1 00:00:01,880 --> 00:00:04,120 Speaker 1: On this episode of Newts World, I'm going to take 2 00:00:04,160 --> 00:00:07,880 Speaker 1: you back to a podcast we did in twenty nineteen. 3 00:00:08,240 --> 00:00:11,319 Speaker 1: I'm doing it because I think there was such an 4 00:00:11,320 --> 00:00:14,320 Speaker 1: important date in history, and such an important date in 5 00:00:14,360 --> 00:00:19,279 Speaker 1: American history, that it's worth revisiting. Seventy seven years ago, 6 00:00:19,880 --> 00:00:23,480 Speaker 1: on June sixth, the United States, Great Britain in their 7 00:00:23,480 --> 00:00:28,080 Speaker 1: allies landed in France in the most complicated single operation 8 00:00:28,520 --> 00:00:32,600 Speaker 1: ever undertaken by human beings, with so many people landing 9 00:00:32,880 --> 00:00:36,120 Speaker 1: from the air, so many people landing across the beaches, 10 00:00:36,479 --> 00:00:39,640 Speaker 1: so many people involved in the ship's off shore, so 11 00:00:39,760 --> 00:00:42,559 Speaker 1: many people flying in the sky, keeping all of that 12 00:00:42,720 --> 00:00:48,560 Speaker 1: co ordinate. Getting it to happen against aggressive, professional German 13 00:00:48,560 --> 00:00:54,000 Speaker 1: opposition was a remarkable achievement, and I felt strongly at 14 00:00:54,000 --> 00:00:56,920 Speaker 1: the time that I wanted to share, particularly with younger 15 00:00:56,960 --> 00:01:01,280 Speaker 1: people who may not realize how really important that this 16 00:01:01,440 --> 00:01:05,720 Speaker 1: was the decisive moment. Had we failed, we would in 17 00:01:05,800 --> 00:01:09,040 Speaker 1: fact probably have found ourselves in a totally different world, 18 00:01:09,440 --> 00:01:13,440 Speaker 1: one on which the Nazis might still dominate Europe. So 19 00:01:13,640 --> 00:01:16,800 Speaker 1: I wanted to take a moment to emphasize the importance 20 00:01:16,880 --> 00:01:20,120 Speaker 1: of the date, but I also wanted to use it 21 00:01:20,160 --> 00:01:22,839 Speaker 1: as an opportunity to show you how much things have changed, 22 00:01:23,280 --> 00:01:26,800 Speaker 1: because you see that evening and we were, because of 23 00:01:26,800 --> 00:01:31,000 Speaker 1: the time different six hours behind France, so we knew 24 00:01:31,160 --> 00:01:35,399 Speaker 1: by the evening that we had landed successful. And at 25 00:01:35,400 --> 00:01:40,320 Speaker 1: that point President Franklin Dolo Rossel, probably the most popular 26 00:01:40,400 --> 00:01:45,520 Speaker 1: president in twentieth century history, the leading democratic liberal of 27 00:01:45,600 --> 00:01:50,080 Speaker 1: the man who created the modern democratic majority, went on radio, 28 00:01:51,000 --> 00:01:54,200 Speaker 1: which was the medium of the time, and he asked 29 00:01:54,240 --> 00:01:57,480 Speaker 1: the American people to pray. And it is such a 30 00:01:57,520 --> 00:02:02,200 Speaker 1: spectacular prayer and the very notion of an American president saying, 31 00:02:02,280 --> 00:02:05,720 Speaker 1: please pray with me. And then at the end he says, 32 00:02:05,880 --> 00:02:08,959 Speaker 1: some people have asked me to announce a day of prayer, 33 00:02:09,560 --> 00:02:12,080 Speaker 1: but I think instead I'm going to ask each of 34 00:02:12,120 --> 00:02:15,359 Speaker 1: you to pray every day until the war's over and 35 00:02:15,520 --> 00:02:20,320 Speaker 1: our men have come over. Now, I think that's so remarkable, 36 00:02:20,360 --> 00:02:24,079 Speaker 1: and when you hear it, you will understand that with 37 00:02:24,200 --> 00:02:27,840 Speaker 1: his voice, with a country which had now had him 38 00:02:27,840 --> 00:02:32,799 Speaker 1: as president since nineteen thirty three, with the power of 39 00:02:32,840 --> 00:02:36,280 Speaker 1: his beliefs, that it was a remarkable moment. And imagine 40 00:02:36,360 --> 00:02:39,600 Speaker 1: today if instead of having the government's sue religion and 41 00:02:39,680 --> 00:02:44,280 Speaker 1: having the government dominated by secular anti Christians, anti Jews, 42 00:02:44,280 --> 00:02:47,520 Speaker 1: anti Muslims, you name it. If it involves God, they're 43 00:02:47,560 --> 00:02:51,120 Speaker 1: against it. Imagine you had a president who could say, 44 00:02:51,760 --> 00:02:55,400 Speaker 1: please join me in prayer, and I think it was 45 00:02:55,440 --> 00:02:58,120 Speaker 1: a remarkable time. I hope you will listen to it 46 00:02:58,200 --> 00:03:02,040 Speaker 1: carefully and think about the motions of the mothers and 47 00:03:02,080 --> 00:03:05,280 Speaker 1: the fathers, and the lovelas the brothers and the sisters 48 00:03:06,000 --> 00:03:27,840 Speaker 1: as they joined the president. Estates in printer unconfirmed by 49 00:03:27,840 --> 00:03:30,840 Speaker 1: alive starts, of course, says that heavy fighting is taking 50 00:03:30,840 --> 00:03:34,559 Speaker 1: place between the Germans and invasioned forces on the Normandy Peninsula, 51 00:03:34,720 --> 00:03:38,720 Speaker 1: about thirty one miles southwest of Lahavra. Another bulletin, also 52 00:03:38,840 --> 00:03:42,920 Speaker 1: from Berlin radio and unconfirmed, says the Brittish American landing 53 00:03:42,960 --> 00:03:46,440 Speaker 1: operations against the western coast of Europe from the sea 54 00:03:46,480 --> 00:03:49,920 Speaker 1: and from the air are stretching over the entire area 55 00:03:50,000 --> 00:03:54,240 Speaker 1: between Scherburg and Lahavra, a distance of about sixty miles. 56 00:03:59,320 --> 00:04:03,520 Speaker 1: On June's nineteen forty four, one hundred and fifty six 57 00:04:03,640 --> 00:04:09,480 Speaker 1: thousand Allied troops stormed the beaches of Normandy. Paratroopers landed 58 00:04:09,520 --> 00:04:13,240 Speaker 1: behind the beaches. A huge number of ships were in 59 00:04:13,280 --> 00:04:17,960 Speaker 1: the English Channel. The air power was over all of 60 00:04:18,040 --> 00:04:22,760 Speaker 1: that part of France, and it was the greatest, single 61 00:04:22,920 --> 00:04:28,279 Speaker 1: complex event in human history, vastly more complicated than going 62 00:04:28,320 --> 00:04:31,200 Speaker 1: to the Moon or anything we've tried to do. I 63 00:04:31,240 --> 00:04:34,320 Speaker 1: wanted to share with you because I think that it's 64 00:04:34,760 --> 00:04:40,280 Speaker 1: really important that we occasionally stop and look at a 65 00:04:40,279 --> 00:04:45,679 Speaker 1: decisive event, try to understand what would have happened without 66 00:04:45,720 --> 00:04:49,520 Speaker 1: that event, and try to understand the people who made 67 00:04:49,520 --> 00:04:53,880 Speaker 1: it possible. Everybody knew that something big was going to happen, 68 00:04:54,240 --> 00:04:57,000 Speaker 1: they didn't know where, and they weren't sure the details. 69 00:04:57,000 --> 00:05:00,320 Speaker 1: And frankly, we'd gone to a great length to keep 70 00:05:00,360 --> 00:05:03,000 Speaker 1: the Germans confused about what we were doing. If you 71 00:05:03,240 --> 00:05:05,840 Speaker 1: were looking at it from the German side, they all 72 00:05:05,880 --> 00:05:09,080 Speaker 1: assumed it would be in France, but nobody knew the 73 00:05:09,080 --> 00:05:12,320 Speaker 1: exact date. Nobody knew the exact location. When I say nobody, 74 00:05:12,360 --> 00:05:15,960 Speaker 1: I mean among civilian Americans. And when it came I 75 00:05:16,000 --> 00:05:20,200 Speaker 1: think people were a little stunned by the scale. But 76 00:05:20,320 --> 00:05:22,360 Speaker 1: to get a feel for that, there are a couple 77 00:05:22,400 --> 00:05:26,080 Speaker 1: of radio broadcasts that really went straight to people. Remember 78 00:05:26,160 --> 00:05:29,320 Speaker 1: this is an age when radio is the only common 79 00:05:29,360 --> 00:05:32,760 Speaker 1: mechanism of communication, and this is what people are listening 80 00:05:32,800 --> 00:05:36,400 Speaker 1: to in order to have a sense of what's going on. 81 00:05:36,800 --> 00:05:39,280 Speaker 1: Men and women of the United States. This is a 82 00:05:39,320 --> 00:05:43,440 Speaker 1: momentous hour in world history. This is the invasion of 83 00:05:43,600 --> 00:05:47,599 Speaker 1: Hitler's Europe, the zero hour of the Second Front. The 84 00:05:47,640 --> 00:05:51,600 Speaker 1: men of General Dwight Eisenhower are leaving their landing barges, 85 00:05:51,880 --> 00:05:54,640 Speaker 1: fighting their way up at beaches into the fortress of 86 00:05:54,760 --> 00:05:57,640 Speaker 1: Nazi Europe. They are moving in from the sea to 87 00:05:57,720 --> 00:06:00,960 Speaker 1: attack the enemy under a mammoth cloud, up fighter planes, 88 00:06:01,279 --> 00:06:05,240 Speaker 1: under a ceiling of screaming shells from Allied warships. The 89 00:06:05,320 --> 00:06:08,960 Speaker 1: first news flashes do not say, but a large proportion 90 00:06:09,000 --> 00:06:11,360 Speaker 1: of this assault is believed to be in the hands 91 00:06:11,360 --> 00:06:14,560 Speaker 1: of American men. They are making the attacks side by 92 00:06:14,680 --> 00:06:18,599 Speaker 1: side with the British Tommies who were bombed and blasted 93 00:06:18,600 --> 00:06:22,840 Speaker 1: out of Europe at Dunkirk. Now at this hour they 94 00:06:23,040 --> 00:06:27,560 Speaker 1: are bombing and blasting their way back again. This is 95 00:06:27,600 --> 00:06:32,080 Speaker 1: the European Front once again being established in fire and blood, 96 00:06:32,480 --> 00:06:35,320 Speaker 1: not only by the Americans and British, but by many 97 00:06:35,360 --> 00:06:39,480 Speaker 1: allies in the fight against Axis aggression. This is the 98 00:06:39,520 --> 00:06:43,839 Speaker 1: supreme test of Allied spirit and of Allied weapons. The 99 00:06:43,920 --> 00:06:51,080 Speaker 1: world's greatest military undertaking is under way. Before they landed. 100 00:06:51,680 --> 00:06:56,119 Speaker 1: It was very possible a wooden work. Certainly. Prime Minister 101 00:06:56,160 --> 00:07:01,120 Speaker 1: Winston Churchill was deeply afraid. At one point felt that 102 00:07:01,200 --> 00:07:05,480 Speaker 1: he dreamed rivers of blood because he was so much 103 00:07:05,520 --> 00:07:08,440 Speaker 1: afraid of trying to land there. The British had run 104 00:07:08,480 --> 00:07:12,240 Speaker 1: a trial landing and had found that going into a 105 00:07:12,320 --> 00:07:16,800 Speaker 1: fortified port was a disaster and involved a Canadian unit 106 00:07:16,840 --> 00:07:21,440 Speaker 1: which was literally massacred, so they were very skittish. On 107 00:07:21,480 --> 00:07:25,320 Speaker 1: the other hand, we had landed in North Africa, we 108 00:07:25,440 --> 00:07:30,080 Speaker 1: had landed in Sicily. We had some pretty interesting experiences 109 00:07:30,120 --> 00:07:35,240 Speaker 1: proving that you could have a combination of paratroopers and 110 00:07:35,360 --> 00:07:39,080 Speaker 1: people landing from boats and you could force away ashore. 111 00:07:40,320 --> 00:07:44,680 Speaker 1: But Normandy was different. The Germans had built up their defenses, 112 00:07:45,400 --> 00:07:50,000 Speaker 1: they had a substantial number of tanks available, and they 113 00:07:50,040 --> 00:07:52,880 Speaker 1: were prepared to do everything they could to throw us 114 00:07:52,920 --> 00:07:56,680 Speaker 1: back into the sea, because they knew that if it succeeded, 115 00:07:57,160 --> 00:08:00,360 Speaker 1: if we were ashore, that we would inevitably build up 116 00:08:00,360 --> 00:08:04,080 Speaker 1: our forces in Brake loose and ultimately defeat them. In 117 00:08:04,200 --> 00:08:09,840 Speaker 1: order to achieve this extraordinary landing, President Roosevelt and Prime 118 00:08:09,880 --> 00:08:14,120 Speaker 1: Minister Churchill turned to the general who had served them 119 00:08:14,160 --> 00:08:18,120 Speaker 1: so well, and that was General Dwight David Eisenhower, or 120 00:08:18,160 --> 00:08:21,320 Speaker 1: Ike as he was known to his friends. He became 121 00:08:21,360 --> 00:08:26,280 Speaker 1: the supreme Allied Commander, and his chief deputy was the 122 00:08:26,320 --> 00:08:30,720 Speaker 1: most famous, highly respected British general in the Second World War, 123 00:08:31,320 --> 00:08:36,199 Speaker 1: Bernard Law Montgomery. The two of them arrived around Christmas 124 00:08:36,240 --> 00:08:39,880 Speaker 1: of nineteen forty three, looked at the plans that had 125 00:08:39,880 --> 00:08:42,880 Speaker 1: been developed over the previous year and promptly threw them 126 00:08:42,880 --> 00:08:47,000 Speaker 1: out because the plans were too small, too narrow, and 127 00:08:47,120 --> 00:08:50,240 Speaker 1: too likely to fail. And so they built a much 128 00:08:50,400 --> 00:08:56,640 Speaker 1: bigger operation involving many more people. And they were clearly 129 00:08:56,679 --> 00:09:01,160 Speaker 1: laying it on the line. If Normandy had failed, if 130 00:09:01,200 --> 00:09:05,079 Speaker 1: we had tried to land and non succeeded, it's very 131 00:09:05,160 --> 00:09:07,959 Speaker 1: likely that we'd have had a hard time doing it 132 00:09:08,000 --> 00:09:11,959 Speaker 1: a second time. That they cost psychologically as well as 133 00:09:11,960 --> 00:09:15,480 Speaker 1: physically would have been so great that we would probably 134 00:09:15,520 --> 00:09:19,640 Speaker 1: have ended up with Russia eventually defeating Germany and occupying 135 00:09:19,679 --> 00:09:22,840 Speaker 1: all of Western Europe. So this was a key moment 136 00:09:23,080 --> 00:09:26,240 Speaker 1: in history. Now. To be fair to the Russians, they 137 00:09:26,240 --> 00:09:30,480 Speaker 1: were losing millions of people fighting the Germans, and Stalin 138 00:09:30,559 --> 00:09:33,760 Speaker 1: as early as early in nineteen forty two had been 139 00:09:33,800 --> 00:09:37,120 Speaker 1: pressuring us to get involved in killing Germans, and he 140 00:09:37,360 --> 00:09:40,320 Speaker 1: was fairly bitter about the fact that we didn't land 141 00:09:40,360 --> 00:09:42,920 Speaker 1: in Europe, and forty two we landed in North Africa, 142 00:09:43,040 --> 00:09:45,520 Speaker 1: we didn't land in Western Europe, and forty three we 143 00:09:45,600 --> 00:09:49,440 Speaker 1: landed in Sicily and Italy. And he wanted an allied 144 00:09:49,520 --> 00:09:53,080 Speaker 1: force in the west to drain Germans out of Russia 145 00:09:53,120 --> 00:09:55,800 Speaker 1: and out of the Eastern Front, to reduce the pressure 146 00:09:55,840 --> 00:09:58,320 Speaker 1: on his own country, and we kept promising we were 147 00:09:58,320 --> 00:10:01,000 Speaker 1: going to do something. Frankly, we were very worried that 148 00:10:01,080 --> 00:10:04,080 Speaker 1: at some point the two dictators Stalin and Hitler might 149 00:10:04,120 --> 00:10:07,360 Speaker 1: get together, create a truce and allow the Germans to 150 00:10:07,400 --> 00:10:10,240 Speaker 1: reposition their forces in the West, which would have cost 151 00:10:10,320 --> 00:10:15,280 Speaker 1: us huge problems. But it didn't happen. Stalin wanted to 152 00:10:15,320 --> 00:10:19,040 Speaker 1: defeat the Germans. He was deeply embittered by the way 153 00:10:19,040 --> 00:10:21,360 Speaker 1: they had attacked, the number of people they had killed, 154 00:10:21,360 --> 00:10:25,359 Speaker 1: the brutality they had displayed in occupying parts of Russia. 155 00:10:25,559 --> 00:10:27,719 Speaker 1: So in the end he probably never was going to 156 00:10:27,800 --> 00:10:30,320 Speaker 1: cut a deal with Hitler, but we were afraid that 157 00:10:30,320 --> 00:10:33,600 Speaker 1: he might, and we kept reassuring him. Both Roosevelt and 158 00:10:33,679 --> 00:10:35,640 Speaker 1: Churchill kept telling him, We're going to do it. We're 159 00:10:35,640 --> 00:10:37,480 Speaker 1: going to do it. Then they said we're going to 160 00:10:37,480 --> 00:10:39,960 Speaker 1: do it in May, but in fact we weren't quite 161 00:10:40,040 --> 00:10:42,720 Speaker 1: ready in May. We didn't have all of our forces prepared. 162 00:10:43,280 --> 00:10:44,560 Speaker 1: So then we said we're going to do it in 163 00:10:44,640 --> 00:10:48,200 Speaker 1: Gym and that led to I think one of the 164 00:10:48,240 --> 00:10:52,520 Speaker 1: most amazing magic moments of the whole war, and in 165 00:10:52,559 --> 00:10:57,240 Speaker 1: fact in history. What happened was Eisenhower and Montgomery had 166 00:10:57,240 --> 00:11:02,080 Speaker 1: been practicing with the meteorologists how to land and when 167 00:11:02,120 --> 00:11:05,240 Speaker 1: to land and what did the weather mean. And the 168 00:11:05,280 --> 00:11:08,480 Speaker 1: meteorologist had an advantage over the Germans because we were 169 00:11:08,520 --> 00:11:11,960 Speaker 1: able to look at weather patterns from Greenland and Iceland, 170 00:11:12,360 --> 00:11:14,640 Speaker 1: and so we knew a couple of days in advance. 171 00:11:15,200 --> 00:11:18,360 Speaker 1: The weather almost always came from the west. The Germans 172 00:11:18,440 --> 00:11:22,319 Speaker 1: did not have that kind of observational capability, and so 173 00:11:22,360 --> 00:11:24,400 Speaker 1: they were sort of blind about what was happening with 174 00:11:24,440 --> 00:11:29,160 Speaker 1: the weather. Well, to land at Normandy, you had to 175 00:11:29,240 --> 00:11:32,319 Speaker 1: have the tides just right so you could get ashore. 176 00:11:33,080 --> 00:11:35,440 Speaker 1: You had to have the right kind of moon, which 177 00:11:35,440 --> 00:11:38,959 Speaker 1: also affected the tides. You had to have adequate weather 178 00:11:39,040 --> 00:11:42,680 Speaker 1: to land, because if it was big storms, you just 179 00:11:42,679 --> 00:11:46,920 Speaker 1: couldn't land, or you couldn't sustain yourself. So on the 180 00:11:47,040 --> 00:11:53,520 Speaker 1: fourth of June, the weather was terrible and the troops 181 00:11:53,520 --> 00:11:55,200 Speaker 1: had all gotten prepared. We were going to go in 182 00:11:55,240 --> 00:11:58,040 Speaker 1: on the fifth of gym They were on the ships 183 00:11:58,080 --> 00:12:00,400 Speaker 1: that were getting ready to get on the airplanes, and 184 00:12:00,520 --> 00:12:04,280 Speaker 1: suddenly was postponed for twenty four hours, and Eisenhower was 185 00:12:04,320 --> 00:12:07,480 Speaker 1: faced with probably the greatest single decision of the war. 186 00:12:08,960 --> 00:12:12,680 Speaker 1: On the morning of the fifth, the meteorologists called and said, 187 00:12:12,720 --> 00:12:14,679 Speaker 1: you know, I think you're going to have a brief 188 00:12:14,679 --> 00:12:17,480 Speaker 1: period of good weather starting on the sixth, and I 189 00:12:17,520 --> 00:12:22,240 Speaker 1: think you can land now. This is putting over a 190 00:12:22,360 --> 00:12:28,480 Speaker 1: hundred thousand men's lives at stake based on a weather prediction. First, 191 00:12:28,800 --> 00:12:32,000 Speaker 1: the Germans, who did not have weather forecasting from the west, 192 00:12:33,000 --> 00:12:36,320 Speaker 1: saw this terrible weather, assumed it was going to continue, 193 00:12:36,880 --> 00:12:39,319 Speaker 1: and a lot of their senior leaders dispersed and went 194 00:12:39,360 --> 00:12:42,439 Speaker 1: to various meetings because, after all, the Allies couldn't land 195 00:12:42,440 --> 00:12:44,800 Speaker 1: in this kind of weather, and they had no notion 196 00:12:45,120 --> 00:12:48,720 Speaker 1: that was going to clear up on the sixth. Second, 197 00:12:48,720 --> 00:12:52,480 Speaker 1: had Eisenhower been cautious and had he waited till the 198 00:12:52,520 --> 00:12:57,280 Speaker 1: next availability, which was in July. The fact was those 199 00:12:57,400 --> 00:13:00,439 Speaker 1: dates in July were one of the largest dorms in 200 00:13:00,520 --> 00:13:04,240 Speaker 1: modern history in the English Channel and would have been 201 00:13:04,280 --> 00:13:09,000 Speaker 1: an utter total disaster. And so the one moment that 202 00:13:09,080 --> 00:13:12,240 Speaker 1: worked was the moment we landed on D Day, the 203 00:13:12,280 --> 00:13:16,400 Speaker 1: sixth of June. Now, to give you a flavor of 204 00:13:16,480 --> 00:13:21,760 Speaker 1: why this was so important, Roosevelt knew that we were 205 00:13:21,760 --> 00:13:25,800 Speaker 1: really sending the country to war. That all those one 206 00:13:25,880 --> 00:13:29,200 Speaker 1: hundred and fifty six thousand Allied forces, many of whom 207 00:13:29,240 --> 00:13:32,040 Speaker 1: were American, the paratroopers who were going to be landing 208 00:13:32,520 --> 00:13:36,040 Speaker 1: during the night, the people who were flying the bombers overhead, 209 00:13:36,440 --> 00:13:39,320 Speaker 1: that people were flying the transport planes, the people on 210 00:13:39,440 --> 00:13:43,120 Speaker 1: the ships. All these folks were engaged. Every town in 211 00:13:43,160 --> 00:13:46,040 Speaker 1: America had an interest in what was going to happen 212 00:13:46,400 --> 00:13:51,160 Speaker 1: at Normandy. It's important to remember that when we totally mobilized, 213 00:13:52,200 --> 00:13:54,800 Speaker 1: one out of every ten Americans, slightly more than that, 214 00:13:54,840 --> 00:13:58,920 Speaker 1: eleven percent of the population was in uniform. And Roosevelt, 215 00:13:59,520 --> 00:14:02,040 Speaker 1: who knew it was coming, had been working on this. 216 00:14:02,120 --> 00:14:06,400 Speaker 1: In fact, he's probably more worried than Eisenhower because he 217 00:14:06,480 --> 00:14:10,120 Speaker 1: wasn't there. When we come back, I'll describe what was 218 00:14:10,160 --> 00:14:13,640 Speaker 1: going through President Franklin D. Roosevelt's mind. In the days 219 00:14:13,760 --> 00:14:41,840 Speaker 1: leading up to the long planned D Day invasion. Roosevelt 220 00:14:41,880 --> 00:14:46,400 Speaker 1: actually went off the weekend before and spent some time 221 00:14:46,800 --> 00:14:52,400 Speaker 1: at Paul Watson's estate out near Monticello, Virginia, and they 222 00:14:52,440 --> 00:14:55,200 Speaker 1: talked about what should he do, what should he say 223 00:14:55,800 --> 00:14:58,920 Speaker 1: when he had to brief the American people that Overlord 224 00:14:58,960 --> 00:15:05,560 Speaker 1: had begun. His daughter suggested a prayer. Roosevelt asked Grace Tully, 225 00:15:05,640 --> 00:15:11,480 Speaker 1: his secretary, to start taking dictation, and then he pulled 226 00:15:11,480 --> 00:15:15,200 Speaker 1: out his family's book of Common Prayer to try to 227 00:15:15,200 --> 00:15:19,760 Speaker 1: get inspired. Grace ultimately taped a final version of the prayer. 228 00:15:20,520 --> 00:15:25,920 Speaker 1: Roosevelt practiced it on Sunday and was ready. Roosevelt on Monday, 229 00:15:25,960 --> 00:15:28,760 Speaker 1: the fifth of June, goes back to the White House. 230 00:15:28,760 --> 00:15:32,480 Speaker 1: That's the day originally scheduled. But it didn't happen, and 231 00:15:33,080 --> 00:15:37,480 Speaker 1: Roosevelt continues to worry about it. General Marshall, who was 232 00:15:37,520 --> 00:15:42,240 Speaker 1: the top American commander for the War Department, was not 233 00:15:42,400 --> 00:15:45,800 Speaker 1: particularly nervous. He knew that Eisenhower was confident. They knew 234 00:15:45,800 --> 00:15:48,440 Speaker 1: that they'd been working at this thing now for a 235 00:15:48,520 --> 00:15:52,720 Speaker 1: long time, and he was reasonably sure that it will work. Eisenhower, 236 00:15:52,720 --> 00:16:00,320 Speaker 1: I think was concerned but he wasn't particularly nervous. Shar 237 00:16:00,480 --> 00:16:03,760 Speaker 1: was a guy who believed in deep preparation and then 238 00:16:03,800 --> 00:16:06,680 Speaker 1: in relaxing and assuming that things would work out all right. 239 00:16:07,240 --> 00:16:11,960 Speaker 1: There's a wonderful scene of Eisenhower visiting paratroopers. Now remember 240 00:16:12,160 --> 00:16:15,520 Speaker 1: he's ordering them to fly into France, jump out of 241 00:16:15,560 --> 00:16:19,640 Speaker 1: the airplane in the dark, and in the process he 242 00:16:19,640 --> 00:16:22,960 Speaker 1: had been warned by the British Royal Air Force officers 243 00:16:23,480 --> 00:16:27,680 Speaker 1: that they should expect seventy percent casualties. That is, seven 244 00:16:27,680 --> 00:16:29,560 Speaker 1: out of every ten young men he was sending in 245 00:16:29,640 --> 00:16:33,280 Speaker 1: would die. And Eisnar said that he hoped it wasn't true, 246 00:16:33,880 --> 00:16:38,360 Speaker 1: but that we had to throw everything we could at 247 00:16:38,400 --> 00:16:42,120 Speaker 1: stopping the Germans. So Eisnarer is visiting a unit where 248 00:16:42,520 --> 00:16:46,160 Speaker 1: his Air Force advisers have told him seven out of 249 00:16:46,120 --> 00:16:49,360 Speaker 1: every ten of these young people would probably die. And 250 00:16:49,440 --> 00:16:52,240 Speaker 1: there's a very famous scene of Eisenhower. He's talking to 251 00:16:52,320 --> 00:16:55,080 Speaker 1: a young soldier and he said where are you from? 252 00:16:55,120 --> 00:16:57,800 Speaker 1: And he said, oh, I'm from Michigan. And Eisenharer said, oh, 253 00:16:57,840 --> 00:17:01,040 Speaker 1: I fly fish in Michigan. And the young guy said, really, 254 00:17:01,040 --> 00:17:03,560 Speaker 1: he said, I flife is true. So I was never said. Now, 255 00:17:03,560 --> 00:17:06,280 Speaker 1: this is how I cast. How do you do? Eisenhower 256 00:17:06,359 --> 00:17:09,920 Speaker 1: is literally standing there showing this young paratrooper how he 257 00:17:09,960 --> 00:17:13,600 Speaker 1: would flick his hand to cast during fly fishing, and 258 00:17:13,680 --> 00:17:16,280 Speaker 1: that's what got to be a picture. And nobody for 259 00:17:16,400 --> 00:17:19,040 Speaker 1: years knew what he was talking about until somebody finally said, 260 00:17:19,040 --> 00:17:21,399 Speaker 1: what are you doing? And you couldn't quite tell what 261 00:17:21,440 --> 00:17:22,960 Speaker 1: he was up to, But what he was up to 262 00:17:23,200 --> 00:17:28,600 Speaker 1: was getting everybody to relax, just be calm, do your job. 263 00:17:29,080 --> 00:17:32,640 Speaker 1: As we're getting ready to land at Normandy. Something very 264 00:17:32,680 --> 00:17:36,960 Speaker 1: positive happened on the fourth of June. The Allied forces 265 00:17:37,080 --> 00:17:40,200 Speaker 1: entered Rome. Now, we had been fighting our way up 266 00:17:40,440 --> 00:17:44,640 Speaker 1: the Italian peninsula. Italy has lots and lots of mountains, 267 00:17:45,080 --> 00:17:48,200 Speaker 1: and it's a very hard peninsula to wage war and 268 00:17:48,920 --> 00:17:51,760 Speaker 1: very easy if you're on defense. And so we had 269 00:17:51,760 --> 00:17:56,680 Speaker 1: slugged our way north and had several amphibious landings. Finally, 270 00:17:56,760 --> 00:17:59,800 Speaker 1: on the fourth of June, Rome itself was liberated. We 271 00:17:59,880 --> 00:18:02,879 Speaker 1: were very fortunate in that we had maneuvered around the 272 00:18:02,960 --> 00:18:05,919 Speaker 1: Germans so that they did not destroy the city, but 273 00:18:06,040 --> 00:18:10,200 Speaker 1: instead withdrew and pulled back as we occupied Rome. It 274 00:18:10,320 --> 00:18:13,720 Speaker 1: gave Roosevelt something good to say to the American people, 275 00:18:14,280 --> 00:18:18,000 Speaker 1: so On the night of the fifth of June, Roosevelt 276 00:18:18,040 --> 00:18:22,800 Speaker 1: goes and has a fireside chat and talks about Italy 277 00:18:22,960 --> 00:18:26,000 Speaker 1: and talks about the importance of the city of Rome. 278 00:18:26,920 --> 00:18:35,280 Speaker 1: Ladies and gentlemen, The President of the United States, my friends, Yesterday, 279 00:18:36,040 --> 00:18:41,080 Speaker 1: on June fourth, nineteen forty four, Rome fell to American 280 00:18:41,280 --> 00:18:46,600 Speaker 1: and Allied croups. The first of the access capitals is 281 00:18:46,680 --> 00:18:51,879 Speaker 1: now in our hands. One up and two to go. 282 00:18:52,880 --> 00:18:56,080 Speaker 1: It's a victory speech. We've now captured the first of 283 00:18:56,119 --> 00:18:59,479 Speaker 1: the fascist capitals. Our forces are on the march of 284 00:18:59,520 --> 00:19:02,520 Speaker 1: Italy's a good sign. And of course, in the process 285 00:19:02,560 --> 00:19:05,320 Speaker 1: of working our way up, we had drained a lot 286 00:19:05,359 --> 00:19:08,720 Speaker 1: of German soldiers away from Russia and away from the 287 00:19:08,720 --> 00:19:11,480 Speaker 1: Western Front, and that had been part of our strategy 288 00:19:11,520 --> 00:19:14,920 Speaker 1: all along, was to force them to defend everywhere and 289 00:19:14,960 --> 00:19:17,080 Speaker 1: to not be able to mass their forces in any 290 00:19:17,080 --> 00:19:19,679 Speaker 1: one place. The other thing that had been going on 291 00:19:19,840 --> 00:19:28,119 Speaker 1: in preparation for landing was the tremendous air campaign. Eisenhower 292 00:19:28,400 --> 00:19:34,320 Speaker 1: was determined to bomb the French railroad lines to stop 293 00:19:34,400 --> 00:19:38,040 Speaker 1: the Germans from reinforcing the front. Churchill was against it. 294 00:19:38,080 --> 00:19:40,560 Speaker 1: He said, because our bombers were pretty inaccurate. Back then 295 00:19:40,760 --> 00:19:42,440 Speaker 1: he said, we're going to kill a lot of civilians. 296 00:19:42,520 --> 00:19:45,080 Speaker 1: The French will aid us for a generation. But General 297 00:19:45,119 --> 00:19:46,720 Speaker 1: de Gaul, who was the head of the Free French, 298 00:19:46,760 --> 00:19:48,960 Speaker 1: intervened and said no. He said, I will make a 299 00:19:49,000 --> 00:19:52,879 Speaker 1: speech at the right moment to the French people. If 300 00:19:53,000 --> 00:19:56,240 Speaker 1: bombing the rail lines helps liberate us from the Nazis, 301 00:19:56,600 --> 00:19:59,120 Speaker 1: then I am for doing whatever it takes to get 302 00:19:59,119 --> 00:20:02,760 Speaker 1: the Nazis out of France. So with his support Eisenhower, 303 00:20:02,840 --> 00:20:06,160 Speaker 1: who felt so strongly about this that he threatened to resign, 304 00:20:06,880 --> 00:20:09,359 Speaker 1: and said, if I can't wage the battle I believe in, 305 00:20:09,680 --> 00:20:11,280 Speaker 1: you need to get a new general because I'm not 306 00:20:11,320 --> 00:20:15,560 Speaker 1: going to be responsible for not doing everything possible. I 307 00:20:15,640 --> 00:20:19,960 Speaker 1: want to emphasize this. Everybody at the senior level understood 308 00:20:20,560 --> 00:20:23,879 Speaker 1: this was the great test of the war. If we 309 00:20:23,960 --> 00:20:28,080 Speaker 1: could land, if we could stay ashore, then sooner or 310 00:20:28,160 --> 00:20:31,400 Speaker 1: later our build up from the ocean would be dramatically 311 00:20:31,480 --> 00:20:35,040 Speaker 1: greater than the Germans' ability to build up by land 312 00:20:35,160 --> 00:20:39,200 Speaker 1: using railroads and roads, and therefore, eventually we would break out, 313 00:20:39,240 --> 00:20:42,400 Speaker 1: and eventually we would liberate all of France and ultimately 314 00:20:42,440 --> 00:20:45,600 Speaker 1: fight our way into Germany. On the other hand, because 315 00:20:45,640 --> 00:20:48,280 Speaker 1: the Germans also knew that they were going to do 316 00:20:48,359 --> 00:20:51,840 Speaker 1: everything they could to throw us back into the water 317 00:20:52,240 --> 00:20:54,840 Speaker 1: and to stop the invasion before we really got started. 318 00:20:55,240 --> 00:20:58,400 Speaker 1: And they had signed Rommel, who had in some ways 319 00:20:58,440 --> 00:21:01,399 Speaker 1: was their most famous general in the way, to really 320 00:21:01,560 --> 00:21:05,080 Speaker 1: do everything he could to create what they called Fortress Europe, 321 00:21:05,560 --> 00:21:09,440 Speaker 1: and they had built in all sorts of bunkers. They'd 322 00:21:09,440 --> 00:21:11,960 Speaker 1: put in lots of concrete, they put in a lot 323 00:21:12,000 --> 00:21:14,480 Speaker 1: of barbed wire. They'd put in obstacles under the water. 324 00:21:15,000 --> 00:21:16,800 Speaker 1: One of the challenges was to be able to go 325 00:21:16,840 --> 00:21:19,119 Speaker 1: in and blow up the obstacles so that the ships 326 00:21:19,119 --> 00:21:22,000 Speaker 1: could actually get to the beach. A lot of what 327 00:21:22,080 --> 00:21:24,880 Speaker 1: we today would probably call seals, but back then we're 328 00:21:24,960 --> 00:21:28,439 Speaker 1: underwater demolition teams. We're spending a lot of time on 329 00:21:28,480 --> 00:21:32,280 Speaker 1: the fifth of June preparing to blow up these various 330 00:21:32,359 --> 00:21:36,080 Speaker 1: obstacles so ships could literally get to the sand to 331 00:21:36,160 --> 00:21:39,520 Speaker 1: begin to deliver tanks and troops. The Germans also knew 332 00:21:39,680 --> 00:21:42,520 Speaker 1: what were the places you could probably land at, and 333 00:21:42,600 --> 00:21:46,240 Speaker 1: they had put forces in those particular places. And the 334 00:21:46,359 --> 00:21:50,399 Speaker 1: result was that at Omaha Beach we ended up in 335 00:21:50,440 --> 00:21:52,680 Speaker 1: a buzz saw and lost a lot of people very 336 00:21:52,760 --> 00:21:55,560 Speaker 1: quickly were pinned down on the beach for several hours 337 00:21:55,880 --> 00:21:58,800 Speaker 1: and just gradually fought our way through. But this is 338 00:21:58,840 --> 00:22:02,200 Speaker 1: where the sheer scale of the operation really mattered, because 339 00:22:02,200 --> 00:22:04,960 Speaker 1: while the Germans were able to slow us down pretty 340 00:22:05,040 --> 00:22:09,000 Speaker 1: dramatically at Omaha, there were four more beaches, and there 341 00:22:09,000 --> 00:22:13,480 Speaker 1: were French, there were Polish, there were Canadian, there were British, 342 00:22:13,520 --> 00:22:17,679 Speaker 1: and there were American forces who were all coming ashore simultaneously. 343 00:22:17,720 --> 00:22:20,840 Speaker 1: In addition, both we and the British had dropped parachute 344 00:22:20,840 --> 00:22:24,440 Speaker 1: divisions behind the lines, so they were there to cut 345 00:22:24,480 --> 00:22:28,440 Speaker 1: off German reinforcements and to further unnerve the Germans, because 346 00:22:28,440 --> 00:22:30,680 Speaker 1: if you have people behind you, it makes a little 347 00:22:30,680 --> 00:22:32,919 Speaker 1: harder to focus on stopping people in front of you. 348 00:22:33,520 --> 00:22:37,760 Speaker 1: So all of this is going on simultaneously, and to 349 00:22:37,840 --> 00:22:40,400 Speaker 1: show you the scale of it, I'd like you to 350 00:22:40,440 --> 00:22:44,160 Speaker 1: listen to us for a minute to General Eisenhower's statement 351 00:22:44,640 --> 00:22:46,720 Speaker 1: which he made on the radio in which they taped, 352 00:22:46,880 --> 00:22:50,479 Speaker 1: but which was read on every single ship before the 353 00:22:50,560 --> 00:22:53,159 Speaker 1: landings began, and it gives you a sense of the 354 00:22:53,320 --> 00:22:56,879 Speaker 1: seriousness with which you have to take this entire event. 355 00:22:58,480 --> 00:23:03,480 Speaker 1: Sailors and airmen, the Allied Expeditionary Force, you are about 356 00:23:03,560 --> 00:23:06,800 Speaker 1: to embark upon the great crusade toward which we have 357 00:23:06,880 --> 00:23:10,080 Speaker 1: striven these many months. The eyes of the world are 358 00:23:10,160 --> 00:23:14,080 Speaker 1: upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty loving people 359 00:23:14,240 --> 00:23:18,719 Speaker 1: everywhere march with you. In company with our brave allies 360 00:23:18,840 --> 00:23:21,920 Speaker 1: and brothers in arms on other fronts. You will bring 361 00:23:21,960 --> 00:23:25,399 Speaker 1: about the destruction of the German war machine, the elimination 362 00:23:25,440 --> 00:23:28,760 Speaker 1: of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of Europe, and 363 00:23:28,840 --> 00:23:33,080 Speaker 1: security for ourselves in a free world. Your task will 364 00:23:33,119 --> 00:23:36,240 Speaker 1: not be an easy one. Your enemy is well trained, 365 00:23:36,560 --> 00:23:41,000 Speaker 1: well equipped, and battle hardened. He will fight savagely. But 366 00:23:41,200 --> 00:23:44,959 Speaker 1: this is the year nineteen forty four. Much has happened 367 00:23:44,960 --> 00:23:49,000 Speaker 1: since the Nazi triumphs of nineteen forty forty one. The 368 00:23:49,119 --> 00:23:53,280 Speaker 1: United Nations have inflicted upon the Germans great defeats in 369 00:23:53,400 --> 00:23:58,680 Speaker 1: open battle man demand. Our air offensive has seriously reduced 370 00:23:58,840 --> 00:24:01,840 Speaker 1: their strength in the air and their capacity to wage 371 00:24:01,840 --> 00:24:05,320 Speaker 1: war on the ground. Our home fronts have given us 372 00:24:05,359 --> 00:24:10,080 Speaker 1: an overwhelming superiority in weapons and munitions of war, and 373 00:24:10,240 --> 00:24:13,600 Speaker 1: placed at our disposal great reserves of trained fighting men. 374 00:24:14,640 --> 00:24:17,880 Speaker 1: The tide has turned. The freemen of the world are 375 00:24:18,000 --> 00:24:22,600 Speaker 1: marching together to victory. I have full confidence in your courage, 376 00:24:22,760 --> 00:24:26,520 Speaker 1: devotion to duty, and skill in battle. We will accept 377 00:24:26,600 --> 00:24:31,359 Speaker 1: nothing less than full victory, good luck, and let us 378 00:24:31,359 --> 00:24:34,680 Speaker 1: all beseech the blessing of Almighty God upon this great 379 00:24:34,880 --> 00:24:38,359 Speaker 1: and noble undertaking. To me, this is also one of 380 00:24:38,400 --> 00:24:43,920 Speaker 1: the most quietly heroic events that I've ever studied, because 381 00:24:43,920 --> 00:24:46,920 Speaker 1: Eisenhower knew that even with those great words and even 382 00:24:46,960 --> 00:24:51,680 Speaker 1: with those great troops, it could fail. And so Eisenhower, 383 00:24:51,800 --> 00:24:55,800 Speaker 1: being a very methodical and responsible person, had sat down, 384 00:24:56,560 --> 00:25:00,720 Speaker 1: written out a statement if it failed, and carried that 385 00:25:00,880 --> 00:25:06,240 Speaker 1: statement in his pocket for the entire operation. Now, think 386 00:25:06,240 --> 00:25:10,720 Speaker 1: about the moral courage knowing you're throwing one hundred and 387 00:25:10,760 --> 00:25:15,280 Speaker 1: fifty six thousand troops at the beach, that you have mobilized, 388 00:25:15,359 --> 00:25:20,879 Speaker 1: the Canadian, British and American forces, that your President and 389 00:25:20,920 --> 00:25:24,200 Speaker 1: the Prime Minister have entrusted you with getting the job done, 390 00:25:24,960 --> 00:25:26,879 Speaker 1: and yet you might have to turn to them and 391 00:25:26,920 --> 00:25:29,920 Speaker 1: say it didn't work. And I want you to listen 392 00:25:29,960 --> 00:25:34,080 Speaker 1: to how Eisenhower had written it and realized what moral 393 00:25:34,119 --> 00:25:36,280 Speaker 1: courage it took. Because he didn't say the troops failed, 394 00:25:37,119 --> 00:25:39,960 Speaker 1: He only said one person filled. He'd written the following, 395 00:25:40,000 --> 00:25:42,640 Speaker 1: which he kept in his pocket for the entire day. 396 00:25:43,520 --> 00:25:47,040 Speaker 1: Our landings in the Cherbourg Havre area have failed to 397 00:25:47,040 --> 00:25:50,679 Speaker 1: gain a satisfactory foothold, and I have withdrawn the troops. 398 00:25:51,640 --> 00:25:53,840 Speaker 1: My decision to attack at this time and place was 399 00:25:53,880 --> 00:25:57,320 Speaker 1: based upon the best information available. The troops, the air, 400 00:25:57,480 --> 00:25:59,359 Speaker 1: in the Navy did all the bravery and devotion of 401 00:25:59,440 --> 00:26:02,320 Speaker 1: duty could do. If any blame or fallt attaches to 402 00:26:02,400 --> 00:26:07,760 Speaker 1: the attempt, it is mine alone. Now, that's courage. And 403 00:26:07,920 --> 00:26:11,879 Speaker 1: he was prepared, and he understood that this could be 404 00:26:12,520 --> 00:26:16,080 Speaker 1: an enormous success or it could be a stunning disaster. 405 00:26:16,880 --> 00:26:21,040 Speaker 1: All day long, he seemed to calm, understood what's going on, 406 00:26:21,119 --> 00:26:24,040 Speaker 1: and he understood a key thing for senior leaders, which is, 407 00:26:24,200 --> 00:26:26,320 Speaker 1: once you've done all the planning, once you've done all 408 00:26:26,320 --> 00:26:29,280 Speaker 1: the training, once you've done all the preparation, try not 409 00:26:29,320 --> 00:26:32,359 Speaker 1: to screw up the people who are implementing. They're too 410 00:26:32,440 --> 00:26:35,520 Speaker 1: busy getting things done to talk to you. You have 411 00:26:35,640 --> 00:26:38,960 Speaker 1: to have an enormous sense of discipline, which Eisenhower did. 412 00:26:39,800 --> 00:26:42,480 Speaker 1: They waited patiently, and they began getting reports first that 413 00:26:42,520 --> 00:26:46,040 Speaker 1: the paratroopers had landed and that the losses were dramatically 414 00:26:46,119 --> 00:26:50,720 Speaker 1: lower than the experts had predicted. Instead of losing seventy percent, 415 00:26:50,920 --> 00:26:54,640 Speaker 1: they were losing much more like ten percent. The paratroopers 416 00:26:54,640 --> 00:26:56,520 Speaker 1: were out there actively doing what they had been trained 417 00:26:56,520 --> 00:26:58,240 Speaker 1: to do. Now they were scattered all over the place. 418 00:26:58,760 --> 00:27:02,639 Speaker 1: We still had not perfect did nighttime landings in a 419 00:27:02,760 --> 00:27:06,480 Speaker 1: combat zone. Remember, they didn't have GPS, they didn't have 420 00:27:06,520 --> 00:27:10,439 Speaker 1: any kind of capacity to know where they were except 421 00:27:10,560 --> 00:27:14,160 Speaker 1: using compasses, and the planes tended to scatter when anti 422 00:27:14,160 --> 00:27:17,320 Speaker 1: aircraft guns fired at him. So people were being dropped 423 00:27:17,320 --> 00:27:20,560 Speaker 1: all over the place. But they were rallying, they were 424 00:27:20,560 --> 00:27:24,119 Speaker 1: getting organized, they were slowing down the Germans, and they 425 00:27:24,119 --> 00:27:26,440 Speaker 1: were causing a great deal of disruption for the German 426 00:27:26,480 --> 00:27:30,320 Speaker 1: command system. At the same time, Eisnower was herring back 427 00:27:30,400 --> 00:27:33,159 Speaker 1: from the air forces who were over the beach. We 428 00:27:33,280 --> 00:27:37,679 Speaker 1: had absolute air control the once powerful Luftwaffe. The German 429 00:27:37,720 --> 00:27:40,840 Speaker 1: air Force simply couldn't put up anybody that mattered. I 430 00:27:40,880 --> 00:27:44,320 Speaker 1: think there're only one or two German airplanes over Normandy 431 00:27:44,800 --> 00:27:48,119 Speaker 1: Beach for the entire day, and we meanwhile have hundreds 432 00:27:48,119 --> 00:27:52,680 Speaker 1: and hundreds of aircraft both strafening the Germans, bombing them, interdicting. 433 00:27:53,000 --> 00:27:56,159 Speaker 1: Further inland, the Germans are trying to move units up 434 00:27:56,200 --> 00:27:59,320 Speaker 1: to the front. They can't move them, something which Rommel 435 00:27:59,359 --> 00:28:02,760 Speaker 1: had warned them out. Ramel had faced Allied air power 436 00:28:02,800 --> 00:28:06,280 Speaker 1: in North Africa, and he kept telling the German high command. 437 00:28:06,840 --> 00:28:09,400 Speaker 1: Once the Americans started landing in the British start landing, 438 00:28:09,480 --> 00:28:11,760 Speaker 1: you're not going to move people. They're going to cut 439 00:28:11,800 --> 00:28:15,560 Speaker 1: you off with air power. And nobody in Berlin could 440 00:28:15,640 --> 00:28:18,919 Speaker 1: quite understand. This was very different than the Russian Front. 441 00:28:19,280 --> 00:28:22,160 Speaker 1: The Russian front had enormous artillery, but the Russians did 442 00:28:22,160 --> 00:28:26,320 Speaker 1: not have total air superiority. Eisnar knew all day that 443 00:28:26,600 --> 00:28:30,880 Speaker 1: the landings were working, that we had problems at Omaha Beach, 444 00:28:30,920 --> 00:28:34,520 Speaker 1: but that overall we were breaking through. We were gradually 445 00:28:34,600 --> 00:28:38,280 Speaker 1: getting more and more forces ashore. And he was able 446 00:28:38,320 --> 00:28:42,640 Speaker 1: to report that back through General Marshall to President Roosevelt, 447 00:28:43,080 --> 00:28:48,080 Speaker 1: and that set the stage for the President, knowing that 448 00:28:48,120 --> 00:28:51,720 Speaker 1: this great landing was succeeding, to go to the nation 449 00:28:52,360 --> 00:28:56,440 Speaker 1: and to report to them. Now, just the day before 450 00:28:56,520 --> 00:28:59,720 Speaker 1: he had reported to them on the great victory in Rome, 451 00:29:00,120 --> 00:29:04,400 Speaker 1: but that had been really sort of a political governmental report. 452 00:29:04,560 --> 00:29:07,880 Speaker 1: It was not a sense of anxiety, not a sense 453 00:29:07,920 --> 00:29:11,040 Speaker 1: of commitment. It was the President saying, hey, we're winning 454 00:29:11,360 --> 00:29:14,640 Speaker 1: and here's what happened, and here's why Rome matters. Now, 455 00:29:14,680 --> 00:29:18,560 Speaker 1: he had a different situation. He had well over a 456 00:29:18,680 --> 00:29:22,560 Speaker 1: hundred thousand troops in combat. He was about to send 457 00:29:22,640 --> 00:29:26,560 Speaker 1: more troops into combat, first at France and then at Germany. 458 00:29:27,040 --> 00:29:30,680 Speaker 1: And so he wanted to speak with the American people 459 00:29:31,360 --> 00:29:34,080 Speaker 1: in a way that would bring them together and would 460 00:29:34,160 --> 00:29:39,480 Speaker 1: rally them. And that's why I've always believed that Roosevelt's 461 00:29:40,080 --> 00:29:43,520 Speaker 1: radio address on the sixth of June should be really 462 00:29:43,600 --> 00:29:48,520 Speaker 1: heard by people, just to remind them both that so 463 00:29:48,600 --> 00:29:51,240 Speaker 1: much was at stake, so many people were at stake, 464 00:29:51,520 --> 00:29:57,080 Speaker 1: and that we had a president who didn't mind praying 465 00:29:57,200 --> 00:30:02,160 Speaker 1: and having everybody pray. Next will here President Franklin Roosevelt's 466 00:30:02,160 --> 00:30:05,800 Speaker 1: addressed to the Nation on June sixth, nineteen forty four. 467 00:30:25,160 --> 00:30:27,280 Speaker 1: So I want you to join me and listening to 468 00:30:28,040 --> 00:30:32,320 Speaker 1: President Roosevelt's addressed to the Nation in which he asked 469 00:30:32,360 --> 00:30:35,400 Speaker 1: the whole country to join him in prayer for the 470 00:30:35,400 --> 00:30:37,760 Speaker 1: young men who are risking their lives in France. My 471 00:30:37,920 --> 00:30:44,400 Speaker 1: fellow Americans, last night, when I spoke with you about 472 00:30:44,400 --> 00:30:50,120 Speaker 1: the fall of Rome, I knew at that moment the 473 00:30:50,160 --> 00:30:53,600 Speaker 1: troops of the United States and our allies were crossing 474 00:30:53,600 --> 00:30:59,800 Speaker 1: the channel in anla and greater operation. It has come 475 00:30:59,840 --> 00:31:06,440 Speaker 1: to pass with success thus far. And so in this 476 00:31:06,680 --> 00:31:12,320 Speaker 1: poignant hour I ask you to join with me in prayer, 477 00:31:16,800 --> 00:31:23,440 Speaker 1: or Mighty God, our sons, pride of our nation, this 478 00:31:23,600 --> 00:31:27,960 Speaker 1: day have set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to 479 00:31:28,040 --> 00:31:35,080 Speaker 1: preserve our republic, our religion, and our civilization, and to 480 00:31:35,160 --> 00:31:41,760 Speaker 1: set free a suffering humanity. Lead them straight and cruel, 481 00:31:43,520 --> 00:31:49,520 Speaker 1: Give strength to their arms, stoutness to their hearts, steadfastness 482 00:31:49,560 --> 00:31:55,560 Speaker 1: in their faith. They will need Thy blessings. Their role 483 00:31:55,680 --> 00:32:00,720 Speaker 1: will be long and hard. For the enemy he is strong, 484 00:32:01,200 --> 00:32:06,360 Speaker 1: He may hurl back our forces. Success may not come 485 00:32:06,680 --> 00:32:12,320 Speaker 1: with rushing speed, but we shall return again and again. 486 00:32:13,760 --> 00:32:17,440 Speaker 1: And we know that by Thy grace and by the 487 00:32:17,560 --> 00:32:24,400 Speaker 1: righteousness of our cause, our sons will triumph. They will 488 00:32:24,440 --> 00:32:28,959 Speaker 1: be sore, tried by night and by day, without rest, 489 00:32:30,320 --> 00:32:35,520 Speaker 1: until the victory is won. The darkness will be rent 490 00:32:35,600 --> 00:32:41,080 Speaker 1: by noise and flame. Men's souls will be shaken with 491 00:32:41,160 --> 00:32:48,959 Speaker 1: the violences of war. For these men are lately drawn 492 00:32:49,320 --> 00:32:53,360 Speaker 1: from the ways of peace. They fight not for the 493 00:32:53,440 --> 00:32:59,880 Speaker 1: lust of conquest. They fight to end conquest. They fight 494 00:33:00,040 --> 00:33:06,640 Speaker 1: to liberate. They fight to let justice arise, and tolerance 495 00:33:07,520 --> 00:33:14,960 Speaker 1: and good will among all thy people. They yearn but 496 00:33:15,280 --> 00:33:19,440 Speaker 1: for the end of battle, for their return to the 497 00:33:19,560 --> 00:33:28,720 Speaker 1: haven of home, some will never return. Embrace these father 498 00:33:30,360 --> 00:33:38,360 Speaker 1: and receive them thy heroic servants into Thy kingdom. And 499 00:33:38,560 --> 00:33:48,959 Speaker 1: for us at home, fathers, mothers, children, wives, sisters, and 500 00:33:49,160 --> 00:33:55,360 Speaker 1: brothers of brave men overseas, whose thoughts and prayers are 501 00:33:55,480 --> 00:34:03,480 Speaker 1: ever with them, Help us, Almighty God, to rededicate ourselves 502 00:34:03,520 --> 00:34:10,240 Speaker 1: in renewed faith in THEE in this hour of great sacrifice. 503 00:34:13,440 --> 00:34:17,440 Speaker 1: Many people have urged that I call the nation into 504 00:34:17,480 --> 00:34:23,799 Speaker 1: a single day of special prayer. But because the road 505 00:34:24,000 --> 00:34:28,719 Speaker 1: is long and the desire is great, I ask that 506 00:34:28,920 --> 00:34:36,640 Speaker 1: our people devote themselves in a continuance of prayer as 507 00:34:36,640 --> 00:34:41,480 Speaker 1: we rise to each new day, and again when each 508 00:34:41,800 --> 00:34:48,239 Speaker 1: day is spent. Let words of prayer be on our lips, 509 00:34:48,320 --> 00:34:55,600 Speaker 1: invoking Thy help to our efforts. Give us strength to 510 00:34:55,800 --> 00:35:01,680 Speaker 1: strengthen our daily tasks, to read or the contributions we 511 00:35:01,880 --> 00:35:06,480 Speaker 1: make in the physical and the material support of our 512 00:35:06,719 --> 00:35:13,759 Speaker 1: armed forces. And let our hearts be stout to wait 513 00:35:13,840 --> 00:35:19,800 Speaker 1: out the long travel, to bear sorrows that may come 514 00:35:21,480 --> 00:35:28,040 Speaker 1: to impart our courage unto our sons, wheresoever they may be. 515 00:35:30,840 --> 00:35:36,879 Speaker 1: And O Lord, give us faith, Give us faith in Thee, 516 00:35:38,080 --> 00:35:43,759 Speaker 1: faith in our sons, faith in each other, faith in 517 00:35:43,800 --> 00:35:50,080 Speaker 1: our united crusade. Let not the keenness of our spirit 518 00:35:50,400 --> 00:35:56,960 Speaker 1: ever be dulled. Let not the impacts of temporary events, 519 00:35:57,719 --> 00:36:04,160 Speaker 1: of temporal matters, but fleeting moment. Let not these deter 520 00:36:04,400 --> 00:36:13,240 Speaker 1: us in our unconquerable purpose. With Thy blessing, we shall 521 00:36:13,440 --> 00:36:20,000 Speaker 1: prevail over the unholy forces of our enemy. Help us 522 00:36:20,040 --> 00:36:27,560 Speaker 1: to conquer the apostles of greed and racial arrogances. Lead 523 00:36:27,680 --> 00:36:31,600 Speaker 1: us to the saving of our country, and with our 524 00:36:31,800 --> 00:36:37,520 Speaker 1: sister nations, into a world unity that will spell a 525 00:36:37,719 --> 00:36:45,600 Speaker 1: shure peace, a peace invulnerable to the schemings of unworthy men, 526 00:36:47,200 --> 00:36:52,720 Speaker 1: and a peace that will let all men live in freedom, 527 00:36:52,960 --> 00:37:00,799 Speaker 1: reaping the just rewards of their honest toil. Thy will 528 00:37:00,800 --> 00:37:10,759 Speaker 1: be done, Almighty God. Amen. Now imagine that you or 529 00:37:10,840 --> 00:37:13,560 Speaker 1: a mother or a father, a brother or a sister, 530 00:37:14,239 --> 00:37:16,799 Speaker 1: a husband or a wife, and you're listening to that 531 00:37:17,800 --> 00:37:22,640 Speaker 1: people you love are risking their lives doing something so 532 00:37:22,760 --> 00:37:27,040 Speaker 1: terribly important that we have to win. I always thought 533 00:37:27,120 --> 00:37:31,000 Speaker 1: one of the most fascinating points in that prayer was 534 00:37:31,040 --> 00:37:33,080 Speaker 1: when he said, many people have urge that I call 535 00:37:33,200 --> 00:37:36,640 Speaker 1: the nation into a single day of special prayer. But 536 00:37:36,760 --> 00:37:39,480 Speaker 1: because the road is long and the desire is great, 537 00:37:40,040 --> 00:37:42,239 Speaker 1: I asked that our people to vote themselves in a 538 00:37:42,280 --> 00:37:45,960 Speaker 1: continuance of prayer as we rise to each new day, 539 00:37:46,320 --> 00:37:49,120 Speaker 1: and again when each day is spent, that words of 540 00:37:49,160 --> 00:37:52,560 Speaker 1: prayer beyond our lips, invoking Thy help to our efforts. 541 00:37:53,560 --> 00:37:56,680 Speaker 1: I think to really get a sense of the impact 542 00:37:56,760 --> 00:37:59,279 Speaker 1: that you have to think back to a time when 543 00:37:59,360 --> 00:38:02,440 Speaker 1: almost every family had somebody in the military, when we 544 00:38:02,480 --> 00:38:06,920 Speaker 1: had mobilized fifteen million people. You didn't know what was happening, 545 00:38:07,239 --> 00:38:10,560 Speaker 1: and so you're clinging to every piece of news you 546 00:38:10,600 --> 00:38:13,799 Speaker 1: can get. And what President Roosevelt is trying to do 547 00:38:14,239 --> 00:38:18,040 Speaker 1: is both give you an immediacy. This is happening now, 548 00:38:18,400 --> 00:38:22,600 Speaker 1: and we should pray together now. But in addition, he 549 00:38:22,719 --> 00:38:24,759 Speaker 1: understands that this fight's not going to end in a 550 00:38:24,760 --> 00:38:26,600 Speaker 1: week or two, and in fact, of course, it goes 551 00:38:26,640 --> 00:38:30,400 Speaker 1: on from June sixth, nineteen forty four to May eighth, 552 00:38:30,480 --> 00:38:33,359 Speaker 1: nineteen forty five, and we have a number of very 553 00:38:33,400 --> 00:38:36,400 Speaker 1: tough fights in that period, and so he wants to 554 00:38:36,560 --> 00:38:41,760 Speaker 1: condition people together to be committed to praying for our troops. 555 00:38:50,600 --> 00:38:53,880 Speaker 1: I wanted to share with you both the importance of Normandy, 556 00:38:54,360 --> 00:38:56,279 Speaker 1: but I also wanted to share with you that here 557 00:38:56,360 --> 00:39:00,000 Speaker 1: is a president who nonetheless felt that at a time 558 00:39:00,000 --> 00:39:03,520 Speaker 1: I'm a great crisis. It was totally authentic and totally 559 00:39:03,600 --> 00:39:08,520 Speaker 1: legitimate to invite every American to pray for their loved ones, 560 00:39:08,960 --> 00:39:12,280 Speaker 1: recognizing that when you have eleven percent of the country 561 00:39:12,280 --> 00:39:16,279 Speaker 1: in uniform, virtually every American had a loved one who 562 00:39:16,320 --> 00:39:20,040 Speaker 1: was genuinely at risk. I think that these kind of 563 00:39:20,120 --> 00:39:23,440 Speaker 1: historic dates D Day the sixth of June is a 564 00:39:23,480 --> 00:39:27,600 Speaker 1: good example, are important lessons for people. What did it 565 00:39:27,640 --> 00:39:30,840 Speaker 1: take to be free? What did it take to defeat tyranny? 566 00:39:31,600 --> 00:39:33,759 Speaker 1: What was the nature of the people who had that 567 00:39:33,840 --> 00:39:36,920 Speaker 1: kind of courage and who then, by the way, quietly 568 00:39:36,960 --> 00:39:40,480 Speaker 1: came back home, took the gi bill, went to school, 569 00:39:41,239 --> 00:39:44,000 Speaker 1: got married, They raised their children, They had a good life. 570 00:39:44,680 --> 00:39:48,320 Speaker 1: They are the greatest generation because they were committed to 571 00:39:48,360 --> 00:39:51,600 Speaker 1: their country and to their fellow Americans for virtually their 572 00:39:51,600 --> 00:39:54,960 Speaker 1: whole lifetime and survived the Great Depression, that survived the 573 00:39:54,960 --> 00:39:57,920 Speaker 1: Second World War. They're the people who created the framework 574 00:39:57,920 --> 00:40:00,160 Speaker 1: to win the Cold War, and in the process us 575 00:40:00,160 --> 00:40:03,160 Speaker 1: they made America, the most prosperous nation in history, did 576 00:40:03,160 --> 00:40:05,640 Speaker 1: an immense amount of good and a wide range of ways. 577 00:40:06,160 --> 00:40:08,760 Speaker 1: And my hope is that you will take a little 578 00:40:08,760 --> 00:40:12,000 Speaker 1: time every d Day to think about what it's taken 579 00:40:12,000 --> 00:40:14,560 Speaker 1: to be free, the risk that we have to take, 580 00:40:14,880 --> 00:40:18,680 Speaker 1: the sacrifices we have to make, and the power of 581 00:40:18,760 --> 00:40:21,440 Speaker 1: bringing all of us together in prayer for a great 582 00:40:21,480 --> 00:40:27,680 Speaker 1: cause and what was in fact a genuine crusade. Thank 583 00:40:27,719 --> 00:40:30,680 Speaker 1: you for listening. You can read more about D Day 584 00:40:30,719 --> 00:40:35,440 Speaker 1: in FDR's prayer on our show page at newtsworld dot com. 585 00:40:35,640 --> 00:40:39,560 Speaker 1: News World is produced by Gingwich three sixty and iHeartMedia. 586 00:40:40,160 --> 00:40:45,080 Speaker 1: Our executive producer is Debbie Myers, our producer is Guardsi Sloan, 587 00:40:45,480 --> 00:40:49,360 Speaker 1: and our researcher is Rachel Peterson. The oar work for 588 00:40:49,400 --> 00:40:53,440 Speaker 1: the show was created by Steve Penley. Special thanks to 589 00:40:53,440 --> 00:40:57,000 Speaker 1: the team at Gingwich three sixty. If you've been enjoying 590 00:40:57,040 --> 00:41:00,120 Speaker 1: newts World, I hope you'll go to Apple Podcast and 591 00:41:00,239 --> 00:41:02,799 Speaker 1: both rate us with five stars and give us a 592 00:41:02,840 --> 00:41:06,919 Speaker 1: review so others can learn what it's all about. Right now, 593 00:41:07,440 --> 00:41:09,719 Speaker 1: listeners of new t World can sign up for my 594 00:41:09,840 --> 00:41:13,920 Speaker 1: three free weekly columns at Gangwiche Free sixty dot com 595 00:41:13,920 --> 00:41:18,440 Speaker 1: slash newsletter, I'm new Gangwig. This is new tworld.