Dave Ostrander talks about his 1944 World War II Army Jeep with an attendee at the 81st D-Day commemoration June 1 at Market Square.
It was 81 years ago that the largest seaborne invasion in history took place. On June 6, 1944, 156,000 American, British and Canadian forces landed on the beaches of Normandy, France, starting the epic battle known as D-Day in an offensive to take back Europe from Nazi occupation during World War II.
Code named Operation Overlord, the fighting was fierce with over 4,900 soldiers, sailors, airmen and coastguardsmen killed, missing or unaccounted for. Commanded by General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the battle is seen as the turning point in WWII and leading to an Allied victory the following year.
On June 1, the city commemorated the 81st anniversary of D-Day with a ceremony at Market Square. Featured were WWII reenactors and displays recounting the historic battle.
“These are the items that a soldier would have carried on D-Day,” said Steve Hayes, who displayed items typical of the 29th Division Regiment. Retired Army officer Dave Ostrander had his 1944 Willys Army Jeep on display.
The D-Day invasion of Nazi-occupied France was unprecedented in scale. It was the largest-ever coalition of ships, troops, planes and vehicles to attack Adolf Hitler’s defenses in western Europe.
More than 2,500 Americans were killed on D-Day itself with another 73,000 Allied forces killed in the ensuing Battle of Normandy. At least four local soldiers were among those casualties and are buried at the American Cemetery in Normandy.
Northern Virginia soldiers killed in action and interred in Normandy include Sgt. Charles Couse, SSgt. Clyde H. Harris, and William E. Lumsden. Pvt. William H. Fisher, also killed in action, is among the names on the cemetery’s Tablet of the Missing.
Gerald Krueger, Commander of VFW Post 609, was on hand with a display honoring Alexandria’s soldiers from WWII and Korea.
“There is a monument at the train station honoring those who have died in battle but it was erected in 1940,” said Krueger, whose father was among the first to land on Omaha Beach on D-Day. “As such there is no plaque memorializing the names of those who died in WWII. We are hoping to raise funds to have a plaque erected next Memorial Day to honor those lost in WWII and Korea. We want to make this right.”
The event marks the 15th annual celebration, planned and executed by the Alexandria-Caen Sister City Committee. The city of Caen, in western Normandy, was the center of some of the heaviest fighting after the Allies landed on the nearby beaches that marked the beginning of the end of World War II.
In addition to reenactors, the day features a 1940s jazz band, swing dancing, and a commemorative ceremony.
Sponsors of the event included Alexandria Toyota, Doug and Wendy John, Alexandria Radio Club, and Alexandria Restaurant Partners.
Members of the U.S. Coast Guard Honor Guard perform a demonstration drill as part of the 81st D-Day commemoration June 1 at Market Square.