Bill Text: TX HR2209 | 2019-2020 | 86th Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: Commemorating the 75th anniversary of the D-Day invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2019-05-28 - Reported enrolled [HR2209 Detail]
Download: Texas-2019-HR2209-Enrolled.html
H.R. No. 2209 |
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WHEREAS, On June 6, 2019, Americans and freedom-loving people | ||
from around the globe will pause to reflect, honor, and commemorate | ||
the 75th anniversary of the D-Day invasion by principally American, | ||
British, and Canadian military troops by amphibious assault from | ||
the English Channel on the beaches of Normandy, France, and via | ||
airborne assault in the French countryside by their fellow | ||
paratroopers, totaling nearly 160,000 men, this military campaign | ||
code-named "Operation Overlord" significantly led to the ultimate | ||
liberation of Europe and the end of World War II; and | ||
WHEREAS, Though Germany's Third Reich was suffering heavy | ||
military losses on the Eastern Front, it still controlled much of | ||
Europe; after entering the war in December 1941, U.S. armed forces | ||
joined with other Allied forces to drive the German Africa Corps out | ||
of North Africa in May 1943, and in July of that year, the American | ||
and British forces began the liberation of Europe with the invasion | ||
of Sicily; by the summer of 1944, World War II had been raging for | ||
nearly five years; and | ||
WHEREAS, Planning for an Allied invasion across the English | ||
Channel subsequently commenced, and in January 1944, General Dwight | ||
D. Eisenhower was appointed as commander of Operation Overlord; | ||
faced with a 2,400-mile German defensive line of bunkers, land | ||
mines, and beach obstacles known as the Atlantic Wall, the Allies | ||
began to train a force of American, British, and Canadian troops in | ||
Britain; and | ||
WHEREAS, In the months leading up to the invasion, the | ||
British and American air forces flew 200,000 sorties and dropped | ||
195,000 tons of bombs on German installations in France, attacking | ||
rail centers, airfields, military bases, radar stations, and | ||
coastal artillery batteries; the Allies also engaged in an | ||
extensive deception operation intended to fool the Germans into | ||
thinking the invasion would take place near Pas-de-Calais, instead | ||
of the real target, the coast of Normandy; and | ||
WHEREAS, Late in the day of June 5, 1944, almost 6,000 ships | ||
and landing craft loaded with troops and supplies left Britain and | ||
started across the English Channel toward France; that night, | ||
approximately 800 aircraft carrying paratroopers and towing | ||
gliders dropped members of the American 82nd and 101st Airborne | ||
Divisions and the British 6th Airborne Division behind enemy lines | ||
in Normandy; and | ||
WHEREAS, At 6:30 a.m. on June 6, 1944, the first of 156,000 | ||
Allied troops landed on the shores of Normandy; the soldiers at the | ||
beachheads of Gold, Juno, Sword, and Utah met light German | ||
resistance, but at Omaha Beach, the U.S. 1st Division encountered | ||
strong Wehrmacht defenses; the Americans fought for every inch of | ||
ground, suffering more than 2,000 casualties before finally seizing | ||
control and taking the beach; and | ||
WHEREAS, A week later, the coast was completely under Allied | ||
command, and over 326,000 troops, 50,000 vehicles, and 100,000 tons | ||
of equipment had been landed; by the end of August 1944, the Allies | ||
had liberated Paris and driven the Germans out of northwestern | ||
France; there was much hard fighting to come as the Allies advanced | ||
east into Germany, but less than a year after D-Day, on May 8, 1945, | ||
the Allies accepted the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany; | ||
and | ||
WHEREAS, One of the greatest military feats in history, the | ||
Normandy invasion is a testament to the bold leadership and | ||
logistical skill of General Eisenhower and the Allied command, but | ||
in the end, the success of the operation relied heavily on the | ||
determination and courage of the troops who waded through the surf | ||
into a hail of machine gun bullets, who rode gliders in the dark | ||
through bursts of antiaircraft fire, and who parachuted into the | ||
French countryside occupied by the enemy; and | ||
WHEREAS, The heroism and sacrifice of these soldiers, airmen, | ||
and sailors were essential in liberating a continent and ending one | ||
of the most brutal dictatorships of the 20th century, and | ||
succeeding generations owe them a debt of gratitude that time can | ||
never erase; now, therefore, be it | ||
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 86th Texas | ||
Legislature hereby commemorate the 75th anniversary of the D-Day | ||
invasion and pay tribute to the veterans who participated and to | ||
those who lost their lives. | ||
Price | ||
______________________________ | ||
Speaker of the House | ||
I certify that H.R. No. 2209 was adopted by the House on May | ||
27, 2019, by a non-record vote. | ||
______________________________ | ||
Chief Clerk of the House | ||