Ilya Kramnik, military observer for RIA Novosti.
June 6, 2009 marks the 65th anniversary of one of the most important operations of World War II, the Allied landings in Normandy, also known as Operation Overlord.
The landing in Northern France was being prepared for a long time. It is perhaps no exaggeration to say that this was the most long-awaited operation of the Second World War, which was talked about almost immediately after the British Expeditionary Force left the continent, and France capitulated in 1940.
The prospects for an Allied landing in Europe were especially actively discussed after the attack of Nazi Germany on the USSR on June 22, 1941, when the overwhelming majority of combat-ready German divisions were transferred to the east. However, the opening of the second front had to wait three long years.
The landing in Europe became one of the main topics of debate between the leaders of the Anti-Hitler coalition - Stalin, Roosevelt, Churchill in 1941-43. The leadership of the USSR spoke about the need to open a second front in Europe in the summer of 1941, however, at the same time Churchill replied that such an operation was impossible "in the near future."
The entire next period of time from July-August 1941 to June 6, 1944 can be called the period of preparation for this largest landing operation in history. The Allies were concentrating forces - more and more British, American, Canadian divisions, squadrons, landing ships were gathering on the British Isles; and gained experience - landing operations in Africa, in Sicily and in continental Italy, in the Pacific Islands.
On August 19, 1942, the Allies attempted a landing in Europe - Operation Jubilee, also known as the Dieppe Raid. 4963 infantry from the 2nd Canadian Division, 1075 British commandos and 50 American rangers were landed on the coast, supported by armored vehicles, aircraft and naval artillery. The operation, however, failed completely. More than 3,500 soldiers and officers from among those who landed on the shore were killed or captured, the rest managed to evacuate.
Regarding the raid on Dieppe, there are various versions. Some believe that the purpose of the operation was to demonstrate to the Soviet Union the impossibility of a successful large-scale landing operation in 1942, others that the goal was to accumulate the necessary experience, which would then come in handy when planning landings in Africa, Sicily, Italy, and, finally, in France.
In the autumn of 1943, at the Tehran Conference, the leaders of the allies came to a consensus: the landing in Western Europe should take place next spring. It must be said that the allies chose an almost ideal (for themselves) moment for the operation. If they hurry with a large-scale operation, and start it, say, in 1943, the risk of a major defeat would be too great. On the other hand, slowing down and postponing the landing to the end of summer/early autumn of 1944 or even to the spring of 1945 would have been fraught for the Allies with the fact that the USSR would have moved much further deep into Western Europe, and the Anglo-American influence on the post-war reorganization of Europe would have been would be significantly weakened.
The scale of the operation is impressive: from June 6 to August 19, 1944 (the day the Seine was crossed, which is considered the formal end of the battle for Normandy), more than three million people crossed the English Channel by sea and by air (the number of the group by the beginning of the operation was 2876 thousand people). The operation was supported from the air by 11,000 combat aircraft. The Allied fleet consisted of more than six thousand combat, transport and landing ships and boats.
These forces were opposed by about 380 thousand German soldiers and officers. The German divisions experienced an acute shortage of armored vehicles, transport, and trained personnel - the best parts of the Wehrmacht and the SS troops at that time were on the Eastern Front, which took the lion's share of German resources. The gap in the air was even more striking - the 11,000th Allied aviation armada, the Luftwaffe could oppose no more than 500 aircraft - the rest of the machines were involved in the air defense of the Reich (defense from strategic bombers) and, again, on the Eastern Front.
The main reason for the success of the operation was the error of the German leadership in determining the direction of the Allied strike. Adolf Hitler believed that the strike would be delivered through the Pas de Calais, which led to the incorrect alignment of German forces in the theater.
The battle for Normandy began on the night of June 5-6, 1944 with an airborne landing and air and artillery strikes on the German defensive fortifications. Two American airborne divisions (82nd and 101st) were landed near the city of Carentan, and one British (54th) near the city of Caen.
On the morning of June 6, the amphibious landing began. The coastal fortifications of the Germans on almost the entire landing front were suppressed, however, it was not possible to completely suppress the firing points in the Omaha sector, and there the Allies suffered significant losses - more than 3,000 people. However, these losses could not disrupt the landing. In general, by the evening of June 6, there were more than five divisions on the coast.
By the end of June, the Allies expanded the bridgehead to 100 km along the front and 20-40 km in depth. Over 25 divisions (including 4 tank divisions) were concentrated on it, which were opposed by 23 weakened German divisions (including 9 tank divisions). The Germans had no reserves - at that time, Soviet troops launched a Belarusian strategic offensive operation on the Eastern Front. The date of the offensive between the allies was agreed in advance to facilitate the operation in Normandy.
Operation Bagration, launched on June 23, 1944, in which the 2.4 million Soviet grouping was opposed by 1.2 million Germans, diverted almost all the reserves that the German command could still find, and became the main guarantee of the success of the Allied offensive from the bridgehead in Normandy. On June 29, the Allies took Cherbourg. By July 21 - Saint-Lo. In August, the German front in Normandy collapsed completely. On August 19, Allied troops crossed the Seine, and on August 25 they liberated Paris. By this time, Soviet troops had reached the Vistula, occupying several bridgeheads on its western bank. The fall of the Nazi Reich was the matter of the coming months.
The landing of the allies in Normandy meets with conflicting assessments. In the West, it is considered almost the central event of the entire war, in Russia it is often called a secondary operation, arguing that at that time Germany was already doomed and the Allied landing "did not solve anything."
Both of these views are far from reality. Of course, the outcome of the war had already been decided by the summer of 1944, and it was decided precisely on the eastern front, where the best units of the Wehrmacht found their grave. At the same time, the landing of the allies, of course, brought victory closer by several months, and saved hundreds of thousands of Soviet soldiers who could have been killed or wounded in battles with German units that were not defeated on the western front.
The Soviet leadership was well aware of the significance of the second front in Europe, which was the reason for the insistent demands to open it as soon as possible. And what was finally done by the Allies on June 6, 1944, certainly deserves to be mentioned among the greatest and most significant battles of the Second World War, along with the battles of Moscow, Stalingrad, Kursk, and others.
"Second front". For three years it was opened by our soldiers. That's what the American stew was called. And yet the "second front" existed in the form of aircraft, tanks, trucks, non-ferrous metals. But the real opening of the second front, the landing in Normandy, took place only on June 6, 1944.
Europe as one impregnable fortress
In December 1941, Adolf Hitler announced that he would create a belt of giant fortifications from Norway to Spain and this would be an insurmountable front for any enemy. This was the Führer's first reaction to the US entry into World War II. Not knowing where the landing of the allied troops would take place, in Normandy or elsewhere, he promised to turn all of Europe into an impregnable fortress.
It was absolutely impossible to do this, however, for another year no fortifications were built along the coastline. And why was it done? The Wehrmacht was advancing on all fronts, and the victory of the Germans by themselves seemed simply inevitable.
Start of construction
At the end of 1942, Hitler now seriously ordered the construction of a belt of structures on the western coast of Europe, which he called the Atlantic Wall, in a year. Nearly 600,000 people worked on the construction. All of Europe was left without cement. Even materials from the old French Maginot line were used, but it was not possible to meet the deadline. The main thing was missing - well-trained and armed troops. The Eastern Front literally devoured the German divisions. So many units in the west had to be formed from the elderly, children and women. The combat effectiveness of such troops did not inspire any optimism in the commander-in-chief on the Western Front, Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt. He repeatedly asked the Fuhrer for reinforcements. Hitler eventually sent Field Marshal Erwin Rommel to help him.
New curator
The aged Gerd von Rundstedt and the energetic Erwin Rommel did not get along right away. Rommel did not like that the Atlantic Wall was only half built, there were not enough large-caliber guns, and despondency reigned among the troops. In private conversations, Gerd von Rundstedt called the defenses a bluff. He believed that his units should be withdrawn from the coast and attack the Allied landing site in Normandy after. Erwin Rommel strongly disagreed with this. He intended to defeat the British and Americans right on the shore, where they could not bring reinforcements.
To do this, it was necessary to concentrate tank and motorized divisions off the coast. Erwin Rommel declared: “The war will be won or lost on these sands. The first 24 hours of the invasion will be decisive. The landing of troops in Normandy will go down in military history as one of the most unsuccessful thanks to the valiant German army. In general, Adolf Hitler approved of Erwin Rommel's plan, but left the panzer divisions under his command.
The coastline is getting stronger
Even under these conditions, Erwin Rommel did a lot. Almost the entire coast of French Normandy was mined, and tens of thousands of metal and wooden slingshots were installed below the water level at low tide. It seemed that an amphibious landing in Normandy was impossible. The barrier structures were supposed to stop the landing craft so that the coastal artillery had time to shoot at enemy targets. The troops were engaged in combat training without interruption. There was not a single part of the coast left that Erwin Rommel would not have visited.
Everything is ready for defense, you can rest
In April 1944, he would say to his adjutant: "Today I have only one enemy, and that enemy is time." All these worries so exhausted Erwin Rommel that in early June he went on a short vacation, however, like many German military commanders on the west coast. Those who did not go on vacation, by a strange coincidence, ended up on business trips far from the coast. The generals and officers who remained on the ground were calm and relaxed. The weather forecast until mid-June was the most unsuitable for the landing. Therefore, the Allied landing in Normandy seemed something unrealistic and fantastic. Heavy seas, squally winds and low clouds. No one guessed that an unprecedented armada of ships had already left English ports.
Great battles. Landing in Normandy
The Normandy landings were called "Overlord" by the Allies. Literally translated, it means "ruler". It became the largest landing operation in the history of mankind. The landing of the allied forces in Normandy took place with the participation of 5,000 warships and landing craft. The commander-in-chief of the allied forces, General Dwight Eisenhower, could not postpone the landing because of the weather. Only three days - from June 5 to June 7 - there was a late moon, and immediately after dawn - low water. The condition for the transfer of paratroopers and landing on gliders was a dark sky and moonrise during landing. The low tide was necessary for the amphibious assault to see the coastal barriers. In stormy seas, thousands of paratroopers suffered from seasickness in the cramped holds of boats and barges. Several dozen ships could not withstand the assault and sank. But nothing could stop the operation. The landing in Normandy begins. The troops were to land at five places along the coast.
Beginning of Operation Overlord
At 0:15 on June 6, 1944, the sovereign entered the land of Europe. The operation was started by paratroopers. Eighteen thousand paratroopers scattered across the lands of Normandy. However, not everyone is lucky. About half ended up in swamps and minefields, but the other half completed their tasks. Panic broke out in the German rear. Communication lines were destroyed, and, most importantly, undamaged strategically important bridges were captured. By this time, the marines were already fighting on the coast.
The landing of American troops in Normandy was on the sandy beaches of Omaha and Utah, the British and Canadians landed on the sites of Sword, June and Gold. Warships fought a duel with coastal artillery, trying, if not to suppress, then at least to distract it from the paratroopers. Thousands of allied aircraft simultaneously bombed and stormed German positions. One English pilot recalled that the main task was not to collide with each other in the sky. The advantage of the Allies in the air was 72:1.
Memories of a German ace
On the morning and afternoon of June 6, the Luftwaffe offered no resistance to the coalition troops. Only two German pilots appeared in the landing area, this is the commander of the 26th Fighter Squadron - the famous ace Josef Priller, and his wingman.
Josef Priller (1915-1961) got tired of listening to confusing explanations of what was happening on the shore, and he flew out on reconnaissance. Seeing thousands of ships at sea and thousands of aircraft in the air, he ironically exclaimed: "Today is truly a great day for the pilots of the Luftwaffe." Indeed, never before have the Reich Air Force been so powerless. Two planes swept low over the beach, firing cannons and machine guns, and disappeared into the clouds. That's all they could do. When the mechanics examined the plane of the German ace, it turned out that there were more than two hundred bullet holes in it.
Allied assault continues
The Nazi navy did a little better. Three torpedo boats in a suicide attack by the invasion fleet managed to sink one American destroyer. The landing of the Allied troops in Normandy, namely the British and Canadians, did not meet with serious resistance in their areas. In addition, they managed to safely transport tanks and guns ashore. The Americans, especially in the Omaha section, were much less fortunate. Here the defense of the Germans was held by the 352nd division, which consisted of veterans fired on different fronts.
The Germans let the paratroopers to four hundred meters and opened heavy fire. Almost all the American boats approached the shore east of the given places. They were swept away by a strong current, and thick smoke from fires made it difficult to navigate. The sapper platoons were almost destroyed, so there was no one to make passes in the minefields. The panic began. Then several destroyers came close to the shore and began to hit the German positions with direct fire. The 352nd Division did not remain in debt to the sailors, the ships were seriously damaged, but the paratroopers under their cover were able to break through the German defenses. Thanks to this, in all areas of the landing, the Americans and the British were able to move several miles forward.
Trouble for the Fuhrer
A few hours later, when Adolf Hitler woke up, Field Marshals Wilhelm Keitel and Alfred Jodl cautiously reported to him that the Allied landings seemed to have begun. Since there were no exact data, the Fuhrer did not believe them. Panzer divisions remained in their places. At this time, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel was sitting at home and also did not really know anything. The German military leaders lost their time. The attacks of the following days and weeks yielded nothing. The Atlantic Wall collapsed. The allies entered the operational space. Everything was decided in the first twenty-four hours. The Allied landing in Normandy took place.
Historic D-Day
A huge army crossed the English Channel and landed in France. The first day of the offensive was called D-day. The task is to gain a foothold on the coast and drive the Nazis out of Normandy. But bad weather in the strait could lead to disaster. The English Channel is famous for its storms. In a matter of minutes, visibility could drop to 50 meters. Commander-in-Chief Dwight Eisenhower required a minute-by-minute weather report. All responsibility fell on the chief meteorologist and his team.
Allied military assistance in the fight against the Nazis
1944 World War II has been going on for four years now. The Germans occupied all of Europe. The forces of the allies of Great Britain, the Soviet Union and the United States need a decisive blow. Intelligence reported that the Germans would soon begin to use guided missiles and atomic bombs. An energetic offensive was supposed to interrupt the plans of the Nazis. The easiest way is to go through the occupied territories, for example through France. The secret name of the operation is "Overlord".
The landing in Normandy of 150,000 Allied soldiers was scheduled for May 1944. They were supported by transport aircraft, bombers, fighters and a flotilla of 6,000 ships. The offensive was commanded by Dwight Eisenhower. The date of the landing was kept in the strictest confidence. At the first stage, the landing in Normandy in 1944 was to capture more than 70 kilometers of the French coast. The exact areas of the assault on the German troops were kept a closely guarded secret. The Allies chose five beaches from east to west.
Commander-in-Chief's Alerts
May 1, 1944 could potentially become the start date for Operation Overlord, but this day was abandoned due to the unavailability of the troops. For military and political reasons, the operation was postponed to the beginning of June.
In his memoirs, Dwight Eisenhower wrote: "If this operation, the landing of the Americans in Normandy, does not take place, then only I will be to blame." At midnight on June 6, Operation Overlord begins. Commander-in-Chief Dwight Eisenhower personally visits the 101st Air Division just before the flight. Everyone understood that up to 80% of the soldiers would not survive this assault.
"Overlord": a chronicle of events
The airborne landing in Normandy was to be the first to take place on the shores of France. However, everything went wrong. The pilots of the two divisions needed good visibility, they were not supposed to drop troops into the sea, but they did not see anything. The paratroopers disappeared into the clouds and landed a few kilometers from the collection point. Then the bombers had to clear the way for the amphibious assault. But they did not fix their goals.
12,000 bombs were to be dropped on Omaha Beach to destroy all obstacles. But when the bombers reached the coast of France, the pilots found themselves in a difficult situation. There were clouds all around. The bulk of the bombs fell ten kilometers south of the beach. Allied gliders were ineffective.
At 3.30 in the morning the flotilla headed for the shores of Normandy. A few hours later, the soldiers boarded small wooden boats to finally get to the beach. Huge waves rocked small boats like matchboxes in the cold waters of the English Channel. Only at dawn did the Allied amphibious landing in Normandy begin (see photo below).
Death awaited the soldiers on the shore. There were obstacles around, anti-tank hedgehogs, everything around was mined. The Allied fleet bombarded the German positions, but strong storm waves interfered with aimed fire.
The first landed soldiers were waiting for the furious fire of German machine guns and cannons. Soldiers died by the hundreds. But they continued to fight. It seemed like a real miracle. Despite the most powerful German barriers and bad weather, the largest landing force in history began its offensive. Allied soldiers continued to land on the 70-kilometer coast of Normandy. In the afternoon, the clouds over Normandy began to dissipate. The main obstacle for the allies was the Atlantic Wall, a system of permanent fortifications and rocks that protect the coast of Normandy.
The soldiers began to climb the coastal cliffs. The Germans fired on them from above. By the middle of the day, the Allied troops began to outnumber the fascist garrison of Normandy.
An old soldier remembers
Private American Army Harold Gaumbert, 65 years later, recalls that closer to midnight, all machine guns fell silent. All Nazis were killed. D-Day is over. The landing in Normandy, the date of which is June 6, 1944, took place. The Allies lost almost 10,000 soldiers, but they captured all the beaches. It seemed that the beach was flooded with bright red paint and scattered bodies. Wounded soldiers were dying under the starry sky, while thousands of others moved forward to continue the fight against the enemy.
Continuation of the assault
Operation Overlord has entered its next phase. The task is to liberate France. On the morning of June 7, a new obstacle appeared before the Allies. Impenetrable forests have become another obstacle to attack. The intertwined roots of the Norman forests were stronger than the English ones on which the soldiers trained. The troops had to bypass them. The Allies continued to pursue the retreating German troops. The Nazis fought desperately. They used these forests because they learned to hide in them.
D-Day was just a battle won, the war was just beginning for the Allies. The troops the Allies encountered on the beaches of Normandy were not the elite of the Nazi army. The days of heavy fighting began.
The scattered divisions could be defeated by the Nazis at any moment. They had time to regroup and replenish their ranks. On June 8, 1944, the battle for Carentan began, this city opens the way to Cherbourg. It took more than four days to break the resistance of the German army.
On June 15, the Utah and Omaha forces finally united. They took several cities and continued their offensive on the Cotentin Peninsula. The forces united and moved in the direction of Cherbourg. For two weeks, the German troops offered the most severe resistance to the Allied. On June 27, 1944, Allied troops entered Cherbourg. Now their ships had their own port.
Last attack
At the end of the month, the next phase of the Allied offensive in Normandy, Operation Cobra, began. This time the target was Cannes and Saint Lo. The troops began to advance deep into France. But the Allied offensive was opposed by serious resistance from the Nazis.
A French resistance movement led by General Philippe Leclerc helped the Allies enter Paris. Happy Parisians welcomed the liberators with joy.
On April 30, 1945, Adolf Hitler committed suicide in his own bunker. Seven days later, the German government signed an unconditional surrender pact. The war in Europe was over.
During June 6, in the area northwest and north of the city of Yassy, our troops successfully repelled all attacks by enemy infantry and tanks. On June 5, 49 German tanks and 42 aircraft were shot down and destroyed in this area. On other sectors of the front - no change.
On June 5, 48 enemy aircraft were shot down on all fronts in air battles and anti-aircraft artillery fire.
A massive raid by our aviation on the railway junction and military facilities of the city of Iasi
On the night of June 6, our long-range aviation carried out a massive raid on the railway junction and military facilities in the city of Iasi (Romania). The bombing caused up to 90 fires. Trains, station buildings and enemy military depots were on fire. The fires were accompanied by strong explosions. Machine-gun and cannon fire fired on and set fire to several echelons at the nearest railway stations to the city of Iasi. Our pilots observed the flame of fires when leaving the target from a distance of more than 100 kilometers.
All our aircraft returned to their bases.
Northwest and north of the city of Yassy, our troops continued to fight with the enemy. The Germans, who have suffered heavy losses in recent days, today brought into battle a relatively smaller force of tanks and infantry. The Soviet units successfully repulsed all the attacks of the Nazis. A fierce battle took place only in the area defended by the N-th connection. During the day, the Germans in this area went on the attack twice, but did not achieve any results. In front of our positions, there were several wrecked German tanks and armored personnel carriers and up to 300 enemy corpses.
To the north-west of the city of Tiraspol, thirty-seven snipers from the H-unit have exterminated 158 Germans in the last five days. Sniper comrade Nikulin killed 13 German soldiers, sniper comrade Lapin - 8, sniper comrade Ryabushenko - 7, sniper comrade Klimentyev destroyed 5 Germans.
Northwest of the city of Vitebsk, a reconnaissance detachment under the command of Captain Gerasimenko broke into the enemy’s location early in the morning. Soviet soldiers blew up three dugouts, destroyed 20 Nazis and, having captured 6 prisoners, returned to their unit.
Aviation of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet on the night of June 5 sunk three German transports in the Baltic Sea with a total displacement of 11 thousand tons.
35 German planes yesterday tried to raid one of our military installations in the Gulf of Finland. Enemy aircraft were met by fighters of Lieutenant Colonel Koreshkov's unit. In fierce air battles, Baltic pilots shot down 20 German aircraft. Not a single enemy aircraft was allowed to reach the target. Pilots especially distinguished themselves in air battles: Senior Lieutenant Chernenko, Senior Lieutenant Kamyshnikov, Lieutenant Zhuchkov and Lieutenant Shestopalov.
The partisans of the detachment operating in the Minsk region learned that in one settlement the Germans were robbing civilians. Soviet patriots ambushed and attacked the Nazis, who were returning from a robbery raid. The partisans killed 69 German soldiers and officers and captured two non-commissioned officers. The property stolen by the Nazis from Soviet citizens was returned to the population. The partisans of the Shchors detachment derailed the enemy's military echelon. Broken steam locomotive and 10 wagons. Up to 200 German soldiers and officers were killed and wounded.
The captured commander of the 3rd company of the 12th regiment of the 15th Romanian infantry division, Captain Nikolai Alexandrescu, said: “In the autumn of 1941, our division was defeated near Odessa. Its remnants were taken to the rear for reorganization. About a year later, the division was transferred to the Kletskaya area, where it lost 12 thousand people in two months. The division was re-formed for the third time and again sent to the front. The division is commanded by Brigadier General Stefan Bardan. At the headquarters of the division are the German Major Wendt, his assistant Lieutenant Grese and several German clerks. German Wendt is the actual owner. He unceremoniously overrules the orders of the division commander and does everything on his own. Romanian soldiers do not want to fight for Hitler. In this I once again convinced myself in the last battle. A small group of Russian soldiers in three boats imperceptibly crossed the river, went ashore and, shouting "Hurray", rushed to our positions. These positions were defended by a Romanian company, which had several heavy machine guns. When our soldiers heard the shouts of "Hurrah", they immediately fled. With several throws, the Russians reached the command post. Seeing that resistance was futile, I stood up and raised my hands. Lieutenant Lehu, senior lieutenant Roshka and lieutenant Ryzhkanu surrendered with me.”
| Back to date June 6 |
Comments:
Forrest Pogue began recording the oral histories of D-Day veterans as early as June 6, 1944. He served as a sergeant (and with a doctorate in history) in the U.S. Army History Division under C. L. A. Marshall. General George S. Marshall commissioned the group to collect documentary evidence from military personnel of all ranks to prepare an official history of the United States' involvement in World War II. The result was the multi-volume edition of The US Army in World War II, which became widely known in many countries due to the accuracy and depth of the historical narrative (also known as the Green Book, due to the color of the cover). In 1954, Dr. Pogue published a collection in the European Theater of Operations (ETO) series entitled "High Command" based on documents from the Allied Expeditionary Force High Headquarters and interviews with Eisenhower, Montgomery and other key figures of the Normandy operation. The "High Command" remains the largest and most authoritative source of information to this day.
On D-Day, Pogue was on a tank landing ship converted into a ship's hospital, landing on the Omaha stretch of coast. The sergeant talked to the wounded, asking them about what they experienced in the morning hours of June 6th. He became the first collector of oral memoirs of veterans and subsequently one of the founders of the Oral History Association.
From the moment I began editing Eisenhower's war memoirs, Dr. Pogue has been my mentor, researcher, and inspiration. He and his books have taken an important place in my life (especially the classic four-volume biography of General George S. Marshall). For three decades, Dr. Pogue spared no time for me, sharing his wise remarks and observations with me. I learned from him both at scientific conferences, and during personal meetings, telephone conversations, and mail correspondence. His experience has been of invaluable service to me on eight trips through Normandy and other European battlefields.
Hundreds of young and not-so-young historians of World War II and American foreign policy are indebted to Dr. Pogue. He brought up a whole generation of war documentaries. Dr. Pogue is generous in giving away his wealth of knowledge. At conferences, he was always surrounded by novice historians and university graduates, eager to hear the advice of the great teacher. We are grateful to Dr. Pogue for leaving an indelible mark on our lives, helping us become professionals. He was and remains the first and best D-Day historian. I am proud that Dr. Pogue allowed this book to be dedicated to him.
My interest in D-Day, initiated by Dr. Pogue, was further intensified in 1959 after reading Cornelius Ryan's The Longest Day. I considered it then and still consider it the most complete and excellent description of the battle. Although I have some disagreement with the author in interpreting what happened on June 6, 1944, it would be an unforgivable mistake not to express my gratitude to Ryan for the excellent work he did.
This book is based on the oral and written narratives of D-Day participants collected by the Eisenhower Center in New Orleans over the past eleven years. The Center holds more than 1380 testimonies. This is the most extensive first-hand collection of memoirs about a single battle of World War II. Although the lack of space prevented me from quoting every oral or written memoir, they all influenced my perception of the events. To all veterans from me a huge and sincere gratitude.
Russell Miller from London has conducted numerous interviews with British D-Day contestants. Students working at the Eisenhower Center transcribed some of the notes that Miller graciously allowed me to use in his book. The Imperial War Museum in London also provided me with tapes of interviews organized by its staff, Andre Heinz interviewed villagers on the Calvados coast for many years: the tapes are kept in Caen in the Museum of the Battle of Normandy. Heinz kindly allowed me to use them in my book. The US Army Military Institute in Carlisle-Barracks, Pennsylvania, allowed me to draw on extensive documentary stock and conversations with veterans recorded by Forrest Pogue, Ken Heckler, and other researchers.
Phil Jatras, an American skydiver who settled in St. Mere-Eglise after the war, is now director of the Parachute Museum there. He provided the Eisenhower Center and allowed me to quote his interviews with American veterans and residents of St. Mere-Eglise in my book.
Capt. Ron Drez was commander of a US Marine Corps rifle company in Kesan in 1968 and is now Deputy Director of the Eisenhower Center. For more than ten years he has recorded group and individual interviews with veterans at their meetings in New Orleans and other cities in the United States. Thanks to his combat experience, the former Marine easily connected with the D-Day participants and learned from them details that usually go unsaid. His contribution to the book is invaluable.
Dr. Günter Bischof is an Austrian by birth. His father served in the Wehrmacht and was captured by the Americans, then ended up in the United States. He is now also Deputy Director of the Eisenhower Center. Bischoff has prepared and continues to record rare interviews with German veterans. We are fortunate that such researchers as Bischoff and Drez work at the Center.
Miss Kathy Jones is the main driving force at the Eisenhower Center. Without her, we are like without hands. She handles correspondence, keeps the archives and library in perfect order, schedules business meetings, hosts our annual conferences, directs students to transcribe tapes, locates and arranges interviews with veterans, calms dissatisfied people, and generally acts as our chief of staff. We marvel at her selfless devotion to the cause and the ability to simultaneously solve hundreds of pressing issues. However, she never gets irritated or loses her sense of humor. Dwight Eisenhower once called Beetle Smith "an excellent chief of staff." We are talking about the same about Katie Jones.
We admire the hard work of Mrs. Carolyn Smith, Secretary of the Eisenhower Center, our student assistants Marissa Ahmed, Maria Andara Romain, Tracey Hernandez, Jerry Blanda, Scott Peebles, Peggy Eychem, Jogen Shukla and Elena Marina, graduate students Jerry Strahan, Olga Ivanova and Ponter Bro, our supernumerary volunteers, Colonel James Mulis, Mark Swango, S. W. Anangst, John Daniel, Joe Flynn, John Niskoch, Joe Molison, Stephanie Ambrose Tubbs, and Edie Ambrose. They all work tirelessly, although many of them are paid little or no pay. Without them, the very existence of the Eisenhower Center is impossible and there would be no many interviews with veterans. The students had to rack their brains over the names of French villages and towns (as they were pronounced by the American G-eyes). But they succeeded and won the battle. I am deeply indebted to them.
The Eisenhower Center intends to continue collecting veterans' memoirs, military letters and other testimonies from representatives of all branches of the armed forces and from all countries of the world for as long as the D-Day participants are alive. We ask veterans to contact us at the University of New Orleans, New Orleans, LA 70148 for instructions on how to compose their memoirs.
In 1979, my closest friend, Dr. Gordon Muller, encouraged me to lead a tour of the battlefields "From D-Day to the Rhine: In the Footsteps of Ike." Mr. Peter McLean, Peter McLean, Ltd. in New Orleans, arranged the trip. Mr. Richard Salaman from London became our guide. It was an amazing journey. We were joined by over twenty veterans, from generals to privates, who shared with me their most vivid memories of D-Day. We have done this tour eight times. It was a great pleasure for me to work with McLean and Salaman. They helped me learn more and better understand the events of D-Day, as did many other enthusiasts, scientists, writers, documentarians and, of course, veterans. Unfortunately, it is impossible to list them all.