June 6: "Day of days"
Today is June 6, 2023, the 79th anniversary of the airborne assault and amphibious landings made primarily by American, British and Canadian Forces along a 50-mile stretch on the Normandy Coast. So long as human beings live in freedom, it will rank as one of human civilization’s most monumental days. The scale of the endeavor was epic. In fact, it may be the most complicated one ever executed by human beings en masse.
During the first 24 hours, 18,000 paratroopers fell from the sky, while 7,000 ships delivered 160,000 men to the beaches under the cover of thousands of aircraft. It was all a total surprise. Within weeks, Arromanches-les-Bains would be the busiest seaport in the world.
The generation that fought there remembered it as the “day of days.” The liberation of Europe had begun. Forever more, it would simply be known as “D-Day.”
General Dwight David Eisenhower, the Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Forces, addressed the vast army of liberation. Listen to his words:
Eisenhower was also prepared to accept responsibility for failure. He drafted a letter in case the invasion went awry. This is what he wrote:
Our landings in the Cherbourg-Havre area have failed to gain a satisfactory foothold and I have withdrawn the troops. My decision to attack at this time and place was based upon the best information available. The troops, the air and the Navy did all that bravery and devotion to duty could do. If any blame or fault attaches to the attempt it is mine alone.
President Roosevelt hand wrote the remarks that he delivered to the nation on the evening of that first day, on which thousands of Americans were killed in France. It was a prayer. Have a listen:
The graves at the American cemetery in Normandy all face west — back towards home. Think about those men today. They helped give us all the life that we are able to lead today. They saved the world from a transcendent evil, and by doing so, saved humanity.
I have been to the beaches, landing zones and cemetery in Normandy while on a visit to Paris. The ride by train and tour I took with my wife and teenage son at the time was in many ways the highlight of the week-long trip to France. Like visiting the USS Arizona, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington, it is hallowed ground. Impeccably maintained, I could not escape the reality of the thousands of lives cut short, who gave what Lincoln called the last full measure of devotion. It was an extraordinary and emotional moment for me. As I left the cemetery, I was compelled to stop, turn and look back at those grave markers row upon row and simply said quietly, “thank you boys. You helped save the world.” The visit should be a pilgrimage for every person that believes in Democracy. I am a lifelong history lover and passionate about the history of WWII in particular but I cannot recommend the visit and trip enough to anyone -- history buff or not!
I have a friend who was a little girl living under German occupation and witnessed the sky full of paratroopers that day. She told me she thought they were angels coming to save her. They were.