CLEVELAND — In war, there are no sure things.
When you are preparing for the largest amphibious invasion in human history, it's understandable why there would be anxiety if you were a president, a prime minister, a general or a private.
The Allied forces stood across the English Channel, waiting to execute Operation Overlord on June 6, 1944. On the other side was the heavily fortified German army, defending the coast of France.
The weather was not cooperating. In fact, the invasion had already been postponed once and there were fears among planners that any additional delays would force the operation to be pushed back to July due to high tides.
Arguably the most pivotal day of the 20th Century had arrived. Ready or not.
What was at stake?
The Allies were finally opening a second front in the war against Nazi Germany that had begun in Europe in 1939. Since the U.S. joined the fight after Pearl Harbor in 1941, the Allies had struck in North Africa, Sicily and Italy. But now, in June of 1944, the pivotal moment had arrived. Germany was losing ground on the Eastern Front against the Soviet Red Army. Now, if the Allies could gain a foothold in France, they could begin the push towards Berlin.
More than 150,000 troops in more than 5,000 ships made that crossing and went ashore on five different beaches. The U.S., Great Britain, Canada, French resistance forces and the rest of the Allies were bringing the fight to Hitler and the Third Reich. In Europe. Finally.
But it was no sure thing. And if it failed, the Nazis may have had a permanent stranglehold on Europe.
In his radio address to the nation, given once the invasion had started, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt asked that all Americans join him in prayer:
Almighty God: Our sons, pride of our Nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our Republic, our religion, and our civilization, and to set free a suffering humanity.
Lead them straight and true; give strength to their arms, stoutness to their hearts, steadfastness in their faith.
They will need Thy blessings. Their road will be long and hard. For the enemy is strong. He may hurl back our forces. Success may not come with rushing speed, but we shall return again and again; and we know that by Thy grace, and by the righteousness of our cause, our sons will triumph.
So many things could have gone wrong. It was rumored that British Prime Minister Winston Churchill purposely delayed opening up the second front in Western Europe for fear that such an invasion would lead to the Allies being annihilated on the beaches of France. I've never quite subscribed to that theory, but there's no question that Churchill knew that the fate of the British Empire rested on the success or failure of the landings. It's natural that the stakes would give one pause.
However, in the moment that mattered most, Churchill signed off. Roosevelt signed off. General Dwight Eisenhower, the overall commander of the Allied forces, gave the go. Around 10 p.m., the great fleet began their way across the English Channel.
The invasion was on.
Nothing about the operation was easy. More than 4,000 Allied troops were killed in the invasion, including 2,499 U.S. soldiers, according to the National D-Day Memorial.
By noon on D-Day, Churchill addressed the House of Commons in London and exclaimed: “So far the commanders who are engaged report that everything is proceeding according to plan. And what a plan!”
12 hours later, the Allies controlled all five beaches of Normandy and would begin their drive across France and into the heart of the Third Reich.
80 years later, what do we know about D-Day?
Most Americans base their understanding of the events of June 6, 1944, on what they see in the movies. Steven Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan gives a chillingly accurate (according to those who were there) depiction of what troops faced taking Omaha Beach. (CAUTION: If you've never seen this sequence before, it contains graphic scenes of war violence)
This film, along with other epics like The Longest Day and D-Day: The Sixth of June, is helpful to understand what was going through the hearts and minds of the soldiers who fought at Normandy, as well as the commanders who planned the operation.
But as you watch these films and as you see the tributes at Normandy, in Washington and elsewhere on Thursday, please consider this: D-Day is worth remembering because it was the moment that we came together. We came together as a nation, as branches of armed forces, as Allies and declared in one voice that we were going to prevail in the name of freedom and democracy.
That is a moment worth remembering. And a moment worth repeating. We can overcome large odds and accomplish great things as a nation, indeed as a world, when we are unified.
As FDR said in his D-Day prayer: "Lead us to the saving of our country, and with our sister Nations into a world unity that will spell a sure peace. A peace invulnerable to the schemings of unworthy men. And a peace that will let all of men live in freedom, reaping the just rewards of their honest toil."
We owe it to those who gave the ultimate sacrifice to make sure we never forget why they fought, and why it still matters today.