[August 18, 2022] In The Atlantic’s November 1960 issue, S.L.A. Marshall gives an account of the “epic human tragedy” that unfolded when Allied troops landed on the shores of Normandy on D-Day.1 Recently, the article was highlighted in their magazine because it tells a story rarely told but one we need to hear.
“Normandy was an American victory; it was their [Army historians] duty to trace the twists and turns of fortune by which success was won. But to follow that rule slights the story of Omaha as an epic human tragedy which in the early hours bordered on total disaster.”
That is what Marshall does in this telling of stories that have been untold for tens of years. He tells of the chaos, violence, death, and the randomness of battle. His flair in storytelling helps us understand the courage, fear, and magnitude of what took place that day. While we are naturally drawn to what went right, Marshall tells us about the many individual and unit efforts that went terribly wrong.
“On this two-division front landing, only six rifle companies were relatively effective as units. They did better than others mainly because they had the luck to touch down on a less deadly section of the beach. Three times that number were shattered or foundered before they could start to fight. Several contributed not a man or bullet to the battle for the high ground.”
S.L.A. Marshall gives us an impression of what some Soldiers experienced. He describes Lieutenant Edward Tidrick in Boat 2 as he shouts to his men that they were coming in at the right spot, but there is no natural cover.
“At exactly 6:36 A.M. ramps are dropped along the boat line and the men jump off in water anywhere from waist deep to higher than a man’s head. This is the signal awaited by the Germans atop the bluff. Already pounded by mortars, the floundering line is instantly swept by crossing machine-gun fires from both ends of the beach.”
Those units destroyed early in the first wave have little written about them. Their stories remained untold and unappreciated. Marshall makes a good go of it. Today, those stories are fading fast as the last survivors go the way of warriors of the past. We salute them all, for they were the first wave on D-Day.
————–
————–
Please read my new book, “Our Longest Year in Iraq,” on Amazon (link here).
Excellent article on one of the momentous and greatest moment in human history. D-Day June 1944. Thank you Gen. Satterfield.
Got that right and just another reason to read this leadership blog and to learn a heck of a lot about being a good person too.
A different look and one that should have been discussed long ago. Don’t just talk about the successes but also about those who failed for no fault of their own.
D-Day, from History.com. Good summary.
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/d-day
Right and there are many many stories, Read about the Bedford, VA “boys.” By D-Day’s end, nineteen of the company’s Bedford soldiers were dead. Two more Bedford soldiers died later in the Normandy campaign, as did yet another two assigned to other 116th Infantry companies. Bedford’s population in 1944 was about 3,200. Proportionally this community suffered the nation’s severest D-Day losses. Recognizing Bedford as emblematic of all communities, large and small, whose citizen-soldiers served on D-Day, Congress warranted the establishment of the National D-Day Memorial here.
Yep, and here is a link to read more about it. — https://www.dday.org/the-memorial/
In The Atlantic’s November 1960 issue, S.L.A. Marshall gives an account of the “epic human tragedy” that unfolded when Allied troops landed on the shores of Normandy on D-Day.
— thank you, Gen. Satterfield.
A good story.
Nick, roger that. The way Marshall writes is what made him so well known. And, of course, the topic itself draws a lot of attention too. I recommend all his books.
Brigadier General Samuel Lyman Atwood “SLAM” Marshall served in both world wars. During the Second World War he was the Army’s chief historian in the European theater. Gen. Marshall wrote many books of military history including The American Heritage History of World War I and two books on the war in Korea, The River and the Gauntlet and Pork Chop Hill.
SLA Marshall, “Men Against Fire,” my favorite book. Read about it here:
http://www.theppsc.org/Grossman/SLA_Marshall/Main.htm
Somewhat of a criticism of S.L.A. Marshall. Lots of pseudo-historians with little military knowledge love to criticize him. Shameful in many ways.
I never read any of his books but I will now. 😊
Might want to read, “S.L.A. Marshall – Controversy After Death” – short and to the point.
https://www.liquisearch.com/sla_marshall/controversy_after_death
Nice one, Gen. Satterfield. Thanks.
Excellent article that Gen. S. has given to us today. SLA Marshall was indeed a true military historian in the classic sense. His article back in 1960 when the Atlantic magazine was pro-American (very much unlike today) is another classic itself. Great works on this type of articles that make me think.
Looks like a great article by the very famous SLA Marshall. Thank you Gen. Satterfield for finding this article and highlighting it for us.
Yes, Marshall is for sure one of the greatest American military historians we have. Today its Victor Davis Hanson who is another man like Marshall. The only exception was that Marshall actually was part of WWII and had first hand knowledge of what it was like.