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02:31The events before it, leading up to it, and the actual events of the day, I wondered if I'd come
02:38back, really, and see my relations and friends.
02:44I wondered if I'd be one of those unfortunates that were lying there never to come back.
02:53When you see someone five or six yards away from you go down, you don't know if he's just fell
03:01down or he's dead.
03:11A 17-year-old soldier, a 17-year-old soldier, a young blonde-haired boy, was laying next to me,
03:16and I nudged him and said, why aren't you shooting?
03:19He didn't answer.
03:21When I looked at him, I noticed he had been shot between the eyes and was dead.
03:25It was a horrible sight.
03:26But I had to keep fighting.
03:28I couldn't stop to think about it then.
03:36In the heat of a battle, you don't mourn a fallen comrade like you do later.
03:42Later, you have the time for it to sink in.
03:46At the time, there are too many things going on to think other than, well, at least I can keep
03:54going.
04:01I didn't lose consciousness after I was hit by a German mortar shell on the beach, because I could still
04:07hear the battle sounds all around me, the screams and moans of my wounded friends.
04:12It was terrible.
04:17We've done our job, and we're pretty proud of what we did.
04:20But then suddenly to walk down that road and find all the guys from the outfit that we so dearly
04:26loved and had so much to do with for the last couple of years, to see them for the first
04:31time dead.
04:32It was a shocking, shocking sight to see the expressions on their face and the dust and dirt and all
04:41the other stuff of battle.
04:45That has never left me, and it never will.
05:17You just had to adapt.
05:17It was a shame, but there's one thing you can't get, and it's the stench of war, the aftermath of
05:26a battle, the burnt, stinking smell of rubber, scorched metal, and the decaying bodies of animals and men, all mixed
05:36up together.
05:38It's a smell, and once you've smelled it, you never forget it.
05:52I often think of the men.
05:57At church during silent prayer time, I always offer a silent prayer for them.
06:09I pray for all of them.
06:11I go through a litany of prayers for those guys, and I mention each of them by name, but we
06:16lost in my company.
06:18And then as a sort of an afterthought, I pray for the men that I killed, because, you know, some
06:25of them were soldiers just like us.
06:27They went because their country asked them to serve, and I guess God loved them just as much as he
06:37loved us, so I pray for them, too.
06:42In a strange way, it has helped me all my life, you know, this experience, and very grateful, and very
06:52grateful for the feeling of comradeship and the friendship.
06:56And also, I think, one did learn a little to have compassion and forgiveness.
07:06They don't call themselves heroes, just survivors.
07:10They endured great pain and made great sacrifices for what they believed was a just cause.
07:16They lost friends and gained friends, long ago at a place and a time tied together by a now obsolete
07:24military term.
07:27Some neat-minded staff officer said, let's call the hour an operation begins, HR, and then the day on which
07:36HR happens shall be called D-Day.
07:39So you have HR on D-Day.
07:41It's just a little mnemonic, that's all, nothing more than that.
07:45And it was supposed to be a term that you could use about any operation, HR on D-Day for,
07:51say, the invasion of Italy or Iceland or Greenland or the South Pole.
07:55But in fact, because D-Day on June the 6th, 1944 became such a famous event, D-Day now means
08:05June the 6th, 1944 and nothing else, and it's not used by armies anywhere at all.
08:11It only means the invasion of Normandy.
08:17D-Day, the total story, will continue in a moment.
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10:25We now return to D-Day, the total story.
10:33The countdown to D-Day began in 1940
10:35on the blood-stained beaches of the French coast.
10:38At Dunkirk, the British army that had been fighting
10:40to save France from the German blitzkrieg
10:43abandoned its weapons and retreated back across the channel
10:46to England.
10:52Hitler had pushed his enemies into the sea,
10:54confident they would never have the strength to return.
11:00Right after the British were kicked out of France
11:04in 1940, after Dunkirk,
11:07Churchill started to make plans
11:09for returning to Europe by an invasion.
11:12By 1942, British and Canadian soldiers
11:15felt ready to execute Operation Jubilee.
11:18The plan called for an invading force
11:20made up mostly of Canadians
11:22to cross the channel and capture the port facilities
11:25at the French town of Dieppe.
11:28Intelligence reports described the beaches
11:30as only lightly defended.
11:33Everything went wrong at Dieppe.
11:35The intelligence was bad.
11:36The Germans were stronger
11:37than they anticipated them to be.
11:38The air cover was insufficient.
11:40The naval bombardment didn't take place.
11:42The landing craft weren't there.
11:44In no way were the Canadians
11:47and the British Tommies
11:49prepared to carry out a successful reign.
11:53Of the 6,000 men who attacked,
11:562,000 were taken prisoner
11:57and 1,000 more were killed.
12:00The defeat at Dieppe
12:01proved that the Allies needed more time
12:03to rebuild, equip,
12:05and train their fighting forces.
12:08But in Russia,
12:10the Red Army was running out of time.
12:12They had been fighting the Germans without relief.
12:14Stalin needed the Allies to invade Europe
12:17and relieve the pressure on his army.
12:20At a meeting in Tehran in 1943,
12:23Stalin demanded some action.
12:26Stalin had been pushing for a second front
12:27for a long time.
12:29He felt that he had been double-crossed
12:30by his Allies in Britain and the United States.
12:33At Tehran, he demanded to know,
12:35are you guys serious?
12:35Is there going to be a second front in 1944 or not?
12:38Roosevelt said, yes, there is.
12:39We agreed on it.
12:41Roosevelt and Churchill
12:43had a great deal of work ahead of them
12:44if they were to keep their promise.
12:46Their plans to invade Europe
12:48were ambitious
12:49and far from being worked out.
12:53What transformed Allied planning
12:55was the appointment
12:56at the beginning of 1944
12:57of Eisenhower
12:59as Supreme Allied Commander
13:00and Montgomery
13:02as the commander
13:03of the landing operation.
13:04and between them
13:05they turned
13:07the theoretical plans
13:09into an operational program.
13:13An open-minded Kenzan,
13:15Eisenhower was chosen
13:16more for his likability
13:17rather than his active service.
13:19Although he had graduated
13:21from West Point,
13:22he had spent most of his career
13:24behind the lines
13:25as a staff officer.
13:27There were many very positive reasons
13:29for selecting Eisenhower.
13:31He had by this time
13:32successfully commanded
13:33amphibious operations
13:34in North Africa
13:35in November of 1942
13:37in Sicily
13:37in July of 1943
13:39at Salerno
13:40in September of 1943.
13:41He had successfully commanded
13:43mixed forces.
13:44He had shown
13:45a remarkable ability
13:46to get
13:47not only ground soldiers
13:49and airmen
13:50to get along with each other
13:51but Brits and Yanks
13:52to get along with each other.
13:53He had a unique quality here.
14:03Norm Kirby
14:04was head of General Montgomery
14:05security detail.
14:06His job was to check
14:08the ID pass
14:08of all of Montgomery's visitors
14:10regardless of their rank.
14:16General Eisenhower,
14:17I said,
14:18excuse me, sir,
14:19I see your pass.
14:20He put his arm around me,
14:23was talking to his friend
14:24over there
14:25and he got his wallet
14:27out of his pocket.
14:28He said,
14:29here, son,
14:30help yourself.
14:31And I had to go
14:32through his wallet
14:34looking at all his photographs,
14:36photographs of Mame,
14:37his wife,
14:38and his children
14:39until eventually
14:40I got the pass
14:42and handed it back to him.
14:45Thank you, son.
14:46You know,
14:47he was like a favorite uncle.
14:50You know,
14:50Monty was more like
14:52the headmaster.
14:53Not unfriendly.
14:54He was a man
14:56with a vision
14:57and you can't argue
14:58with someone
14:58who has a vision.
15:00You know,
15:00he hadn't just got
15:02a plan of action.
15:03He got a plan of action
15:04but it was linked
15:07with a vision
15:09of how the army
15:10should proceed
15:12and nobody could
15:14disturb that
15:15which made him
15:16very unpopular
15:17with some other people
15:19who had plans.
15:21He wasn't all that bad
15:23of a soldier.
15:23He was just a terrible,
15:24rotten human being
15:25and people had
15:26an awful time
15:27getting along with him.
15:28Eisenhower somehow
15:29could manage to do it
15:30even though he always
15:32disagreed with Montgomery.
15:33But he understood
15:34something that people
15:36like George Patton
15:37didn't understand,
15:38that you had to work
15:39with Monty
15:40because Monty was
15:42the only British
15:43hero of the war.
15:45Eisenhower and Montgomery
15:46had little time
15:47to fight amongst themselves
15:48if they were to get
15:49their armies
15:50to fight together.
15:57Troops began to arrive
15:59in England in 1942
16:00but by the spring
16:01of 1944
16:02this friendly invasion
16:04had delivered
16:04over 2 million Yanks
16:06to a country
16:06the size of Colorado.
16:10The available army barracks
16:11were soon filled
16:12to capacity.
16:15Where there were
16:16no towns
16:16they built them.
16:17Newcomers learned
16:18to improvise.
16:19Anything that looked
16:20like it could stand
16:21up to the English weather
16:22was quickly commandeered
16:23and made hospitable.
16:30Many English civilians
16:32volunteered to board
16:33American soldiers
16:33in their own homes.
16:35Upon their arrival
16:36to England
16:36Sid Solomon sent his men
16:38to meet their new landlords.
16:40The company's lined up
16:42and I have a clipboard
16:43in front of me
16:44that would say
16:45two people
16:46two men
16:47going to live there
16:48so I'd turn around
16:49and say
16:50okay
16:50Jones and Smith
16:52go up
16:53knock on a door
16:53and introduce yourself
16:54that's where you're
16:55going to live.
16:56Now you figure
16:57some kid
16:58who brought up
16:59on a farm
17:01isolated
17:01not some street smart
17:03kid from
17:04New York
17:05or some other big city
17:06to all of a sudden
17:07have to go up
17:08and knock on a door
17:09and say
17:10I'm so and so
17:11and I'm living here
17:13but the English people
17:14were great.
17:16The government
17:16compensated the English people
17:18who provided a home
17:19for American soldiers.
17:20The war weary citizens
17:22seemed to enjoy
17:23the company of the Yanks.
17:26For both O.B. Hill
17:28and his adopted family
17:29the benefits extended
17:31far beyond
17:31a government check.
17:33I became very good
17:34friends with them
17:35and I would liberate
17:37some things
17:37from the mess hall
17:38ham
17:39and some fruit
17:40and flour
17:41and sugar
17:42things that they
17:42couldn't get normally
17:43and take that
17:45to Mom Anderson
17:45and I had apple pie
17:48occasionally
17:48and had baked ham
17:51and meals like
17:53my mother used to make.
17:57But the British soldiers
17:58didn't welcome
17:59the friendly invaders
18:00with the same enthusiasm.
18:02They felt the American soldiers
18:03had been given
18:04an unjustified
18:06social advantage.
18:08We were a cocky bunch.
18:10Of course we was
18:10well dressed,
18:11we were well paid,
18:12we were well fed
18:13at that time
18:14and anything we wanted,
18:15you know,
18:16anywhere we wanted to go
18:17was first class
18:17all the way.
18:19And so the British
18:20resented us on that.
18:22We'd walk into a dance hall,
18:23we'd take the British girls,
18:24go, we'd play cigarettes
18:25and chewing gum
18:26and what have you,
18:28chocolate bars
18:28and these British soldiers
18:31would have their dates
18:32and they'd leave them
18:32and come over with us.
18:36With the extra pay
18:37that the Yanks got,
18:38they attracted the girls
18:39more than the Tommies did,
18:41which was terribly
18:41resented by the Tommies,
18:42who complained
18:43that the trouble
18:44of the Yanks was
18:45that they were
18:47overpaid,
18:48over-sexed
18:48and over here.
18:50And it was all true.
18:51The Yank reply was
18:52that the problem
18:53with the Tommies was
18:54they were underpaid,
18:55under-sexed
18:56and under Eisenhower.
19:00To sustain and equip
19:02an army of 3.5 million men
19:04required a supply inventory
19:06of over 700,000
19:08separate items.
19:11Many ordered in quantities
19:12of a million.
19:15Logistics would be the key
19:16to winning the freedom
19:17of Europe.
19:22The weapons that piled up
19:23in England
19:24would challenge
19:24a most formidable obstacle,
19:26the Atlantic Wall.
19:29Concrete bunkers,
19:30coastal batteries
19:31and beach obstacles
19:32stretched unbroken
19:33down the entire length
19:35of the Normandy coastline.
19:38The defenses had been designed
19:40by the Desert Fox
19:41Field Marshal Erwin Rommel.
19:43When Hitler ordered him
19:44to oversee the completion
19:45of the defenses
19:46in November of 1943,
19:48Rommel was appalled
19:49at their weakness
19:50and lack of depth.
19:53Rommel had his troops
19:54busy digging trenches.
19:56He had his troops
19:56laying mines.
19:57He had his troops
19:58building obstacles
19:58on the beaches.
19:59He was not training
20:01his troops
20:01for rapid counterattack.
20:03He wasn't training
20:05his troops
20:05for mobile field operations.
20:07He was training troops
20:09for what amounted
20:09to a World War I
20:10style battle.
20:12A battle fought
20:13from behind entrenchments
20:15and dugouts
20:16and trenches
20:18with barbed wire
20:19and minefields
20:20in front.
20:20This was entirely
20:21inappropriate
20:22to the weaponry
20:23of World War II.
20:24But it had to be done
20:26because of Hitler's
20:27obsession
20:28with defending
20:28every inch of ground.
20:32D-Day,
20:33the total story,
20:35will continue
20:35in a moment.
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21:19I'm not there's
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22:41Witness the events.
22:42People in the compound.
22:44As they happen.
22:45Segregation now.
22:46On the 20th century.
22:48We are the second
22:49American revolution.
22:50The breaking news.
22:51The breakthrough moments.
22:52The stories
22:53that shaped
22:54the 20th century.
22:56This is Mike Wallace.
22:57American airmen
22:58captured in Vietnam.
22:59None escaping
23:00torture or brutality.
23:02The courage
23:03of the POWs
23:04on the next
23:0520th century.
23:06Wednesday,
23:07only on A&E.
23:11We now return
23:12to D-Day,
23:14the total story.
23:18Eisenhower's
23:19most difficult task
23:20was to take
23:20an army of young,
23:21inexperienced,
23:22green soldiers
23:23and mold them
23:25into a cohesive
23:26fighting force.
23:30The training
23:31was intense.
23:33Much more intense
23:34than anything
23:35they'd undergone
23:35back in boot camp
23:36in the States.
23:37The Yanks arrived
23:39over in Britain
23:39thinking that they
23:40were ready for war
23:41and they found out
23:42that they weren't.
23:43It was hard
23:44for us to go
23:45leave the United States
23:46where we trained
23:47usually five,
23:48five and a half days
23:48at the most
23:49and didn't get
23:49a weekend pass,
23:50you know.
23:51Well, that was
23:51no such thing.
23:52When we went to England,
23:52we started training
23:53seven days a week.
23:55They put us
23:55through a maneuver
23:57where we had
23:57to crawl through
23:59the entrails
24:00and the remains
24:02of butchered hogs
24:04to give us
24:04some real feel
24:05for what slaughter
24:06was like.
24:07That was about
24:08as bad as anything
24:09I ever went through
24:10including combat itself.
24:14The risks increased
24:15as the training
24:16intensified,
24:17a careless mistake
24:18that cost a life.
24:21You get all these lads
24:23out with packs
24:25fully equipped,
24:27you know,
24:27and you had to go
24:28down scrambling nets
24:29and if any of them
24:31missed it,
24:32they went into that water.
24:33They just went down
24:34like a brick,
24:35you know.
24:36There was no saving.
24:41At times,
24:42the training seemed
24:43a little senseless
24:44to Walter Boatlander,
24:45an American
24:46of German descent.
24:48Maybe a half a mile
24:49from the shore
24:50it seemed that way.
24:51Maybe it's only
24:51a hundred feet
24:52but it looked like
24:53a half a mile.
24:54They would drop
24:55the flap
24:56and we would tell
24:57the star,
24:58you're crazy,
24:58you know,
24:59it's way over there
25:00is where you're
25:00supposed to land.
25:01Not here.
25:02He said,
25:02nope,
25:02the exercises
25:03you get off now
25:04and so with a rifle
25:05only,
25:06no vehicles,
25:07we were supposed
25:08to swim ashore.
25:11It was bitter cold,
25:12it was miserable
25:13and once we were
25:14on shore,
25:14we were told,
25:14now you have to
25:15stay for eight hours
25:16and wait to be picked up.
25:18You may not build a fire.
25:19That was the idea.
25:20You'd be wet
25:21and wait for eight hours
25:22and eventually,
25:24you know,
25:24just keep yourself warm
25:25by running around,
25:26by flapping your arms
25:28and by twisting
25:28and cussing
25:29and that was the exercise.
25:33Special weapons
25:34were designed
25:35for unique missions.
25:37M4 Sherman tanks
25:38were outfitted
25:39with snorkel air intakes
25:40over the engine
25:41so the tanks
25:41could wait ashore
25:42through the deep surf.
25:47Other tanks
25:48were modified
25:48with a spinning chain flail
25:50to cut a path
25:51through the minefields.
25:52Weights at the end
25:53of the chains
25:54would strike
25:54and detonate
25:55the buried explosives.
26:02Flamethrower attachments
26:03on British Churchill tanks
26:04could instantly incinerate
26:06a bunker 80 feet away.
26:15These new weapons
26:16raised the hopes
26:17and won the confidence
26:18of the soldiers
26:19in the air.
26:20But this wasn't
26:20the case
26:21for the men
26:21who learned
26:22they would have
26:22to go into combat
26:23in flimsy plywood gliders.
26:32We had to fly
26:33in these gliders
26:35with student pilots
26:37learning their business
26:39and we had to do
26:41and we had to do a minimum
26:42of four hours
26:44actual flying
26:45in the air.
26:46It meant you took off
26:47a couple of circuits
26:49landing
26:50and if you've seen
26:51the old gliders
26:52it's quite a frightening
26:54experience
26:55but you get used to it.
26:58Then we had to learn
26:59how to load
27:00the guns and jeeps
27:01into these gliders
27:04and then you have to learn
27:06how to get
27:06the gun and jeep
27:08out of the glider
27:09as quickly as possible.
27:12So there's a whole lot
27:13of training
27:14we have to do.
27:16The training
27:17and the mock attacks
27:18grew more complicated
27:19and realistic.
27:25Although no one knew
27:26exactly what their mission
27:27was to be
27:27they began
27:28to piece the puzzle
27:29together.
27:31We moved
27:32I would say
27:33every two months
27:34to a different part
27:36of England
27:36always in the southeast
27:37southern
27:38and southwest England
27:40always along the coast
27:41and the cliffs
27:44kept getting
27:44kept getting higher
27:45and higher
27:46as we
27:46as we moved
27:48from place to place
27:49so somebody knew
27:50what our mission
27:52was going to do
27:53or else it was
27:54just a good guess
27:55because we would
27:56climb the cliffs there.
28:01Our regular problem
28:03was to
28:05drop onto an area
28:06and secure
28:07a series of bridges
28:09or
28:10a simulated airfield
28:11or something
28:12of this nature.
28:13Airfields were
28:14always a good
28:15problem
28:16because
28:16if we landed
28:18some place
28:18and secured
28:19an airfield
28:19then they could
28:20bring in reinforcements
28:21easily by
28:22the cargo planes.
28:24So we simulated
28:25that problem regularly.
28:29we were taken
28:31to a place
28:31called Exeter
28:32and did training
28:34on two bridges
28:36400 yards apart.
28:40then we cottoned on
28:42to what we was
28:43going to do
28:44something to do
28:45with bridges
28:46but of course
28:47we weren't told
28:48when or where
28:49or anything like that
28:50but we already knew
28:53then that we were
28:53being trained
28:54to do a special job
28:56obviously in France
28:58somewhere
28:58as far as we're concerned
29:00but we knew
29:01nothing else.
29:03no one knew
29:04anything else
29:05the plans
29:06were a closely
29:07guarded secret
29:10to confuse
29:11any German ideas
29:12on where
29:13the invasion
29:14would strike
29:14the Allies
29:15created
29:16a fictitious
29:17army
29:17FUSAG
29:18or first
29:19U.S.
29:19Army group
29:20under the command
29:21of General
29:21George Patton
29:23they wanted
29:24to take advantage
29:25of that German
29:25preconception
29:26that Patton
29:26would certainly
29:27lead the attacking
29:27forces
29:28so Patton
29:29was put in
29:30command
29:30of FUSAG
29:31in Dover
29:31and made a big
29:32show of being
29:33there
29:33he made public
29:34speeches
29:34he went to
29:35various receptions
29:36and parties
29:37and he got his
29:38name in the papers
29:39and the Germans
29:39became very aware
29:40that Patton
29:41was in Dover
29:43Patton's bogus
29:44army in Dover
29:45was so convincing
29:46that the Germans
29:47ordered troops
29:47and tanks
29:48to reinforce
29:49their positions
29:49along the coast
29:50in the Pas de Calais
29:52area
29:53this diverted
29:54many enemy
29:55soldiers
29:55that would have
29:56otherwise been
29:56in Normandy
29:57to oppose
29:58the real
29:58allied army
30:01aerial reconnaissance
30:02gave the allies
30:03a partial picture
30:04of what was
30:05happening
30:05along the Atlantic
30:06Wall
30:08one of Eisenhower's
30:09greatest advantages
30:10over Rommel
30:10was that he knew
30:11so much more
30:12about Rommel's
30:13forces and dispositions
30:14than Rommel
30:15knew about his
30:16one reason Eisenhower
30:17knew so much
30:18about what Rommel
30:19was up to
30:20was the French
30:21resistance
30:27before D-Day
30:28we would send
30:29answers back
30:29to England
30:30from their
30:30lists of questions
30:32they would ask
30:33where is that
30:34ammunition dump
30:34or that artillery
30:36battery
30:36and how many
30:37guns are there
30:38or what is
30:39the local train
30:40schedule
30:40then we'd send
30:42the information
30:42back to England
30:54we made duplicates
30:56of our office records
30:57and gave them
30:57to our leaders
30:59this office
31:00distributed rations
31:01to the German troops
31:01in the area
31:02and from these records
31:04we were able to tell
31:05how many soldiers
31:06were stationed
31:07in our city
31:13there were people
31:16who would pass
31:17information to us
31:17in town
31:18these were the fishermen
31:19who worked along
31:20the coast
31:21who could see
31:21the defenses
31:22the Germans were building
31:23they were coming
31:25to the market
31:25in Bailu
31:26and described
31:26what they had seen
31:30the part
31:31that the resistance
31:31played here
31:33close to the beaches
31:36in Normandy
31:37was mostly
31:38intelligence work
31:40and sort of
31:41in spite of ourselves
31:42we would have liked
31:44to go for
31:44more for action
31:45but after
31:47a very successful
31:49act of sabotage
31:50in 1942
31:51blew up
31:53a railroad
31:55twice
31:55and killed
31:5738 Germans
31:58the German reaction
32:00was immediate
32:01the Germans
32:02shot 30 men
32:03they deported
32:0680
32:07and said that
32:09if the one
32:10that had done that
32:11was not discovered
32:12a thousand more
32:13would be sent
32:14to a concentration camp
32:16for fear of losing
32:18such a valuable
32:19source of information
32:20the allied leaders
32:21sent instructions
32:22requesting
32:23that the resistance
32:24cut back
32:25on their sabotage
32:26efforts
32:26the father of
32:28Thierry
32:28Holier LaRousse
32:30wrote a poem
32:30to remind his countrymen
32:32that their work
32:33would soon be rewarded
32:34the title
32:36the title
32:40is
32:40Sowing
32:41Sowing
32:42we are planting
32:45the wheat seeds
32:46this autumn
32:46we hope that
32:48when the summer
32:49comes
32:49in the magnificent
32:51heat of our
32:52cloudless skies
32:53we will harvest
32:55freedom
33:01D-Day
33:02the total story
33:04will continue
33:05in a moment
33:08how do you know
33:09who do you trust
33:11what are they
33:12really saying
33:12only one long
33:14distance company
33:14gives you written
33:15proof
33:15that your business
33:16saves over
33:17AT&T
33:18there's no question
33:19about savings
33:20with MCI's
33:21proof positive
33:23got something
33:24different for
33:24your sensitive teeth
33:25well you can
33:26take it back
33:27my dentist wants
33:28me to use
33:28Sensodyne
33:29this is Sensodyne
33:30Sensodyne
33:31with baking soda
33:32no pain
33:33my mouth feels
33:34fresh and clean
33:35Sensodyne
33:36with baking soda
33:37all you feel
33:37is fresh and clean
33:39we inspect
33:40the porcelain
33:40on steel surface
33:41for durability
33:42check the triple
33:43burners
33:44to heat evenly
33:44and the precise
33:45angle of the
33:46steel bars
33:47to eliminate
33:47flare ups
33:48we test
33:49every gas
33:49valve and gauge
33:50for accuracy
33:51and even
33:52evaluate the
33:52swing up tables
33:53for maximum
33:54utility
33:55the Weber
33:56gas barbecue
33:57of all the
33:58testing
33:59examining
33:59and retesting
34:00that goes
34:00into it
34:01the true test
34:02is what comes
34:03out of it
34:05if it's Weber
34:06it's great
34:07outdoors
34:09the A&E
34:10special presentation
34:11D-Day
34:12will continue
34:13after these
34:14messages
34:18it was war
34:20between the
34:20states
34:21romanticized
34:22idealized
34:23the ultimate
34:24turning point
34:25in our nation's
34:26history
34:26a war of heroes
34:27and heroics
34:28for an undying
34:29unwavering cause
34:31where farm fields
34:32became killings
34:33where men fought
34:34and died
34:35for their beliefs
34:36the Union
34:37and the Confederacy
34:38the blue
34:39and the gray
34:40the war
34:41that shaped
34:41the face
34:42of America
34:43Civil War
34:44Journal
34:44Sunday
34:45on A&E
34:48hello
34:49I'm Roger Mudd
34:50did you know
34:51that after
34:5110,000 years
34:53history has
34:54finally found
34:54a home
34:55on the
34:55History Channel
34:5610,000 years
34:58are too long
34:59this is the day
35:00and yesterday
35:02never looked better
35:03thanks to the best
35:04documentaries
35:04movies
35:05and mini series
35:06that history
35:06has to offer
35:07history
35:09I'll be grateful
35:10to you
35:10for all of history
35:12all in one place
35:13call your cable operator
35:15and make sure
35:15you're getting
35:16the History Channel
35:19we now return
35:21to D-Day
35:22the total story
35:25selecting the
35:26date for D-Day
35:27consumed the minds
35:28of Eisenhower
35:29and his staff
35:30the assault
35:31had to be
35:31at low tide
35:32so the landing craft
35:33could dodge
35:34the beach obstacles
35:35it had to begin
35:36at dawn
35:36so the men
35:37could cross
35:38the channel
35:38under cover
35:39of darkness
35:39even the phase
35:40of the moon
35:41had to be considered
35:42a full moon
35:43would be too risky
35:44but some moon
35:45was necessary
35:46for the aerial bombardment
35:47on top of all that
35:49the invasion
35:49had to come early
35:50enough in the year
35:51to give the allies
35:51about four months
35:52of good fighting weather
35:53once they landed
35:54in Europe
35:59in the late spring
36:00of 1944
36:01these conditions
36:02of tide
36:03moon
36:04and weather
36:04came together
36:05only three times
36:06in the first few days
36:08of May
36:08the first week
36:10of June
36:10and again
36:11near the end
36:12of June
36:15May was too early
36:16to begin the attack
36:17the training
36:18and the details
36:19of the plan
36:19wouldn't be finished
36:20in time
36:21in secret
36:22Eisenhower
36:23and his staff
36:24concluded
36:24that the great crusade
36:26to liberate Europe
36:27would begin
36:28June the 5th
36:30just as they had done
36:32before each practice
36:33attack
36:33troops got the order
36:34to head for the ports
36:35of embarkation
36:37this time
36:38this time
36:38it was a different
36:38feeling
36:38we knew
36:39in our own hearts
36:40that this was
36:41the real thing
36:42that there was
36:43no more playing around
36:44and no more solving
36:45problems in the woods
36:46we were going to do
36:47the real thing
36:47this time
36:52when we started
36:53to move
36:54there were these
36:54long long
36:55convoys
36:56that went
36:56to Plymouth
36:57and Portsmouth
36:58for the embarkation
36:59areas
37:00as we had before
37:02but this time
37:03for some reason
37:04the population
37:05who had never
37:06given any thought
37:07to what we were doing
37:07and were so used
37:09to American
37:09invasion forces
37:11training
37:11this time
37:12the population
37:13was out
37:13along the roads
37:15with flags
37:16and with handkerchiefs
37:17and waving
37:17and they knew
37:19I don't know how
37:20but they knew
37:21it was the actual thing
37:22it was very moving
37:25I remember
37:26our convoy
37:27came to a standstill
37:29and a woman
37:29coming right up
37:30to my ambulance
37:32held my hand
37:33and wished me luck
37:34and I had such
37:35a wonderful feeling
37:36of comrades
37:37even tried
37:37at that time
37:42the convoys
37:43delivered the soldiers
37:44to secluded camps
37:45in the south of England
37:46where they waited
37:47for the final word
37:48to proceed
37:48to the airfields
37:49or the transport ships
37:55we were not allowed
37:56under any circumstances
37:58to get out of camp
38:01they did everything
38:03for us
38:04that they could
38:05there was a lot
38:06of gambling
38:06went on
38:07the Canadians
38:09were renowned
38:10for robustness
38:11and they had
38:12a marvellous
38:14idea
38:15of what the bayonet
38:16was for
38:16the short bayonet
38:17they used a tree
38:19and put a target
38:20on it
38:20and they started
38:22using that
38:22like a dartboard
38:24from five
38:25and ten feet
38:26it really amazed us
38:28you know
38:28because we only thought
38:29the bayonet
38:29was used for
38:30what it was
38:31the end of the stand gun
38:36equipment
38:36food rations
38:37and ammunition
38:38were issued
38:38at the staging camps
38:39if the soldiers
38:41still had any questions
38:42of what was
38:43in store for them
38:44the answer
38:44must have come
38:45with the distribution
38:46of French invasion
38:48currency
38:53finally the men
38:54were assembled
38:55and given their
38:56first briefing
38:57of Operation Overlord
39:01from landing craft
39:03the ground forces
39:03would hit the beaches
39:04along the coast
39:05of Normandy
39:06the Canadian division
39:07would strike
39:08at a beach
39:09codenamed Juno
39:10the British
39:11at Sword and Gold
39:12and the Americans
39:14at Omaha
39:15and Utah
39:18before any landing craft
39:19would begin their trip
39:20across the channel
39:22paratroopers
39:22and glider forces
39:23would land behind
39:24the beaches
39:25deep inside
39:26the enemy lines
39:30the British
39:316th Airborne division
39:32was to capture
39:33and hold
39:33two bridges
39:34near the city of Khan
39:37the American 82nd
39:39and 101st
39:40airborne divisions
39:40would land
39:41further west
39:42and stop
39:42any German
39:43counterattacks
39:44in the Cherbourg
39:45peninsula
39:49they were to go
39:50down at night
39:51cut the roads
39:52blow up the bridges
39:54and stop the Germans
39:55getting at the flags
39:57of the maritime
39:58bridgehead
39:58it was an extraordinarily
40:00daring operation
40:02the first briefing
40:04at the camp
40:04of the British
40:056th Airborne division
40:06confirmed
40:07Wally Parr's
40:08earlier hunch
40:10it just went
40:11dead quiet
40:12and there
40:13was a model
40:14of Benneville
40:16and the bridges
40:18and we just
40:19stared at it
40:19that was it
40:22the next few days
40:24was non-stop
40:25we knew
40:26the German
40:26in charge
40:27of the outfit
40:28we knew
40:29where the guns
40:29were
40:30the slick
40:30trench
40:31we knew
40:32everything
40:32over and
40:33over and
40:34over again
40:46175,000 men
40:47moved from
40:48the camps
40:49and boarded
40:49the waiting
40:49transports
40:50and landing
40:51craft
40:56originally
40:57the invasion
40:58was scheduled
40:58for the 5th
40:59of June
40:59and that's
41:00when we started
41:01out
41:02and the sea
41:03was so rough
41:04and we were
41:04carrying a barge
41:05behind us
41:06that suddenly
41:07whipped around
41:08and knocked
41:09a big hole
41:09into this LCI
41:10that we were on
41:11and they had
41:12immediately
41:12pull into port
41:13they slapped
41:14a couple of
41:15pieces of steel
41:16on there
41:17and back
41:18we were again
41:19and then the
41:20order came down
41:20that we would
41:21not go in
41:22on the 5th
41:23that they're
41:23going to try
41:24again on the 6th
41:26and the air
41:28of disappointment
41:28we were ready
41:29to go
41:30but we knew
41:30that the sea
41:31was rough
41:34the whole
41:35invading force
41:35was deathly
41:36seasick
41:37the decks
41:38of these
41:39landing craft
41:39were just
41:40awash
41:41in vomit
41:42and it looked
41:43like the whole
41:43thing was going
41:44to have to be
41:45off
41:45because if they
41:47didn't go
41:47the next day
41:47June 6th
41:48they were going
41:49to have to
41:50stand down
41:50for two weeks
41:52because the moon
41:53and tidal conditions
41:54wouldn't be right
41:55for the invasion
41:55until you got
41:56to June 17th
41:58so the morning
41:59of June 5th
42:00Eisenhower
42:01at about 430 hours
42:03had to make
42:04a really tough
42:05decision
42:07he was worried
42:08about the effect
42:09on the Russians
42:09who had been
42:10promised a second
42:10front
42:11he was worried
42:11about
42:12we've briefed
42:13all these troops
42:13if we bring
42:14them ashore now
42:15and let them
42:15off the boats
42:16there's sure
42:16to be a German
42:17spy among them
42:18and he's going
42:18to get the word
42:18to the Germans
42:21he came to the
42:22conclusion
42:22that the best
42:25possible gamble
42:26was to go
42:28so he stopped
42:29in front of that
42:30table
42:30shot his chin
42:31up
42:32and said
42:33okay
42:33let's go
42:36it was a very
42:36symbolic moment
42:38because the moment
42:40previous to this
42:41he was at that
42:42time
42:42the most powerful
42:43man in the world
42:45on his word
42:46depended not only
42:47the fate of the
42:48175,000 men
42:49going ashore
42:49and the Germans
42:50waiting for him
42:51on the other side
42:51but the fate
42:52of great nations
42:52was very much
42:53at stake here
42:54the minute he had
42:55uttered that word
42:56he was powerless
42:58from that moment
42:59on the decision
43:00was up to the
43:02captain on Omaha
43:02beach to the
43:03sergeant on Utah
43:04beach to the
43:05junior officer
43:06at Juno beach
43:08Eisenhower
43:08couldn't do anything
43:09one way or the
43:10other to infect
43:11the invasion
43:11he had pushed
43:12the button
43:12and now it was off
43:19we took everything
43:20with us
43:21we had
43:23access to
43:24all the ammunition
43:25and hand grenades
43:26or whatever we wanted
43:28there was plenty
43:29of it there
43:29all you could carry
43:30you took
43:32there were anxious
43:33moments
43:33but I don't think
43:34anyone was really
43:35terrified
43:39when we boarded
43:40the planes
43:42that night
43:42of June 5th
43:44a message
43:45from Eisenhower
43:46was given
43:47to each of us
43:49and that was
43:49a very moving
43:50thing
43:52soldiers
43:52sailors
43:53and airmen
43:54were about to
43:54embark on
43:55the great crusade
43:56toward which we
43:57have striven
43:58these many months
43:59the eyes of the
44:00world are upon you
44:01the hopes and prayers
44:04the hopes and prayers
44:04of liberty loving
44:04people everywhere
44:06march with you
44:16d-day the total story
44:18will continue in a moment
44:22what's the difference
44:24what's the difference
44:24between the john deere
44:25and the yard man
44:26lawn tractor
44:27about 400 bucks
44:29and a few standard
44:30features you won't
44:31find on the deer
44:32yard man
44:33it costs less
44:35but it has so much
44:36more
44:38what's the difference
44:39between the honda
44:40and the yard man
44:41lawn mower
44:42about 200 dollars
44:44and a few standard
44:45features you won't
44:46find on the honda
44:47yard man
44:48it costs less
44:50but it has so much
44:51more
44:52the rewards of using
44:54the american express
44:55card keep adding up
44:57every time you use
44:59the card you can
45:00earn miles miles that
45:02add up to free
45:03vacations free flights
45:05free adventures the
45:08membership miles
45:08program it's our way
45:10of saying thank you
45:11for using the american
45:13express card enroll
45:14today you've earned
45:16it to enroll or to
45:18apply for a card call
45:191-800-AX-MILES
45:23i'd like to tell you
45:24about a company you
45:25may have heard of
45:26called american
45:28standard
45:31sure i know what
45:32you're thinking
45:32american standard
45:34those are the guys
45:34that make toilets
45:37true but that's only
45:39part of the picture
45:40they're actually a
45:42global company
45:43in fact they're the
45:44leading foreign producer
45:46of plumbing products
45:47in china
45:49and if you've heard
45:50of train air
45:51conditioners
45:51that's an american
45:53standard company too
45:54they're one of the
45:55largest makers of
45:56commercial air
45:56conditioning systems
45:57in the world
45:58so american standard
46:02does a lot more
46:03than just make toilets
46:09oh yeah their wavco division
46:12created the anti-lock
46:13braking system
46:14found on half the
46:15heavy commercial
46:16vehicles built in
46:17europe today
46:18american standard
46:19more than you ever
46:21expected
46:22it was a time of
46:23holy wars
46:24of violence
46:25knocking on
46:26history's doors
46:27the new children
46:28of israel
46:29slaughtered
46:29everyone they found
46:30the country is in
46:31ruins
46:32if you think life's
46:33tough now
46:34then you better
46:35stay away from
46:36the 12th century
46:40join terry jones
46:41for this breathtaking
46:42and a completely
46:43different look
46:44at the crusades
46:45an a and e special
46:47presentation
46:47crusades
46:49beginning june 5th
46:50on a and e
46:54we now return
46:55to d-day
46:56the total story
47:08i think we must
47:10have taken off
47:10around 10 or so
47:12and it was
47:13very quiet
47:14the whole time
47:16each of us
47:17thinking his
47:19his own thoughts
47:20you know
47:21here we are
47:22after two whole
47:23years of
47:24of training
47:25here we go
47:26it really
47:27it really
47:27was to do
47:28something
47:30i had faith
47:31in the guy
47:32next to me
47:32and he had
47:33faith in me
47:34we were all
47:35trained
47:36to the very
47:37nth degree
47:37we couldn't
47:38have had
47:38any better
47:38training
47:39than we had
47:39we had
47:40good equipment
47:42we all
47:42had the right
47:43spirit
47:44and uh
47:44it was just
47:45going to take
47:46one hell of a
47:46good enemy
47:47to
47:48to wipe us
47:49out
47:51by midnight
47:52the c-47
47:53transport planes
47:54carrying the
47:55american jumpers
47:56had formed up
47:57and begun their
47:58flight to
47:59normandy
48:01elements of the
48:02british airborne
48:02division had
48:03departed hours
48:04before most of
48:05the americans
48:06part of their
48:07force
48:08six gliders
48:09loaded with a
48:09brigade of
48:10150 men
48:11had been assigned
48:12to capture the
48:13bridges near
48:13con
48:14we sang all
48:16the way over
48:16all sorts of
48:18stupid songs
48:19you know
48:20everything
48:20until we got
48:21coming in
48:22over keberg
48:23then we cast
48:23off
48:25and the noise
48:26in the glider
48:26changes
48:27then it's just
48:27a
48:30and away we
48:31went
48:33i did find out
48:34they expected
48:35two of the gliders
48:36to make it out
48:36of the six
48:38it was
48:39something of a
48:40suicide
48:40admission
48:41we must have
48:42been bloody
48:43mad when you
48:44look at it
48:45to do a thing
48:45like that
48:46but it worked
48:49the brigade
48:50approached quietly
48:52right on target
48:52it looked as if
48:54the enemy was
48:55caught off guard
48:56the gliders
48:57touched down
48:57only yards
48:58from the bridges
48:59but when it
49:01finally stopped
49:02it
49:03went silent
49:05it just
49:06went silent
49:07there was
49:08dust
49:09and then
49:10a moan
49:11and then
49:11somebody
49:12blasphemed
49:12and then
49:13somebody
49:14and then
49:14said out
49:15everybody out
49:25we looked out
49:26for the dugouts
49:27so i opened
49:29the door
49:29the first one
49:30in with a hand
49:31grenade
49:31slam
49:32bang
49:34in 15
49:35wild minutes
49:35the british
49:36had overwhelmed
49:36the germans
49:37and the first
49:38battle of d-day
49:39was over
49:39it all seemed
49:40to have gone
49:41according to plan
49:42until wally
49:43parr tried
49:44to find lieutenant
49:45brotherage
49:47i ran across
49:48the bridge
49:49after i'd done
49:50my job
49:51to the cafe
49:52there
49:53and asked
49:54where danny
49:54brotherage
49:55was
49:56i don't know
49:57where he is
49:58nobody's seen
49:58him
49:58so i started
49:59to run
50:00and i ran
50:01past what i thought
50:02was another
50:02dead german
50:03and i stopped
50:04turned around
50:04and it was
50:05danny brotherage
50:08i knelt down
50:09beside him
50:10and
50:11he said
50:12something
50:13his eyes
50:14were open
50:14and i said
50:15i'm sorry
50:16i can't hear
50:16and i put my
50:17hand under
50:18he said
50:18to lift him
50:19up
50:19and he just
50:19closed his eyes
50:21and
50:23and
50:24blood everywhere
50:27lieutenant brotherage
50:28was the first
50:29casualty lost
50:30to enemy action
50:31on d-day
50:33to the west
50:34the americans
50:34had difficulty
50:35finding their
50:36targets
50:36through the
50:37unexpected
50:37cloud cover
50:38and had
50:39flown into
50:40german
50:40anti-aircraft
50:41fire
50:42it really
50:42looked like
50:43the tail
50:43of our
50:44plane
50:45was on
50:45fire
50:45it was
50:46that much
50:47anti-aircraft
50:48going on
50:50and
50:51and i
50:52and i can
50:53so vividly
50:54remember
50:55how surprised
50:56i was
50:57that there
50:59were
50:59people down
51:00there on the
51:00ground
51:01trying to
51:02kill me
51:11our pilot
51:12he had
51:13ended up
51:14you know
51:15nearly colliding
51:15with some
51:16other planes
51:16and had
51:17taken some
51:18evasive actions
51:19and so forth
51:19and really
51:20didn't know
51:21where he was
51:23suddenly he
51:23looked down
51:24at the ground
51:24and he could
51:25see lots
51:26of parachutes
51:28and he said
51:29my gosh
51:29he says
51:30i don't know
51:30where i am
51:31but at least
51:31if i put them
51:32out here
51:33they'll have
51:33some company
51:37on the way
51:38down the germans
51:38were shooting
51:39at me
51:39and they
51:40hit the gas
51:41basket
51:41that was on
51:41my side
51:42that spun me
51:43around
51:46i don't know
51:47how high we
51:47were
51:47not very high
51:48because
51:49it didn't take
51:50long to get
51:51to the ground
51:51it seemed
51:51like forever
51:52with all these
51:53tracers coming
51:54up at you
51:57we were miles
51:58from where
51:59we were supposed
51:59to be
52:00all of that
52:01time spent
52:02with these
52:02sand tables
52:03studying the
52:03exact place
52:05we were going
52:06to go
52:06and how we
52:07were going
52:07to get there
52:08went for naught
52:10because walls
52:10spread all
52:11over the place
52:14i could hear
52:15this noise
52:16coming from
52:16my left
52:17and it was
52:17people walking
52:18i had no way
52:19of knowing
52:19whether it was
52:20our men
52:20or germans
52:21so i didn't
52:22make a sound
52:24they passed
52:25right in front
52:25of me
52:26and as they
52:27just got past
52:28me one of them
52:28spoke to the
52:29other and it
52:29was german
52:31so i had
52:33been within
52:34a padding
52:34distance i could
52:35have patted
52:35them on the
52:36head but i
52:36didn't of course
52:38i assumed that
52:39they could hear
52:39my heart beating
52:40but i don't
52:40think they did
52:43most of the
52:44american
52:44paratroopers
52:45were lost
52:46as they found
52:47their buddies
52:47they tried to
52:48make sense of
52:49the confusion
52:49around them
52:50and piece
52:50together a plan
52:52the paratroopers
52:53had run into
52:54stiff german
52:55resistance and
52:55fought hard
52:56to hold on
52:58operation overlord
52:59was only a few
53:00hours old
53:00but long enough
53:02for the young
53:02paratroopers to
53:03experience the
53:04worst of war
53:06i don't know
53:07that anyone
53:07was ever really
53:08ready for that
53:09but you get so
53:10absolutely mad
53:12that you feel
53:13like jumping up
53:14and running
53:16right at them
53:17you can't do
53:17that
53:19you sort of
53:20lose control
53:22you're not
53:22human
53:24you either
53:24had to shoot
53:25them or they
53:25were going to
53:26shoot you
53:28and so you
53:29went ahead and
53:30did it
53:38many of the
53:38paratroopers were
53:39still scattered
53:41isolated behind
53:41enemy lines and
53:42running low on
53:43ammunition
53:44their situation
53:45was very
53:46dangerous
53:46if the germans
53:48could organize
53:49any attack
53:49the airborne
53:50forces might
53:51be wiped out
53:51before dawn
53:52they had to
53:53hold on
53:54until h
53:55hour
53:55when the
53:56infantry would
53:56storm the
53:57beaches and
53:57break through
53:58the atlantic
53:58wall
53:59the fate of
54:00the paratroopers
54:01rested in the
54:02hands of those
54:02men
54:03who were now
54:03scrambling aboard
54:04crowded landing
54:05craft
54:06trying to find
54:07their way in
54:07the dark
54:07just hoping to
54:09survive the
54:10miserable trip
54:10across the
54:11english channel
54:20june 6th
54:211944
54:22the mightiest
54:23armada ever
54:24assembled set out
54:25on its historic
54:26mission
54:26now from
54:27a and e home
54:28video you can
54:29own this three
54:29video cassette
54:30edition of d-day
54:31the total story
54:32call 1-800-423-1212
54:35and for only
54:36$49.95 plus
54:37shipping and
54:38handling relive
54:39the days of
54:39preparation that
54:40led up to
54:41d-day
54:41the anticipation
54:42of h-hour
54:43and the push
54:44to end the
54:44longest day
54:45call now
54:461-800-423-1212
54:57if you enjoyed
54:59this look at
54:59our historic
55:00past you'll be
55:01happy to know
55:01that the history
55:02channel has
55:03arrived
55:03to get all
55:04of history
55:05on in one
55:05place
55:06call your cable
55:07company and
55:08ask them to
55:08carry the
55:09history channel
55:09and there's
55:10more history
55:11coming your
55:12way tomorrow
55:12on a and a
55:13we'll find out
55:14what life was
55:15like for the
55:15civil war foot
55:16soldier when
55:17danny glover hosts
55:18an all-new
55:19civil war journal
55:20tomorrow and
55:21now could the
55:22cunning of soldiers
55:23and airmen make
55:24up for errors made
55:25by allied
55:26intelligence the
55:27a and a special
55:28presentation d-day
55:29continues next on
55:31a and a it's time
55:32well spent
55:33in a and a and a
55:50and a and a and a
55:50and then
55:56and
56:01so
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