The Longest Day: 75 Things You Don't Need to Know
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- Опубликовано: 28 авг 2024
- In honor of the 75th anniversary of the D-Day invasion, I'm taking a look at my favorite D-Day movie... The Longest Day.
Also, unlike most of my other videos, there are some things in here I think you do need to know. Number one on that list is to hear some of the true stories of the men and women featured in this movie. They, along with hundreds of thousands of other heroes and heroines, saved the world.
Fair warning: My pronunciation of anything French is going to be amazingly bad. No disrespect intended.
Brilliant video. My dad landed on d day I’m proud to say, and we loved the film. He was a great man and died New Year’s Day 2013 aged 92. I’ll treasure his medals forever.
Bless you dad!
You are right to be proud. D-Day guys who waded ashore under machine gun fire were the greatest of heroes in my book.
After the war, and until he retired, "Piper Bill" Millin was a nurse at the psychiatric hospital that my Grandfather ran just outside Dawlish Devon (Langdon Hospital). My Grandfather was a psychiatrist and was also in the D-Day landings as a Major in the Royal Army Medical Corps. (He was a pioneer in the treatment of PTSD). Bill Millin played the pipes for our family at my Grandfather and Grandmother's 50th wedding anniversary in Dawlish.
Wow. Fantastic piece of history sir
Wow what a legacy! Thank you for sharing!
Way cool, Fascinating factoid they gave about the snipers not shooting at him because they thought he was insane. To go into a combat situation with no more than a sheath knife is indeed mad courage! Similar to the standard bearers of the 19th century.
Thats a great story, I live in Teignmouth so that part of the story was interesting to me already.
My father was a Royal Naval Commando during WW2 - later in life he became a male nurse in Psychiatric hospitals and care homes.
Please understand, Eddie Albert did not “win” the Bronze Star medal. A military person does NOT win any medal, they RECEIVE that award.
Also Mr. Albert in addition to his duties as a brave sailor at Tarawa Beach landings, also actually participated in the landings on the Normandy beach landings of D-Day. Guess his courage and bravery were our lucky charm.☘️😉
Or earn.
That also do not GIVE their lives!That life is taken!
We all understand we could have it taken.Funny thing,didn’t think about it much.VN,USMC.
I prefer "awarded."
I read THE LONGEST DAY by Cornelius Ryan in high school.(1961). By the time that I saw the movie in '62, I was already well acquainted with some of the characters. There was one D DAY paratroop survivor named (Robert??) Murphy. He was an Irish Boston lawyer. He wasn' t mentioned in this video. But he was one of the few paratroop survivors that Ryan could find at the time that he wrote the book. I see this as proof of the high casualty rate for the paratroops of the D Day invasion. God Bless them all.
My mother in law packed parachutes for Lancaster crews and was in London on Victory Day. She still had a wicked sense of humor and it was our pleasure to have her live with us in the last few years of her life. My parents were liberated in Holland in 1945 so it means something to me when I say "Thank you for your service".
Did friends from the war keep dropping in on her unannounced, every once in awhile? Just kidding.
If the parachute doesn't work, feel free to return it.
@@davkrod Heard that one too, still funny after 80 years. Mom wasn't supposed to sneak a camera on base but we still have photos of a Lancaster with the nose all shot to Hell that somehow made it back. Pilot lost both legs.
@@roysheaks1261 Awesome joke. Appreciated.
My mother sewed parachutes during the war in the US
My Grandfather served with The Black Watch and went ashore on D-Day in one of the later waves before fighting all the way across NW Europe up to VE Day. Like many who fought, he was reluctant to say too much about what he saw, never went to a Remembrance Day parade or reunion, but by the time this movie came out he quite enjoyed going to the cinema with my Dad to watch the odd war film. He liked this one in particular and it was after seeing these movies that he'd briefly talk about his experiences to my Dad on the way home.
It's still a great movie that stands the test of time and is particularly brilliant in its even handed approach to telling the story from all sides.
I think he would've appreciated Saving Private Ryan a lot more, unless he was an Empire Loyalist which most of the Black Watch were
Wow talk about closure s Nd real heros in the movie onliketo days movie so fake digital stuff and no real dialog
This movie and 'Sink the Bismarck' are two of the biggest influences in my decision to enlist in the USN in 1984. That and they offered me nuclear power school training. I served 4 years on USS Dwight D Eisenhower CVN 69 in the forward engine room.
Thank you for your service. We need folks like you,
despite the fact America was not yet in the war American pilots were often involved in flying those catalinas that spotted the Bismark
My husband was also on the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower.
This film, despite a few inaccuracies, brilliantly portrays the motions of 'D-Day' or 'Operation Overlord' & depicts the biggest movement of troops ever. I've visited all the actual sites featured in that momentous invasion & is particularly poignant for me as my Dad landed on 'Gold' beach on that day. He was one of the fortunate ones who survived the war but many made the ultimate sacrifice.
On 06/03/1965, the day before my high school graduation on 06/04/1965, I spent the day watching this movie, eight times. I was 17 year old girl totally unprepared to see it! I have three brothers who heard the stories from the old men, then they were taken off to Vietnam. I sat in the dark of that theater by myself and cried all day. The only time I cried so much was when my baby girl died in 1986. War is hell. Life is hell. But it doesn’t have to be! Scotland lost a generation in Europe. I am so proud of all those boys and girls who gave me a chance to be born!
My heart broke about the pain of losing your baby girl.
Scot’s wha’ hae, Sharon!
Wha saw the 42nd?
The longest day is a great classic. The speech of the French Admiral still sends shivers down my spine. The acting to so good there, so much emotion.
As a European, visiting Normandy is still on my to-do list. A small thing to thank the soldiers that gave us the first hope of freedom after 4 years of war. The radio broadcast that told the resistance in Europe of the invasion rallied so many people to the resistance.
My husband is a great WW2 history buff and when our kids were younger we went on many family holidays to Normandy. I had a very superficial knowledge of the D-Day landings up till then but after many, many visits to the museums, notable towns, bridges and especially the beaches I really got into things as a powerful story, or collection of stories. We visited many of the notable assault routes on bikes and it was amazing to compare the old photos of events to the modern day area...in one case, a line of tanks progressing up into a town in an old photo is crossing what is now a children's playground. Where, btw, our Scottish children ended up playing with tourist children of many other nationalities, including German, while their tired parents had coffee in the adjoining cafe. Which to me really summed up what it was all about, no? We took The Longest Day on DVD for our then very new fangled in car DVD player, for these holidays and watched it every year to look at the locations.
The German actor erroneously identified as Hans Christian Blech was actually Til Kiwe (also known as Hans Schmidt-Schmeidelbach), another World War ll veteran. Kiwe portrayed Generalfeldmarschall Rommel's aide, Hauptmann (Captain) Hellmuth Lang, as well as a prison guard in "The Great Escape." He also appeared as himself in an episode of "The World At War" documentary series, recalling his combat experience on the Eastern Front. Hans Christian Blech portrayed Major Werner Pluskat of the 352nd Coastal Artillery Division, in "The Longest Day," and also appeared in such classic WW II films as, "Battle of the Bulge," and "The Bridge at Remagen." He received his distinctive facial scar in combat during the actual war, and even portrayed a German P.O.W. who volunteered to infiltrate German lines in assistance to advancing U.S. forces near the end of the war in the 1951 film, "Decision Before Dawn."
They should have shown Major Pluskatt instead!
Hans Christian Blech received his distinctive facial scar as a 14 year old boy in a car accident .
Kiwe and Blech both appeared in The Longest Day, right? Watch the movie "Battle of The Bulge," and see Blech play "Conrad," the adjutant of fanatical tank commander Col. Hassler, played by Robert Shaw. It's the same guy that plays Pluskat, HC Blech. Kiwe appeared in very few English-speaking movies, but did appear in TLD as Capt. Helmut Lang, though I'm not sure which Rommel scenes featured Kiwe. I'll be looking mor closely for him the next time I watch.
Thank you so much for this vid.
I remember watching this film on TV with my Dad when I was a nipper. He was a WWII veteran (Bren Gun Carrier Driver /engineer) though he never spoke about the war, he was in tears every time this film was shown. As a kid I didn't understand why, today though I too always have a lump in my throat and something in my eye when I watch this great movie, one of my all time favourite films. I'll always remember Richard Burton saying what's wrong with the dead German soldier in the farmyard? His boots were on the wrong feet.......... Brilliant.
Funny thing about the pipers. I used to play in a Pipe Band (I’m a piper myself) back in the early 1980’s, where we had an older guy who I found out from the others in the band that he was a WW2 veteran. He never talked about the war, but rather concentrated on playing his pipes and enjoying his life. After a few beers (no idea how many but there were a lot of empties afterwards), he was telling us about carrying his pipes on Juno Beach on D Day. He said “carrying” his pipes because he said he was so scared (he was 18 at the time), he planned on playing but the return fire was so intense that he just tucked his pipes close to his chest and ran as fast as he could. Can’t say as I blame him. He then dropped his pipes, a prized possession bought by his parents, and picked up an Enfield from a dead Canadian and continued with his unit.
He later returned to the beach that day, and to his surprise his pipes were still there. They were the same pipes he played in our band. Mind you, they were a little worse for wear, and looked like they “went through a war”, because they did. He had a brass plaque on his base drone stock with tiny engraved words. I really didn’t pay much attention to it, but I was told by one of our drummers that it was a list of the battles he carried those pipes in.
Those were a few decades ago. I have lost touch with my fellow band members due to moving on with life. I have forgotten his name, and he has in all likelihood passed on. His pipes should belong either to a museum or in the hands of a current playing piper. It would be a shame if they’re sitting in a trunk in someone’s attic.
He told us that The Longest Day made it look like they were all brave supermen who were not afraid to die. He said bullshit, that they were a bunch of scared teenagers and early twenty-somethings who had a hard job to do, and they did it. I for one think they were heroes, and the civilized world has a lot to thank them for. Unfortunately, most today have absolutely no idea what they did.
What a great tale, and very moving. God Bless them all.
Thank you for a most honest and fascinating post. My Father served in the British Merchant Navy,on North Atlantic Convoy Duty up to Murmansk and Archangel,in Russia. He never spoke much about it,you had to coax it out of him. But one thing I know is sure. All of these Men regardless off the branch they served under,are Heroes and I thank them all. From A Grateful Brit.
Very interesting. Thanks for sharing!
Take another look at the scenes of the 29th on Omaha or the Rangers at Point du Hoc, and there are plenty of scared characters. One of the younger rangers iis clearly moving forward as much because, rightly, he was scared to stay where he was and moviing forward as he was traiined, and as fast as he could was his only chance. There is the kid who stumbles into BG Cota (Mitchum) after losing his helmet and rifle while tripping and continues with his helmet instead of grabbing his rifle. Cota sens him back out for the rifle. The fear is internal, but as long as they carried forward, as they were trained, externally, they all looked brave, whatever they were feeling inside.
I liked your story. It reminded me a bit of my experience. I attempted to learn the pipes, but unlike you, I am not so talented. I joined a pipe and drum band around 1989. The band at that time hired an instructor. He was an older Scotsman who was a WW2 veteran. He was a piper for a band that was assigned to the British 8th Army.
I saw this movie when it first came out in theaters in Canada with my Dad.He sat silently and rigidly through the whole movie and on the way home said nothing till we got home and then he only thanked me for going with him. Never talked about it. I was 10 and it,the movie and my Dad's reaction to it,made a strong vivid memory. The movie still does as it brings tears to my eyes every time I watch it especially around the anniversary.
Not unlike going to see Platoon with my friend who served in Vietnam
I am thankful your father lived through it. My grandfather didn't make it. He is buried in France.
@@petercrowl9467 ... buddy served 42 months in country flying Hueys. Called him right after the first showing in my hometown... told him go see this: it will win Oscar for best picture, & that it would probably push some buttons...it did
buddy of mine served with the 4th up in the central highlands....he liked "Platoon" a lot....@@petercrowl9467
My dad was a US Marine and a first day lander on Tarawa.....he thought “ The longest day “ and “ Saving private Ryan “ were very very good renditions of the landings.....but in his eyes and memory the action was times ten.....thank you to all the men and women involved.....
The same feeling is expressed by Paul Fussell in his book, "Wartime." One chapter is titled, "The Real War Will Never Get in the Books," the idea being that the reality was so harsh, so disgusting, that it would be unpalatable if it were replicated in writing or in a film.
One of the very few Japanese soldiers who survived was asked when he knew the Battle of Tarawa was lost. He responded...
The Marines just kept coming!
Still am enthralled about Richard Todd was in this movie.
My uncle was on a Higgins boat crew at Tarawa. Another was a Normandy vet.
@@jamesfields2916 That Japanese soldier summed up what it meant to fight US forces in World War II : knock out 5 American tanks, there's 4 more, knock them out, there's 6 more, etc, until victory. A German soldier was asked what it was like facing French, British, and American soldiers attacking: "and the Americans? No noise, no bagpipes, but they just kept coming!" I think German girls said that, too. (Sorry)
I had the privilege of providing pastoral care to WW1, WW2, Korea, Vietnam, Gulf Wars 1,2 and Afghanistan Veterans as a Hospital Chaplain. The stories they would tell! I'm retired now but your videos bring many of them back. Thanks for your work!
This film was released a month before my 9th birthday in October 1962. My dad (a WW2 vet of the 8th AF who flew over normandy three days in on bombing missions over France.) took us to see it. We had lunch at a favorite restaurant and then went to see it. It was a big deal and a major release at the time. I remember being really impressed by the movie and had never seen anything like it. Another major event that occurred that month that created a major nuclear war fear was the cuban missle crisis. I remember doing drills in school, hiding under our desks, in case of a nuclear bomb. I'm sure President Kennedy must have had a private screening of this at the White House (after the crisis of course). It's one of my favorite WW2 movies.
Blueskygal I went to see this when I was 9 but it was the summer of 1969. It must have been a 25th anniversary show. I had to cry and beg and throw a tantrum to get my father to take me. Was it worth it? Yes
Blueskygal JFK’s brother-in-law, Peter Lawford, was in the film. I really don’t know whether he ever saw it or not. He lost his elder brother in 1944 (in what amounted to a suicide mission; flying a plane packed with explosives, in an attempt to knock out a V-1 launcher. He was supposed to bail out, but apparently the explosives were detonated before they were supposed to. And he lost a sister, Kathleen, in a plane crash in France just after the war.
To think it was released just 18 years after the actual events is kind of eerie. The memories were still vivid and pains still felt. My respects to all who served and died on all sides, it shouldn't have happened but the many brave brought it to an end.
Dambusters, Sink The Bismarck! too - and Battle of the River Plate was close enough to the War to have ships playing themselves from the actual Battle.
@@emjackson2289 Not forgetting the Battle of Britain. Although most of the individual charterers were fictional, the major character's, Dowding, Park and Mallory, and the events, were based on truth.
It’s not that crazy when you remember all the 9/11 movies and war on terror having movies out while the wars were still ongoing!
I was lucky enough to live near where Elmo Williams retired in Brookings, Oregon. He did several talks on the filming of The Longest Day and among other things was in one of the Messerschmitts during the fly-overs during filming. He was an amazing person involved in multiple monumental films and always had a good story to tell. He did some fundraising for the local community center and as part of it sold off pages from the original storyboards from the movie. Among others I have the series of Private Steele on the church roof and the "Piper Bill" on Sword Beach framed over my desk.
I loved "The Longest Day"! I remember watching this over and over as a kid, not knowing the true history behind it. Well, make a long story short, I would salute the soldiers in the movie and my grandma would say things like that's what your grandpa did. I found out my grandpa served in the Pacific theatre and died six months after WW II of a heart attack. I carried out his legacy, serving both the US Army and the US Air Force. Thank you for making this old man reminisce😁
A lot of vets died as delayed casualties of the war--PTSD, heart failure, or old wounds. A lot of Germans died from the aftereffects of Pervitin, the uppers that fueled the Blitzkrieg.
And thank god for the very Young men who died in actual combat. I regard the likes of john wayne and others as a joke. But I do respect your forebears who fought.
Thank you for your service. God bless you.
The scene with Richard Todd playing Major Howard, while standing right next to another actor who is playing the WWII era Richard Todd is one of my all time favorite movie scenes.
So true Richard Todd the actor really was on the bridge during the battle for the bridge playing as another soldier not himself ..
@@duncancallum Absolutely... Todd was part of the Airborne (Para) force that relieved D Coy of the Ox and Bucks (2nd Battalion (Airborne), Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry ) at Benoueville after they had seized it in a gliderborne coup de main operation...…. at the bridge later to be named "Pegasus bridge" as a tribute to the British Airborne,,
@@trooperdgb9722 Todd was a Captain and the Adjutant of 7th Para Battalion. He landed about 45 minutes after the Gliders did.
It is interesting to note that as Montgomery drew up his plans for the Normandy campaign, the Canadians found themselves assigned to the toughest section of the Normandy front.
Why was it the toughest?
Because it was so wide open in so many places that it was regarded as by far the most favourable territory for tank warfare. So the very terrain of the Juno Beach regions was far and away recognised as the worst for infantry. Hedgerows were fewer or farther between, but the wide open access for the excellent German armoured divisions made it a terrible place to fight for the generally inferior Allied armour. In response to this, D-Day plans called for double the number of artillery pieces to be landed on Juno than on any other beach and immediately put into action, coordinated with the forward-most Canadian infantry units-the Regina Rifles and the Winnipeg Rifles-both of whom had previously stormed the beach early on June 6.
It was in precisely this sector of the Canadian front that the Germans planned to mass their armoured divisions and try to push the Canadians back into the sea, and then spread left and right to attack Gold and Sword beaches. This is what Montgomery realised when he drew up the plans for the Normandy campaign. The terrain literally dictated the Nazi’s strategy.
During the lynch-pin Battle for Bretteville (June 7-10, 1944) this artillery support was vital and broke up numerous German infantry and 12 SS Panzer attacks. That and the sheer guts and unbelievable determination of the two aforementioned infantry regiments saved the day. These were some tough Canadian kids from the Prairies who took on the German SS Panzer divisions and beat them. The commander of the 12 SS Panzer division, Kurt Meyer, had smugly concluded that his men would sweep the Canadians back into the English Channel like so many “little fishes.” Needless to say, Meyer and his 12 SS Panzers were the ones licking their wounds and howling in misery when they finally fled from Bretteville-minus 43 dead, 99 wounded, 10 missing and 29 panzers destroyed including a good number of Panther Mark Vs. And other than the 29 lost panzers, that was just on the first night!
It was here and at nearby Abbey d’Ardenne that Kurt Meyer’s 12 SS and the Canadians began executing each other’s prisoners tit for tat, with no quarter given. The two sides really hated each other and this made for likely the bitterest fighting in Normandy.
Here is a limited account of the terrible fighting at Bretteville: www.canadiansoldiers.com/history/battlehonours/northwesteurope/brettevillelorgueilleuse.htm
And here is an excellent and much more detailed scholarly account of the Battle of Bretteville in .pdf format: scholars.wlu.ca/cmh/vol16/iss4/2/
[Be prepared to meet Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott of the original Star Trek series fame, as he was actually right in the area, being a Canadian artillery officer who landed on Juno Beach on D-Day. I bet you didn’t know that! ;)]
In fact, the Canadians made the greatest penetration of the German lines on D-Day, beating them back almost seven whole miles in the first 24 hours. Neither the Americans nor the British came anywhere close. Indeed, three Sherman tanks of the Canadian 1 Hussars actually reached their assigned D-Day objective-the Caen-Bayeux highway next to Carpiquet airfield-before having to pull back when they could not make radio contact with army HQ and request reinforcements. (And it was hard fighting with the Canadians losing 359 men killed landing on the first day alone-second only to Omaha for men KIA.) Perhaps the great progress was because the Canadian army was the only Allied army in Normandy that was entirely volunteer. (Originally Juno beach was to be called Jelly, but Churchill forbade it noting it was a sorely inappropriate name for a place where so many men were going to die.)
And yes, the two British and one Canadian beaches faced the bulk of the German armour-something like 70% of all German armoured divisions in Normandy faced us around Caen. Indeed, German armour was lined up virtually cheek by jowl. Historians have carefully investigated the numbers involved and the Germans, Canadians and British had more tanks per square mile all around Caen than the Russians and Germans had at Kursk! Around Caen and Carpiquet alone, the Germans had seven panzer divisions supplemented by an additional battalion of more than 100 Mark V Panthers! They were Panzer Lehr, 2 Panzer, 9 Panzer, 116 Panzer, 1 SS Panzer, 9 SS Panzer and 12 SS Panzer. Though few people understand this, these were the heaviest, most concentrated tank battles of WW2!
In his analysis of the fighting against the Canadians of the Regina Rifles Regiment at Bretteville (which contained a number of Sherman and Firefly tanks, as did virtually every Canadian and British regiment), Hubert Meyer, the commanding general of the 12 SS Panzer division (after Kurt Meyer had been captured in September 1944) wrote later in “The 12th SS: The History of the Hitler Youth Panzer Division, Volume 1” that:
“The tactic of surprise, using mobile, fast infantry and Panzers even in small, numerically inferior Kampfgruppen, had often been practiced and proven in Russia. This tactic, however, had not resulted in the expected success here against a courageous and determined enemy, who was ready for defense and well equipped. Through good battle field observation, the enemy had recognized the outlines of the preparations for the attack and drawn his own conclusions. The deployment of D Company [of the Regina Rifles] to Cardonville had prevented a breakthrough by 2./26 [of the 12 SS] from the farm south of the rail line to Bretteville, only 1,000 meters away. The anti-tank defenses all around the village were strong enough to thwart all attempts by the Panzers to by-pass the town to the south and north. The surprising use of parachute flares with glaring magnesium light blinded the Panthers and clearly outlined them to the enemy Pak [anti-tank guns like 6 and 17 pounders]. This enemy was especially strong in the defense and could not be taken by surprise. He fought with determination and courage.” [pages 186-87]
One is unlikely to find higher praise from the SS than 12 SS Panzer General Hubert Meyer had for the Regina Rifles Regiment of the Royal Canadian Army.
And finally, let's look at the private sentiments of General Dwight D. Eisenhower. In a rarely noted statement from him, cited by historian Andrew Roberts in his “History of the English-Speaking Peoples Since 1900,” 2007, on page 343, he points out a little-known quotation from Eisenhower that “man-for-man the Canadians were the best soldiers in his army.”
In hindsight, it is something of a feather in Montgomery’s hat that he beat his own estimate of 90 days for capturing Caen and destroying the German armies-by two full weeks minus one day-but who is counting when numbers are so great and the opposition so terrible?
And finally, Montgomery (and all the Allied generals) had insights into overall German strategy and counterattack plans through the Ultra intercepts at Bletchley Park, England. On many occasions he chose to withdraw his forces a short distance in order to preserve them, when informed that much superior German armoured divisions were being moved up to recapture territory lost. This was only sensible. You do not throw away large masses of men and armour to be ground up by superior numbers of enemy armour simply to display your bravado. No, you withdraw and rebuild your own forces until you can overcome what you positively 100% know is a much stronger force facing you only a short distance away. Many have questioned Montgomery’s leadership, perhaps with some reason. But how many know that he had to preserve his forces (as much as he could anyway) when Ultra intelligence revealed that not doing so would only be a futile gesture and the deliberate squandering of many men’s lives? Moreover, London had already told him that infantry reserves were virtually nil (though armour was abundant) and he had better save as many of his men as possible. So let’s try to be a little bit fairer in our criticisms of him.
My hat comes off to the many, many brave and excellent fighting men from the US and Britain. They fought as hard as anyone else but it was a team effort between the three great English speaking nations of the world that defeated Nazi Germany in Normandy, as well as the many brave French, Polish and other freedom loving European soldiers who fought alongside us. Bravo to all involved!
PS I am not trying to glorify war here, just so anyone who might think this to be so can understand that I do not approve of war-for all the good this will do.
My school has a large meetings room called The Montgomery Room, because Monty drew up the plans there.
The School moved location later, but still has a Montgomery Room as a tribute.
Great post right up until your horrifically wrong BS concerning Montgomery's estimate of taking Caen by D-Day plus 90 days. Any serious student of the history of D-Day KNOWS that Monty's est. was D+7.. NOT 90. In point of fact his wildly over estimates of initial Allied Operational success.. AND HIS ABJECT FAILURE TO CLOSE THE FALAISE GAP.. Would lead to his relief as CnC AEF Ground Forces Commander. I could go on and on about Monty's F-ups; suffice to say after his claims to have WON "The Battle of the Bulge" Winston Churchill gave Eisenhower permission to relieve him "FOR CAUSE". "Fairer My Azz" he was a backbiting Marionette the entire war and VASTLY over-rated.
@@MrArtbv I think you misunderstood me Arthur. I am not saying that Montgomery allowed himself 90 days to take Caen. I am saying that Montgomery and the entire Allied high command allotted themselves 90 days to complete the entire Normandy campaign, and that in the end it only took 77 days. 😉
I don't know if you are American but it is usually Americans who are most critical of Montgomery, supposedly for not taking Caen on the first day. When the British army landed on Sword Beach they discovered that the German defenses were much deeper and more complex than the aerial reconnaissance led them to believe. Thus the plan went right out the window in the first couple of days. There are some excellent new books out on the subject now. There is another RUclips channel called WW2TV run by a Normandy tour guide named Paul Woodage. He has had at least one historian on his program who has written a book on the plan to take Caen, relying IIRC on the latest declassified documents from the British archives at Kew. In fact, pretty much everything about the Normandy campaign has come under extensive revision by historians from the newly released documents over the last 20 years. Check out his channel. He gets the best WW2 historians in the world on regularly and the entire campaign is being reassessed as we speak. 😉
And I believe Patton himself said something along the lines of "I know I'm a prima donna. But the problem with Montgomery is he won't admit it!" So you had a real pair of self-indulgent something or others there. I don't want to foul the airwaves with a more descriptive analysis! Ha, ha!
The Falaise Gap is under serious review as we speak, as well, because of extensive documents from Kew being declassified, and thus more info from Bletchley Park being released. WW2TV covers it pretty thoroughly. Historians have discovered that quite vital Ultra information was accidentally not sent to the Canadian army at the precise moment that it would have made a huge difference.
Said for years...any man that hit the beach that morning deserves a silver star
The Canadian war effort never gets the proper respect or attention.
The character of John Steele (played by Red Buttons in the movie) had a best friend who jumped with him named David Bald Eagle...a full blood Lakota Indian from South Dakota. Dave was badly wounded before even landing and woke up days later in a hospital. Dave became an actor later in life and while in his 90's starred in a motion picture called "Neither Wolf, Nor Dog" which was released shortly after he died.
John
His story is false.
@anthonyeaton5153 Elaborate, or delete. Right now you're just a troll. And if this tiny bit of attention gives you satisfaction, you're welcome to it.
@@kevinohalloran7164 I absolutely agree with you, perfect response. He's just another troll. David Bald Eagle re-enlisted in the 82nd Airborne, a Silver Star was awarded to him in Anzio, a PH in Normandy. That guy had titanium cahonies.
British actor Richard Todd was a British paratrooper who combat jumped into Normandy on D-Day. He later portrayed his actual wartime battalion commander (Colonel John Howard) in "The Longest Day". That has always been my favorite movie fact about "The Longest Day".
The name rung a bell. So i went and got the rules for my copy of Memior 44 (board game) and there is his name in the preamble to the first scenario..
The stuff about Todd being a paratrooper at the actual event was referred to at some length in the video. Do you think we were too stupid to get it?
@@Ulysses1707
No, I thought you Brian Gallacher specifically might not have picked up on it. You're welcome Bri.
No D'uh, genius.
Not quite. A major, not a colonel on D Day. Not a battalion commander. Not in the same unit as Todd. But yes, both were there that day, both on the same side (both goodies, as it happens).
I was about 11 years old when that movie came out. I can tell you for sure the effect of that movie sold a lot of plastic army men.
Great BB gun targets. Them and the bug toys
I was 8 and I also fought many a battle with the plastic soldiers.
My parents' hadn't even met yet when this movie came out.
@@509Gman I used to flick elastic bands at mine.
@phillip krikorian you don't need to shout, I assume most people here understand English.
I spent a week in Normandy for the 64th Anniversary with my retired Army buddies. I stood at Cafe Gondree, Pegasus Bridge on the evening of the 5th June and a wonderful elderly Gentleman offered me a glass of Champagne to toast the event. He was a member of the Ox and Bucks who landed at the Bridge at the start of D-DAY. I often think about him although I'm sure he has passed into history with his comrades.........I still have the Champagne flute (unwashed) to remind me.
Just before I came home from Germany in 1992 when I was in the RCAF, a friend of mine and I visited the Normandy beaches and other WW1 and WW2 sites. When we were at Pegasus bridge, we met a British gentleman who was also in the Ox and Bucks reg't. He was in the second glider that landed near the bridge. I have a photo of him standing beside the marker where his glider landed. He told of his escape from Dunkirk in 1940 when he knew that he would not get off of the beach. He went back inland and finally made his way over the Pyrannees and into Spain before reaching Britain. His last name was Chamberlain.
How wonderful!!!! 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧
I wrote Major John Howard before he passed and he wrote me a great letter back . What a awesome Officer!
My step-father was a navigator on one of the first C47s to drop 101st airborne troops that night. Bill Adams told me sat on 3 flak jackets so his ball would not be blown off by German anti-aircraft guns. We never could go to the 4th of July fireworks display because it reminded him of the shell coming up and exploding around him on that night.
Many combat vets avoid fireworks for just that reason
Great job here, loved the lines of connections you put together.
Please note that military awards are not "won". Mr. Eddie Albert wasn't in a race to win his bronze star. He was awarded this honor to recognized his incredible bravery in the face of combat.
I don't recall "Eddie Albert's" real name, but as a Navy lieutenant, he pulled a lot of Marine wounded off the beach in the lagoon at Tarawa!
No duh, james.... it was talked about in the video.
Spot in travlinman.... big difference.
Jeff, you did a fantastic job. I never tire of hearing documentaries about WWII and/or such a great movie. Well done!
It seems WW2 created a lot of jobs. If it wasn’t for the Big Boys in Germany, there would have been a lot of unemployed people in Hollywood. Think of all the people who worked on these war movies.
How wonderful and refreshing to hear so many facts as opposed to the faux modern news in the production they would use to deny our truth today.
Thanks for all the wonderful background info.
You've done a wonderful job researching and honoring all those involved.
@@246spyder Um, there are a lot of terrific journalists currently working to bring - truthfully - a score of conflicts to world attention. Yes, there are also plenty of agendas, but no era cornered the market on "un-fake news".
I visited Normandy a few years ago during my trip to Paris. Very sobering experience. The cemetery was surreal. So many Brave souls. Sacred ground. The French people in the Area , to this day , honor their sacrifice as Liberators. They maintain the Area beautifully.
What a great video! Thank you so much for all the hard work you did researching and compiling this review! Favorite fact from your video: Two Bond villains were in the Longest Day! Didn't know that!
Veterans of D Day have said that there are aspects of war which a movie just cannot replicate: The odors (the smell of death) and the noise (the concussive effete of explosions).
Nonetheless, movies like the Longest Day and Saving Private Ryan help us remember the incredible sacrifice of these men and their families.
Don't forget our neighbors up North- Canadians hit the shores too! To all veterans-THANK YOU!
I totally agree !!!!!! You are CORRECT . THANK YOU .
Hi Jeff, I don’t know how many young ladies love American and World history, especially WWI and WWII, but I am one, and my enjoyment and interest expands into many great fiction and nonfiction books and movies based on these wars. I’ve seen The Longest Day a few times and just recently bought it through iTunes. Now it’s time to get the book. Thank you for your very interesting video too.
Man, me & my rat pack as little boys loved this movie back in the day. Thank you so much for your comprehensive coverage of the who's/how's/what's etc. I appreciate the many hours of research it took to make this video. Also, I can't say enough about the actors who really were there that fateful day...and who served gallantly in other theaters of action. Thank you for your service!
My uncle Tony was one of the D-Day paratroopers. He didn't talk about it except to reveal that when he hit the ground a very young German soldier had him dead-to-rights as my uncle became tangled in his lines, helpless. The soldier lowered his rifle and ran away.
what unit
@@robertcollett7115 I don't know if he was in the 101st or 82nd Airborne. He passed away in the late '90s. Tony Ingalise was his name. From Omaha, Ne.
if he was your uncle somebody should know
@@robertcollett7115 You question if he was my uncle?! I'm sure of that part. He has no surviving children or widow to ask. All his siblings are deceased. Why don't you research it and tell me what you find? You sound smart. Yeah, I coulda made him up. Why would I? I claim no personal glory in the deeds of those brave men who dropped into France.
there is no way to verify the ww2 records in st louis was lost due to fire you as a family member should know im calling bs
Good narration style...clear and not hurried. Well done. Nice touch at the end, thanking our veterans.
My uncle went over the beach in the third wave, commanding a Sherman tank retriever, and went missing for six weeks during the Bulge. IIRC my grandma received a star for him and may or may not have given it back when he turned up alive and well.
My grandmother had a pin with 5 stars on it. None of them were gold. My mother has it now. One day, my wife will have it.
I read the book and watched the film before spending DDay week in Normandy this year. I met Tom Rice of the 101st Airborne in Carentan by chance. Truly humbling.
Never be another group of men like the ones from WWII. Men committed suicide that couldnt go. Kids 15 to 16 lied about their age to fight. Kids today kidding me
I got chatting to a British Veteran in a sea side town in Norfolk about 4 years ago, he was quite frail and had been left to sit in peace on a bench on the quayside.
Noticing his baseball cap with the Parachute Brigade badge and "D-Day 70th Anniversary" on it I asked him: "Normandy or Arnhem?"
"Both," he said and then, after a pause and with a sly smile, "and Germany in 45!"
Me: "Christ, who did you piss off to get landed with all three?"
He chuckled and we were having a nice chat when his granddaughter came up with his fish and chips: "Come on, Grandad, don't bother the nice man." and lead him away.
THREE combat jumps, I mean - wow!
Splendid production...well done. And even after 60 years, the film still holds up well.
for its time, and what was willing to be shown on screen, this was a milestone movie, and still one of my all time war movie favorites.
At 22:40 you refer to the German troops defending at Normandy. Most of the support and construction troops were Osttruppen, in English, Eastern Troops. They were made up from former POW's, mostly Russian and Ukrainian, but they had other ethnic groups also. They were offered good food, clothes, and money to work as service troops and labor units. They had their own rank structure, awards, we're fairly well equipped, and some were given extremely important security positions, protecting supply depots, rail junctions, crossroads, patrolling for saboteurs behind the front, etc. Two that were captured at Omaha were Korean. They'd been drafted as labor troops into the Japanese Army and were captured by the Soviets during the Battles of Khalkhin Gol in 1939, weren't repatriated, drafted by the Soviets, then captured by the Germans. Talk about a wild ride
Wrong. 1 was Japanese and 1 was Korean, and the Korean died and the Japanese man took his identity (because the war between Japan) There's a movie about them called : My Way. He was taken prisoner by Speirs of 101st Airborne (Band of Brothers).
The primary division in the Caen area was the 352 infantry. It was German.
Moreover, the "boys" mentioned were mostly of the 12th SS Panzer Division "Hitler Jugend." Look them up.
@@mister-v-3086 12SS was quite effective as a fighting unit
@@craigclemens986 Yes Indeed! Those boys were SCARY!
Great video! The Longest Day is one of my favorite movies. The French commando assault scene at 23:12 is one of my favorite filmed scenes of all time. That single camera take is brilliant.
Hoss Windu YES! I love that part too, all three directors tried to get that shot, I forget which one got it right. It predates what Welles did in Touch of Evil and Scorsese in Goodfellas
I went to see Richard Todd on stage not long before he died and he got a rousing round of applause when he walked onto the stage, my dad didn't fight on d day but was evacuated at Dunkirk and always admired Richard Todd but like all veteran soldiers my dad didn't talk much about the war
If your father was at Dunkirk, I believe we can conclude that he sacrificed for us all. My father landed at Normandy 3 days after D-Day, the U. S. 3rd Armored div. was one of the two main assault thrust armies. Basically non-stop fighting from 10 Jun 1944 'til Aug 1945. I never knew the man, I honor his sacrifice. It drives me crazy that we didn't jump in sooner to help our alles.
My Grandfather was the same he was also a professional evacuated from Dunkirk ,then went on to fight up and down Africa before heading back to Europe post D day
Any time he recounted events it was never about an action ,just about things he and his buddies did or saw together, tales of fun times with good friends and a whole lot of practical jokes . I guess those were the things he wanted to recall and tell , and his friends were what he wanted remembered
My father sat me down one day and talked about his campaign in Papua-New Guinea during WW2, but only for an hour, then silence for the remainder of his life. He attended the ANZAC dawn service every yr until his passing, the RSL paid for his funeral, RIP Dad, thank you for the twinkle in your eye
Todd was a commando during the and played himself
@@henochparks He didn't play himself in the film, he played his superior officer.
My granddad took me to see this in the theater in Towson Maryland in1962 when it was released., I was 6 years old and was totally blown away by it . Thank you granddad, Rest In Piece.
no pun intended haha lol
I saw the movie in 1962 before it was. In general public- at fort lewis'wash
Great job Jeff. I'm 66 , my father & mother both fought in WW2
Longest Day was for years my favourite film
I have been to Normandie 23 times for the D-Day ceremonies. I knew the real Bill Millen, Major John Howard, and many others. Today, the remaining OX and BUCKS, their families, and friends still carryon on with John Howard's tradition of the Champaigne Toast begun in 1945. This event begins just after midnight and ends exactly at 0016 hours June 6th each years. For years now John's daughter Penny Bates, and her husband George carry on. In recent years a recording made by John Howard is played in English and then again with French translation. John always began when the gliders were released by the aircraft and it ends when #1 glider came to a hault at 0016 hours June 6,1944. I was also lucky to meet the pilot of #1 Glider one year, Jim Walwork. An incredible experience meeting the actual veterans of D-Day and the Battle of Normandie, and they still come back and as in all past years I have been there some were therre again this time for the very first time since WW-2. They are incredible to say the least, and the more I go back, the more in awe I am off them all. I spent 28+ years in Service myself in the US Army, as an Airborne Ranger, then Special Forces Alpha Team member, and later 13 years on the Black side and am now a 100% service connected disabled combat veteran. I tired in my career to be worthly of the WW-2 veterans. Finally all who have taken up arms since for our nation, are in my view an extension of past veterans going back to the French and Indian Wars. God Bless them all and especially those who today cannot make roll call and those who never came home.
Thank you for your service....From another old Vet.
@@dennisdunton6530 Same to you Dennis. God Bless.
Two thoughts...there has never been anything like the American citizen soldier...and welcome home
@@philgiglio7922 Your so right!🙂👍🇺🇸
When you go all-in to make an epic film and:
- hire the US Navys 6th fleet,
- rent 4 WWII planes in active service,
- have the supplier of gliders to make some new ones,
- have the actors speak the own respectfully language,
- have actual WWI veterans among the cast,
..it will be a hit!
The German ones were Messerschmidt.....BF108 Trainers. The Spitfires were the right type for 1944.
AND after all that it cost them $10 Million.
There are two versions of the film, one with native languages and one where the actors speak English
Band of Brothers did something a bit like it.
Steven Spielberg says, "hi."
In Sainte-Mère-Eglise there is an amazing atmosphere. The parachutes, the night, the sound of shots, the house which is burning. An Oscar for that scene.
A great movie. I can't help but to feel sorry for all the combatants who suffered and lost their lives. I wish the Americans and our allied friends were ALL alive today to tell their stories. My father arrived in the European Theater(as they called it) late in the war and served during the battle of the bulge. He was a Combat Medical Aidman(medic) in the 580th Anti-Aircraft Artillery and Automatic Weapons Battalion. After the war he served with the occupational forces and I was born in Germany during that time. He also served in the Korean conflict for two years, and Vietnam for 3 and a half years. He retired from the Army in 1967, and sadly, was killed by a drunk driver a few months later.
Oh , What a blessing your Dad was. So sorry to hear of his death like that. God bless his memory and God bless you and your family
@@johannarhymer1093 Thank you for your kind words. He was a good father to me and a good man.
Luck plays a huge role in combat...and life in general...look at Patton
I actually saw that film on release! I was just a boy, and it made such an impression on me. A very influential film, in my life anyway. Thanks for bringing some new perspectives.
Eddie Albert did not "win" the bronze star, it is not a contest.
You are "awarded" military decorations by earning them, not competing for them.
But I still give you a strong thumbs up for this.
And you are not 'awarded' them. They are received.
My wife and I visited the American Cemetery in Normandy on a bitter cold afternoon just before Christmas back in the 1990s. We had gotten lost driving over there and the we’re about to close but allowed us in. It was deserted.
At one point my wife wandered away and I found myself walking down this endless row of graves, and it was as if I could see the frozen bodies lying in the ground. I thought about all the things that never happened for those young men. The loves. The children the laughter. The friendships. All just cut short as they lay in their frozen pose, promises unfulfilled.
I’m the farthest thing from a spiritual person but those few moments have haunted me all these years. That so many must die for the designs of an Adolf Hitler, or perhaps a more modern day Narcissistic Sociopath, cause me ever more to worry for the future of our kind. Yes there’s always hope, but here we are 80 years beyond DDay, and we’re tearing ourselves apart.
Thanks to Daryl Zanuck for having the swag to be able to pull off this monument effort. I’ve been a life long history enthusiast and certainly this movie was one of the seeds planted in my childish brain.
GREAT VIDEO! Lots of fun stuff in there.
Richard Todd was always one of my favourite actors.I knew many of those in the film served in the war but to find that detail about Todd's beret,rather than being a prop, was the one he actually wore in the battle was very poignant. Then to find out the actor playing the para next to him was actually playing him was brilliant. I bet he found that a little strange.The micky taking about his own unit being late was typical squaddie banter. So many little details that no one knew about & never thought about before. This video is truly amazing. Brilliant. Thank you
Same thing happened in a Bridge too Far when Dirk Bogarde as General Browing is watching the drop from a Factory roof and one of the Actors behind him is playing Browing's Dutch liaison officer.Captain Dirk Bogarde. he said is was the most surreal experience of his life. Also the Actor who played Richard Todd was Todd's brother.
Richard Todd`s boss was Colonel Richard Geoffrey Pine-Coffin DSO & Bar, MC. and yes that's his correct surname. Relieving Howards men at Pegasus Bridge.
There were quite a few service 'barbs' in there - if you knew what they were...
@@Eric-the-Bold The film shows Major Howard's tiny unit holding Pegasus Bridge until relieved by Lord Lovat's commandos. In fact, they didn't arrive until around 1330, whereas Pine-Coffin's parachute troops landed soon after Howard's gliders and made their way across country to reinforce them.
FUSILIER: i BET YOU WILL FIND IT WAS A DIRECTOR MORE INTUNE WITH bRITISH QUIRKS THAN ANY us DIRECTOR
Christopher Lee not looking like an Officer? That guy lived a life that Hollywood wishes they could make movies of, they should have been honored that he even auditioned for the movie at all.
His history definitely needs to be told.
If you made a movie about Christopher Lee's life, no one would believe it.
Well, back then Christopher Lee wasn't as big as he is now, or was prior to his death. Known mostly for his roles in Dracula and Frankenstein.
Yes, they should have been honored, but they didn't know that yet.
when anyone uses the term Limey You know he is an Anglophobe.
Thomas h there are a few who don’t.
The story of Lovat and Piper Millin was part of a 1994 C-Span special by Steven Ambrose. He had both men and many others from Pegasus Bridge. Also present was the German commander. When asked why none of the German soldiers shot Millin, he said "He was obviously mad! We don't shoot madmen"! I remember it clearly as this was the only time my father, a WW2 vet from the Battle of the Bulge ever spoke of his combat experience.
Lord Lovat was a callous swine who marched his men over that bridge and got 12 of them killed in the process. He knew the bridge was under enemy fire but he ordered his men to MARCH over it anyway. I'd have shot him myself for that.
Thank you for doing this video. The Longest Day has been one of my favorite movies since I first saw it as a child in the 1970s with my father. He was a career military historian and journalist. While watching the movie, he repeatedly pointed out the tidbits of, "Yeah, that really happened." Saving Private Ryan is a great film, but The Longest Day is the *definitive* telling of the story of D-day.
the rangers in "Saving Private Ryan" were originally supposed to reinforce the troops assaulting Pointe Du Hoc...when it looked that assault was failing they were reassigned to the dog one sector of Omaha Beach...the idea was that they could still accomplish their mission by attacking it from the flank....
What an incredibly interesting video! Best thing I've seen on RUclips this year. Great job.
Grew up in the 90s watching the longest day. Still a favorite
My father landed on gold beach two days after the landing. He also at Dunkirk and came off on a small tramp steamer, "he said the ship crew pushed all the rifles and kit into the sea to make room for more men" The unit made them pay for lost equipment (sad).
My Father was in many areas of France he was British Signals.I have his Medals. He Could not watch war moves or military reenactments.He very rarely spoke of his days in France.
I Spent 10 yrs in the Canadian military but luckily not were the bullets were flying.
Good movie Longest Day.
What a legacy! Thank you for sharing. Most men in any war don’t talk about it. My brother in Vietnam didn’t either
@@johannarhymer1093 Neither did the Greatest Generation, except what we could get out of our relatives who fought.
A good complement to Cornelius Ryan's book is Joseph Balkoski's "Beyond the Beachhead", centered on the "other" US Army infantry division at Omaha Beach during the landing, the 29th, which took such losses in its first month fighting on the beach and through the Bocage that most of the Guardsmen who landed at Normandy died or were invalided out.- but the 29th fought on with fresh troops. It's a good in-depth look at the National Guard unit which with the Big Red One bore the brunt of the landing in Normandy. Stephen Ambrose wrote the foreword.
This was very much worth watching! Well Done!! Very informative!
Thanks for the trivia. The Longest Day is one of my favorite films and I watch it every time it's shown.
One of the pluses for Brit viewers of this movie is that the large UK contribution of their armed forces to the battle hasn't been erased. (UK)
The British sailors who manned British landing craft at Omaha beach was never shown. Same with Point du Hoc and later saving Private Ryan
The main thing I admired about this film is how it paid homage to the differing nations who took part. My Father-in-Law was on Gold and always said how much the Americans suffered on Omaha. Honour to all.
Except, of course, for the Canadians.
@@dovetonsturdee7033 Yes, you're right - as well as the Australians - Norwegians - New Zealanders - Indian - South Africans - ad nuseam. But unlike Saving Private Ryan - a film I like -which showed only a war between American & German troops - good point though :-)
@@avs4365 The Longest Day was much more accurate than Saving Private Ryan.
Omaha was an American show...but the Canadian contribution cannot be overlooked....they were major players that day...@@avs4365
My dad was a paratrooper on D Day and he said at the time this was the best telling the event.
I wonder what his opinion would be on Band of Brothers
daAnder71 Wayne? Wayne didn’t walk on the beach giving pep talks at least not in Normandy. That would have been a serious mistake in the movie. He played the part of Col Benjamin Vandervoort, one of the senior commanders of the 82nd ABN. Their objective was no beach at all.
wavygr Part 2 and 3 had most to do with D day...
wavygr Band of Brothers Series.
@wavygr
Everyone forgets about the Italian campaign. When I was a kid what I was told by veterans who were there and reading about it Anzio was a complete total hell on Earth.
God Bless your Dad.
Some of the parachute drop scenes were actually filmed in Cyprus when the last Airborne drop was made by the 16 Para Brigade. We were rather surprised to see all those camera crews on the DZ! Years later I spoke to one of the cameramen and he told me that he was surprised how quiet it all was, that was because it was a British Para units doing the drop.
Annnndddd, British paras are quieter than others because…?
This was wonderful. I am a disabled Navy vet that served in the 1st Gulf War. My Grandfather was in Italy, marching up the boot, and then Burma in '44. Thank you.
G'day Jeff, Thank you for this excellent video. I'm a retired film critic/reviewer with a special interest in military films. I was aware of nearly all of the points you touch upon in your video; however, many of these facts are still not widely known even though I've written about them for many years. The 'backstory' of the film's production is nearly as good as the film itself. I still recall that many critics, upon its release, were unduly harsh on the entire project; for 'too many stars'; the black and white print decision and a so-called disjointed, short sequences 'jumping' back and forth over the story.
I've always disagreed with these opinions; given that this was a period in Hollywood where huge, expensive films were popular, no matter how risky they were financially.
There was no other logical way of tackling the subject of Operation Overlord without including most facets of the invasion. To have concentrated on just one segment of D-Day would have made for a totally different kind of picture that could not, realistically, be called a 'D-Day Film'.
I do agree that a bad error occurred with the total absence of African/American actors in this film; it was a kind of 'invisible racism'. These troops should have been represented considering the lengths the filmmakers went to for accuracy over the entire film.
The 'backlash' to that kind of decision can still be seen in modern films. Just last month I saw a film dealing with American paratroopers early in WW2. In the very first sequence in the film we see the interior of an aircraft about to drop paratroopers; the first shot opens with a close up of an African/American paratrooper. When then see that he is the only one of two troopers 'of colour' in the aircraft. This was almost as bad as not showing these actors at all.
In reality, truly integrated elements of the US services was not decreed until 1947 and, in effect, didn't really catch on until the first couple of years of the 1950s. So, two lone paratroopers 'of colour' in that film was, historically, an impossibility.
After all these decades making films; one would have thought that US filmmakers could redress past mistakes and just get the historical facts right.
Thanks again for your hard 'detective' work on this video. Cheers, Bill H.
Combat is disjointed & chaotic...the editing may have been an attempt to portray that fact
@@philgiglio7922 ABSOLUTELY !!!!! Some who know NOTHING about filming a momentous event ,are looking for a KIDDIE LAND CARTOON.
THOSE will never be satisfied with reality.
I once saw Richard Todd on film location and asked him for his autograph. He declined my request and I was a bit miffed at the time. Later on when I learned of his impressive military service, my attitude changed to respect for him.
Great film and enjoyed your highly detailed information on it. Thank you.
for many of us of a certain age this was the definitive movie about D-day.....it shaped a whole generations perspective on how it happened and remains as a great film that was innovative and inspiring...and i'm sure that speilberg was equally influenced by it as well so that when he did saving private ryan he was able to inject modern film techniques (in color) that accounted for the incredible realism of that event...
My Father was in the first wave on Gold, that was all I knew until he passed away and I found his diary, the accounts in there are frightening, he was one of the first into Belsen, it was only after reading his diary that I kenw what the nghtmares he had were about, the men who survived that war had to live with it for the rest of their lives, he never would watch this film or any other war film, he was my hero.
Graham Walters agree 100% with your comments my father was with the Canadians coming ashore at Juno beach it happened to be on the tv the movie he just shook his head got out of his chair and left the room I didn't know why , these poor soldiers this was a living knight mare wouldn't talk about his experience until he was well into his 80s
it is extremely common among soldiers to not be able to watch a movie version of a battle they were in ... it triggers every last second of that time in perfect detail right down to all the senses ... and perfect facial recall of everyone you knew who didnt come back ...
.
took me until 2015 to be able to watch black hawk down for 20 minutes ... then 2 years later I saw it all .. yeah I was there ... the line at the end from the spec for trooper ... well he wasnt an american he was Canadian ... a scout sniper infiltrator who was in the middle of that hell for longer than those choppers were ... yes I said it ... to some reporter who was embedded with the american unit i was joined to for the operation ... and yes that is all I have watched that movie ... it is still too painful a memory to cope with to this day ...
@BC Bob My Dad did, although after Normandy there are no daily entries, he misses quite a few days, I gather from what my Mum said he wrote things down in notebooks, and wrote them up when he got home
Before I saw your comment I made a similar one , Only the children of Fathers who served know they carried a lot of demons for the rest of there lives from that war. As far as I'm concerned my Mother who lived in Bethnal Green East London with my Sister during the Blitz while my Father was away fighting in Burma was also a front line civilian soldier and had her own demons from that bombing of East End London and saw sights a young woman in her twenties should never have seen , The Greatest Generation is a understatement.......Enough Said
@@ronphillips3339 So sad - for them - that they had to be the greatest generation.....
Great video. Thanks mate. My granddad served in Tobruk so a ways off from Normandy obviously. He came back a haunted man. I've always wished Tom Hanks and/or Steven Spielberg would do a TV series about that horrific place and the North Africa campaign (or the British and ANZAC troops) in general. Sadly I doubt that will ever happen. No one seems to even know about Tobruk these days.
Fantastic upload, thank you. I loved this epic movie. Much love from England.
One of my favorite movies of all time. I miss growing up in the 70's and 80's watching war movies every weekend.
Great video! Caught this 1 day after watching the movie again! Found the material about Richard Todd exceptional.
Something that was not mentioned is the small role Vicor von Bülow had as a German intelligence soldier with one line ("we haven't been able to get it through Sir"). Descendant of an old prussian noble family and soldier during the war on the eastern front he later became under the name Loriot (a bird) the most famous german humorist and caricaturist in post war Germany with dozends of classic TV sketches and characters.
At 3 hours long I think they were shooting the longest film. But, what an epic film! Thanks for remembering this classic favorite! Thank you for remembering our WWII vets.
Thank you very much! Still one of my favorite movies of all time. Your information will must make watching it the next time even better!
I recently "discovered" your channel and hope you'll continue your fascinating work. Thank You.
I agree with you. It's been my favorite since I was a kid.
Super job! Though "Saving Private Ryan" has more combat reality and despite the casting of screen legends for many of the roles, which seems corny today, "The Longest Day" has always been one of my favorite films. I'm sure it was because I was able to see it during its initial release with my Late Dad. He wasn't on the beach during the first part of the invasion but as a combat engineer was there the next day helping to stabilize the artificial harbor the Brits had built. His service in Europe - as one member of a Five Star Family - took him from Normandy through the Netherlands, Belgium, including a brief "stopover" in the Ardennes during the "Battle of the Bulge," and on into the Rhineland.
At my prodding, my Dad and other uncles recounted much of their experiences in Europe and the Pacific theatre. There are so many stories, I could never recount them all, but one that really touches me is how my Dad, a Captain by this time, had his driver go about 100 kilometers out of their way to liberate my Uncle Raymond from a Stalag Luft...
This movie always reminds me of those stories, and of the pride I have always had for my Dad and the hundreds of thousands of others who fought for freedom.
There's was a great generation, just are were the many who fought and died in Korea, Vietnam, Panama, Lebanon, Grenada, Operation Desert Shield, Sword and Sabre, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Somalia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and operations against Daesh (ISIS & ISIL) and so on. There can be no doubt, we have been in too many wars, but the American servicemen, servicewomen, and trans persons in service have all fought and done their best for all of us. Our debt can never fully be paid to these great people.
That would be Mulberry Harbour.
Just a technical detail: Joseph Priller, who strafed the beaches was flying a FW-190 at the time, not a Me-109. Also, the airplanes used in the movie were not Me-109 at all, but Me-108 which was a small 4-seat transport airplane that was indeed used by the Luftwaffe, but only for liaison and was never armed.
Thank you for making that clear. It always bothers me when I see the movie. The Douglas Skyraders at the beginning of the movie are another "time traveler" from the future ;-)
They couldn’t find any 190’s
@adimo
The mistakes with planes are the main issue for the WWII filmmakers..
But the worst thing I ever seen was the wrong use of P-5s instead of Spitfires on the movie Memphis Belle...( No P-51s in 1943 )
And to make things worse, they make the Mustangs returning home earlier for lack of fuel, even if they were use mainly for their exceptionally long range flight capabilities..
When someone told that to the director, he answered: " You know.. The american people will recognize the P-51s..."................................
There just weren’t any Me 109 or FW 190 to use.
The Spanish Air Force had the nearest to them in the Me 108.
(In the film Battle of Britain they used Spanish Buchon aircraft which was based on the Me 109).
It doesn’t spoil my enjoyment of these films.
Priller became head of the new German Luftwaffe after the war also.
Really well done video. Thanks for this!
A young James Doohan was on the Normandy beaches during D-Day he would go on to be famous as an actor playing the character Montgomery Scott aka "Scotty" in Star Trek.
He was indeed a very brave man he had his middle finger shot off on his right hand.
And he was a Canadian!
This WW2 movie rank no. 1 for me. The BEST of the best classic WW2 movie. MABUHAY!!! & much love from the Philippines.
It's a great one. I also like Tora Tora Tora. Something different but also WWII.
Band Of Brothers...Mainly because they 'pinched' scenes from a half dozen vintage War Movies, as well as from the book. The series is also a good study in Cinematography...like scene selection, camera placement (and movement), effects and even how to lay down the music bed.
Wow, a Filipina who likes war movies! Why can't I find someone like that here in the US?
This was much more interesting than I thought it would be. Good show.
That opening MUSIC still sends a shiver down my Spine
It's not mentioned but the 'V signature' (dot dot dot dash) was famously used by the BBC during the war as an intro for its broadcasts to the resistance forces in Europe.
I am (for some reason surprisingly, my apologies) impressed with the excellent work you have produced. Looking forward to more.
Thanks.
I might not have needed to know these facts, but I am glad I do know, thanks for making and sharing this video, great information and well made. Thanks, a definite 👍.
Good review. Saw it at the release in 63 on a military base as a child. 1962 was only 18 years after the event. Thanks!!
Thank you for the video. Not only interesting; but, brings me back to my childhood. Can't tell you the number of times I saw this movie as a kid after school. That's when they use to show movies on regular TV and not countless talk shows.
Very interesting and well put together video. There were so many "wow" moments in this that I didn't want it to end.
Well done. I reckon I could watch this again.
The wow moment, was when two opposing platoons, Germany/America, walked opposite each other and only the American grasped the situation when he was the last soldier to notice, lol
Thanks, really informative! I knew about Richard Todds role but a lot of the rest was new! I visited Pegasus Bridge 15 years ago, well worth the visit!
No you didn't.
Always been one of my favorite war movies. I learned more then I thought I would well done!
The man playing Richard Todd's part looked older than the real Richard Todd there considering he was only twenty five at the time, he said in his autobiography that everything seemed fine till they turn a corner and all hell came at them. Brave man they all were. I went to see him in a play in which he had to shoot at a picture right across the other side of the stage not a very big picture either he hit it squarely in the middle and the glass smashed hence to say we all jumped a mile WOW!
Lazy hazy. All the main characters looked older than the real people. John Wayne was 54 as Van der Voot whereas the real Van was 27, same with Jim Gavin etc.
The film also ignored the Canadian role. They were the only force to fully secure their beach on the first day, and actually reached the outskirts of Caan. No other force came close to achieving their day one objectives.
Yes, I noticed that the Canadians were not specifically mentioned. They were on Juno. My father was on Omaha. There are now more videos about the enormous/equal contributions made by other countries, thank goodness for that. Kudos to the Canadians. The same holds true of the Allies in the Korean War; the Allies included Brits, Canadians, Australians, Turks, etc. (the list goes on), which aren't mentioned in many documentaries. Some may have had limited roles, however, some did not. I am more aware of the lack of inclusion nowadays.
@@John-ih2bxThe Canadians are mentioned in the film, watch it again
Thanks Jeff! Excellent video! I love movies about WW2 and your handling of this subject is spot on! Thanks for posting it!
Literal jaw dropping here. This is a GREAT post! Bless all the men who served on D-Day. All gave some. Many gave all.
Another interesting point. John Wayne did everything he could to NEVER serve during WW2. Veterans used to laugh when he appeared in war movies. Second point. Omaha beach was part of the sector held by the crack 352 Regiment of the German Army. 12,000 troops, of whom over half were experienced combat veterans. Not all old men and kids as implied. The only reason anyone got off that beach was that the Germans ran out of ammunition at about 2;30pm.
Really enjoyed this, one of my favourite movies of all time. Well edited and narrated, great job. Lots of interesting little nuggets here...