Imagine: What if today’s American TV news had been there to cover D-Day, June 6, 1944?“Good morning, this is Peter Jennings at ABC News in Washington with this special report. The War Department is confirming this morning that Operation Overlord,
Allied invasion of Normandy, is now in motion. Unfortunately, news from battleground is grim for American forces. Despite attacking with largest military force in history, Allies appear to have lost this battle before it has begun. We start our coverage with reporter Terry Moran, who is embedded with U.S. Army forces at a stretch of Normandy that War Department has designated ‘Omaha Beach.’”
Terry Moran: “Peter, here at Omaha Beach, everything that could have gone wrong has gone wrong. The Allies sent 29 amphibious support vehicles to this site. Of those, 27 have sunk. We are pinned down by German gunfire. In addition, we now know entire beach is heavily mined along its six-mile expanse. Observers tell us they expect that more than 2,400 Allied soldiers will die in next few hours. We now go to reporter Martha Raddatz, who is embedded with forces at Utah Beach.”
Martha Raddatz: “News is no better for Allies here at Utah Beach. A navigational error placed Allied forces several miles to north of their intended landing site. As a result, Allies are running into less resistance than expected, but they are also giving Germans an opportunity to strengthen their defenses before attack is joined. It appears that Allies have committed crucial mistake that will cost them war. Now we shift to Juno Beach and reporter Dan Harris.”
Dan Harris: “Here at Juno Beach, Allies are having to deal more with reefs and shoals than with bullets and grenades. The landing crafts arrived too late to avoid these natural barriers. As a result, an estimated 30 percent of crafts have been crushed before they could reach shoreline. The Allies likely will suffer 1,200 dead on this beach alone as Operation Overlord stumbles onward. Back to you, Peter Jennings.”
