The Longest Day

It could all go terribly wrong. It might be a epic bloodbath. Failure is a distinct possibility. Maybe it is even probable given the size and complexity of this "great crusade." These dark thoughts prompted General Dwight D. Eisenhower to draft a short speech. On a scrap of paper, he wrote in longhand: "Our landings in the Cherbourg-Havre area have failed to gain a satisfactory foothold and I have withdrawn the troops. My decision to attack at this time and place was based on the best information available. The troops, the air and the Navy did all that bravery and devotion to duty could do. If any blame or fault attaches to the attempt, it is mine alone." Ike never delivered the speech. On this day, June 6, in 1944, 160,000 Allied troops fought their way ashore along the Normandy coast of France in the largest amphibious assault ever undertaken in warfare. At a cost of over 5,000 Allied lives on "the longest day," Operation Overlord (or "D-Day") succeeded.