and talk to us about this operation. next the u.s. airborne plan now. we had the western sector, and this chart shows you -- again, here is utah beach. is is the 82nd area here. this was about a 10 square mile area, and this is the one of the first -- the 101st. there are three for each division and three here. the aircraft came in this way from the west. they did not come across this way, so they came in and dislodge their troops this way. the photos you see here -- this is one of the american c-37's,

and you can see a jump master doing a final check. up here you see the two troopers from the 101st. thishapel here is the chapel at the st. maire dumont, and did as an unusual steeple, and the troopers who jumped miles away could see that steeple, and did help bring them in. so the first to jump was the 101st, and they came in in this area here. their objectives were from the beaches to take these causeways that came inland. also this german artillery barrier and four guns and could very easily range the beach.

this town here was a critical objective, which they picked up. then they had four bridges over the river they were responsible for taking, so that gives you an idea of their objectives, and always to link up with her sister division the 82nd over here. ■&the 82nd then jumped in, and there objectives were a major road junction. five or six roads coming together. there were three or four german headquarters there. there were also responsible for two key bridges. there were two key highway bridges, one at lapierre and one here. they had to get those to prevent

a german counterattack coming into the area of operations. so the 82ndas actually called boston. they came in with 6400 paratroopers and 370 c-47s. the other was a little bit bigger, so remember that before i show you the next chart. preceding the drop of the major airborne units they sent in pathfinder units. three teams came in for each drop zone. where did they actually land? when they hit the coast the aircraft fire hit them, and also the cloud cover was a bed. some pilots were better than others.

some had a steady hand and continued through a. some tried to invaded -- to evade it. the 101st started jumping 40 minutes after midnight. each stick is one airplane load and each is about 15 to 18 paratroopers to give you an idea, so you can see in some cases they actually missed the drop zone. this is drop zone alpha. the aircraft are coming over. this aircraft that was supposed to go across here came here, so this stick of dark circles should have jumped in there. the other two drop zones of the 101st did a good job. this was perhaps the best year.

each of these drop zones was general maxwell taylor, easy company guide, lieutenant derek -- dick winter landed on here just to give you an idea. you will see some of these darts that are off on the side this way, down here. these were troops thatere landed anywhere from 15 to 20 miles away. that is how they were scattered. not many of them, but as a result of trying to avoid the flat, the pilots release them. one or two were actually released over the english

channel, so those paratroopers died. the 82nd started their operation about 10 minutes after the last serial of the 101st. this is the 505th. they actually jumped right onto st. maire igles. of private steel. these guys had a very good drop. they were able to get out of their harnesses quickly and get on with their objectives. these two did not fare too well. look how empty the drop zones are. this one here in particular, they dropped a little bit late, so this huge group you see here along in tango.

these folks, it is a shame. they dropped in marshy area. could not get out of their shoots -- chutes. many of those troopers died. this drop zone down here did not fare much better. they were scattered all over and some of their troops even landed down here. i will tell you those troops that dropped that distance, the germans picked them up in most cases. again you can see where some of the 82nd troops landed up this way in this way, just take a look at that, folks. where the planned drop zones were and you can see with the troop jobs -- drops were.

in view of the flak and the bad cloud cover it really was not too bad when you get down to it. my last chart here i want to discuss real quickly. lessonsn applied. a lot of lessons were learned from the drops. what is the pathfinder. they did not use pathfinders for the systole drop -- systole -- sicily drop. they were armed with this portable radar station and sent them up and sent a signal to the pilot. at that helped tremendously in, but not in all cases to that equipment work.

in a couple of cases a crash of the grunt and did not work. where there were not able to set up the drop zones where they wanted to, obviously the pilots, the aircraft did not make their exact drop point. here is a picture of a c-37. you will notice white stripes. here is a p-38. on sicily there was no designation. here they make sure they did, and these are easily seen. they used to the p-38 so the gunners down in the channel could distinguish that with the two tales -- tails. great lessons learned here, and i said i would push this input to this. one of the biggest proponents was montgomery. he really pushed it.

the objectives and emissions. the objectives and missions accomplished? i would say, yes, there were. that is the town that was taken by the 5-5th -- 505th, and it was in our hands by 5:30 that morning. this was a german battery that the 101st stuck up quickly. at those guns been in operation we would have lost more than 200 people on utah beach the first day, so that mission was accomplished. this is the la faire bridge. you are probably cross that bridge if you have been there. it is a real tourist spot. that was taken, but only after really a four day fight where

252 division soldiers lost their life and a great number of there were injured, so that was a tough fight for that bridge, but they took th they also took the bridges that were along the river here, and they were able to take the other bridge that was south of the la faire bridge right here. they also closed off the weston -- western sector to alert or take care of any enemies that might be coming in from the west , and of course the main thing is they very quickly got these four exit areas, these four causeways coming of utah beach. the 101st got them quickly, which allowed the fourth

infantry to get in there and get their infantry up rather quickly and across the causeways and into the fight. so, folks, that is a quick rundown on the major objectives. they were really, in fact, taking care of. on a balance there was 50% casualties. every report you look at, every book you read you will see different casualty numbers. the two u.s. airborne divisions took about 50% casualties on the first night. this included killed in action, missing in action, and prisoner. they used to the eureka radar

beacons, and the germans were clearly disorganized by the random drops. counterattack in my view in any coordinated fashion for the first two or three days. i think that germans locked -- lacked a good general officer present in leadership at that time. be weather, many had gone to it major meeting they would have to discuss the landings, and they were away from their units and off in the town, so they were not there. and of course we kill general fowley. he was skilled down here. so the germans were lacking in my view in good leadership. another thing i think we need to

mention is the sabotage efforts by the french resistance. gabe went to visit -- it was very good in normandy. there were a force multiplier. the other thing i want to mention is folks, the bravery, the courage, the tenacity of the individual young trooper. it is not this is what you will do. troopers, 18, 19, 28 years old lending on drop zones that were not familiar with or lending and not seeing their buddy or finng an officer. they got together in units of 2, 3, or four and started moving toward the objective. this was a major force

multiplier of how the gum troop responded and was very influential in the success of the airborne operations, and of course american leadership, airborne leadership was the best. when you have the likes of ridgeway, alvin, matthew taylor, mccullough, these are all names you heard later on. two of them became chiefs of staff of the army. these are great leaders, so this made the difference here. i want to end by saying this year. i want to reada quick quote from a german commander. he was a commanding officer of 125th. a good friend of mine interviewed him many years ago. in the interview when he was

asked about how his unit reacted or asked about the normandy invasion, this is what he said. my regiment was left to attack american paratroopers. it was madness. no one knew how many paratroopers had landed or where they were. it was a matter of guessing where they were or where they would be. you cannot imagine the confusion i had to deal with. my soldiers did not know what to fight. thank you, folks, and i look forward to your questions. [applause] >> the floor is open for questions. the one thing we want to say is if you have a question, please wait until our student gets to you with a microphone so we can all hear you.

i see a hand way back. we have to wait until sam gets up to you. >> thank you. this is a question for dr. dowds spurred on by what general ma tt spoke about with the stragglers captured■ because there were so widely dispersed it away from their units. this is on the personal side. my canadian mother's classmate was a third infantry division soldiers who came ashore at normandy. canadians made it about 80 miles inland. he was captured, and within 24 hours of landing in france he was executed by members of the 12th.

he and other soldiers were let out one by one and shot in the head. the question for you is do you know of any guidance as to pows, how they were to be treated versus the ss under a separate command chain himmler? >> can you hear me? is that working? ok, so there are a couple of things baked into that. ss units are different. they are fanatical nazis rather than a common german who said they will not stop into their unconditional surrender and i will fight for my homeland. those are philosophically two different people. many of these units in france, in fact for the first two years

of the work, it is the backwater of the work. when your unit is just worth fighting the russians with the soviets we brought you back to france. that is where you would rest, recoup, your placement. that brutal fighting is the background for many of those people who are out there, so when you think about the brutality of the eastern theater it comes into the mindset of many soldiers who fought in the eastern theater. there is one order and it is the commander order hitler gives that says they should be executed. these are special operators operating behind the lines, interfering with the governance. this is largely a matter of one, those rss people, the brutality of the war. in context. when the canadian sort about this, and they do, they also come up with their own rules of engagement we are not taking any german presidents below the rank of major.

this is about the escalating brutality of war would you take a normal people who have a fundamental set of values and put them in extraordinary circumstances and they are reacting to the environment that they are in. i would offer those stories tend to be the exception rather than the rule, in the sense that almost everyone has a value underpinning. almost everyone there is christian. the story of wounded soldiers from one side or the other, british paratroopers taking care of german ones, those stories are more ubiquitous than those heinous acts that just brought up. >> good question there. >> whoever would like to address this, feel free to do so. can someone elaborate a little bit as moving inland, why did

kossack overlook the geographic significance and obstacles that would be presented by the country? >> what i would offer as they do know it is there. allied aircraft flyover. it is the famous four square mile picture. julius caesar writes about the country. it was known. this is about amphibious landings in particular. there are three things. you start off with zero combat power. it is a race to build up combat power, so now you have got to establish a foothold and generate enough combat i would to break out. what is the thing most commanders are worried about? landing, so all of the training, all of the time was how do we get on the beach and secure a

beachhead? does end up being difficult lessons learned as soldiers adapt to the environment, and now you find combined infantry, engineer, and armor teens as they start to fight through. they are learning in real time. >> you have a question over here. i will try to get a couple more in, make your questions short. >> my question is directed to dr. dowd. during june panzer division made a deep foray into the beachhead. could you talk to that and what impact it had on the overall lending? >> it is an interesting one, this is the one division rubble had upfront. when he realized elaborate operations inserted cabin, they actually link to the east. they were on the wrong side of the river, so now they have got

to stop, go back all the way to the southern side before this k. ultimately they will get within sight of the beach, but they are so strung out, and she was on their flanks? the canadians. their literal responsibility is stop the german panzer attack. they are set up with armor and tiuly not enough weight for the germans to take advantage of that advance all the way to the beach. those guys are almost cut off and they will have to pull back. we can play the what if game of what if there were more there or what if they were given panzer divisions? >> gentlemen right here. >> excuse my voice.

i do tours at the kaiser number -- at the eisenhower memorial. was the government confident that the paratrooper drops would be successful as opposed to eisenhower, who was skeptical. >> hello. >> i think montgomery of all of the planners, and he was the commander, he recognized right up front the vulnerability of the flanks i think perhaps more so than some of the others. everyone was fixated about coming across the beaches. montgomery was smart that way. he saw the vulnerability of flanks and to us could do it other than parachute troopers.

the air marshall did not want the airborne going in. he was also worried about losing his airplanes. that is why montgomery weighed heavily on that. there are a good three or four paragraphs in a book on just a particular decision. i forgot to mention, part of the british sixth airborne add one battalion of canadian paratroopers and they did a great job. >> one final question before we go to lunch. >> is a follow-up to the one just answered. after they took their objectives supposed to move toward the water or just stay where they were? >> when you make a mess attack airborne jump like that, first

thing that you do is rally on the drop zone and get together with your squads and platoons. in this case as you saw so many were dispersed. there were even 82nd guys drop close to the 101st. that is why i say it was to adaptability and initiatives of these young kids to get together, and they knew what the objectives were. they got together, up an officet toward the objective. the objective was not go to the beach. just go to the inland most point of those cauways and take that . >> before we bring the session to a close i went to go back to the question of the bow college -- bokaj. part of the way it gets sorted out is with the innovation of a

farmer from the midwest who said he had underbrush problems, and he wanted to put a device on the front of these tanks to clear the way, and somehow from that level all the way up the food chain it rose rapidly, and it really is a remarkable story of how open-minded thescowere to ss they emerged. >> [indiscernible] [applause] announcer: tonight on c-span we bring you even commemoting the 80th anniversaryf d-day. president biden joints french president emmanuel macron and lloyd austin, and friends of the

national world war ii memorial with the gathering at the plaza in washington d.c. later we will have virginia governor glenn youngkin and others speaking from the national day memoria in bedford, virginia announcer: c-span's washington journal. our live form involving you to discuss the latest issues in government, politics, and public policy. from washington and across the country. friday morning, markets reporter for axios talks about the economy and the u.s. labor then communist party usa is joe sims talk about their party's national convention this weekend and their campaign 2024 party platform. and libertarian presidential candidate chase oliver will talk about his presidential campaign and the role of the libertarian party in the campaign. c-span's washington journal. join the conversation live at 7:00 eastern friday morning on

c-span, c-span now, or online at c-span.org. announcer: c-span is your unfiltered view of government. we are funded by these television companies and more, including comcast.a community center? no, it's way more than that. >> comcast is partnering with 1000 community centers to create wi-fi enabled listings so students from low income families can get the tools they need to be ready for anything. announcer: comcast supports c-span as a public service, along with these other television providers, giving you a front row seat to democry. announcer: president biden marked t 8h anniversary of d-day in normandy, francby talking about the importance of defending ukraine amid russia's invasion. 150,00troops landed in an

effort to liberate northern france from nazi occupatio it remains the largest sborne invasion in history and is remembered as a key turning point in world war ii. french president emmanuel macron and defend secretary lloyd austin also spoke at the ceremony. it is about one hour and 15 minutes. ■v >> june 6, 1944.

d-day. france has been occupied by nazi germany for almost four years. some countries have suffered under their sinister yoke even longer. unfathomable crimes were committed against whole peoples. but the burdens of nations can only be lifted by the efforts of individuals. early that morning, lieutenant john spalding, a 29-year-old sportswriter from owensboro, kentucky, assisted by 25-year-old sergeant philip, a truck driver from new jersey, commanded 32 men in the company sixteenth infantry as part of the first wave on to omaha beach, where more than 2400 men would be killed or wounded that same day. navigating rough waters, they took machine-gun, mort, and artillery fire, but were able to

make it out of the water and across the beach, bypassing german machine-gun emplacements 100 yards to their left. that was mercilessly cutting down men from f company. qlthe radio not working, and cut off from the rest of e company. , they led their platoon to the cover of demolished buildings gunned down by gunners from above, they took stock of the situation. we can still see no one to the right, lieutenant spalding said. we didn't know what had become of the rest of e company. back in the water both were in flame. i saw a tanker knocked out. after a couple of looks back, we decided we wouldn't look back anymore. taking relentless fire from above, avoiding landmines underfoot, lieutenant spalding, the sergeant and their men pushed upward. they reached the top and overran the machine gun nest, opening a

path for the men below to follow. fighting onward, they continued along the bluff, attacking enemy fortifications from the rear, clearing trenches and pillboxes, and taking prisoners. the lieutenant and the sergeant and the rest of their platoon secured a pathway for the thousands of men bottled up on the beach behind them. the advance could now continue. but military prowess and only part of what prepared -- propelled america's sons the top of that bluff and beyond. there was something more. in the words of general dwight d. eisenhower, supreme allied commander, they had embarked on a great crusade, and the hopes and prayers of liberty loving people everywhere marched with them. that great crusade would is eventually free the

tyrannized peoples of europe and help save the world as we know it and it all began right here on june 6, 1944. >> distinguished rise, if you are able, for the arrival of the official party. >> [speaking french] ♪

>> distinguished guests, the president of the united states of america, accompanied by emmanuel macron. >> [speaking french] ♪ [applause] ♪

>> distinguished guests, please rein standing for the french national anthem followed by the national anthem of the united states of america. >> [speaking french]

♪

♪

[applause] >> distinguished guests, please remain standing for the indication. >> [speaking french] >> let us bow our heads in humble reverence and solemn remembrance, let us pray. god, when you needed someone to defend freedom, you made a soldier. wh tyranny, you created a marine. when you needed someone to protect the sky, you made an airman.

when you needed someone to guard the seas, you made the sailor. and to patrol the shores, the coast guard. when you needed to send someone brave and true that has always been and always will be the men and women of the armed forces. when the world needed heroes, you called the greatest generation to courage, and their answer still echoes in the soul of the nation. shine your eternal light upon those whose gravestones encircle us as silent sentinels reminding us of the price of liberty. comfort with your abiding presence, those who mourn the empty tables and empty chairs of those who gave their best hopes for our brighter tomorrows. be our witness, oh god, as we

stand on this hallowed ground consecrated in blood, that we will be devoted to the preservation of peace, with dee who fought four score years ago. as storm clouds gather on the horizon once again, rise up, o god, the next greatest generation, to meet every challenge with an unbreakable resolve to do what is right and good in your sight. not counting the cost, but weighing the unfinished work of freedom, a vision where all people can pursue the life for which you created them. may it be so, i pray, in your holy name, amen and amen. >> distinguished guests, please take your seats. >> [speaking french]

>> please welcome the secretary of the american battle monuments commission, charles. >> [speaking french] [applause] >> thank you. president and first lady biden, president and madame macron, ladi ato the american that all ground -- battleground normandy american cemetery. d-day is the hinge of history. it is here we reflecthe very best of america's values. when america sends its young,

its brave, its finest, we do not send them to fight for a king or a crown. we do not fight for a sect or a denomination. we do not fight for a motherland or a fatherland. no. and we never, ever fight for conquest or plunder or enslavement of another people. when america is at its best, america sends its young, its brave, its finest to fight for simple, humble, values. the values of freedom, liberty, and democracy. and when the job is done, when the mission is accomplished, when the tyrant is taken down,

democracy is stood up, america does something unique in the history of mankind -- we go home. all that america asks for in return for the sacrifice of our young, our brave, and our finest, are a few small plots of land to bury our dead. all of you are seated here in one of those small plots of land. une 6, this place, normandy, and this ceremony here is so important. it is a reminder to all of us of the true cost of war and the real price of freedom. it is a price that we paid on d-day 80 years ago. it is a price that we remind all authoritarian dictators today, that if necessary, we will pay that price again to ensure the

success of freedom. and that is ultimately why france knows, the united states knows, and we know -- [speaking french] -- that the world's most powerful weapons system is not a t-72 manned by mercenaries, it is not a jet aircraft carrier patrolling artificial islands, it is not a suicide terrorist killing and slaughtering innocents. no. thworld's most powerful weapons system was, is, and shall forever be a free people willing to fight for freedom. ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming here, thank you for

remembering here, thank you renewing your faith in freedom. [speaking french] may god bless each and every one of you, france and the united states of america. [applause] >> the president of the french republic, emmanuel macron. >> [speaking french] [applause] pres. macron: [speaking french]

e here you came to join with our

own soldiers and make france a free nation, and you are back here today, at home, if i may say. [speaking french]

[applause] >> distinguished guests, the president of the french republic, emmanuel macron, will now present the national order of the legion of honor. france's highest declaration to recognize the citizens of the french republic. this distinguished award to american veterans acknowledges their service and participation in the liberation of france during the second world war. >> [speaking french] >> [speakin]

[applause] >> [speaking french]

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>> [speaking french] [applause]

>> [speaking french] [applause]

[applause] >> [speaking french] [applause]

>> [speaking french] [applause]

>> [speaking french] [appuse]

>> [speaking french] [applause]

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>> [speaking french] [applause]

[applause]

>> distinguished guests, please welcome the secretary of defense for the united states of america. >> [speaking french] >> president biden, dr. biden, president macron, mrs. macron, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, and above all, the veterans were to -- the veterans of world war ii. i am honored to stand again in the solid place. we bow our heads to remember the more than 9000 u.s. and allied soldiers killed or wounded on

d-day by hitler's forces. on behalf of the united states department of defense, i am here to give thanks, inadequate as that word may be. 80 years later, we thank the young americans who took the beaches, who helped liberate france, and who helped free this continent from nazi tyranny. we thank every allied warrior who fought for freedom on june 6, 1944. and we thank the american and allied veterans who have rallied once more on the shores of normandy. victors of d-day, we are humbled by your presence.

the young americans who fought through the cr and the chaos on d-day have grown old or left us. and whatever a veteran of d-day is gathered to his maker in the fullness of time after a long life lived in freedom, he wins a final victory over hitler. you helped defeat what churchill called a monstrous tyranny never suppressed in the dark, lamentable catalog of human crime. and you%n laid the foundation fr a more just, free, and decent world. together with our allies, we built piece out of war. a hardheaded peace, a peace renewed by constant commitment,

a peace forged by the generation that won the bloodiest war in human history. so, our gratitutde mus -- our gratitude must never fade. our memories must never dim. and our resolve must never fail. we still seek a world where aggression is a sin, where human rights are sacred, and where all people can live in freedom. and so, we must rally again to defend the open postwar world of rules, rights, and responsibilities.les protect us. those rights define us. and those responsibilities summon us once more.

at this hinge in history, we must again stand firm against aggression and tyranny. and as i said here last year, if the troops of the world's democracies can risk their lives for freedom then, surely the citizens of the world's democracies can risk our comfort for freedom now. so let again uphold the spirit of d-day. let us again defend the the allied armies carried. and let us again thank the heroes of d-day who kept freedom alive for us all. you saved the world. [applause]

you saved the world, and we must only defend it. gentlemen, we salute you. [applause] may god bless the american and allied troops who fought here. may god bless the united states of america. cherish human freedom. thank you. [applause] [clock ticking]

>> papa, what was it like on d-day? ♪ >> we had no idea of what we were going to do or where it would happen, but it was the beginning. >> our mission was to stop ourselves on the beach. >> we talked about helping each

other and not getting killed. >> we started in this sandy area, and we were hundreds of men inside. >> my father jumped about 1:30 in the morning on june 6. >> the plane was too low, it was too fast. the fire coming up was so thick. >> it wasn't something we had ever seen before in our training. >> i always said there was a cover of my mother's prayers that saved me that they. -- that saved me that day. >> as i look over, i see people

in a way that i have to go back. because there is something there that draws you back. >> i had a very close friend i knew by the name of edward. he had received a very bad stomach wound and i could not even bandage it properly. we said goodbye to each other forever. i think of the many men here who paid the ultimate price for the freedom of europe. >> young people want to know, and need to know. everybody i saw that i was glad to fight alongside them, they were willing to stand up. and not all of them came back.

>>y all have a story to tell, and it is our responsibility to tell those stories. people will not be forgotten as long as we keep talking about them. ♪

>> i'm not another hero. i just did my job. the men here in the cemeteries, they are heroes. we should never forget them. w [applause] >> distinguished guests, the 46th president of the united joseph r biden junior. >> [speaking french]

[applause] pres. biden: the hour had nearly come. monday, june 5, 1944. the evil of hitler's third reich was devastating the world. nazi germany had subjugated the once-free nations of europe through brute force, lies, and twisted ideology of racial superiority. millions of jews murdered in the holocaust. millions of others killed by bombs, bullets, bloody warfare. hitler and those with him thought democracies were weak, that the future belonged to dictators. here, on the coast of normandy,