D-Day veteran George Chandler, known for challenging romanticized portrayals of World War II, has passed away at 99. A Royal Navy gunner, Chandler was among the few remaining witnesses to the Normandy landings on June 6, 1944. He aimed to instill an honest understanding of war's brutal reality in younger generations, famously stating, "Let me assure you, what you read in those silly books that have been written about D-Day are absolute crap."
Chandler's motor torpedo boat was part of a fleet escorting US troops to Omaha and Utah beaches. As dawn broke, he witnessed an expansive armada with planes overhead. A navigation mishap caused the troops he was escorting to land off-target, fatally. "It's a very sad memory because I watched young American Rangers get shot, slaughtered." Chandler was 19. "I will never forget the sight of seeing those brave young men fighting and dying as they struggled to get off the beach," he added. After the Normandy operations, his boat was reassigned to the Adriatic, where it struck a mine in April 1945, claiming the lives of 19 out of 31 crew members.
The family plans to scatter some of Chandler's ashes at sea in the Adriatic, reuniting him with his fallen comrades. Chandler succumbed to pneumonia on October 19, his son Paul said. Despite losing his sight later in life, Chandler had a significant career with the General Post Office and British Telecommunications. He had intended to lead the Blind Veterans UK group at Britain's Remembrance Sunday this November. His granddaughters will now march in his memory. (This story was generated by Newser's AI chatbot. Source: the AP)
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