D-Day

       On this 70th anniversary of D-Day, I'd like to give my own salute to the men involved.  In his biography of Eisenhower, Geoffrey Perret gives a full picture of the run-up to D-Day, describing an aspect that most of us are completely unaware of.  Despite the enormity of the preparations, there was one essential element that had to go right, and nobody, including Ike, could influence it in the slightest.  That element was the weather!
     The invasion was planned for June 5.  But on the evening of June 2, a tense group of VIPs, including Churchill, were gathered together in the library of a mansion near Portsmouth on the English coast to hear the chief meteorologist, Group Captain John Stagg of the RAF, tell them that the forecast was "finely balanced" but "untrustworthy."  (After the meeting, Ike said some very uncomplimentary but well-deserved remarks about the British climate.)
     The next day, June 3, the skies were clear but the forecast was bad.  Stagg announced that the weather on the 5th would be "unflyable."  That was damning, because Ike would not launch the invasion without air cover.  The ground forces could not carry it alone.  Montgomery wanted to go ahead anyway, but Ike refused.
     On the evening of June 4, the wind was terrible, and the rain was hitting the windows horizontally.  But Captain Stagg looked more cheerful.  He told Ike he had a gleam of hope for him.  The rain would stop and the wind die down to a breeze on the afternoon of June 5, and there would even be a break in the cloud cover.  That situation would last for 36 hours.
     This was the moment of decision, and Ike made it.  If they did not launch on June 6, they would have to wait until June 19 because of the tides, and by then there would be no moon.  Besides, the Germans so far seemed unaware of the plans, but that ignorance might not last.  So Ike told everybody, "D-Day is June 6."
      Late on June 5, the commander of the German forces around Normandy sent a message to his forces, "There is no immediate prospect of an invasion."  And hours later, 18,000 American and British paratroopers fell out of the sky.       
      We owe an enormous debt to all of those involved, particularly the soldiers whose names never got into the history books.  Today is a good day to hold their memory in reverence.  And it's also a good day to remember the man who led "the whole shebang" (his own words), for his enormous intelligence, powers of decision-making, and authoritative personality that made his successful leadership possible.
     And we can remember his mother, Ida, too.  She raised her six boys -- Ike was the third -- by deploying good sense, a sense of discipline, and a sense of humor.  With seven brothers, she'd had plenty of practice!
     Blessings on them all!