Anyone familiar with military history will recognise those names.
At this moment 65 years ago, "The Longest Day" was drawing to a close. But the the future was far from certain. The Normandy landings were a huge gamble, nothing of this scale had ever been attempted before. A German armored counterattack would probably push the landing force into the Channel.
Saving Private Ryan probably comes the closest to portraying horror of 'Bloody Omaha' without actually being there. But my favorite D-Day movie is still "The Longest Day" because it tries to portray overall scope and grand scale of the operation.
But one thing I have always been amazed by was the assault on Pointe du Hoc.
Below is Pointe du Hoc today. Those cliffs are 100 feet high.
http://www.normandybattlefields.com/img27_pointe_du_hoc.htm
Now imagine having to scale those cliffs while German soldiers threw grenades and sprayed heavy machinegun fire down on top of you.
A battery of 6 155mm guns mounted in heavy concrete implacements on the top would be able to decimate the invasion fleet. The pock-marked landscape in the image above is testament to the attempts to knockout the position with aerial bombing. But the risk was too great if even one gun remained operational, and so they sent in the Rangers.
Companines D, E, and F of the 2nd Ranger Battalion were assigned to take out the gun emplacements at Pointe Du Hoc.
In 1984, President Reagan gave a speech there and said:
"The Rangers looked up and saw the enemy soldiers--the edge of the cliffs shooting down at them with machine guns and throwing grenades. And the American Rangers began to climb. They shot rope ladders over the face of these cliffs and began to pull themselves up. When one Ranger fell, another would take his place. When one rope was cut, a Ranger would grab another and begin his climb again. They climbed, shot back, and held their footing. Soon, one by one, the Rangers pulled themselves over the top, and in seizing the firm land at the top of these cliffs, they began to seize back the continent of Europe. Two hundred and twenty-five came here. After two days of fighting, only 90 could still bear arms."
The rest of the speech is here: http://www.reaganlibrary.com/reagan/speeches/dday_pdh.asp
Ironicly, the guns weren't there. The heavy bombing kept them from ever being mounted.
BUT, the Rangers found them a few miles inland, just before they were to open fire, and destroyed them with thermite grenades.
Read more about Pointe du Hoc :
http://www.worldwar2history.info/D-Day/Pointe-Du-Hoc.html
http://www.msplinks.com/MDFodHRwOi8vd3d3Lm1pbGl0YXJ5aGlzdG9yeW9ubGluZS5jb20vd3dpaS9kZGF5L3BvaW50ZWR1aG9jLmFzcHg=
Many men came here as soldiers
Many men will pass this way
Many men will count the hours
As they live the longest day
Many men are tired and weary
Many men are here to stay
Many men won't see the sunset
When it ends the longest day
The longest day the longest day
This will be the longest day
Filled with hopes and filled with fears
Filled with blood and sweat and tears
Many men the mighty thousands
Many men to victory
Marching on right into battle
In the longest day in history
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