Dan Snow

It would not happen in 1942, despite the Howls of the Soviet Union. Stalin going, please land in France. Please take the pressure off me. It would not happen in 1942. Churchill managed to get it postponed. It did not happen in 1943. Instead, Allied troops would advance up Italy. But it would happen in 1944.

And Churchill took a lot of persuading that the plan was in place and they would land with success. And even more important than the landing, they'd be able to deal with the vaunted German armoured divisions after they landed.

And Churchill took a lot of persuading that the plan was in place and they would land with success. And even more important than the landing, they'd be able to deal with the vaunted German armoured divisions after they landed.

And Churchill took a lot of persuading that the plan was in place and they would land with success. And even more important than the landing, they'd be able to deal with the vaunted German armoured divisions after they landed.

Well, I could talk about this all day because I've been so lucky to meet so many of these veterans. And one told me he was a commando, and he sailed down out of Southampton, round the Isle of Wight, and there were ships and boats, the biggest fleet ever assembled in history. Something like 7,000 ships and boats in all, and a good chunk of them were

Well, I could talk about this all day because I've been so lucky to meet so many of these veterans. And one told me he was a commando, and he sailed down out of Southampton, round the Isle of Wight, and there were ships and boats, the biggest fleet ever assembled in history. Something like 7,000 ships and boats in all, and a good chunk of them were

Well, I could talk about this all day because I've been so lucky to meet so many of these veterans. And one told me he was a commando, and he sailed down out of Southampton, round the Isle of Wight, and there were ships and boats, the biggest fleet ever assembled in history. Something like 7,000 ships and boats in all, and a good chunk of them were

in this stretch of water called the Solent behind the Isle of Wight very near where I am now actually and he said as they came down he was in the first wave and foghorns and horns were going off on the decks of these ships and ships whistles and there was this sound and he said it was like coming out of the tunnel at Wembley about to play a soccer match for England Wembley's our national stadium and he said it was so pumped up that at the exact moment if my own nan had walked past my own grandma had walked past in a

in this stretch of water called the Solent behind the Isle of Wight very near where I am now actually and he said as they came down he was in the first wave and foghorns and horns were going off on the decks of these ships and ships whistles and there was this sound and he said it was like coming out of the tunnel at Wembley about to play a soccer match for England Wembley's our national stadium and he said it was so pumped up that at the exact moment if my own nan had walked past my own grandma had walked past in a

in this stretch of water called the Solent behind the Isle of Wight very near where I am now actually and he said as they came down he was in the first wave and foghorns and horns were going off on the decks of these ships and ships whistles and there was this sound and he said it was like coming out of the tunnel at Wembley about to play a soccer match for England Wembley's our national stadium and he said it was so pumped up that at the exact moment if my own nan had walked past my own grandma had walked past in a

I'll never forget that. You know, this is a guy who's 19, 20 years old, and he's just sliding out from British shores, heading across to a very uncertain fate on the German-occupied French coast. But in the opening minutes, that unit, they did get ashore, and they got ashore reasonably safely with not so many casualties. On the beach, they landed.

I'll never forget that. You know, this is a guy who's 19, 20 years old, and he's just sliding out from British shores, heading across to a very uncertain fate on the German-occupied French coast. But in the opening minutes, that unit, they did get ashore, and they got ashore reasonably safely with not so many casualties. On the beach, they landed.

I'll never forget that. You know, this is a guy who's 19, 20 years old, and he's just sliding out from British shores, heading across to a very uncertain fate on the German-occupied French coast. But in the opening minutes, that unit, they did get ashore, and they got ashore reasonably safely with not so many casualties. On the beach, they landed.

There had been very effective preparation, airstrikes, which had suppressed the Germans in their bunkers. There had been a massive naval bombardment, a huge gathering of battleships out to sea. We have a cruiser, we have a ship left called HMS Belfast, now a museum ship. And that cracked...

There had been very effective preparation, airstrikes, which had suppressed the Germans in their bunkers. There had been a massive naval bombardment, a huge gathering of battleships out to sea. We have a cruiser, we have a ship left called HMS Belfast, now a museum ship. And that cracked...

There had been very effective preparation, airstrikes, which had suppressed the Germans in their bunkers. There had been a massive naval bombardment, a huge gathering of battleships out to sea. We have a cruiser, we have a ship left called HMS Belfast, now a museum ship. And that cracked...

Some of the porcelain in the toilets, in the ship's heads, so great were the vibrations caused by the ship's guns firing again and again. So those shells were landing on the beach and they were suppressing those German positions. And then there was the floating tanks, these strange floating tanks championed by Churchill and others.

Some of the porcelain in the toilets, in the ship's heads, so great were the vibrations caused by the ship's guns firing again and again. So those shells were landing on the beach and they were suppressing those German positions. And then there was the floating tanks, these strange floating tanks championed by Churchill and others.

Some of the porcelain in the toilets, in the ship's heads, so great were the vibrations caused by the ship's guns firing again and again. So those shells were landing on the beach and they were suppressing those German positions. And then there was the floating tanks, these strange floating tanks championed by Churchill and others.

And they would go in and provide armoured support exactly as those troops, those commandos landed on the shore. So actually, on Sword Beach, where this one commando I mentioned, where he landed, they got ashore. There were some casualties, but they managed to break through Hitler's Atlantic Wall, and they were advancing into Normandy minutes after they landed.