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 advanced up the east coast in the face of equally bitter opposition. In the pacific troops of the First Cavalry Division landed on los megros and to wipeout all japanese and complete we landed large forces on the north coast of new guinea. This was global warfare on a scale never known before. Germany, italy and japan will wage common war upon the United States to a victorious concushion. In rome his fascist partner declared. Participate from today on the side of heroic japan against the United States. A japanese militarist joined. Americans have radios, automobiles, big beefsteaks. When a people has those things they dont want to fight. Americans wont sleepin hammocks or lie in trenches they are like a tiger whose stomach is full. They are sleeping. The american is no soldier. Yet there he was carrying the fight to the aggressors. He was learning the fighting qualities of the american soldiers. It seems the aggressors had made a slight miscalculation. In italy our forces pushed on through rain and mud, over mountains, across rivers towards rome. Our power drive up the italian boot forced the enemy to divert 30 of his division from france and the low countries weakening his defenses along the English Channel coast where our invasion of france was soon to come. We now had an army numberering 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 we were now producing 9,000 types of planes a month, 12 an hour. Here now was an arm of 150,000 planes supporting the coordinated allied effort to wipeout enemy industry, supply roots and communication facilities. The american fight had grown sleepy on a full stomach or so the japanese thought. It was now lean, fully awake and fighting in the jungle. On the fourth of june, 1944, our fifth army captured rome. It was a military victory yet, but its psychological effects carried the greater impact throughout the world for it was the first axis capital to fall into our hands bringing consternation andfo foreboding the enemy and fresh heart and energy to the forces. In england after months of planning and preparation it was dday minus 2. Generalizen hour was about to unleash the most massive amphibious invasion in history. During the big build up england had become a vast staging area for troops and the material of war. Thousands of vehicles and ready to be assembled combattype aircraft, 20,000 Railroad Cars and 1,000 locomotives, 20 million square feet of covered storage and shop space, 44 million square feet of open Storage Space to hold the growing volume of supplies, bombs, shells and other explosive devices. Awaiting invasion for embarkation were thousands of trucks and support vehicles, row upon row of tanks. And a wide range of artillery weapons. 170 miles of new railroad had been constructed to haul more than 2 million tons of supplies and combat hardware through the invasion forces. The United States army had constructed 163 airfields in england while the allied planes that were systematically germany day and night. The invasion directive issued by the combined chiefs of staff was concise. General eisenhower had his orders. You will undertake operations aimed at the heart of germany and the destruction of their armed forces. Another American General was to have a central role in complying with that monumental order, general omar bradley, field commander of american forces. Dday minus 1, invasion forces began embarking in england, destination, normandy. Involved in this massive amphibious invasion were some 3 million soldiers 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 at dday and h hour 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 over 2 Million Pounds of combat equipment and supplies were airlifted to carefully selected drop lines behind the invasion beaches where they were dropped to secure key road junctions and other strategic objectives. The invasion armada, the largest ever assembled was now in position off the coast of france. While our Assault Forces prepared for h hour allied began their concentrated shore bombardment. This was amphibious warfare on a scale that staggered the imagination. Nothing like it had ever been seen. 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 reinforcements streamed the shore to enlarge with trucks, tanks, amnmunition and supplies. Hundreds of our attack bombers and fighters were now over europe carrying pay loads of destruction aimed at the Vital Centers of hitlers fortress europe. Flying fortresses in heavy formations cascaded 3,500 tons of explosives, a ton every second upon nazi held positions. Our masked bomberer formations were now given a canopy of protective air support. Together they fought off enemy air attacks. As the roar of engines and the compression of the bombs were still ringing in the ears of a battered enemy the artillery opened up. Our tanks and infantry rolled forward driving west to isolate threats and other force on the peninsula. Other elements pushed south and east toward paris. What was left of ten german divisions was not stopped by their furor told them were not soldiers and would not fight. Again the aggressor made a slight miscalculation. As the germans were meeting disaster in northwestern france the United States seventh army combat Army Veterans of the fighting in italy hit the beaches in Southern France on the morning of august 15th. During that day 50,000 men and their equipment landed. The American Sixth Army corp pushed north along the rome river valley. And other troops moved eastward toward the italian border. The drive into the heart of france was deeper now. The third army angled towards points just south and east of paris. The first army flanking the third. Thal seventh now was moving up swiftly from the south. Ten days after the landings in Southern France paris was liberated after four years of na nazi occupation. The liberation of paris like the liberation of rome less than three months before was cause for rejoicing and the psychological effects was reflected throughout the free world. Among our troops who paraded so proudly down the shauchl champs were their fathers who had fought and who had come there not for conquest but to liberate. Once the men of our fighting forces knew it was only one more important milestone along the rugged road to victory allied armies held bridge heads all along the line of the sane. In the south of france they captured tulong and marseille. The british and canadians took brussels and the great port of antwerp. The First American army pushed across the border into belgium and drove on. The third took the third having crossed the muse river reached the mosell. Now the allied front ran on the 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. Retreats 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 army became more apparent as the bewildered legion of the once mighty Destructive Force found themselves defeated by an army they had been repeatedly told would never last on the soil of the third reich longer than 9 hours. In the 97th day since the fifth corp had led the assault on omaha beach it had come nearly 500 miles and drove across the border and stood on the soil of hitlers germany. Who was it that once said the american was no soldier . In world war ii the american soldier proved his fighting 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 rights to vote in free elections, to choose his own commander in chief. He has a voice in making the laws with governance. 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 arts of peace as all men of good will do. Yet he knows how to practice the arts of war. In some of the scenes filmed of the actual Historic Events which have been documented in this series you have seen the reactions to the american soldiers by newly liberated people by north africa, italy and france. To them he was and still is a living symbol of freedom where he came to their land giving of himself not for country but to liberate, to defeat and destroy and ruthless aggressor or we might well say the aggressor who like throughout history lived on and known by many names. These aggressors who would dictate and impose his will on those he would conquer and enslave. 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 go inside a Different College classroom and hear topics ranging from civil rights and u. S. President s to 9 11. Thanks for your patience and for logging into class. With most College Campuses closed due to the impact of coronavirus watch professors transfer teaching to a virtual setting to engage with their students. Reagan met him halfway, encouraged him, reagan supported mim. I should mention madison originally called it freedom of the use of the press, and it is indeed freedom to print things and publish things. Its not a freedom we now refer to institutionally as the press. Lectures in history on cspan 3 every saturday at 8 00 p. M. Eastern. Lectures in history is also available as a podcast. Find it where you listen to podcasts. Weeknights this month were featuring American History tv programs as a preview of whats available every weekend on cspan 3. Tonight a look at our series on the presidency. First Herbert Hoover and fdr, the political relationships between the roosevelt and kennedy family, the portrayal of Abraham Lincoln at ford fs theater and jfks response to the Nuclear Arms Race and civil rights. Enjoy American History tv this week and every weekend on cspan 3. Cspan is covered every minute of every Political Convention since 1984, and were not stopping now. This months Political Conventions will be like none other in history. With the coronavirus pandemic still looming plans for both gatherings are being altered. The democrats will meet to nominate joe biden as their president ial candidate on monday, and President Trump will accept his partys nomination the next week. Watch cspan at 9 00 p. M. Eastern for live coverage of the Democratic Convention starting on monday and the republican Convention Starting next monday. Live on demand or listen with the free cspan radio app. Cspan, your unfiltered view of politics. There is an ancient