Timeless Media - Attack on Fortress Europe From D-Day to V.E. Day (2003) Part 2 Geronimo The U.S. Airborne in World War II

Hitler had proclaimed that Nazi conquered Europe was an impenetrable fortress. On the 6th of June 1944, the Allies launched the largest combined land, air and sea operation ever. This invasion, designed to begin the liberation of Europe, would forever be known as D-Day. The years leading up to 1944 had seen total domination of Europe by Nazi Germany. Despite the entry of America into WWII, strategic bombing, the invasions of North Africa and Italy, Germany remained in control and was able to strength its coastal defenses, The Atlantic Wall, in preparation for the inevitable Allied invasion. Operation Overlord was the Allied plan to defeat those defenses and open a Western Front. The hard lessons learned at Anzio, Dieppe and Salerno were about to be brought into focus with the greatest invasion the world had ever seen. But how had the Allies come to this point? Who were the personalities and what compromises were made to forge this great alliance? These questions loomed as D-Day grew closer, as the Allies prepared to unleash their awesome assembled power against Hitler's Nazi Germany. Four years of Allied preparation were about to be tested on Hitler's Atlantic Wall. Infintely confident in his men, General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Supreme Allied Commander, had launched the invasion. The outcome was far from certain as the vast armada approached the darkened coast and the first paratroopers stepped out into the tracer filled sky over Normandy. The next few hours would determine the success or failure of Operation Overlord. 5 1/2 Hours, Contains Combat Veteran Interviews.

Part 2 Geronimo The U.S. Airborne in World War II

The United States Airborne played a major role in the success of Allied operations throughout World War II. From their first jumps in North Africa and Sicily, to the massive drops in Normandy and Holland, the Airborne was an important part of Allied military strategy. Initially conceived as an assault force able to parachute behind enemy lines, to seize and hold strategic areas until ground forces could link up with them, the AIrborne unites were used in many different ways. From dropping in to capture key positions behind enemy lines in Normandy and Holland, to fighting as tough ground forces at Anzio and the Battle of the Bulge, the Airborne was ready for anything. Elite, confident, and ready for action, the men of the United States Airborne were the best trained and best conditioned fighting force of the war. These men represented the finest combat troops America had to offer and they proved it in the face of unbelievable odds and under the most extreme conditions. This Documentary is THEIR story. Told entirely through veteran and historian interviews and supported by rare archival footage, this set features the stories and experiences of the paratroopers in their own words, creating a uniquely personal perspective of the United States Airborne forces during World War II.

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