THE D-DAY INVASION OF NORMANDY in 1944 remains one of the most famous combat operations of World War II. In seven decades, countless histories have examined various aspects of this pivotal battle, from broad focus to close detail. While the sheer number of titles available seems to suggest that everything the world needs to know about D-Day has already been written, the reality is quite the opposite. Mythology and hyperbole swirl around the subject, producing historical distortions that continue to interfere with a balanced and nuanced understanding of June 6. For example, despite what countless bad television programs will tell you, D-Day was not the largest invasion in history. For that matter, it was not even the largest amphibious landing operation of World War II. That record belongs to the Operation Iceberg landings on Okinawa in 1945. Although not the biggest, the airborne component of June 6, 1944, definitely made it the most complicated invasion of World War II. But in a modern cultural environment where every subject seems to have a hyperbolized narrative, the Normandy invasion is no exception.
In the United States, the general atmosphere of hyperbole and mythology attending much of the popular historical writing and programming about D-Day has tended to emphasize the American contribution. To be perfectly clear, the U.S. military did not fight D-Day alone. It fought as part of a multinational coalition force consisting of twelve allied nations that came together to complete a challenging and intimidating mission. Although this is certainly not a revelation, the most popular books and motion pictures of the last two decades have memorialized the American side of the D-Day narrative to such a great extent that the other Allies are in need of some advocacy. It might even come as a surprise to some to learn that Lt. Gen. Miles Dempsey’s British 2nd Army put more people ashore on June 6 than Lt. Gen. Omar Bradley’s U.S. 1st Army did (83,000 versus 73,000). By 1944, the German military had become multinational as well. In addition to its ethnically German troops, the Wehrmacht fighting force in Normandy included foreign volunteers, conscripts, and laborers from Italy, Poland, Czechoslovakia, the Soviet Union, Georgia, Spain, and even France itself. In the end, National Socialist Germany failed to create a war-winning coalition among its Ostlegionen (Eastern legions) and hilfswilligen (voluntary assistants), but these non-Germans were nevertheless an important part of the D-Day story that many may not be fully aware of.
An infatuation with the events of Tuesday, June 6 alone has also exerted itself on the D-Day historical narrative. While the events of that day offer up irresistible drama to the world of popular history, events before and beyond June 6 are as compelling. It is for that reason this book concentrates on some of the most notable events that occurred during the week of the invasion. The way the battle unfolded in the American sector during that week was documented in hundreds of photographs. The majority of these images were taken by official U.S. Army, Navy, and Coast Guard photographers; men who went to war with cameras in their hands. But there were also privately owned cameras in abundance during the Normandy invasion, and they recorded a more intimate and personal side of the fighting. This book presents 450 of the most compelling and dramatic photographs captured in England before and during embarkation and in northern France during its liberation. Many of the images in the pages that follow are familiar, but for too long they have been treated anonymously and not placed within the proper context of time or place. Others have not been published previously and therefore offer something new to even the most well-read D-Day enthusiast. I have sought to make a contribution to the scholarship of this subject by identifying precise locations where photographs were taken and, whenever possible, the people who appear in them. In many cases, even the name of the man behind the camera is listed. It is my hope that this information will be useful to others who love D-Day history as much as I do. The rich details revealed in the captions for these photographs represent years of work done in close collaboration with several experts on the subject, namely Sean Claxton, Adam Berry, Paul Woodadge, and Niels Henkemans. I am also deeply indebted to Brian Siddall and Mark Bando, both of whom command levels of knowledge and expertise that continue to inspire me to work harder. Adam Makos and Barrett Tillman were both generous with their time and advice, and I am indebted to them both for that. Finally, I am grateful to Dr. John C. McManus for writing an arresting introduction that provides this book an added level of credibility.
Chris Naylor and Lee Steed from the Homewood High School class of 1988 expressed a mutual enthusiasm for this subject that encouraged me at a crucial moment. Jeff Tucker and Colin Colbourn likewise had nothing but uplifting words as I worked toward completion. Were it not for Dr. Gayle Wurst, Dr. Elizabeth Demers, and Erik Gilg, The Americans on D-Day would still just be another one of my bright ideas. This book would not have been possible without the support of C. Paul Hilliard of Lafayette, Louisiana, and special thanks are therefore reserved for him. Nancy L. Scott was mission critical as both a proofreader and a life partner—thank you, Nancy, for being with me throughout this project. Finally, thank you to Joe and “Pete” Morgan for being the most supportive parents in the world.
Martin K. A. Morgan
Slidell, Louisiana
September 2013