It is first light on the 6th of June, 1994, D-Day. On this day, the Allies launched the largest combined land, air and sea operation ever from Souther England to liberate Europe from Hitler and Nazi oppression. Code named Overlord, the entire operation was a tremendous gamble. The element of surprise was paramount and through a tangle of intrigue, the German high command was led to believe the invasion would occur not at Normandy, but at Calais, only twenty miles from England across the narrow strait of Dover. The preparation for the operation was intense and the assault phase of Operation Overlord was a tremendous victory for the Allies. They had broken the vaunted Atlantic wall and established a foothold on the continent. Soon afterwards they were celebrating the liberation of Paris. Between the two events were 80 days of war and its uncertainty. The story of these three phases, the build up, the assault and the breakout are the real story of D-Day, Operation Overlord. This documentary tells the compelling story of the Normandy Invasion and includes rare color footage from the George Stevens Collections at the Library of Congress, coupled with the thoughts of the men and women who actually participated in these historic events. They tell the story of Operation Overlord as it occurred sixty years ago, when the world came together in conflict on the storm swept beaches of Normandy.
The United States Airborne played a major role in the success of Allied operations throughout World War II. From their first jumps in North Africa and Sicily, to the massive drops in Normandy and Holland, the Airborne was an important part of Allied military strategy. Initially conceived as an assault force able to parachute behind enemy lines, to seize and hold strategic areas until ground forces could link up with them, the AIrborne unites were used in many different ways. From dropping in to capture key positions behind enemy lines in Normandy and Holland, to fighting as tough ground forces at Anzio and the Battle of the Bulge, the Airborne was ready for anything. Elite, confident, and ready for action, the men of the United States Airborne were the best trained and best conditioned fighting force of the war. These men represented the finest combat troops America had to offer and they proved it in the face of unbelievable odds and under the most extreme conditions. This Documentary is THEIR story. Told entirely through veteran and historian interviews and supported by rare archival footage, this set features the stories and experiences of the paratroopers in their own words, creating a uniquely personal perspective of the United States Airborne forces during World War II.