NOTE: FILM STARTS AT :40 SECONDS.
The U.S. Army Air Forces Special Film Project D-Day Minus One (158A), released in 1945, tells the story of the paratrooper and glider assault—"the opening maneuver of Operation Neptune (the assault operation for Overlord)”—that preceded the all-out invasion of the beaches of Normandy on 6 June 1944. The film is presented by Lt. General Barney M. Giles, Deputy Commander of the Army Air Forces and Chief of The Air Staff (00:40). The film shows Allied troops and LCVPs landing on the beaches (02:10) and Douglas C-47 Skytrains flying overhead (02:25) as part of the invasion before backtracking to tell the story of the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions and IX Troop Carrier Command. A village in England houses the paratroopers and is nicknamed “Shantytown” (02:50) because of the immediate transformation of glider cargo boxes into housing for the soldiers once the gliders are removed. Preparations are made for jumping behind Germany’s Atlantic Wall (03:39): steel anti-tank obstacles and iron barriers concrete-fortified anti-aircraft bunker housing a German 380mm gun. Nazis load shells into the antiaircraft gun (03:48). Meanwhile, the U.S. Chiefs of Staff plan the operation to strike at Normandy (04:10). Paratroopers load onto buses (04:31) and drive across England to a sealed airport (05:04), where they kill time by playing games and music, exercising, and caring for their gear as they wait to find out the details of the upcoming operation. Currency viable in France is passed out to soldiers (05:36). General Dwight D. Eisenhower greets paratroopers (06:16), boosting morale. Men of the pathfinder companies (06:43) go in first to plant markers so the rest of the divisions can find their way. Men of the 82nd and 101st march to the C-47s (07:28) where they put on new parachutes (08:00), adorn war paint, and climb into carriers. Once night hits (09:05), the planes carrying the pathfinders take off, signaling the start of the operation. Thousands of paratroopers jump from C-47s over France (10:24). Gliders (11:02) follow the C-47s, some crashing or being hit trying to land in the dark. Allied men immediately join the fight against German forces. Navy guns fire at the beaches of Normandy (11:54) preparing for the dawn invasion. Troop Carrier Command prepares for the next phase of sending hundreds of gliders (12:13) to transport jeeps and guns in the massive cargo operation. The armada of planes and gliders fly over the English Channel (13:33). An aerial shot shows troops and LCVPs on a Normandy beach (14:18). Gliders and planes fly over fields flooded by Germans to prevent successful landing (14:35). A plane cuts a glider loose (15:02); gliders aim to land near trees to provide men with immediate cover. Some gliders crash (15:38) or encounter German guns. 15-foot poles driven into fields (15:49) by German forces rip off wings and destroy fuselages. The film shows scenes of abandoned gliders in the French fields (16:01). The film concludes with a montage of shots showing troops marching on roads, the firing of guns, and Allied forces entering the French village of Sainte Marie du Mont (16:38).
Listen closely to the narration and you'll hear Kirk Douglas and other Hollywood actors at work!
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