Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 66

Introduced by Senator Stone

(Coauthors: Senators Bates, Fuller, Huff, Morrell, Nguyen, Nielsen, Roth, Runner, and Vidak)

May 22, 2015

Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 66—Relative to the 71st anniversary of D-Day, the invasion of Normandy.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

SCR 66, as introduced, Stone. 71st anniversary of D-Day, the invasion of Normandy.

This measure would recognize June 6, 2015, as the 71st anniversary of the invasion of Normandy, also known as D-Day. This measure would express the gratitude and appreciation of the Legislature to the members of the United States Armed Forces who participated in D-Day, and would call upon the people of California to observe the anniversary with appropriate reflections and recognition.

Fiscal committee: no.

WHEREAS, June 6, 2015, marks the 71st anniversary of the
invasion at Normandy, France, by the Allied forces, known as
Operation Overlord; and

WHEREAS, Before Operation Overlord, the German Army
occupied France and the Nazi government had access to the raw
materials and industrial capacity of Western Europe; and

WHEREAS, Supreme Allied Commander General Dwight D.
Eisenhower called Operation Overlord a “Crusade in Europe,”
telling the soldiers, sailors, and airmen who would participate in
the operation that “The free men of the world are marching together
to victory. I have full confidence in your courage, devotion to duty,
and skill in battle”; and

WHEREAS, The naval assault phase on Normandy was
code-named “Neptune,” and the June 6th assault date is referred
to as D-Day to denote the day on which the invasion was launched;
and

WHEREAS, Significant aerial bombardments and operations,
including Operation Fortitude, by Allied forces during the weeks
and months leading up to and in support of Operation Overlord,
played a significant role in the success of the Normandy landings;
and

WHEREAS, More than 13,000 soldiers parachuted, and several
hundred soldiers in the glider units, participating in Mission Detroit
and Mission Chicago, landed behind enemy lines to secure landing
fields in the 24 hours preceding the amphibious landing; and

WHEREAS, Soldiers of six divisions, composed of three
American, two British, and one Canadian division, stormed ashore
in five main landing areas on beaches in Normandy that were
code-named “Utah,” “Omaha,” “Gold,” “Juno,” and “Sword”; and

WHEREAS, The D-Day landing was the largest single
amphibious assault in history, consisting of approximately 31,000
members of the United States Armed Forces and more than 3,000
vehicles that embarked on 208 vessels from Weymouth and
Portland, England; and

WHEREAS, Of the estimated 9,400 casualties incurred by Allied
forces on the first day of the landing, an estimated 5,400 casualties
were members of the United States Armed Forces; and

WHEREAS, Only five days after the initial landing, Allied
forces secured a beachhead that was 50 miles long and 12 miles
deep and was occupied by more than 325,000 soldiers; and

WHEREAS, On July 25, 1944, Allied forces launched Operation
COBRA to break out of the beachhead and began the liberation
of France, which ultimately contributed to the destruction of the
Nazi regime on May 7, 1945; and

WHEREAS, Planned for over two years by Allied forces, the
D-Day invasion was an intricate coordination of the world's greatest
military forces and an exercise in cooperation that marked the
turning point of the war and the world's history; and

WHEREAS, Members of the “greatest generation” assumed the
task of cooperating to free the world from Nazi and Fascist regimes
and restore liberty to Europe; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly
thereof concurring, That the Legislature recognizes June 6, 2015,
as the 71st anniversary of the invasion of Normandy, also known
as D-Day; and be it further

Resolved, That the Legislature expresses its gratitude and
appreciation to the members of the United States Armed Forces
and the Allied forces who cooperated and sacrificed in this critical
battle to secure liberation from the Nazi and Fascist regimes; and
be it further

Resolved, That the Legislature calls upon the people of
California to observe the 71st anniversary of D-Day with
appropriate reflections of this period of world history and
recognition of all those Californians and Americans who have
sacrificed for freedom; and be it further

Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of
this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.