D-Day Remembered

Of June the sixth, the Press still speaks;
The invasion planned for months, not weeks,
Great secret well-kept - no release
Millions placed their hopes on peace...

«Fight on the beaches!» Churchill said
Indeed, so many lives were shed
Mulberry harbours, men ashore
Many young, untried and raw ...

Hitler, thank God, caught off guard;
The Allies bravely pushed on hard
French towns in Normandy soon free
A heavy price for victory ...

Coastal defences run right through
The rough terrain on our side too
As Panzer tanks, caught up, were lost
No time to count the human cost ...

A first dent in the NAZI shield
Heavy fighting in the field ...
This war by stealth and Might aligned
Stays forever in our mind.

Though many veterans are no more
We recall that day in Forty-Four;
The map of Europe was redrawn:
We woke up to a brighter dawn...

(c) Poet in the woods 2020