Today is the 80th anniversary of D-Day, Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of France during World War II. It was the largest seaborne invasion in history, involving more than 5000 ships transporting ~160,000 men on the first day, plus 1200 planes used to drop 13,000 paratroopers the night before to prepare the way. The landings were not immediately overwhelmingly successful but a foothold was gained and soon to be expanded. About 1.5 million Allied troops crossed the channel by the end of July, and 2 million by the end of August, at which point the Germans retreated east. Paris was liberated August 25. The western war was finally drawing to a close, but wasn't over yet (see Battle of the Bulge).
Right now I'm loving the images and stories from France in commemoration. There are, obviously, an ever dwindling number of WWII veterans (they have to be 100 years old basically now), but a seemingly strong contingent of them made the journey across the Atlantic. The French still have the utmost love and respect for the soldiers that liberated their country. You love to see it.
Annually I'm drawn to watch (at least) episode two of HBO's Band of Brothers (2001), called Day of Days, showing the paratrooper side of the invasion. We did that last night. Based on Stephen Ambrose's best seller, and created by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks as a follow-up to Saving Private Ryan (1998), the 10 episode mini-series follows Easy Company of the 101st Airborne through the war. They saw everything you can in Europe. After training and bonding in Georgia ('Currahee!'), understanding that they volunteered for the toughest job because they'll be fighting alongside the best, they ship off to England and prep for the invasion. The first jump is into Normandy as part of D-Day and and they work to clear the roads inland. They jump again into the Netherlands as part of Operation Market Garden alongside a fresh crop of recruits. The company soon gets stuck in the Ardennes forest, unprepared in the middle of winter, during the Battle of the Bulge. They hold the line but it breaks many of them. As the Allies enter Germany they liberate a concentration camp and deal with everything that entails. With victory in Europe imminent Easy finds itself in Hitler's Nazi vacation house in Bavaria, the Eagle's Nest. The journey this group makes is almost unbelievable simply considering everything they see.
I don't have enough or proper adjectives to describe the quality of this show, but I don't have any problems describing it as the best mini-series of all time. If you've never seen it now's a great time to rectify that, it's currently on both Max and Netflix. A lot is done remarkably well. Even though it's 20+ years old the production quality is still fantastic. You get to know the men of Easy really well and their personalities, as they're changed by what they undergo and see, are a real strength. Especially powerful are the interviews with the actual men portrayed at the beginning of each episode, in particular as you figure out who they are. Most episodes feature an individual as a main character and these men become unforgettable, two examples I'm thinking of are Eugene 'Doc' Roe (Shane Taylor) and Carwood Lipton (Donnie Wahlberg) during action in the Ardennes. The real star, however, is Dick Winters (Damien Lewis), who goes from risking his commission to leading the company and even getting promoted beyond that, which itself presents difficulty. Besides being our frame of reference throughout, he's everything you want to root for in a soldier, an officer and a man. Before moving on I need to point out that the real MVP might be the casting director. There are so many recognizable faces that went on to bigger roles and the ensemble is as good as it gets.
Back to Day of Days. I've seen this episode more times than I've seen Saving Private Ryan, the opening of which is so brutal but so good, with the actual beach landings. I don't think I need to be reminded what the men in the boats went through. Instead, besides liking the mini-series more than the film, with real characters instead of made-up ones, it's cool to see that there was much more involved than the amphibious assault. What the paratroopers did, jumping from planes, under heavy fire, behind enemy lines, in what ended up being absolute chaos, kind of boogles the mind. The sheer number of planes and men is also stunning to see in and of itself. After getting to the ground they (see: Winters) need to gather men when coming across them, figure out where they are, and get to their destination in a short amount of time, with danger all around them. Then, of course, they still have their actual job to do, making the roads safe for the mass of the army to come inland. On this watch-through I most appreciated the close action/running shots as their small squad attacks the artillery battery, it makes you feel like you're there. It was also crazy to me just how green these men are, and of course it's their first jump and first taste of fighting. Guarnere is a loose cannon. Malarkey is an idiot looking for a Luger. Popeye apologizes for getting shot in the ass. Lt. Compton drops a live grenade. Everyone has learning to do. And it's jarring when compared to what they look like only a short while later.
I've fallen into the habit of only watching this episode each year, maybe with the first one too. But I should continue through them again, it's so good, and probably buy the book too. Once again it helps that it's (almost entirely) a true story. Definitely check it out.
It never gets old watching the series. It holds up really well. One of my favorites.