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Always, however, when the agonizing decisions had to be made, Ike Eisenhower made them. As all the world now knows, the invasion was postponed for one day on account of stormy weather. The forecast for June 6 was anything but promising, but another postponement would have meant waiting two weeks for favorable tides. And that would have involved a grave risk to secrecy and morale. The Germans had been led to expect a landing at a later date and a point farther east on the coast. Eisenhower gambled on the weather for the sake of tactical surprise—and won.
Of Mice & Men. In May, a U.S. correspondent in London had observed: "The most brilliantly conceived and thoughtfully worked out plans may fail utterly if the weather conditions on D-day and several days thereafter should prove unfavorable. . . '."
Hitler had promised his people that he would drive Eisenhower off the beaches in nine hours. The Nazis were not even trying to drive him off after nine days. And that was the story for the rest of the battle of France. Eisenhower was always able to take more than Hitler could give.
In the last six months Eisenhower has not visibly aged (he is 54), but he gives a subtle impression of having grown bigger as a man and as a commander. For lack of exercise, he is slightly thicker around the middle and there are often tired lines under his snapping blue eyes. But he is very fit, has had no cold all winter. Even in times of crisis, he is relaxed, genial and confident on the surface—whatever goes on underneath.
Last week the eyes of the U.S. turned with fear and questioning on Eisenhower as he faced the gravest setback of his career. The invasion was his first great responsibility; this his second. But Eisenhower refused to admit that a battle was lost while it was still being fought. He proclaimed to his troops:
"The enemy is making his supreme effort to break out of the desperate plight into which you forced him by your brilliant victories of the summer and fall.
"He is fighting savagely to take back all that you have won and is using every treacherous trick to deceive and kill you.
"He is gambling everything, but already in this battle your gallantry has done much to foil his plans. In the face of your proven bravery and fortitude, he will completely fail.
"But we cannot be content with his mere repulse.
"By rushing out from his fixed defenses the enemy may give us the chance to turn his great gamble into his worst defeat. So I call upon every man of all the Allies to rise now to new heights of courage, of resolution and of effort.
"Let everyone hold before him a single thought—to destroy the enemy. . . .
"United in this determination and with unshakable faith in the cause for which we fight, we will, with God's help, go forward to our greatest victory."