In the pre-dawn hours of June 6, 1944, a massive fleet of 5,000 ships prepared to hurl 160,000 men at the walls of Hitler’s fortress Europe. America and its allies begin the long road to Berlin and the end of Hitler and the madman’s dreams of a master race.
USS Augusta with landing craft heading for Omaha Beach.
Before victory was achieved 183,588 Americans had died in the Atlantic / European theater. Events leading up to the outbreak of War in Europe in 1939 bear an uncanny resemblance to recent events around the world and current events in the middle east. The world spent the first ten years after the Second World War trying to expiate its guilt for not having seen the march of events, which is all too clear to historians and those of us who follow events on a daily basis.
War drums are sounding throughout the middle east. Israel’s foes are more shrill and strident every day. I’ve noticed that the Iranians are now vying with Turkey, to see who can send a naval escort to protect the next blockade runner making for Gaza. I was telling Dee that I was hoping that in the final analysis Turkey was too smart to try and force a naval confrontation with Israel. Now I’m not so sure. Their grandstanding Premier, Tayyip Erdogan, wants to try to run the blockade to gain face and favor in the region. He is a dangerously ambitious man.
Tayyip Erdogan
The Iranians are a different story altogether. They are much less stable and not nearly as cerebral as the Turks. The Iranian leadership is far more likely to trigger some confrontation with the Israeli Naval Forces which has the ever present threat of becoming a conflagration.
Israel will not back down.
Semper Vigilans, Semper Fidelis
© Skip MacLure 2010
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