That was 79 years ago. Many died on the beaches, and many survivors have since passed. Today we honor them all.
“Approximately 4,414 Allied personnel killed on D-Day. These include 2,501 from the USA, 1,449 British dead, 391 Canadians and 73 from other Allied countries.” — US National D-Day Memorial Foundation.
Some 1557 were listed as missing in action (MIA) and presumed dead. Many drowned in the ocean water off Normandy or small ponds, lakes, and rivers. The average weight the paratroopers carried into battle was 65 pounds, so if they landed in water unless they were strong swimmers, they were doomed.
My Experiences at Normandy
I chose the title because The Longest Day with John Wayne, Red Buttons, and many more is my favorite movie on the subject of the Normandy invasion. I’ve been to Normandy three times.
While I was stationed in Belgium with the US Army from 1996-2002 with the 39th Signal Battalion, I had the opportunity to go on a weekend seminar as a student at the University of Maryland, and then, the next year, I was part of a Senior Leadership Tour to the beaches at Normandy.
On the third visit, my battalion commander put me in charge of the planning committee for a second Senior Leadership tour of Normandy. Since I had already been there twice, I knew where to stay and which tours of the area were the most interesting and informative.
The picture above is a memorial replica of John Steele, the 82nd Airborne Soldier whose parachute hung up on the church steeple. In the movie, The Longest Day, his part was played by the late Red Buttons.
Although John Steele was hit in the foot by shrapnel and played dead for nearly two hours, helping him, the parish priest did not tell the Nazis of the secret door to the tower. The Germans eventually captured him.
However, PFC Steele escaped four hours later and rejoined his company. He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for conspicuous gallantry and a Purple Heart for his wounds.
Steele returned to Sainte-Mère-Église many times after WWII. He stayed for a while and helped build and fill the Airborne Museum at Sainte-Mère-Église.
He returned to his home in Fayetteville, North Carolina, which most Soldiers know is the home of Fort Bragg and the 82nd Airborne. He died of throat cancer in 1969.
During my third visit, we stayed at the BNB Sainte-Mère-Église. The owner also had a small bar and restaurant (Place du 6 Juin) in town directly across from the church where John Steele was trapped by his parachute.
After we left the church, we had lunch at his restaurant, and he bought everyone a drink. Most of us had a beer. In the restaurant, there was a small gift shop where I was able to purchase a commemorative bottle of wine from the 50th anniversary of D-Day.
The unfortunate part of the story is an incendiary bomb set a house on fire, and the villagers and Germans had formed a bucket brigade to put out the fire, so there was no way for PFC Steele to conceal himself up there for long.
When we visited the church, the priest showed us the secret door to the belfry. Although the church is small, it was memorable, particularly the stained glass windows. The replica of John Steele wasn’t added until 2011, some 12 years after our visit.
Many of us stayed in the BNB bar the evening after we toured the town. There was an American Expat named Bruno in the bar, supposedly parachuted with 82nd Airborne’s, and a Brit named Ross, who landed at Juno Beach.
It was fun to hear them argue all night about whose entry into Normandy was more arduous. One thing’s certain: neither of them bought a drink all night.
The Longest Day Movie CLIP - Parachuting Fiasco (1962) HD
An Overview of D-Day
June 6, 1944, stands as a momentous day in history, a pivotal turning point in World War II. This day marked the commencement of Operation Overlord, the largest seaborne invasion in history.
It was a crucial Allied assault against Nazi-occupied France on the beaches of Normandy, a high-risk endeavor to liberate Western Europe from Hitler's clutches.
The Strategy Behind Operation Overlord
Operation Overlord's strategic design was rooted in a plan to secure a foothold in mainland Europe.
The initial assault, D-Day, involved over 156,000 American, British, and Canadian troops storming five beaches along a 50-mile stretch of heavily fortified coastline. Concurrently, airborne troops parachuted or rode in gliders behind enemy lines to capture key communication sites and disrupt German reinforcements.
The gliders from the Pegasus Brigade led by Major Howard’s mission was to capture two crucial bridges far behind enemy lines. That mission was a resounding success.
“The bridge was captured after a fierce ten minute fire fight, the action all over by 00:26, a full six hours before the beach landings. So, just 90 minutes after taking off from RAF Tarrant Rushton in England, Major Howard was able to send the code words “Ham and Jam,” indicating that both bridges had been captured.”—D-Day Revisited.
The Invasion Begins: From Air and Sea
Under cover of darkness in the early hours of D-Day, the first phase of the invasion was launched.
More than 13,000 paratroopers from the American 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions and their British counterparts were dropped behind enemy lines. Meanwhile, an armada of over 6,000 vessels, including battleships, destroyers, and landing crafts, crossed the English Channel carrying the ground invasion force.
Stain glass window donated by the 82nd Airborne Corps.Photo byA1C Steven Czyz, USAF - adapted with PowerPoint.
The Church at Sainte-Mère-Église has several stained glass windows. Two were donated by the 82nd Airborne Corps and the 101st Airborne Division. The one from the 82nd is pictured here.
Landing on the Beaches of Normandy
By dawn, the landings began on five beaches codenamed Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword. American forces spearheaded the assaults on Utah and Omaha, while British and Canadian troops tackled Gold, Juno, and Sword.
The Allies faced fierce resistance, particularly at Omaha, where strong defenses and rough seas resulted in devastating casualties.
The Aftermath and Significance of D-Day
Despite significant losses, by the end of the day, the Allies had achieved a tenuous foothold in Normandy.
This marked the beginning of a grueling campaign to liberate France, which eventually succeeded in August 1944. D-Day's success was a turning point in World War II, marking the start of the end of Hitler's regime.
The indomitable spirit of the men who fought on D-Day echoes down the ages. Their bravery in the face of unimaginable adversity helped shape history, reminding us of the price of freedom and the unyielding power of unity in times of global crisis.
The Memorial Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer overlooks Omaha Beach at Normandy.
I’ll never forget my first visit there with former US Navy Admiral Johnson, who was my history professor. He served in the Navy for 29 years and taught at Maryland for another 29. Few were able to keep up with his pace as we crossed the beach on our approach to Colleville.
The cemetery is beautiful and well-maintained. Although it is owned by the French, it is on a long-term loan to America and maintained by Americans.
The movie Saving Private Ryan had been released a few months before we went there in 1999, and some of the guys had a betting pool to see who could find his grave first. I didn’t tell them he wasn’t buried there.
Saving Private Ryan Opening Cemetery Scene
The grave of CPT John Miller (played by Tom Hanks) was only a movie prop. Though the inspiration for Private Ryan, Fritz Niland, has two older brothers buried there. Likewise, three Congressional Medal of Honor (MoH) recipients were interred there, including BG Theodore Roosevelt Jr., an MoH awardee, and his younger brother, Quentin, who was killed in action (KIA) in WWI. His body was exhumed from another cemetery and moved to the Colleville Cemetery.
There are 9,387 graves, including the remains of Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen/Women, and many war correspondents.
In the center is the chapel, which bears the inscription, “I give them eternal life and they shall never perish.”
A rich part of history is that our Supreme HQ Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) was once in Paris until the French President Charles de Gaulle and US President Lyndon Johnson had a falling out about the flag alignment. LBJ wanted all flags to be of equal height, and de Gaulle wanted the French flag to be slightly above the others. SHAPE was moved to Brussels, Belgium, where it remains.
Few places I visited in Europe, with the possible exception of the Netherlands, loved and praised the US military more than the people at Normandy. I will never forget Sainte-Mère-Église or the thousands who served there.
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About the author
Stephen Dalton is a native of Old Town, ME, and a retired US Army First Sergeant with a degree in journalism from the University of Maryland. He is a Certified US English Chicago Manual of Style Editor. Top Writer in Travel, Food, Fiction, Transportation, VR, NFL, Design, Creativity, Short Story, and a NewsBreak Community Voice Pro.
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