The first VE Day parade in London in 1946, marking the end of WWII.
Louis “Speedy” Weber was 25 in June 1944 when he crossed the English Channel as part of the massive Allied invasion force that landed on Normandy beaches to push the Nazis out of Western Europe.
Even as a hardened American soldier who had fought in Africa and Italy, Weber was overwhelmed by the scope of Operation Overlord.
“This invasion made my other invasions look feeble,” he wrote in a letter to his wife, Frances, a few days later. “I never before saw as many ships, airplanes, and equipment in my whole war time experience.”
But during the crossing, he told her, he felt as safe as if he were in her arms, “because as far as the eye could see, there was nothing but ships of every description. When I looked up into the sky I had a hard time seeing the sun, because of the planes we had up there. It was a sight I’ll never forget.”
