This is London.

London calling in the home, overseas and European services of the BBC

and through United Nations Radio Mediterranean.

And this is John Snagg speaking.

Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force, have just issued communique number one,

and in a few seconds I will read it to you.

Under the command of General Eisenhower, Allied naval forces, supported by strong air forces,

began landing Allied armies this morning on the northern coast of France.

I'll repeat that, communique.

Communique number one.

Under the command of General Eisenhower,

Allied naval forces, supported by strong air forces,

began landing Allied armies this morning on the northern coast of France.

I'm lying down at full length here in the cornfield, just the hedges around me I can see many men taking shelter behind the banks

Where in their steel helmets

While this terrific barrage goes on around us To reach the palisade, I joined a column who were waiting across a slew.

The water came nearly to their armpits, and they had to hold their rifles and equipment over their heads.

The water was rather warm at the bottom of the slimy mess.

When a man got to the far side of the slew, he would always stop in a maddening way, holding the rest of us up. We shouted angrily, but when we got there, each one of us stopped two. The reeds on the far bank were loaded with mines. One man lay at the top of the bank dead. The mines had been marked with bits of paper, and soldiers at the top had just how to climb so as not to venture into dangerous

ground. There were more dead men along the narrow path which led up the palisade. Suddenly a voice

said, watch yourself, fella. That's a mine. A soldier sprawled on the bank with speaking. He had one foot

half blown up. He stepped on a mine a short time earlier. Now while he waited for litter bearers,

...