36. The Allies’ D-Day Dilemma
To say that the D-Day Allied storming of the Normandy beaches in WWII was a gargantuan task, would be an understatement. The operation involved over 4000 ships, 11,000 airplanes, artificial harbors towed across the English Channel, and millions of men in various supporting roles. All geared to ensure the successful landing of over 150,000 men on the first day of the invasion to secure a beachhead. If they succeeded in breaching Hitler’s “Fortress Europe” and securing a toehold in France, the invaders would be followed by hundreds of thousands, and eventually millions, of additional Allied troops, to liberate Europe from Nazi clutches.
However, despite all the time, effort, and years of painstaking preparations that went into getting everything ready for the big day, the invasion was an inherently risky business, with no guarantee of success. Any of a number of variables, from tougher resistance than expected, to mere mischance on the field, to weather, and many more, could doom the entire enterprise to failure. Nobody was more aware of those risks than General Dwight D. Eisenhower, commander of the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF).