Today’s blog post comes from James Worsham, Editor of Publications at the National Archives, and Tim Rives, deputy director of the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum.
The Supreme Allied Commander listened to his weather officer’s forecast, then observed as his commanders struggled to make sense of the report.
Finally, Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, having ordered the biggest invasion force in history to a state of readiness, spoke: “The question is just how long can you keep this operation on the end of a limb and let it hang there.”
The next morning, Eisenhower arose at 3:30 and met with his staff again. He asked each one what he thought about launching the invasion of Western Europe the next day, June 6, 1944. They all said yes.
Then Eisenhower got up, paced around the room, pondering what was riding on this decision — the fate of millions.
Then he stopped pacing, looked at his commanders, and gave the go-ahead for the D-day invasion of Western Europe by the allies to bring down Hitler’s Third Reich.
But what words did Eisenhower use to give his commanders the green light 70 years ago this week?
Tim Rives, deputy director of the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum in Abilene, Kansas, ponders that question in the latest issue of Prologue magazine.
“It is puzzling that one of the most important decisions of the 20th century did not bequeath to posterity a memorable quote to mark the occasion, something to live up to the magnitude of the decision,” Rives writes. “Something iconic like Gen. Douglas MacArthur’s vow to the people of he Philippines, ‘I shall return.’”
Eyewitnesses to Ike’s historic decision could not agree on what he actually said. Was it “Well, we’ll go” or “All right, we move” or “OK, boys, We will go.”
Even Eisenhower himself was not consistent in his recollections of what he said. In a 1964 article for Paris Match, he recalled that he said: “We will attack tomorrow.”
In his Prologue article, Rives explores the many recollections of that moment. Then, he tells us what Eisenhower himself remembered about that morning 70 years ago, when the tide of war began to turn in favor of the allies.
The bottom photo was not taken from a barge. It was taken from a position above the engine compartment of a Landing Craft, Vehicle, Personnel (LCVP), more commonly known as a “Higgins boat.” A barge is a relatively large, flat-bottomed craft, typically used to move freight, and usually pushed or pulled by another vessel. The Higgins boat was small, had a conventional boat-style hull, and had its own motive power. Not only was the Higgins boat far more nimble than a barge, its integral bow ramp permitted troops and vehicles to disembark quickly directly onto a beach, something that could not be done from a barge. The development of the LCVP and other specialized craft revolutionized amphibious warfare.
Thank you for pointing this out. The photo caption was condensed from the original caption on the image in the National Archives: “Down the ramp of a Coast Guard Landing barge Yankee soldiers storm toward the beach–sweeping fire of Nazi defenders in the D-Day Invasion of the French Coast. Troops ahead may be seen lying flat under the deadly machine gun resistance of the Germans. Soon the Nazis were driven back under the overwhelming Invasion forces thrown in from Coast Guard and Navy amphibious craft.”
The Archivist featured the Higgins boat patent in his blog on June 6 — http://blogs.archives.gov/aotus/?p=5536 — and the vessel in the picture does look like the patent drawing.
The meeting of Eisenhower and the General was in June, 1944, not January
I wasn’t even born yet, but from what I’ve heard, the tall soldier was from either Minnesota or Wisconsin and he talked about the fishing there. Then he said, Don’t worry General, we’ll win the War for you. Eisenhower then left with tears in his eyes expecting 70% casualties. In actuality the casualties were horrible enough at 10%.
Such poignant reminder of how important the airborne were, American and the British airborne on the far left eastern flank in opening up inroads and halting enemy action to re inforce the landing beach defenders.. We must never forget what those guys did and all those thst followed to eventual victory which gave us the freedom we enjoy today .