cancel2 2022
Canceled
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Now here is a great little tale.
On June 6th, 1944, David Silva (left) was 19 years old when he landed on Omaha Beach with the 116th Infantry Reg. 29th Division. Upon reaching the sand, he was hit 3 times in the chest by an MG sitting on top of the bluff.
Simultaneously, 21 year old Heinrich Severloh (right) of the 352nd Infanterie-Division was manning his MG42 on the same sector that Silva was on. As the day progressed and the Allies overtook the beachhead, Heinrich became a POW.
In the mid 1960s, Silva was contacted by Heinrich after he found Silva's name in the book The Longest Day as one of the survivors of the Easy Red sector. Both men met in Germany and after sharing their details of that day, Heinrich realized that he was the one who shot Silva on the beach.
Almost 60 years later, both men met on the same landing sector of Omaha beach and shook hands, and this photo captured it all. Silva said: "I forgave him, even though he didn't want me to. I think he really wanted this, he was hurting alot".
Heinrich said: "There was no glory on the beach that day, just a lot of blood and screams and young men dying. With Silva, you can apologise, the others who died out there, you can no longer apologise. I visit them at the cemetery....we were all boys."
Now here is a great little tale.
On June 6th, 1944, David Silva (left) was 19 years old when he landed on Omaha Beach with the 116th Infantry Reg. 29th Division. Upon reaching the sand, he was hit 3 times in the chest by an MG sitting on top of the bluff.
Simultaneously, 21 year old Heinrich Severloh (right) of the 352nd Infanterie-Division was manning his MG42 on the same sector that Silva was on. As the day progressed and the Allies overtook the beachhead, Heinrich became a POW.
In the mid 1960s, Silva was contacted by Heinrich after he found Silva's name in the book The Longest Day as one of the survivors of the Easy Red sector. Both men met in Germany and after sharing their details of that day, Heinrich realized that he was the one who shot Silva on the beach.
Almost 60 years later, both men met on the same landing sector of Omaha beach and shook hands, and this photo captured it all. Silva said: "I forgave him, even though he didn't want me to. I think he really wanted this, he was hurting alot".
Heinrich said: "There was no glory on the beach that day, just a lot of blood and screams and young men dying. With Silva, you can apologise, the others who died out there, you can no longer apologise. I visit them at the cemetery....we were all boys."
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