D-Day: What They Saw When They Landed

Everything about the day was epic in scale, but the best way to appreciate it is to hear the story one soldier at a time

It was quite a sight. There was the oldest man in the D-day invasion, 56year-old Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (son of the former President) barking orders at Utah Beach. Although he had a heart condition, Roosevelt insisted that his presence and leadership would help boost troop morale. With German artillery exploding all around him, he paraded up and down Utah Beach, ordering U.S. tanks to secure the flanks and U.S. engineers to breach eight 50-yd. lanes through beach obstacles. He refused to wear a helmet, preferring to don a knit wool hat. "We have landed in the wrong place," shouted...

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