Historian Alex Kershaw, known for his expertise in World War II, shares gripping stories about the D-Day landings on its 75th anniversary. He discusses the meticulous planning behind Operation Overlord and the brave paratroopers who faced chaos during the invasion. Kershaw highlights individual heroes like Theodore Roosevelt Jr. and the challenges they overcame. The conversation also delves into why so few Medals of Honor were awarded despite remarkable acts of bravery, celebrating the extraordinary heroism of ordinary men in a pivotal moment of history.
44:24
forum Ask episode
web_stories AI Snips
view_agenda Chapters
menu_book Books
auto_awesome Transcript
info_circle Episode notes
question_answer ANECDOTE
D-Day Veteran Numbers Dwindling
Less than 5% of the World War II generation is alive today.
Only about 30 American veterans are expected to return to Normandy for the 75th anniversary.
insights INSIGHT
Context of D-Day
D-Day, June 6, 1944, was a pivotal invasion in World War II's European theater.
It marked the start of liberating Western Europe from Nazi rule.
insights INSIGHT
Deception and Surprise
The Nazis knew an invasion was coming but were unsure of the location and time.
A successful deception campaign kept them guessing, dividing their forces.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
The First Wave by Alex Kershaw is an immersive and adrenaline-driven account of D-Day combat, focusing on the remarkable men who carried out the most perilous missions. The book vividly portrays their bravery and the chaos of combat, offering a fresh perspective on one of history's most pivotal events. It follows ten men, including the first American paratrooper to land in Normandy and the Rangers who scaled Pointe du Hoc, highlighting their courage and the impact of their actions on the war's outcome.
This week marks the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings at Normandy. This amphibious Allied effort comprised a joint effort between British, Canadian, and American troops. Operation Overlord was massive in scope, and required effectively launching 12,000 planes and 7,000 vessels, landing 24,000 paratroopers into enemy territory, and transporting 160,000 troops across the English Channel and onto and over 50 miles of beaches.
To commemorate this epic operation, I talk to historian Alex Kershaw about his latest book, The First Wave: The D-Day Warriors Who Led the Way to Victory in World War II. We begin our conversation with the context of the invasion and how the plans for it began years before 1944. Alex then walks us through the pre-dawn missions that paved the way for the larger invasion in the morning and how perilously close these first missions came to failing. Along the way he tells the stories of individual men who took part in this sweeping operation, including Frank Lillyman, the first paratrooper to land in Normandy; Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., a 56-year-old general and son of President Theodore Roosevelt; and Lord Lovat, a Scottish commando who brought along his personal bagpiper to pipe the British commandos ashore on D-Day. Alex and I discuss why only four Medals of Honor and one Victoria Cross were awarded on D-Day, despite the high number of heroic acts performed that day by ordinary men placed in an extraordinary circumstances. We end our conversation discussing the legacy of D-Day three-fourths of a century later.
The Art of Manliness 