What do baseball hall of famer Yogi Berra, legendary actor Henry Fonda, “Catcher in the Rye” author J.D. Salinger, Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guiness), and Scottie from the original Star Trek (James Doohan) have in common? All were part of the Normandy invasion.
75 years ago tomorrow, Allied forces invaded Normandy, France which had been occupied by the Germans.
Crowds in New York celebrate the signing of the armistice which ended World War I
At this hour, a century ago, the First World War ended. They called it “The War to End All Wars.” But sadly, a generation later, the world would be embroiled in an even bigger, even more deadly, even more catastrophic war.
But at the time of World War I, it was something the likes of which the world had never seen.
The loss of life was catastrophic, with an estimated 37 million military and civilians dying in World War I. One of the striking features of World War I to me has always been the enormous losses of life in such short periods of time. In the First Battle of the Somme, there were over a half million casualties in a battle which lasted just 16 days. The First Battle of the Marne was an early battle in 1914. In less than a week, there were a half million casualties and over 150,000 troops killed.
World War I is fascinating to me.
I think for most Americans who are history buffs, our interests tend to go to one of three periods: the American Revolution, the Civil War, and World War II.
With World War I, America was certainly a major contributor in helping the Allies win the war but we also got involved relatively late (April 6, 1917), after the war had been raging for over 2 and a half years.
But our year and a half long contribution to the conclusion of World War I was hard fought, with over 116,000 soldiers dying (more than we lost in Vietnam and Korea combined).
Much of the past century has been shaped by the First World War. Three dynasties came to an end in World War I: The Romanovs in Russia were overthrown by the Bolsheviks in 1917. The Habsburgs were overthrown in Austria-Hungary. And WWI would lead to the downfall of the Ottoman Empire, which had held influence since the 13th century.
It led to an even bigger and deadlier war a generation later. One of the especially interesting things to me about World War I are the origins of the war. How the assassination of an unpopular prince in Serbia escalated to an international crisis. The alliance system pulled in several nations on both sides. The alliance system was a major factor that led to World War I, that perhaps the war was always inevitable and just waiting for a spark. World War II seems much more inevitable and unavoidable because of World War I.
The national boundaries in much of the Middle East came in the aftermath of World War I, and were established by the victorious Allied nations.
World War I was a modern war fought with modern weapons, but the scale of the war and the advancement of technology were beyond what the military philosophy of the day had developed. Most people thought it would be a quick war, but as countries who had large populations and who were relatively evenly equipped, it led to massive stalemates between armies. For much of human history, the populations would not have supported this style of warfare. Tragically, in World War I, armies could keep sending men into the trenches.
The world changed. At the beginning of the war, the French were still wearing blue coats, similar to what they wore in the Napoleonic Wars. This made them stand out. Officers were still wearing white gloves and caps with horsehair plumes. Entering a modern war with relics of the past. One of the earliest battles in World War I was the battle of the Frontiers. In just over a month of fighting, France alone suffered more than 300,000 casualties. But while the war began with elements of bygone eras, by the end of World War I, armies were using planes (still a pretty new invention at the time) in warfare and shooting guns from them.
Thanks for reading! I’d love to hear what you think, and don’t forget to subscribe!
Josh Benner is the associate pastor at Cornerstone Evangelical Free Church in Fergus Falls, Minnesota and has a Master of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He enjoys writing about faith and culture. His hobbies include working out, watching sports, and photography. Josh and his wife Kari live in Minnesota.
Throughout Germany and Austria, riots broke out on this night 80 years ago in a night which is infamously referred to as Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass, after the destruction done to Jewish businesses and properties.
At least 91 Jewish people were killed; 30,000 men were arrested; hundreds of businesses were damaged or destroyed. Nearly every synagogue in Germany or Austria was damaged or destroyed. (more…)
What do baseball hall of famer Yogi Berra, legendary actor Henry Fonda, “Catcher in the Rye” author J.D. Salinger, Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guiness), and Scottie from the original Star Trek (James Doohan) have in common? All were part of the Normandy invasion.
74 years ago today, Allied forces invaded Normandy, France which had been occupied by the Germans.
156,115 men from the United States, Britain, and 11 other countries landed in Normandy during D-Day. More than 4,000 lost their lives. It was, and is – and hopefully always will be – the largest amphibious assault ever undertaken.
The D-Day victory was crucial for the Allied Powers and helped set the stage for eventual victory in Europe. The invasion was so crucial because it it gave the Allied Forces a good access point into continental Europe.
It’s interesting to think about the famous men who had roles in the Normandy invasion. None of them are famous because of Normandy. And unless you’re a huge World War II buff or have a relative who served in that battle, you probably struggle to name anyone who fought at Normandy.
We live in such a “look at me” culture.
But doing great things is not always about the recognition.
Today there are too many people who want glory for its own sake. Not because they necessarily want to do something great but because they want to be thought of as great. There are people who want to be famous for its own sake.
But there are also many who are doing great things. There are doctors who are making new discoveries which impact our health. They’ll never be household names. There are teachers whose names we’ll never hear but who are making differences in the lives of students and impacting students who will impact others and the ripples of that service will be felt in the next generation and in the generation after that. There are innovators who are working to change the world.
Some of these people we obviously will hear about.
But many we won’t.
When kids play backyard football, no one ever pretends to be an offensive linemen. It’s all about being the quarterback, running back, or wide receiver. But to win, you need the whole team. And everyone matters to the team.
I think about this in the church as well. We all have ways to serve. We all have ways how God has gifted us for the sake of building up his church. But everyone has a unique way to fit in. As the Apostle Paul draws an analogy to the human body, everyone in the Church is a part of the body. And the stakes are eternal as we work to spread the gospel, to make disciples, and to challenge, love, and encourage one another.
How are you using the ways how God has gifted you today?
Josh Benner is the associate pastor at Cornerstone Evangelical Free Church in Fergus Falls, Minnesota and has a Master of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He enjoys writing about faith and culture. He lives with his wife Kari in Minnesota.
