SELF-GUIDED TOUR FOR D-DAY

Context

“OPERATION OVERLORD: D-Day” from the National Museum of the United States Air Force.

• Highlights the museum’s exhibits on D-Day while explaining the events, terminology, and significance of the day.

 

“D-Day: The Beaches” from the U.S. Department of Defense.

• ​Good spatial orientation to the battle area and by-the-numbers coverage of Allied contributions to the invasion.

 

Books

D-Day, June 6, 1944: The Climactic Battle of World War II by Stephen E. Ambrose, 1994.

• Very engaging description of the people, places, and events tied to D-Day.

 

D-Day Remembered: The Normandy Landings in American Collective Memory by Dr. Michael Dolski, 2016.

• Covers D-Day both as a significant moment during the Second World War but also as an enduring part of the American collective remembrance.

 

Cross Channel Attack by Gordon A. Harrison, 1993.

• U.S. Army’s very readable official history of D-Day.

Over Lord: General Pete Quesada and the Triumph of Tactical Air Power in World War II by Thomas A. Hughes, 1995.

• Analysis of air power development during the Second World War with a close look at D-Day tactical air power from the viewpoint of General Quesada. General Quesada was Commander, Ninth Air Force, during the Normandy invasion.

 

Beyond Band of Brothers: The War Memoirs of Major Dick Winters by Dick Winters with Cole Kingseed, 2006.

• Fans of the Band of Brothers series on HBO will appreciate learning more about the main figure of that series: Major Richard Winters. Maj Winters led an airborne platoon for the drop on D-Day and later that day assumed command of his company.

 

Other Documents

"Press Kit: Commemoration of the 80th Anniversary of D-Day" by the American Battle Monuments Commission, 2024.

• Discussion of the Normandy American Cemetery and its key role in D-Day remembrance. Includes stories of individuals linked to D-Day.

 

“The 80th Anniversary of D-Day: An Opportunity to Seize" by Sam Edwards, 2024.

• Overview of D-Day ceremonies and their use in international diplomacy with an eye toward current affairs in Eastern Europe.

 

“Tactical Operations in Support of Allied Landings in Normandy: 2nd June – 17th June 1944" by the Eight Air Force. 

• Short After Action Report from the Eighth Air Force with details on its support for the D-Day invasion.

 

Movies, Podcasts & Other Media

Band of Brothers directed by David Frankel, Mikael Salomon, Tom Hanks, David Leland, Richard Loncraine, David Nutter, Phil Alden Robinson, and Tony To, 2001.

• High production quality mini-series that follows an American Airborne company from training, through its exposure to combat on D-Day, to the end of the war.

 

“D-Day” with Peter Caddick-Adams from the Free History Podcasts, June 2023.

 

“A New View of D-Day” with James Holland from the History Extra Podcast.

 

"The Meaning of D-Day” from The National World War II Museum, June 2020.
 

Saving Private Ryan directed by Steven Spielberg, 1998.

• Hollywood blockbuster film that launches quickly into very intense depiction of the D-Day landings.

 

“D-Day Through German Eyes" from the WW2 Podcast, October 2019.

 

Veterans History Project: D-Day focus from the Library of Congress.

• Exemplary collection of first-person accounts by those linked to D-Day in many different ways.