What they NEVER told you about what happened to the DEAD BODIES on D-Day!

The bloodiest battles in history are often remembered for their magnitude and enormous casualties, but we rarely stop to think about

what

happens to the

bodies

of fallen soldiers, whose stories can be as incredible as the events that take place. in the confrontations themselves: the attack on June 6, 1944, better known as D-Day, is a clear example of this. That day, thousands of soldiers from the Allied and Axis powers lost their lives during combat on the beaches of the coast, however the The death of all of them did not mean the end of their stories. In war, rescuing the remains of Allied soldiers would become a nightmare for the survivors and even Axis fighters would be involved in that unpleasant mission.

Upon landing in Normandy, the Allied soldiers encountered a strongly prepared German resistance and unfavorable weather that further complicated the situation. This generated a chaotic confrontation that culminated in a huge number of casualties. However, that day was not only going to be remembered for the complexity and terrible consequences of the battle but also because of everything that would happen afterwards with the

bodies

of the Fallen Soldiers, obtaining an exact number of victims becomes a difficult task due to the large number of deaths on the battlefield and various circumstances that They further complicated the subsequent work; however, it is currently possible to obtain an approximate amount from the information provided by the memorials.

The figure is staggering: 4,414 Allied soldiers are believed to have lost their lives on D-Day, with the worst casualties on Omaha Beach, around 2,000 American fighters on other beaches on the Normandy coast, around 2,000 British soldiers and around 340 Canadians. They died for their part. German forces suffered between four thousand and nine thousand casualties in the chaos and confusion of the fighting. It was impossible for commanders to track service member casualties, making it even more difficult to determine the specific time and place where a fighter died. many of them ended up with a different company, added to this was the fact that the missing soldiers were not declared

dead

until a year after their disappearance, the D-Day

dead

were not always cared for in the moments after their death, the The survivors were quite busy taking positions along the coast and could not stop under any circumstances.

As a solution to this problem, a group of soldiers was created to search for Graves as soon as possible, but then

what

happened

to the thousands of bodies that fell during the At the exact moment of the attack, the only thing the soldiers could do at that moment was cover the remains of their companions with a blanket or other cloth that

they

had on hand and continue advancing before their astonished eyes, the waters of the beaches were dyed red and

they

could see how some rubble floating above them the number of corpses in the place was so great that those soldiers who managed to survive had to step over the corpses to continue on their way some of the combatants could see how the bodies were frequently dragged to the shore by The amount of remains that had to be recovered and buried provisionally was increasing.

The panorama was already worthy of a nightmare and, however, the worst was to come once the Allied troops took the German positions and were able to control the Normandy beaches they had. to advance further towards France and the rest of Europe, but the continuation of their work was interrupted by the thousands of corpses behind them for these men, leaving them in the open where they felt it was not an option, so they decided to find a solution fast and viable. solution, not having enough time to establish a formal cemetery, the survivors decided to create temporary graves near the beach both out of respect and hygiene, so with great determination and few resources they began the difficult task, one of those in charge of carrying out and guiding this work was El Sergeant Albert E Legg along with his companions made temporary Tunes with the elements that they had available, parts of wooden boxes to build tombstones and remains of parachutes as shrouds.

Thanks to the efforts made by these soldiers, eight cemeteries were established in the area before the 10th. June, however, the experience was especially disturbing for those who participated, says Private Thomas J. Dowling, who recalls that the bodies of his comrades decomposed so quickly that even the effort to bury them before this

happened

was in vain, but believe it or not. No, this task was not carried out. Only by the Allies were even some captured German soldiers forced to work as gravediggers in the temporary cemeteries. At first the prisoners thought that the graves they were digging were for themselves and refused to continue learning that thousands of soldiers' remains would rest there. allies.

They agreed to complete the task in this way. They played a very important role in helping to bury the increasing number of corpses. Identifying the deceased was also a daunting task. It was easy to recognize the soldiers wearing name and company badges. that belonged on their necks when this was not the case, members of grave-searching groups were forced to dig deeper to match a body with an identity and family driver's licenses, letters, clothing and even Fingerprints and dental records were used to make a positive identification in those cases. To the trauma generated by the combat experience itself, several men had to add the horrible situation of having to search for the remains of their companions to provide them with a dignified burial.

Many times they had to remove the pieces of bodies that were left in the water. The trapped soldiers Ships rarely had bathing facilities or clean clothes to change into, so they often continued to work with their colleagues' blood on their uniforms. As if all this were not enough, the retreating Germans used to place explosives in the bodies doing the experiment. extremely dangerous as well as unpleasant, however, despite the efforts made, the remains of some soldiers were

never

found, but not everything ended there since the repatriation also took time, generating great anguish for the relatives of those who died on D-Day in the first place. place because no deceased would be returned to their homes until the end of the war in 1945.

Additionally, officials had to coordinate the repatriation of dead soldiers from around the world, which further delayed the appointment. Finally, in 1951, more than 179,000 bodies were returned to their families, although some combatants were in permanent condition. graves in Europe far from their cities of origin what happened to the bodies of D-Day marked the lives of many people the surviving soldiers and the families involved were left with consequences that are difficult to forget some of the fallen were recovered and recorded by searching for graves Others Members of the staff were buried on the battlefield by their own comrades, while those who were lost suffered a darker fate.

Today there are 27 military cemeteries in the area including soldiers from the Allied and Axis powers, especially famous as the Normandy American Cemetery located next to Omaha. Beach where 9,387 soldiers rest The famous cemetery has a garden of the missing with monuments to 1,557 service members who were

never

recovered This makes it possible to pay tribute to all those who participated in this historic confrontation, even regardless of the tragic fate of their bodies This was the shocking story of the fallen in Normandy. Thank you for accompanying us until the end. We will meet again in the next military history video.