06/19/2024
June 6, 2024, was the 80th anniversary of the D-Day invasion. To honor their family member and founder of Greenamyre Rentals, Inc., V.B. “Mac” Greenamyre, Michael and Jeremy Greenamyre embarked on a tour of his major World War II experiences – the initial invasion of Europe and his time in a prison camp.
Mac Greenamyre flew three missions per day over Normandy, the 6th, 7th, and 8th of June 1944 in his Lockheed P-38 Lightning. On the 16th of June, his 49th mission of WW2, his plane was shot down and he parachuted into German-occupied Belgium. He was taken captive by the German army and moved to Stalag Luft III in Sagan, German (today Żagań, Poland). After months in Stalag Luft III, his entire prison camp was relocated in January 1945 to avoid the advancing Russian army, which was known as The Long March, a series of forced marches during the final stages of World War II. Over 80,000 western Allied prisoners of war were forced to march westward across Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Germany in extreme winter conditions, over about four months between January and April 1945. His walk across central Europe ended in Stalag Luft VII (Moosburg, Germany), where he stayed captive until their camp was liberated May 23, 1945.
To honor their father’s/grandfather’s experience, Michael and Jeremy split their time between Normandy and Poland. In Normandy, they visited Sainte-Mere-Eglise, one of the first towns liberated by the American paratroopers.; Utah Beach, where 28,000 Americans landed on D-Day, and German bunkers and beach obstacles were still visible; Pointe du Hoc, the operation led by the 2nd Rangers Battalion where Rangers had to climb cliffs to destroy long-range German guns, a very important mission to secure Omaha Beach and Utah Beach; Omaha Beach or "Bloody Omaha", where on June 6, 1944, 32,000 Americans had to capture this 4-mile long landing beach extremely defended by the German army, also made famous by the opening scene of “Saving Private Ryan”; finishing at The Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial, which was established for the 9,388 American soldiers who fought and died for liberty.
After Normandy, Michael and Jeremy turned their attention to Mac’s months as a POW. They visited Stalag Luft III Prisoner Camp Museum, Żagań, Poland, which commemorates POW camps set up in during World War II. As family members of a POW, they received a personal tour of the site. Michael and Jeremy spent the day with the museum director, Marek, touring the museum, the recreated POW living quarters and the 60-acre site. Stalag Luft III is also known for the mass breakout of seventy-six prisoners in 1944, an event immortalized in the 1963 film “The Great Escape”.
Michael and Jeremy both considered this a ‘bucket list’ trip to honor the sacrifice and seminal experience of their family member and patriarch of the (now) third-generation family business.
