Nostalgia USA June 2016 Nostalgia USA June 2016 | Page 14

HowTheNavySavedD-Day
By Edward G. Simmons

As a historian, I have read a lot about our war against H itler in Europe
and thought I knew about D-Day. I am among those who watch the
movie T he Longest Day (1962) whenever it is on television. T he many
human stories of those who braved the beaches or parachuted further
inland are inspiring, especially since they are based on interviews with
participants in the invasion. T he story of the terrible situation on O maha
Beach was repeated in Steven Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan (1998),
which created an even more realistic experience of what it was like to be
pinned down under the cliffs of O maha Beach.
T hese movies give an impression that D-Day was mostly about the men
who landed on the beaches - a story centered on the armies of the
countries which landed that day. O f course everyone knew the N avy
ferried troops and supplies to the beaches. T he idea of the N avy playing a
central role was parodied in T he Americanization of Emily (1964) as an
admiral decides the N avy is being overlooked and wants the first dead
man on O maha Beach to be a sailor.
What made the admiral's orders crazy was that the planning for D-Day
virtually guaranteed the first casualties of the invasion would be N avy
personnel whose job was to disable mines and clear obstacles so that
soldiers and vehicles could make it to the beach. A little thought brings
to mind the realization that soldiers, their vehicles, and all the supplies
needed by fighting men arrived on the coast of N ormandy by ship.
Craig Symonds, retired from teaching history at Annapolis, makes us
aware that the N avy played a far more significant role in the success of
the N ormandy invasion than has been generally recognized. During a
key hour when everyone was pinned down on O maha Beach, ships
provided fire power that was crucial in getting troops headed inland. T he