crocodile. If the Russians weren't stopped, that meant the end of Germany's version of civilization. That was evident enough even at Joe's level, though in one briefing he learned that some of the static troops the Blues might fight were Russians who had thrown in with the Germans.
D NIGHT COUNTDOWN RESUMED fretfully after Channel storms caused the false start. Like a temporary reprieve before execution, the weather delay deflated much of the bravado and some of the emotional high. Eisenhower's army had hurried up only to start waiting again. The face painting, the Mohawk haircuts, the whole metaphor of war dance subsided for its inability to sustain energy.
Two Screaming Eagles, David Webster of the 506th and Tom Buff of division headquarters, noted the waning hours contrastingly. Webster mulled how the June sun didn't go down until 9:00 P.M., how he could sit watching the soft hills of England darken and wonder about the time of day in the States. Gripped by solitude, he gazed south down a valley winding to the sea. That's where the Germans were, over the southern horizon. What are they thinking? he mused. Of their own homes, their chances of ever returning to them?
“When will it get dark?” Webster wrote. “What chancedoes a paratrooper have then? Stay light, stay on forever— and we'll never have to go to Normandy.”
Buff noted an entirely different attitude among his buddies who would
not
be jumping into Normandy:
Every one of our friends whom Fate had placed in the rear echelon [to cross by sea] was there to tell us goodbye. Just before we got into our trucks they took photos of us with rolls and rolls of film. How those guys wanted to go! Even though I had a compass, Bill Urquia of our Aerial Photo Team gave me his, saying: “Tom, this is a lucky compass. It's been through North Africa, Sicily and Italy. Take it to France for me. Dammit, I'm not going…”
Everyone shook hands, then we drove off for the airfield. We later learned that those fellows just roamed around, killing time until far into the night so they could count our planes as we flew over, wave to the sky and pray Godspeed.
President Roosevelt was also composing a prayer, his for a radio message to America on D Day: “Almighty God— Our sons, pride of our nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavor.”
After those words resounded, the nation came to a halt. The stock exchange, courtrooms, school classes, professional baseball games, traffic in every city and activity elsewhere froze to mark the moment as America collectively prayed as never before—nor since, till September 2001. Church bells began to toll, perhaps in contemplation of the many American lives that had already ended in Normandy before Roosevelt announced the invasion's site.
As it so rarely has in all of history, on D Day oratory matched the occasion. To his corps and division commanders of three nationalities, Montgomery had restated the mighty endeavor with verse from the marquis of Montrose:
HE EITHER FEARS HIS FATE TOO MUCH, ELSE HIS DESERTS ARE SMALL,
THAT DARES NOT PUT IT TO THE TOUCH, TO GAIN OR LOSE IT ALL.
Colonel Sink's message to the 506th was read inside C-47s:
Tonight is the night of nights.
Tomorrow, throughout the whole of our homeland and the Allied world, bells will ring out the tidings that you have arrived, that the invasion for liberation has begun….
The confidence of your high commanders goes with you. Fears of the Germans are about to become a reality…. Imbued with faith in the Tightness of our cause and the power of our might, let us annihilate the enemy wherever found.
May God be with each of you fine soldiers. By your actions let us justify His faith in us.
With such words in their ears, Currahees were pawing to “put it to the touch.” The feeling was that their chutes couldn't get to the ground fast enough so they could start working over the Wehrmacht. That feeling intensified as Joe watched the first wave of transports slowly
D NIGHT COUNTDOWN RESUMED fretfully after Channel storms caused the false start. Like a temporary reprieve before execution, the weather delay deflated much of the bravado and some of the emotional high. Eisenhower's army had hurried up only to start waiting again. The face painting, the Mohawk haircuts, the whole metaphor of war dance subsided for its inability to sustain energy.
Two Screaming Eagles, David Webster of the 506th and Tom Buff of division headquarters, noted the waning hours contrastingly. Webster mulled how the June sun didn't go down until 9:00 P.M., how he could sit watching the soft hills of England darken and wonder about the time of day in the States. Gripped by solitude, he gazed south down a valley winding to the sea. That's where the Germans were, over the southern horizon. What are they thinking? he mused. Of their own homes, their chances of ever returning to them?
“When will it get dark?” Webster wrote. “What chancedoes a paratrooper have then? Stay light, stay on forever— and we'll never have to go to Normandy.”
Buff noted an entirely different attitude among his buddies who would
not
be jumping into Normandy:
Every one of our friends whom Fate had placed in the rear echelon [to cross by sea] was there to tell us goodbye. Just before we got into our trucks they took photos of us with rolls and rolls of film. How those guys wanted to go! Even though I had a compass, Bill Urquia of our Aerial Photo Team gave me his, saying: “Tom, this is a lucky compass. It's been through North Africa, Sicily and Italy. Take it to France for me. Dammit, I'm not going…”
Everyone shook hands, then we drove off for the airfield. We later learned that those fellows just roamed around, killing time until far into the night so they could count our planes as we flew over, wave to the sky and pray Godspeed.
President Roosevelt was also composing a prayer, his for a radio message to America on D Day: “Almighty God— Our sons, pride of our nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavor.”
After those words resounded, the nation came to a halt. The stock exchange, courtrooms, school classes, professional baseball games, traffic in every city and activity elsewhere froze to mark the moment as America collectively prayed as never before—nor since, till September 2001. Church bells began to toll, perhaps in contemplation of the many American lives that had already ended in Normandy before Roosevelt announced the invasion's site.
As it so rarely has in all of history, on D Day oratory matched the occasion. To his corps and division commanders of three nationalities, Montgomery had restated the mighty endeavor with verse from the marquis of Montrose:
HE EITHER FEARS HIS FATE TOO MUCH, ELSE HIS DESERTS ARE SMALL,
THAT DARES NOT PUT IT TO THE TOUCH, TO GAIN OR LOSE IT ALL.
Colonel Sink's message to the 506th was read inside C-47s:
Tonight is the night of nights.
Tomorrow, throughout the whole of our homeland and the Allied world, bells will ring out the tidings that you have arrived, that the invasion for liberation has begun….
The confidence of your high commanders goes with you. Fears of the Germans are about to become a reality…. Imbued with faith in the Tightness of our cause and the power of our might, let us annihilate the enemy wherever found.
May God be with each of you fine soldiers. By your actions let us justify His faith in us.
With such words in their ears, Currahees were pawing to “put it to the touch.” The feeling was that their chutes couldn't get to the ground fast enough so they could start working over the Wehrmacht. That feeling intensified as Joe watched the first wave of transports slowly
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