In the book, Eisenhower: A Soldier’s Life, the overall commander reflects on when he last visited the battlefield five years before his death: “These men came here — British and our allies, and Americans — to storm these beaches for one purpose only, not to gain anything for ourselves, not to fulfill any ambitions that America had for conquest, but just to preserve freedom. . . . Many thousands of men have died for such ideals as these. . . but these young boys. . . were cut off in their prime. . . I devoutly hope that we will never again have to see such scenes as these. I think and hope, and pray, that humanity will have learned. . . we must find some way . . .to gain eternal peace in this world.
The Germans had 55 Divisions in France. The Allies could only transport 8 Divisions on D-Day
Overall, around 2 million allied troops, airmen, and sailors were involved in Operation Overlord but only . . .
160,000 troops crossed the Channel on D-Day itself.
Allied casualties on the first day were 4,414 confirmed dead.
127 planes were lost on D-Day. In preparation missions, the Allies flew 14,000 missions, losing 2,000 aircraft and 12,000 airmen.
On 28 April 1944, 946 Americans died when German torpedo boats attacked a D-Day landing rehearsal.
In May 1944, codewords used in the planning began appearing in the Daily Telegraph crosswords. MI5 determined it was an amazing coincidence.
Instead the planned 2 days for the 2nd Waffen SS Division to reach the beachhead and counter-attack, it took two weeks, by which time it was too late. This was due to airstrikes and the French Resistance.
This last event is part of D-Day (Time Patrol), where Mac parachutes in just after midnight on the 6th of June to link up with the Resistance. What he finds is that the Shadow wants that SS Division to get there on time and stop the landings and thus change our history.
Same day, 6 June, six years where history can be changed.
Originally published at www.writeitforward.com on March 30, 2016.
