Episode 8:  As Allied Forces began planning for an invasion of Europe in 1943, it faced entrenched and highly-fortified German defenses along the French coastline. There would be only one opportunity to gain the element of surprise and somehow skirt the massive army that awaited them onshore. Operation Overload would be a logistical undertaking of a scale never before contemplated, and success would be anything but a certainty.

 

To talk us through the planning and execution of the juggernaut that would simply be known as D-Day, we are joined once again by Dr. Andrew Wiest of the Dale Center for the Study of War and Society.

 

His historical prospective will be added to the stories of ordinary Americans who, together with millions of others, changed the course of history that fateful Summer of 1944, including: Rip Bounds of Hattiesburg, Joseph Clements of Owensboro, KY, Robert Leslie of New Castle, PA, and Jim Swager of Brookhaven.

 

Special thanks to the Mississippi Humanities Council for their unwavering support of the Center for Oral History & Cultural Heritage through the years. The Humanities are for Everyone!

 

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