Spread so easily. Woodruff all that and more on tonights pbs newshour. Major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by life isnt a straight line, and sometimes you can find yourself heading in a new direction. Fidelity is here to help you work through the unexpected, with Financial Planning and advice for today, and tomorrow. The william and flora hewlett foundation. For more than 50 years, advancing ideas and supporting institutions to promote a better world. At www. Hewlett. Org. And with the ongoing support of these institutions and individuals. This program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. And by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. Thank you. Woodruff as our nation honored those who gave their lives in service to the country today, the u. S. Death toll from the covid19 pandemic rose to some 98,000 americans. More areas loosened their coronavirus restrictions over the holiday weekend, and President Trump ramped up his push to
Congressional charter, we were charged with telling the story of the entire American Experience in world war ii, how it was one, what it means today. Gallery, we get to the big moment where the United States and her allies had to win this particular day. Dday, june 6, 1944. Film narrated by tom brokaw. It gives our visitors the overarching story of dday at normandy. Leftto me over here on the is a very special exhibit. This is an exhibit case longated to bernie pyles thin line of anguish column. Beacheslly walked the at normandy, omaha beach, utah beach, where the American Forces landed. He saw all of the war left over by troops who had been killed coming ashore at the beach. What we have in this case is actual artifacts and sand from utah and omaha beaches. He writes about what he found. You can see he talk about shoe polish, showing kids diaries, bibles, hand grenades, toothbrushes razors. He particularly singles out in his column writing paper. He talk about how young men who gave t
What was life like for you growing up . Yes, my family moved to larchmont, new york when i was just a baby. I was raised there, went to the town north of larchmont for junior high. After ninthgrade, went down to exeter and had three years there. After that i entered dartmouth in the fall of 1940 and once my freshman year was behind me, it was apparent by that time that we were not yet in the war, we might be drawn into it because the germans were sinking ships in the atlantic including american ships. Britain was in bad shape. Looked like if we did not get in, the nazis would take over europe and south america. So i was unsure whether i wanted to volunteer or wait to be drafted. I decided i would volunteer, which amusingly enough give you a slightly Different Army serial number than if you were drafted. The west point officers, recent graduates from training but they were training us in officer candidate school. They tended to look with favor they didnt say that but it was apparent. I
This was amphibious warfare on a scale that staggered the imagination. Nothing like it had ever been seen. At omaha beach, in the first assault, 30,000 american troops stormed ashore. 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 ashore totaled 120,000 men. With every passing hour, with each passing day, reinforcements streamed ashore to enlarge the beachhead with tanks, trucks, ammunition, and supplies. Hundreds of our attack bombers and fighters were now over europe, carrying payloads of destruction aimed at the Vital Centers of hitlers europe. Hitlers fortress europe. [planes flying] [explosions] flying forces in heavy formations cascaded 3500 tons of explosives, a ton every second, upon naziheld positions. Our mass bomber formations were given a canopy of air support. Together, they fought off enemy air attacks. [gunfire and explosions] as the roar of engines and the concussio
With the coming of spring, 1944, the winter stalemate in italy was broken. Our forces resumed fighting their way up the west coast of the italian boot towards rome. Against bitter german opposition. The british advanced up the east coast, in face of equally bitter opposition. In the pacific, troops of the first cavalry division, land on the islands in the admiralty group. To wipe out all japanese resistance, and to take hold of the entire group of violence. We landed in large forces at homeland here, on the north coast of new guinea. General stillwell and his troops, were fighting the japanese in burma. This was global warfare, on a scale never known before. Less than three years before, hitler had addressed the nation. Germany will face war on the United States to a positive conclusion. A japanese militarist, joins the chorus. Americans have radios, automobiles, big beefsteaks, when a people have those things, they dont want to fight. Americans wont sleep in hammocks, or lie in trench