435: D Plus One

Caen Canal Bridge with British paratroopers. This drawbridge was one of their first objectives. Note the glider on the ground on the opposite side of the canal.

At Normandy, Allied forces struggled to expand and link their beachheads against the gathering German defenders.

Adolf Hitler was surprisingly calm upon hearing the news of the landings and confident the Allies would be defeated.

  • Listen now:

Transcript.


Playlist:

Fanfare

Opening War Theme

Fantaisie
Composed in 1898 by Gabriel Fauré. Public domain.
Performed by Lydia Roth, flute, and Gwen Varineau, piano. Used pursuant to a Creative Commons CC BY 3.0 license. Source.

Closing War Theme


Except when otherwise indicated, the contents of this podcast are © and ℗ 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026 by Mark Painter, all rights reserved. Some music and sound effects used by arrangement with Pond 5.

One thought on “435: D Plus One

  1. Another great episode. After the Longest Day series I’m looking forward to returning to the area in my motorhome later this year, it will have even more meaning.

    For those interested the gruesome story behind the Oradour-sur-Glane massacre is told in more detail here, and as always its a bit more complicated than can be told in a few minutes.

    https://open.spotify.com/episode/4S8I1f9Q97HkOUm8WkiB3n

    “This week we’re talking to historian, researcher and author “Silent Village: Life and Death in Occupied France”, Robert Pike who comes to rage that THE SS DID NOT DESTROY THE WRONG ORADOUR.
    We talk about the horrors and events of Oradour-sur-Glane and how the narrative of this village has been bent and embellished in an attempt to give explanation, reason and meaning behind the massacre.”

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