Is D-Day Overplayed?

[PanzerJaeger]

I havent been to Europe in a few years but ever since Saving Private Ryan came out here in the USA, D-day is everywhere!

-SPR made millions.
-HBO(a cable TV station) came out with an amazingly successful mini-series about the 101st Airborne divisions drop over Normandy and the subsequent battles they fought in through the rest of the war.
-The History Channel is FULL of D-day shows.. too many to count.
-A visit to the local bookstore will yield tons of d-day books, often cheaply done to boot.

Americas affair with ww2 is a great thing imo, but it seems said affair only extends as far as the normandy invasion.

Id like to start seeing some shows on the Eastern Front (where my family fought), italy, and the pacific.

D-Day was an amazing and very important operation, but i think there are more important, and frankly more intresting battles that get little to no attention.

I hate to say it, but im bored of D-Day stuff.

[Empedocles]

I am totally suporting your post!!
I believe that, although it was very important, the D-day invasion was not as important as it seems.
If Overlord have never happened then a southern France invasion (combined with operation in north italy) would have the same results than D-Day. And even more, because Hitler and his generals thought the only way a big invasion may came was across the English channel.
In my belief Hitler lost the war the minute he invaded Russia. (He may have taken moscow but Stalin would have fought to the end in other city like Stalingrad and pushed back german's armies)

Bye

PS: Panzer Jager, can you tell more about your family during WWII? I'm interested.
I've lost my grand grandfather in WWI building by disease making fortifications in Italy to stop germans.

[Krusader]

I agree about D-Day. When the anniversary came up there was so many docs and such portraing it. BBC Hisory Mag even had a big issue with D-Day 1944, and "kinda" D-Day 1204, when the English lost Normandy to the French. That had some impact too.

But for me I got fed up with D-Day when I saw Axis & Allies: D-Day.

Band of Brothers is IMO and my friends, much better than Saving Private Ryan btw.

[metatron]

Yes and no. I personally see it as one of the most critical battles of the war. That said, there's only so much you can go over before it gets old.

At least old war movies actually talked about Italy/N. Africa.

[PanzerJaeger]

PS: Panzer Jager, can you tell more about your family during WWII? I'm interested.

Sure.

My grandfather was the oldest of three sons. He entered the heer in '37 i believe and joined the 2nd panzer division as it was coming into its own. He participated in the invasion of poland, then france, and finally the lower countries and greece, all in panzer II's. Luckily for him, his tank and most of the others from the division were loaded onto a transport to italy, and promptly sunk by a british mine. Why lucky? Because they were refitted with panzer IV's. He missed the beginning of the invasion of russia, but was soon sent there. He fought in many hard, and mostly defensive battles until he was finally killed at Kursk.

The second oldest brother was also in the heer. He had a somewhat less intresting carreer... being a behind the lines supply officer. He was, however, also killed on the eastern front. We think by partisans, but dont really know.

The youngest of the brothers was probably the most dubious. A member of the 3rd SS division "Death's Head" and proud of it. Needless to say he was killed in the Demyansk Pocket.

[TinCow]

Yes, D-Day was very important. No, it is not overplayed. Yes, everything else IS underplayed. I have no problems with how much attention is devoted to D-Day, I just wish there was a lot more attention devoted to all the other important moments as well. Many people and nations who go unrecognized these days.