The Invasion

TOP SECRET Memo:
Gen. Eisenhower to Gen. Marshall
8AM GMT, June 6, 1944




Sixty-seven years ago today, allied military commanders read each word of this memorandum very carefully. At the time, the success of the invasion of Normandy was still a question.

In any event, news of the invasion quickly spread throughout the United Kingdom and, hours later, Canada and the United States.

By mid-afternoon, citizens throughout the western world effectively tethered themselves to radios, waiting for updates on the invasion. There were some feelings of relief and celebration since the allies were "taking it to those Nazi bastards." But there also was a sense of foreboding and nervous apprehension because the end result was uncertain.

So people prayed. They prayed for the safety of the sons, brothers, husbands, fathers and everyone else serving in the allied forces. It was all that they could do as they waited for more news.

Late in the day on June 6th, it was reported that beachheads had been secured by Allied Forces at all five landing points in Normandy. The Allied foothold on the European continent had been achieved.

The cost was great. It's estimated that more than 5,000 Allied troops died on D-Day with total casualties numbering several times that amount.