D-Day Normandy and Beyond

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D-Day Normandy and Beyond

Keeping the memory alive of the sacrifices made during WW2. Always remember what happened here. A visit to the local museum there changed my life forever.

The history provided with the pictures that I take myself, are meant to educate and shed a light on the history of these places of the war. In 1999, I drove down to Normandy with my wife Anyta for a weekend to visit my parents who were enjoying a two week holiday there. Sure a lot has been written about D-Day and the war itself. But I do not have thing for war. A lot of people can tell you, in gre

at detail, what guns and ammo where used or what paths every Division and Unit took on their way to Germany. But back then not as much was known what it was for someone in their early 18, 19, 20’s to literally step into hell. And that was something that I wanted to know. The human side of WW2. What did it do to people. How did they survive this? So that stuck with me for about a year. I started gathering emails addresses (back then the guestbooks of WWII related sites were coming up) and I stopped when I reached 2000! I sent them all an email about what my intention was. To build a website where they could share their stories. Sometimes it helps writing down your memories. I got 1980 replies... all from emails addresses that did not exist anymore. But then Ray Aebisher replied. An American Paratrooper F Company, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. He wrote me: "But of course Frank I would be willing to share my story". And that was the first story on my website back in 2000. A big and warm thank you Ray for getting this project off the ground. Ray passed away 11/9/2003, I still have alls his emails and letters. May he rest in peace. After story number 200 I became more and more involved with the side of WW2, the history of the Holocaust. I started visiting concentration camps. Buchenwald (twice) Dora-Mittlebau (twice), Dachau, Bergen-Belsen, Auschwitz, Westerbork, Vught, Amersfoort and more. I wanted to visit them as I wanted to be there and see it for myself. How else can you make a website about it? Then I saw a documentary in tv with Robert Cohen an Auschwitz and Dora-Mittelbau survivor. I had to speak with him so I found him and drove down to see him. A moment I will never forget. Robert passed away in 2018. So my website had to grow, but it was built in 2000 with HTML page. Oh well it had to be done. I redesigned my entire website and made it on a CMS so that editing, adding etc would become easier. Remember this is a one man project and a big labor of love that demands time almost everyday. But I will keep on expanding my website as I see fit. It nows holds overviews of Concentration camps, Aktion T4, Holocaust, cemeteries overview, most decisive battles, photographs of WW2 to name but a few items. The website became an important place of historic information. Every story holds valuable information about WWII. Every story has so much to offer to historians, teachers, history scholars and to everybody who wants to learn what WWII was like foe those who lived through it. As they are not edited and kept in the words of the holder of the story, it gives a fresh and new look than those in the history books. The stories will remain as they were given to me as it is in the words of the veterans and victims of the Holocaust. I am grateful to each and every story that I have ever gotten. I have about 250 in total. All of whom will be featured on this new website in the coming time. I hope you like it. A salute to all the people who suffered under te N**i regime and the veterans and the people who lived, fought, suffered and died in WWII. We owe them our future and so much respect. I would like to thank the people at the Arolsen Archives, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, The Holocaust Centre , Dora-Mittelbau, Bergen-Belsen, Vught, Sachsenhausen, Flossenbürg, Ravensbrück and all the other I forgot to mention for their help and support with my website. It only adds dramatically to the historical accuracy and correctness of the texts featured on my website. Thank you all so much! And above all I have to thank my two children (I could not be more proud that I can get to see them grow up) and all of my family, who support me tremendously. But the most thanks (of course) and my heart goes to my wife, Anyta. Who supports me in everything I try to do and who backs me up when I want to visit Normandy again or go to a concentration camp because I just want to be there for myself. Love you always! I hope you visit my website and I am looking forward in hearing from you all. Thank you.

09/06/2026

Today I completed a major update of my Auschwitz page. Over the past weeks I have added new research, historical photographs, expanded content, additional sections, and numerous corrections to make the page more complete and accurate than ever before.

The story of Auschwitz is not an easy one to tell, but it is one that must continue to be told. Every photograph, document, and personal story helps preserve the memory of those who suffered and perished there.

My goal has always been simple: to make history accessible, accurate, and respectful, while honoring the victims and survivors whose stories deserve to be remembered.

The updated page is now live.

Always remember what happened here.

History MilitaryHistory HistoricalResearch Education Remembrance

06/06/2026

June 6 - The sea remembers

82 years ago today, upon the high waters’ wings they came,
82 years ago today, into the unknown to carve a path through flame,
82 years ago today, veils of mist were torn by relentless fire,
82 years ago today, unseen hands parted the restless tides entire.

82 years ago today, from deep within themselves they rose to face their fear,
82 years ago today, drowned screams met whispered prayers none could hear,
82 years ago today, shadowed figures shed silver tears upon the shore,
82 years ago today, innocence was swept away forevermore.

82 years ago today, a thousand brave hearts beat together as one,
82 years ago today, childhoods were surrendered beneath a blood-red sun,
82 years ago today, fragile hopes weighed heavy as ancient stone,
82 years ago today, freedom was forged through sacrifice alone.

82 years ago today, the mist remembered the fire and the steel,
82 years ago today, the sand drank deep the wounds it could not heal,
82 years ago today, the wind carried prayers that never found their way home,
82 years ago today, countless names were entrusted to the sea to roam.

82 years ago today, many became immortal before they had truly lived,
82 years ago today, many gave all they would ever have to give,
82 years ago today, they stepped into history beneath a darkened sky,
82 years ago today, they gave their tomorrow so freedom would not die.

The sea remembers.
The sand remembers.
The wind remembers.
The dead are remembered.
The world must remember too.

Always remember what happened here. If you like this poem please share it. 🙏🏻😊

Poem is copyrighted.

05/06/2026

While Eisenhower commanded the invasion and Montgomery directed the ground battle, one man carried the responsibility for securing the eastern flank of D-Day.

That man was General Sir Richard Gale.

In the darkness before dawn on 6 June 1944, his 6th Airborne Division landed behind enemy lines in Normandy. Their mission was to capture bridges, silence German guns and protect the Allied landings from attack from the east.

Pegasus Bridge, Ranville and the Merville Battery all form part of Gale’s remarkable story.
His name may not be as famous as some of his contemporaries, but his contribution to the success of D-Day was immense. Always remember what happened here.

A new biography of General Sir Richard Gale is now available on:

https://www.normandy1944.info/home/commanders/life-and-death-of-richard-gale

30/05/2026

NEW SECTION: Scientists and Engineers of World War II

The Second World War was not only fought on the beaches of Normandy, in the skies over Europe, or on the battlefields of Stalingrad. It was also fought in laboratories, research centres, codebreaking huts, and engineering workshops.

Our new section explores the lives and achievements of the scientists, engineers, inventors, and codebreakers who helped shape the course of the war.

The first profiles are now online:

Alan Turing – The brilliant mathematician whose work at Bletchley Park helped break the German Enigma code.

Wernher von Braun – The controversial rocket pioneer whose V-2 missile transformed modern warfare and later helped launch the Space Age.

https://www.normandy1944.info/stories/scientists-and-engineers-of-ww2

Discover the people behind the technology that changed history.

Pictures colorized by me.

13/05/2026

Meet Gabriel Wolloshin, born in 1923 in Holytown Lanarkshire in Scotland. He was a RAF pilot of 341st Squadron. Gabriel was shot down by Flak on April 1st, 1945 in Olst in The Netherlands. He is buried in Den Nul. I featured him on my new website: https://www.olstinoorlog.nl which now features an English and German translation button, so that many more people may read the stories. All extra information on Gabriel and for that matter any other story on my new project is very welcome. Please share this post. Always remember what happened here. fans Picture colorized by me.

07/05/2026

I wanted to share my new project. A website about the WW2 days in Olst. Olst is a village in the Netherlands where I live. The site is in Dutch but I would love to hear what you think about it? I colorized the pictures of the main characters to give them more appeal. It also has the main events of WW2 in Oldt and the website will keep on growing. The website went online on May 4th the day we remember the victims of WW2 and every other conflict since then. The link: https://www.olstinoorlog.nl Always remember what happened here. fans Share if you like it. 👍🏻😊😞

04/05/2026

Always remember what happened here.

02/05/2026

Canadian Trail Overijssel: Walking Route and Liberation Stories

Deventer and several of its villages are now also connected to the western track of the Canadian Trail Overijssel. The Canadian Trail is an (inter)national themed route following the path of the Canadian liberators, stretching from Normandy to the north of Germany. On May 4, 2026, at 3:00 PM, 102-year-old Canadian veteran Nick Janicki will perform the official unveiling of one of the memorial sites at the Cröddenbrug in Schalkhaar. Deputy Mayor Marcel Elferink will be present on behalf of the municipality of Deventer.

In the Footsteps of the Canadians
The Canadian Trail is part of Liberation Route Europe, a route network that keeps the memory of the Second World War alive and accessible. Overijssel is part of the Canadian Trail because of the significant contribution the Canadians made to the liberation of this province. The chosen route broadly follows the original path taken by the Canadians during the liberation of Overijssel and connects to the junctions of the existing walking network.

Liberation of Villages and City
The regained freedom of our region began on April 8, 1945, with the liberation of Bathmen and Colmschate. Lettele and Okkenbroek followed (April 9), then Schalkhaar and Deventer (April 10), and finally Diepenveen (April 11). The route follows the tracks of the liberators, sometimes passing directly through village centers. Special ‘Vectors of Memory’ can now be found at key locations. At these memorials, a QR code can be scanned with a phone to gain immediate access to the corresponding liberation story. The route through the municipality of Deventer includes unique stories in Bathmen, Colmschate, Deventer, Schalkhaar, and Diepenveen. The story of the now 102-year-old Nick Janicki and the liberation of Deventer belongs to the Cröddenbrug. An extra-large ‘Vector of Memory’ has been placed here, which will be unveiled by Nick Janicki.

Memories of Nick Janicki
On the evening of April 9, 1945, the Germans had partially sabotaged the Cröddenbrug to hinder an Allied crossing of the Overijssel Canal. Despite the damage and fierce German mortar fire, Canadian troops managed to cross the bridge on foot. Shortly after midnight on April 10, the Canadians advanced toward Schalkhaar along the Oerdijk. Nick Janicki was one of those Canadian soldiers: "We had to cross the fields with tanks and drive to the edge of the city. We lost one of our commanders there.” He also remembers the liberation of Deventer on April 10, 1945: "We marched through the Lange Bisschopstraat. There were people everywhere. They were standing on the roofs or waving to us from their windows."

Understanding History Better
Deputy Mayor Marcel Elferink is pleased that Deventer is now connected to the Canadian Trail Overijssel: “It is good that our liberation is also tangible at the locations where important moments of liberation took place. This applies not only during the commemorations in April and on May 4; the route offers a tangible and free connection to our local history all year round. Liberation Route Europe and the Canadian Trail Overijssel help us to better understand history.”

https://www.liberationroute.com/nl/themed-routes/137/liberating-deventer

16/04/2026

Hello dear followers,

I hope you are all doing okay? I am currently working on a new website for the village where I live. Yes the website is also about WW2. :)

A Handley Page Halifax II DT617 (VR-G) crashed here on april 3, 1943. Sadly is was shot down killing all the crew. I am looking for usable picture of the crew. I have some of course but their almost unsable and I want to honor them in the correct way.

Their names were:

Peter Delamere Boyd, Flight officer, Pilot, 22, 125482
Sebert Norman Hall, Sergeant, 34, R/65638
Gordon Williams Lawry, Flight officer, Navigator, 22, J/12970
Laurence Henry Ransome, Sergeant, 23, 1079156
John Birkett Langley, Sergeant, 19, 1511061
Hamish Turner MacDonald, Pilot Officer, ..., 132735
Beverley William Agar, Flight Sergeant, 26, R/105759

Mission information
Executed by: 419 Squadron
Squadron nationality: RCAF (Canadian)
Mission objective: Bombingrun
Target area: Essen, Ruhr area
Registration code: DT617
Aircraft home base: Middleton St. George
Time of crash: 23:37
Reason for crash: Shot down by night fighter pilot Hauptmann Herbert Lütje of the 8./NJG 1, flying a Bf 110 G-4 from Twenthe airfield.

Any help would be very much appreciated! Thank you so much in advance! Please share this message if you have family or friends who might know. Thank you!

25/03/2026

In the Second World war, a clean shave wasn't about vanity, it was about surviving a gas attack.

From using M1 helmets as washbasins to the "sock exchange" that saved feet from rotting in the trenches, the daily life of a WWII soldier was a constant battle against disease and exhaustion.

Look closely at th G.I. kit in the picture. Beyond the Gillette Safety Razor and the bar of Lifebuoy Soap, you’ll see the "invisible front" of World War II.

Every item here tells a story of survival:

Halazone Tablets: The foul-tasting chlorine pills that kept soldiers from dying of dysentery.

Sulfadiazine: The early "wonder drug" used to stop infections before Penicillin became widely available.

And of course the Pervitin Tube: The German "miracle pill" that fueled the Blitzkrieg but led to a nightmare of addiction and psychosis.

The average soldier fought two wars: one against the enemy across the field, and another against disease, lice, and sheer exhaustion. From the "Reichsmaster of Injections" to the mandatory foot inspections in the mud of Normandy, we are diving deep into the pharmacological and hygienic history of WWII.

Read my blog post that is a deep dive into the hygiene and "wakey-wakey" pills that defined the human side of the war.

Check out the new article here: https://www.normandy1944.info/blog/hygiene-stimulants-and-survival-in-ww2

Adres

Olst

Website

https://www.normandy1944.info/

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