On Tuesday, June 6, 1944, over 160,000 brave men crossed the choppy waters of the English Channel to land in enemy-occupied France for the long-awaited liberation of “Fortress Europe.” The following photo essay is offered in their honor and in honor of the men and women of our Greatest Generation.
This June 6 marks the 73rd anniversary of D-Day. Nothing captures the drama and action of that day better than the words of the men who actually took part in the assault. Particularly poignant are the voices of the elite Army Rangers who led the way off bloody Omaha Beach.
Seventy-two year ago, Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower scribbled on a loose piece of paper his order to launch Operation Overlord—taking full responsibility for its failure, which was very likely. The planning for Overlord began in May 1940, soon after France
On June 6, 1984, the 40th anniversary of D-Day, President Ronald Reagan stood on what he called a “lonely, windswept point on the northern shore of France” to deliver an oration that would become known as his “Boys of Pointe du Hoc” speech. He made this speech in front of 62 survivors of the 2nd Ranger Battalion who courageously scaled the 100 ft. high cliffs on that fateful day.
On June 6, 1944, almost four years to the day that British Prime Minister Winston Churchill delivered his famous “We Shall Fight on the Beaches” speech in which he prophetically called for the “New World” to step forth to liberate the old, Allied forces under the command of General Dwight Eisenhower stormed the beaches of Normandy. The hour of Europe’s liberation had come, and it would be delivered by the greatest amphibious invasion in world history.
On June 5, 1944, standing in his headquarters watching it rain, General Dwight Eisenhower, the Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in Europe, pulled out a pencil and scribbled a short note he hoped he wouldn’t have to use.
