[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 82 (Thursday, May 29, 2014)]
[House]
[Pages H4925-H4926]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
RECOGNIZING THE 70TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE D-DAY LANDINGS ON THE BEACHES
OF NORMANDY
(Mr. LATTA asked and was given permission to address the House for 1
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
[[Page H4926]]
Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 70th
anniversary of the D-day landings on the beaches of Normandy, France.
On June 6, 1944, combined Allied forces began the opening phase of
Operation Overlord in an effort to break the Nazi stranglehold on
Western Europe. The initial assault included over 156,000 troops, along
with 11,590 aircraft and 6,939 naval vessels. In that first day alone,
approximately 10,000 Allied personnel were either wounded or killed,
including 6,000 Americans.
The D-day landing was the largest single amphibious assault in
history, and soldiers of six divisions--three American, two British,
and one Canadian--stormed upon five different beach landings in
Normandy. Just hours before that, U.S., British, and Canadian airborne
troops dropped into France to support the landing.
The world owes a debt of gratitude to the members of the Greatest
Generation who assumed the task of freeing the world from Nazism and
fascism and restoring freedom to millions in Europe.
Next week, as we commemorate this important day, I ask everyone to
remember the importance of this 70th anniversary of the D-day landings
on the beaches of Normandy, France.
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