D-Day | The 32 Men Who Unlocked Omaha Beach (WW2 Documentary)

A huge thanks to Findmypast (one of our favorite resources!) for helping us uncover some fascinating details we incorporated into this documentary. Start building your own FREE family tree on Findmypast today and see what you discover!battleguide.co.uk/findmypast

I knew a man growing up who had been in the other companies that got slaughtered in minutes in front of WN62. He kept fighting despite being shot. He said he counted about 30 others who had made it through the initial run to the bluffs, and most of them were injured. When I asked him why they kept fighting, he said they knew the next wave was coming shortly behind them, so they had to do what they could to keep them from suffering the same fate. Truly the greatest generation.

At the 44 second mark, that soldier on the right side of the screen is my Uncle Marty. He was a member of the 2nd Ranger Battalion that took Point Dou Hoc. God bless you Uncle Marty. I almost fell off the chair when I saw his face . What a great surprise to see this man in his finest hour with all his brothers in Arms.

This is better told and more gripping than the movies designed to entertain. Well done.

Crazy that there’s still guys alive that fought here. They’re getting so few now. They were built different back then, I’m thankful for their sacrifice.

Its 10 AM on the 6th June 2024, watching these boys go ashore, many of whom would not return, from the comfort of my kitchen, struck by the significance of that, with growing emotion and gratitude. An excellent production.

We owe these men so much. My father was in the 82nd Airborne and jumped at Ste. Mere Eglise. He fought all the way to Germany and was in the 82nd Honor Guard, awarded a Purple Heart for being wounded by the shrapnel from a German "88" in Hurtgen Forest. He never much talked about it and looking back now I know he had PTSD for he turned to alcohol to ease the pain. Like many others, he suffered long after the war.

This is one of the best videos I've seen that describes the events on Omaha Beach. I visited Normandy and Omaha Beach several months ago and even though I have studied the Normandy invasion for years, I was surprised to see the high bluffs behind the beach that this video so well describes. I also visited the cemetery and witnessed the end of day retreat. Very moving ceremony. Those guys truly were the greatest generation!

I am writing this as I sit in the comfort of my AirBnb on Omaha Beach, literally within 50 meters of E1 Draw and WN 65. This is an absolutely amazing way to tell the story of these men, and the combination of modern aerial photography with historical photographs really brings things into perspective.

Nothing but respect for all those brave souls who fought courageously and gave up their lives for something greater than themselves.

One of my history teachers back in highschool said his grandfather had landed on Omaha Beach in the first wave as a combat engineer. I'm not sure if he was apart of the 1st or 29th Infantry. There are 3 things I remember he spoke of during that day. * While running up the beach, a soldier next to him had his head blown off after an artillery shell landed not too far from them. * He was shot through the cheek and fell down onto the ground. As another GI came by to help him up. He was shot and killed. * Later that night as they had secured the beach. He remembers laying on the ground and shaking from being so cold. I very much enjoyed this video. I wish we had more videos on each of the sectors that those men had landed on. Its seems almost every video I see usually either shows Dog Green or Fox Red. There also isn't really a lot of details on those men that day had fought their way off the beach and inland. Clearing out pillboxes and trenches as fast as they could, while the poor souls still stuck on the beach were taking fire. Its hard to try and imagine the pure exhaustion, yet adrenaline these guys must have felt every step they took. Seeing your buddies get hit left and right and all you can do is push on in order to achieve the objective. Brave men that day and we can't forget them. Awesome video.

Great video for the 80th anniversary of D-Day.

Rest in peace to all of the heroes that lost their lives in this conflict. Your sacrifice will never be forgotten.

My dad landed with the 29th infantry Div that day. He would never talk about it. He died in 2007. I always miss him on June 6th.

Having a Dad who fought in WW2, but in the Polish Army, I didn't hear any stories about events like D-Day from him or other Polish Army vets we knew. So thank you so much for making this well done video which explains the events so well. The graphics, and period photos, and current photos of the beaches etc helped me understand this important day better. Thanks so much for all your work!

My Dad survived Pearl Harbor on the USS West Virginia. After his wounds, he jumped on the USS Pensacola and was involved in many, many battles. Double Purple Heart recipient.

Fantastic!! I'm currently watching this at a camp site in france we have just returned from our visit to omaha Beach. The atmosphere there today has been ecstatic trucks,willie jeeps, dukw's!! This video is perfect timing!

A gut-wrenching but vital story. Thank you.

I have been researching the D-Day campaign since the 1970s. Spent days in the Captured Documents section of the National Archives in DC. Designed the wargame The Longest Day published by Avalon Hill in 1980. Although my research ended 40 years ago, I find this presentation unique and outstanding. The maps and graphics are exquisite and the photographs of the terrain are eye-opening. Clearly, I undervalued the bluffs and draws on Omaha that was made wonderfully apparent in your video. An amazing piece of work on your part. I commend you and thank you!

My wife and I were at Coleville-sur-Mer in 2019 to pay our respects to the fallen heroes. It was a very traumatising and humble experience . Near the statue of Our Lady there are steps leading from the bluff down to the beach. Each metre there was a block of granite inscribed with brief statements made by the survivors who made it from the landing. They read * IT WAS MURDEROUS * TO HAVE SURVIVED IS THE REAL TRIUMPH * WE ALL HAD A SENSE OF PURPOSE * MY GUARDIAN ANGEL MUST HAVE BEEN WITH ME We couldn't walk any further out of respect to the fallen as we felt it was sacred ground. Around us were people from all places that had tears in their eyes. So did we. We are not Americans but everyone owes much to the men who gave their lives so we can live without tyranny. thank you for the opportunity to share out story.