; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, A week later, the coast was completely under Allied |
|
|
command, and over 326,000 troops, 50,000 vehicles, and 100,000 tons |
|
|
of equipment had been landed; by the end of August 1944, the Allies |
|
|
had liberated Paris and driven the Germans out of northwestern |
|
|
France; there was much hard fighting to come as the Allies advanced |
|
|
east into Germany, but less than a year after D-Day, on May 8, 1945, |
|
|
the Allies accepted the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany; |
|
|
and |
|
|
WHEREAS, One of the greatest military feats in history, the |
|
|
Normandy invasion is a testament to the bold leadership and |
|
|
logistical skill of General Eisenhower and the Allied command, but |
|
|
in the end, the success of the operation relied heavily on the |
|
|
determination and courage of the troops who waded through the surf |
|
|
into a hail of machine gun bullets, who rode gliders in the dark |
|
|
through bursts of antiaircraft fire, and who parachuted into the |
|
|
French countryside occupied by the enemy; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, The heroism and sacrifice of these soldiers, airmen, |
|
|
and sailors were essential in liberating a continent and ending one |
|
|
of the most brutal dictatorships of the 20th century, and |
|
|
succeeding generations owe them a debt of gratitude that time can |
|
|
never erase; now, therefore, be it |
|
|
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 86th Texas |
|
|
Legislature hereby commemorate the 75th anniversary of the D-Day |
|
|
invasion and pay tribute to the veterans who participated and to |
|
|
those who lost their lives. |