Eisenhower’s Logistics and Diplomatic Nightmare: Planning and Executing D-Day

History Unplugged Podcast

History Unplugged

Society & Culture, History

4.2 • 3.7K Ratings

🗓️ 25 July 2024

⏱️ 67 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In the months leading up to D-Day, Eisenhower’s attention was in relentless demand, whether he was negotiating, rallying troops, or solving crises from his headquarters in Bushy Park, London. He projected optimism outwardly but resisted it inwardly. The day of the invasion, he gave the most rousing speech of his life, exhorting the tens of thousands of young men of the “Great Crusade” ahead of them. Then in a fleeting moment of quiet, he wrote out a draft of a resignation letter in case the invasion failed.

Outwardly, Eisenhower was a genial cypher. He was liked by all and seemed to make success inevitable. Inwardly, he was near constantly abuzz with brilliance, exhaustion, will, frustration, and the acute awareness that failure was always a possibility. The D-Day landing sees him at this unique, extraordinarily consequential moment, for D-Day would not only go down as one of the most important military successes in history but would also forge a modern George Washington.

To explore this story, we are joined with today’s guest, Michel Paradis, author of “The Light of Battle.” We see how Ike masterminded D-Day, wielding his unique leadership skills to save Europe and shape the course of history.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Scott here with another episode of the History and Plug Podcast.
0:07.0	If the success of the D-Day Landings of June 6, 1944, can be attributed to just one person. That would be Dwight G. Eisenhower, the
0:16.4	Supreme Allied commander. In the months leading up to D-Day, his attention was in relentless
0:21.1	demands, whether he was negotiating, rallying troops,
0:24.7	resolving crises from his headquarters in London.
0:27.6	Decisions of strategy, logistics,
0:29.9	and the day in which the assault began all went back to him. And if it failed all the assault began all the blame would come back to him as well.
0:36.6	The day of the invasion he gave the most rousing speech of his life, exhorting the tens of thousands
0:40.8	of young men of the Great Crusade, he called it ahead of them.
0:45.2	But then in a moment of quiet he wrote a draft of a resignation letter in case the invasion
0:49.4	failed.
0:50.6	During all this planning, Eisenhower was to those around him a cipher.
0:54.4	He was like by all and seemed to make success inevitable.
0:57.6	And inwardly he was constantly a buzz with brilliance, exhaustion, will, frustration,
1:02.3	and the awareness that failure was always a possibility.
1:05.5	The D.D. Lending sees him at this unique extraordinary moment because it would go down not
1:10.1	only as the biggest military amphibious assault in history, but in some senses forge
1:14.7	a modern day George Washington.
1:16.8	To explore the story, we're joined with today's guest, Shell Parades, author of the
1:21.1	light of battle.
1:22.1	You see how Ike masterminded D day by wielding his unique
1:25.2	leadership skills to save Europe and shape the course of history. Hope you enjoy this
	...

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