In Our View: D-Day Saved the World

Of all the words that have been expended over the years through inadequate attempts to capture the magnitude of the event, these perhaps have come the closest: “D-Day — 24 Hours That Saved the World.”

That was the name of a book published in 2004 by the editors of Time magazine in remembrance of the day when Allied forces stormed continental Europe and tipped the balance of World War II. Those were the words that, as well as any, summarize exactly what was accomplished 70 years ago today: The world was saved.

Not immediately, of course. It took another year for Nazi Germany to be conquered and for Hitler to cowardly commit suicide. It took even longer for the depths of his depravity to become common knowledge as concentration camps were liberated and the world was informed of just how mad this madman had been. Nor did the American-led invasion of France trigger the sole victory march in the war, as Russian forces conquered Germany from the east. But the heroism, sacrifice and courage of the U.S. military on June 6, 1944, altered the course of human history, and it should never be forgotten or sullied.

Amid that alteration lies a lesson for today’s leaders — or for anybody who strives for great accomplishments. The day prior to the invasion, supreme allied commander Dwight D. Eisenhower wrote a note to be read in the event of the mission’s failure, and he stuck it in his wallet: “Our landings in the Cherbourg-Havre area have failed to gain a satisfactory foothold and I have withdrawn the troops. My decision to attack at this time and place was based on the best information available. The troops, the air and the Navy did all that bravery and devotion to duty could do. If any blame or fault attaches to the attempt it is mine alone.” Seven decades later, those words still reverberate as an example that true leaders share the credit but shoulder the blame.

Fortunately, Eisenhower’s note was unnecessary. About 150,000 Allied troops, most of them American, were supported by 5,000 ships and 13,000 aircraft as they stormed a 50-mile stretch of France’s Normandy coast, which had been heavily fortified by German defenses. The buildup of troops and supplies for the largest amphibious assault in human history had been two years in the making, and the invasion was delayed for a day by bad weather.

Once underway, the toll was astronomical, as an estimated 4,400 Allied personnel — including 2,500 Americans — were killed, and many thousands more were wounded. But the mission was accomplished, the road to victory was paved, and The Greatest Generation had forever earned its monicker. As Ted Van Arsdol told Columbian reporter Tom Vogt 10 years ago: “Someone is trying to kill you. It’s a chilling thing when you realize that. Corpses were lying around. A guy came up to borrow my shovel so he could bury body parts.”

The righteousness of America’s involvement in World War II could not temper the horror of war, and yet it was a war that needed to be fought. Eisenhower also wrote another message that day, one that he shared with his troops: “You are about to embark upon a great crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. We will accept nothing less than full victory! Good Luck!”

Seventy years later, few of the brave Americans who stormed Normandy are still alive, yet they shall never be forgotten. And while words typically fail to capture the meaning of D-Day, the mission did nothing less than save the world.