Operation Overlord, i.e. the invasion of Normandy which actually began the night before on June 5th (or arguably, even before then) was akin to Gettysburg in that it marked the high water mark of the German hegemonic leviathan. Having walked the beaches and cobblestone streets of Normandy, peered over the cliff at Pointe du Hoe (aka Pointe du Hoc as it’s commonly known) navigated among steel obstacles on the beaches, and back in the 60’s spoken with numerous French resistance fighters who were there, I have a special place in my heart for the extraordinary event this was. If for some reason you have NOT seen it (Saving Private Ryan gives only part of the story) I strongly recommend the movie, now available colorized, called The Longest Day. It is based on the book by Cornelius Ryan which is one of if not the best account of what took place before during and just after the invasion. If you REALLY want to get into the details, I can also recommend the masterpiece, “Bodyguard of Lies” by Anthony Cave Brown, a 900+ page (but totally readable) story about the clandestine war of deceptions that hid the secrets of the invasion from the Wermacht and resulted in the Allied victory. In either case, June 6th is a day worth remembering just as Memorial Day, Veterans Day, etc.
