NBC-CBS Radio – Early reports of D-Day Invasion – June 6, 1944 – Gordon Skene Sound Collection
Seventy years ago today – June 6, 1944, while most of America was still asleep, the Allies were busily engaged in the largest invasion in history.
Planning for the operation began in 1943. In the months leading up to the invasion, the Allies conducted a substantial military deception, codenamed Operation Bodyguard, to mislead the Germans as to the date and location of the main Allied landings. The weather on D-Day was far from ideal, and the operation had to be delayed 24 hours; a further postponement would have meant a delay of at least two weeks, as the invasion planners had requirements for the phase of the moon, the tides, and the time of day that meant only a few days each month were deemed suitable. Adolf Hitler placed Field Marshal Erwin Rommel in command of German forces and of developing fortifications along the Atlantic Wall in anticipation of an Allied invasion. US President Franklin D. Roosevelt placed Major General Dwight D. Eisenhower in command of Allied forces.
The amphibious landings were preceded by extensive aerial and naval bombardment and an airborne assault—the landing of 24,000 American, British, and Canadian airborne troops shortly after midnight. Allied infantry and armoured divisions began landing on the coast of France at 06:30. The target 50-mile (80 km) stretch of the Normandy coast was divided into five sectors: Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword. Strong winds blew the landing craft east of their intended positions, particularly at Utah and Omaha. The men landed under heavy fire from gun emplacements overlooking the beaches, and the shore was mined and covered with obstacles such as wooden stakes, metal tripods, and barbed wire, making the work of the beach-clearing teams difficult and dangerous. Casualties were heaviest at Omaha, with its high cliffs. At Gold, Juno, and Sword, several fortified towns were cleared in house-to-house fighting, and two major gun emplacements at Gold were disabled using specialized tanks.
The initial reports came, ironically from German news sources and it was met with skepticism at first. But as the bulletins kept coming in, and after Communiquè Number 1 was finally released from Supreme Allied Headquarters, the news was official.
Here are the first bulletins as well as excerpts of the first few hours of the invasion, as reported by NBC Radio and CBS Radio, from approximately 12:40 am – approximately 9:00 am Eastern War Time.
A momentous day, seventy-seven years ago.
