D_day battle lasted 85 days. By that I mean there was constant, heavy combat ever day for almost three months. Early on men were not rotated out of combat unless they were seriously wounded or dead. They just poured in replacements. It was a meat grinder. One tough fight after another. The Germans had years to prepare for their defensive positions and had every inch mapped and sighted in for support. The only way to dislodge the Germans was to flatten things, with them in them. Those men were brave to go ashore but the grind must have been ten times as bad. 30% suffered combat fatigue, PTSD today, but they stayed on the line and continued to fight. Nobody wanted to let their friends down. Those were men and we are forever grateful to them. God bless.
