Cspan, created by americas Cable Television companies as a Public Service and brought to you today by your television provider. With the coming of spring 1944, the winter stalemate in italy was broken. Our forces slowly resumed fighting their way up the west coast of the italian boot toward rome against bitter german opposition. The british raced up the east coast in the face of equally brutal opposition. The british r coast in the face of equally brutal opposition. Coast in the brutal opposition. In the pacific troops of the First Calvary Division landed to wipe out all japanese divisions. We landed large forces on the north coast of new guinea. General stillwell and his troops were fighting the japanese in ferma. This was global warfare on a scale never known before. Thi scale never known before. Less than three years before hitler had addressed his troops. Germany, italy and japan will wage common war upon the United States to a victorious conclusion. His fascist partner declared National Social list germany, ever closely linked participate today on the side of heroic japan against the United States. A japanese militaryist joined the choir. Americans have automobiles, big beef steaks. When people have those things, they dont want to fight. Americans wont sleep in hammocks or lie in trenches. Theyre like a tiger whose stomach is full. They are sleepy. The american is no soldier. The american, no soldier . Yet, there he was carrying the fight to the boastful aggressor. The selfproclaimed superman was learning to his bitter surprise and sorrow the fighting qualities of the american soldier. It seems the aggressors had made a slight miscalculation. In italy our forces pushed on through rain and mud, over mountains, across rivers, toward rome. Our power drive up the italian boot forced the enemy to divert 30 of his divisions from france, weakening his defense along the English Channel where our invasion of france was soon to come. We now had an army numbering millions of soldiers. We now had 150,000 Armored Vehicles as compared to the 29 tanks the army had in 1940. 400,000 artillery pieces were now engaged in the war effort compared to the 235 available in 1940. From a 1940 Production Capacity of 117 aircraft a month, we were now producing 9,000 planes, a plane every five minutes, 12 an hour. Here was an air army of 150,000 planes supporting the allied effort to wipe out enemy industry, supply routes and communication facilities. The american tiger grown sleepy on a full stomach, or so the japanese thought, was now fully awake, lean and fighting in the jungles. On the 4th of june 1944 our fifth army captured rome. It was a military victory, yes, but its psychological effect carried the greater impact throughout the war. For it was the first axis capital to fall into our hands, bringing consternation and for boding to the enemy and fresh heart and rejoicing to the free world and its fighting forces. In england, after months of planning and preparation, it was dday minus two. General eisenhower was about to unleash the most massive amphibious invasion in history. During the big buildup england had become a vast staging area for stoops and ttroops and the war. Thousands of vehicles and ready to be assembled combat type aircraft, 20,000 Railroad Cars and 1,000 locomotives, 20 million square feet of coveraed Storage Space, 44 million of open Storage Space to hold the growing volumes of supplies wire, tires, bombs, shells and other explosive devices. Awaiting email bar indication were thousands of trucks and support vehicles. Row upon row of tanks and a wide range of arrive until rtillery. 170 miles of new railroad had been constructed to haul more than 2 million tons of supplies and combat hardware to the invasion forces. The United States army had constructed 163 airfields in england for the allied planes that were systematically bombing germany day and night. The invasion directed by the chiefs of staff was concise. General eisenhower had his orders. Youll enter the continent of europe and in conjunction with other allied nations undertake operations aimed at the heart of germany and the destruction of her armed forces. Another American General was to have a central role in complying with that order. General omar bradley, field commander of american forces. Dday minus one. Invasion forces began embarking in england. Involved in this amphibious vacation were 3 million solders, sailors and airmen, 4,000 ships and boats, 20,000 vehicles of all types and an endless list of combat support weapons. Operation overlord, the code name for the invasion was close at hand now as dday approached. The final logistical operation was under way. In the darkness before dawn on june 6, 1944 the great invasion began to unfold. 17,000 men of the 82nd and 101st airborne divisions with 2 Million Pounds of combat equipment and supplies were air lifted to drop zones behind the beaches where they were dropped to secure road junctions and other strategic terrain objectives. The invasion, the largest ever assembled, was in position off the coast of france. While our Assault Forces prepared for hhour, allied neighbor power began their shore bombardment. [ artillery fire ] this was amphibious warfare on a scale that staggered the imagination. Nothing like it had ever been seen. At omaha beach, 30,000 american troops stormed the shore. British and Canadian Forces struck at three different beach sectors. At utah beach 20,000 american troops were landed. By the end of the first day our invasion force ashore totaled 120,000 men. With every passing hour, with each passing day, reinforcement streamed ashore to enlarge the beachhead with tanks, trucks, ammunition and supplies. Sfo hundreds of our attack bombers and fighters were now over europe carrying payloads of destruction aimed at hitlers europe. Flying fortresses cascaded 2,500 tons of explosive among naziheld positions. Our mass bomber formations were given a canopy of protective air support. Together they fought off enemy air attacks. As the roar of engines were still ringing in the ears of a dazed and battered enemy, our ground artillery opened up. Our tanks and infantry rolled forward driving west to isolate ports on the peninsula. Other elements pushed south and east toward paris. What was left of ten german divisions were knocked off by men their furor told them were not soldiers and would not fight. Again, the aggressor had made a slight miscalculation. As the germans were meeting disaster in northwestern france, the United States seventh army, combat hardened veterans hit the beaches of Southern France on the morning of august 15th. During that day, 50,000 men and their equipment were landed. The American Sixth Army corp. Pushed north along the river valley. Other troops moved eastern toward the italian border. The drive into the heart of france was deeper now. Pattons third army angled towards points east and south of paris. The first army flanking the third. The seventh now was moving up swiftly from the south. Ten days after the landings in Southern France, paris was liberated after four years of nazi occupation. The liberation of paris, like the liberation of rome three months before was a cause for rejoicing and its psychological effect was reflected throughout the free world. Among our troops who paraded so proudly were sons whose fathers who followed the same flag down that famous avenue a quarter century before, celebrating another victory which they had won in the best traditions of the American Fighting man and who had come there not for conquest, but to liberate. The men of our fighting forces knew it was only one more important milestone along the rugged road to victory. Allied armies held bridgeheads all along the line. In the south of france they captured tulone and marsai. The british and canadians took brussels and the great port of anthwart. The First American army pushed across the border into belgium and drove on. The third took verdunne. The third, having crossed the river, reached the moselle. Now the allied front ran on a line all the way from the swiss border to the north sea. Seventh army patrols coming up from the south met patrols from the third army. The two armies were now linked up for the coordinated offensive to come. Retreat for nazi forces caught on the wrong side of the line was cut off. We rounded up our share of prisoners. The desperate plight of hitlers armies became more apparent as the bewildered legions found themselves defeated by an army they had been repeatedly told would never last longer than nine hours. In the 97 days since the fifth corp. Led the assault on omaha beach it had come nearly 900 miles and now stood at the border of hitlers germany. Who was it that once said the american was no soldier . In world war ii the american soldier proved his fighting quality as he always has and always will. He stands second to none and his leadership is second to none. From private to general, he is the product of a free society, conceived in liberty. He even has the power, through his right to vote in free elections, to choose his own commander in chief. He has a voice in making the laws which govern him. He has a precious heritage to defend, much to fight for when he must fight, to defend his good way of life. He prefers the art of peace as all men of goodwill do. Yet, he knows how to practice the arts of war. In some of the scenes filmed at the actual historic event you have seen the reaction to the american soldier by newly liberated people in north africa, italy and france. To them, he was and still is, a living symbol of freedom. For he came to their lands giving up himself. Not for conquest, but to liberate, to defeat and destroy a ruthless aggressor, or we might well say the aggressor, who like evil throughout history lives on and has been known by many names. The aggressor who would dictate and impose his will upon those he would conquer and not the least among those who stand opposed to him is the american soldier. He knows the price of freedom is eternal vigilance. Have you watched lectures in history lately . Every saturday 8 00 p. M. Eastern on cspan3. Go inside a Different College classroom and hear about the american revolution, civil rights, u. S. President s, to 9 11. Thanks for your patience. With most cleollege campuses close, watch professors change to a virtual setting. Gorbachev did most of the work to change the soviet union. Reagan met him halfway. Reagan encouraged him. Freedom of the press, madison originally called it freedom of the use of the press. It is indeed freedom to print things and publish things. Its not what we refer to institutionally as the press. Every saturday on cspan3 at 8 00 p. M. Eastern. Weeknights were speaking American History tv programs as a preview of whats available every weekend on cspan3. Tonight a look at the presidency. First Herbert Hoover and fdr, the portrayal of Abraham Lincoln at fords theater and jfks response to the Nuclear Arms Race and civil rights. Watch tonight at 8 00 eastern. Enjoy American History tv on cspan3. Cspan has covered every minute of every Political Convention since 1984. This months Political Conventions will be like nono r other in history. Watch cspan at 9 00 p. M. Eastern for live coverage of the Democratic Convention starting monday and the republican conventiont