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History of the
6th june 44 |
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An
outstanding General |
Of
the three regiments taking part in the Omaha Beach landings one was attached to the 29th
Division, and the other two to the 1st Infantry Division.
The insignia of the 1st Infantry Division is the number 1 in reed, so it has
often been called the "Big red one". Apart from the paratroopers, it was without
doubt the toughest and most of the men come from New York. While they did not have the
height and broad shoulders of Texans and men from the Mid West, they claim to have had the
best military training - fighting for seats in the New York subway. Their commanding
officer used to say to his colleagues "My men may be short, but they have a good
heart. This was the third landing for ‘Big Red One’. Its first engagement was in
North Africa in 1942, where they routed Rommel’s Afrika Korps in Tunisia. In 1943
they landed in Sicily. |
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The General Roosevelt
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It
was tough. On the second day, the Germans attacked with the Tiger tanks and experienced
troops of the Hermann Goering Division. The New Yorkers were unfazed when they saw the
tanks approaching them from the hills. They stayed in their dug-outs while the remaining
tanks passed over them. Without the support of their infantry, the German tanks were
forced to return to their home base. It was a feat of arms remarkable for its courage and
resolution.
But glory went to the head of the ‘Big Red One’. It was proud but
undisciplined, only respecting orders from the two Generals commanding the Division —
Allen and Roosevelt. Roosevelt was the eldest son of Theodore Roosevelt, President of the
United States from 1901-1909, and was a distant cousin of Franklin D. Roosevelt, President
at the time of the D-Day landings in 1944. Brigadier General Roosevelt was a short man
with a weather-beaten face and a husky voice, of whom General Bradley said: "I have
never met a more courageous man". |
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