“Soldiers, Sailors, and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force!
"You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hope and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you. In company with our brave Allies and brothers-in-arms on other Fronts, you will bring about the destruction of the German war machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of Europe, and security for ourselves in a free world.”
Thus began Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force General Dwight D. Eisenhower’s Order of the Day on June 6, 1944. This was the order for Operation Overlord – the invasion of Normandy, France – that we now refer to as “D-Day.”
Eisenhower had been warned against the operation by the British and his own aides that then battle would likely result in the death of three quarters of their troops. The weather conditions were dicey and the topography for the maneuver couldn’t be worse: approaching on an open, bare beach with German troops entrenched overhead on bluffs.
Other allied leaders believed that nibbling away at other fronts, such as in North Africa and the Balkans, would be a better way to corner the Axis.
But the opportunity to strike the German army units when many of them were fighting in Russia, along with opening up a new battlefront and taking control of swaths of land for better Allied logistics, was compelling.
As it turns out, only one-fourth of the Allied troops died. This was the beginning of pushing back the Axis forces, leading to victory a year later.
Recently, I attended a press conference and reception at the French Ambassador’s residence in Washington, D.C., to herald in celebrations for the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landing of Americans and allies in WWII. This took place in the Normandy region of France.
While I learned about the special D-Day events for June 6 and 7, it was also pointed out that this historic ocean area might be tricky to access on those crowded dates and the celebrations will go on into October.
Various representatives of Normandy made presentations. I learned that there are several memorials at each landing site, built by different allies, as well as cemeteries and museums to put things into context.
You can rent a kayak to go around some of the shoreline spots in an immersive activity, giving you the feel of the landing.
Sadly, we are quickly coming to the end of days when there are living survivors of that battle.
We all felt so inspired to have with us a U.S. Army vet, Dr. Brown. His family pointed out that he is about to turn 100 and will be a special guest of Delta Airlines to attend the D-Day ceremonies.
He was wearing a sharp-looking dinner jacket and made a short, but meaningful acceptance of an award at the podium.
Tamar Alexia Fleishman was the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's youngest female solo violinist. A world-traveler, Fleishman provides readers with international flavor and culture. She's debated Bill Maher, Greta Van Susteren and Dr. Phil. Fleishman practices law in Maryland with a J.D. from the University of Baltimore and a B.A. in Political Science from Goucher College. Read Tamar Alexia Fleishman's Reports — More Here.