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For my Dad... I believe history is about places, places that, all over the world, evoke memories of school, books, friends, family, travel. For me, it's always the same. I imagine the size of these places, the atmosphere, the light...
Documentary on the D-Day Normandy landings, focusing on Omaha Beach and personal stories of American soldiers in 1944.
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Key Takeaways
- Normandy was strategically chosen for its beaches and weaker German defenses compared to Pas-de-Calais.
- The D-Day landings were the largest amphibious military operation in history, involving 156,000 Allied troops.
- Omaha Beach saw some of the fiercest fighting and highest casualties among the landing sites.
- Personal stories, like that of medic Edward Morozewicz, humanize the scale and sacrifice of the operation.
- Despite heavy bombardment, German defenses remained strong, making the landings extremely deadly.
What the video covers
- The video explores the historic Normandy landings on June 6, 1944, focusing on Omaha Beach.
- It highlights the strategic reasons for choosing Normandy over Pas-de-Calais.
- The documentary shares personal stories, especially of Edward Morozewicz, a medic of Polish origin.
- It explains the military divisions involved, including the experienced 1st Infantry Division and the less experienced 29th Infantry Division.
- The video discusses Operation Neptune and Operation Fortitude as key parts of the Allied invasion plan.
- It covers the challenges faced during the landing, including strong German defenses and ineffective bombardments.
- The role of weather and postponement of the landing from June 5 to June 6 is explained.
- The documentary includes insights from historian Florent Plana and references to veterans’ accounts.
- It describes the intense combat conditions, including the use of bunkers and the heavy casualties suffered.
- The emotional impact on soldiers and their families is also addressed through letters and personal recollections.
Chapters
- 00:00Introduction and Personal Reflection on History
- 02:04Overview of the Normandy Beaches and Context
- 03:46Strategic Decision to Choose Normandy
- 05:34Military Divisions and Roles at Omaha Beach
- 07:57Personal Story of Edward Morozewicz
- 10:12Training and Preparation of Soldiers
- 11:38Operation Details and Weather Challenges
- 13:33German Defenses and Combat Conditions
- 20:33Aftermath and Soldier Experiences
- 40:37Emotional Impact and Reflections on Omaha Beach
Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown
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but once I'm there I can't help but think about the people who have walked before me, imagining myself in their shoes, visualising...
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But once I'm there, I can't help but think about the people who have walked before me, imagining myself in their shoes, visualizing...
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34,000 American soldiers landed at 6:30am, kicking off the most ambitious military landing in history.
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So, today I got up early, very early... to go to one of the most famous historic sites in the world to follow the story of those who were washed up here. Welcome to Normandy, where 79 years ago to the day,
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Adolf Hitler's Third Reich occupied France and much of Europe After the beginning of the conflict, which had worked to their advantage, the German army was in trouble and was losing ground on all fronts.
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34,000 American soldiers landed at 6:30 a.m., kicking off the most ambitious military landing in history.
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For several months the head of the Soviet government, Joseph Stalin, had been calling for the creation of a second front in Western Europe.
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Spread over 5 beaches between the English Channel and Calvados, 5 beaches, one of which was to become the most famous and where I stand today: Omaha Beach. First, a little context for everyone. In 1944, almost 5 years into the war,
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This historic landing was based on experience gained during operations in Dieppe, North Africa and Sicily.
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Adolf Hitler's Third Reich occupied France and much of Europe. After the beginning of the conflict, which had worked to their advantage, the German army was in trouble and was losing ground on all fronts.
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this was called Operation Fortitude. 5 beaches were chosen for the landings, all of which were given a code name, and one of which would go down in history for the blood that was shed there Omaha Beach The beach was divided into different sectors.
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After the United States entered the war, the Allies picked themselves back up and the tide seemed to be turning.
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and was considered to be one of the most experienced divisions in the American army in the spring of 1944.
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For several months, the head of the Soviet government, Joseph Stalin, had been calling for the creation of a second front in Western Europe.
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But on the eve of the Normandy campaign the Big Red One's ranks had been thinned by previous operations and it had to be manned with reinforcements.
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The most important thing to remember is that on 23 January 1944, the Supreme Allied Command, headed by the American General Dwight D. Eisenhower, after considering an operation in the Nord Pas de Calais, chose Normandy as the location for the most daring military landing in history.
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At first glance, there was nothing special about him, he was just another young man of Polish origin born in New Jersey, working since he was 17, and like many young people of his generation, he was called up for military service in April 1943 on the eve of his 21st birthday
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This historic landing was based on experience gained during operations in Dieppe, North Africa, and Sicily.
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but when he was drafted, time was taken to prepare these young men for their first action Those close to him described him as a rather outgoing, cheerful young man.
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So, why Normandy? Normandy was chosen because of its wide, deep beaches, its proximity to the deep-water ports of Le Havre and Cherbourg, and the fact that it was an area less defended than Nord Pas de Calais. The Allies misled the Germans to believe that the landings were still taking place in the Pas-de-Calais.
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At the beginning of 1944, he left for England from New York to join the American troops already there, who were busy preparing Operation Neptune the code name given to the landings At the time, Britain had become a giant open-air military camp
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This was called Operation Fortitude. Five beaches were chosen for the landings, all of which were given a code name, and one of which would go down in history for the blood that was shed there: Omaha Beach. The beach was divided into different sectors.
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He was among the first to land on Omaha Beach on the 6th of June 1944.
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The western part was entrusted to the inexperienced 29th Infantry Division, elements of the 2nd and 5th Ranger Battalions, and the eastern part of the beach to the most experienced 1st Infantry Division. The Big Red One played a crucial role during the landings
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Operation Neptune mobilised 156,000 Allied troops The beaches of Utah and Omaha were given over to American troops including 34,000 GIs for Omaha alone.
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and was considered to be one of the most experienced divisions in the American army in the spring of 1944.
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At 2:30am they both joined their landing ship off the coast of Normandy with the rest of the company in stormy seas The objective for Edward and his comrades was clear the beach had been divided into several sectors and they would land on Easy Red, on the front line
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This division, which had existed since the First World War, had been put to the test several times since the start of the war, landing in North Africa in November 1942 and in Sicily in July 1943.
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To better understand what happened on the beach that day we went to meet guide Florent Plana For years, Florent has been talking to American veterans of the Second World War and their families and has been researching archives to find out what happened to these young men
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But on the eve of the Normandy campaign, the Big Red One's ranks had been thinned by previous operations and it had to be manned with reinforcements.
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On this one, there would've been around 40 soldiers After there is the 61 and further along the 60 Which were in place to protect this entrance to the beach which was renamed E3 'easy three' There are five entrances to Omaha Beach over eight kilometres
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This was the case of Edward Morozewicz, Eddy as his friends and family called him.
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So not only would you have barbed wire, you'd have minefields, you'd have mortars, artillery, machine guns And this WN62 where we are now, was shooting until, or so I’ve been told, until the early afternoon...
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At first glance, there was nothing special about him. He was just another young man of Polish origin, born in New Jersey, working since he was 17, and like many young people of his generation, he was called up for military service in April 1943 on the eve of his 21st birthday.
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The aerial bombardments didn’t work, the Navy was firing on them but they're... they are bunkers that are several metres thick, they're bomb proof.
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At the time, military training lasted around 17 weeks. He learned how to handle a weapon, discipline, everything a soldier needs to know before a military operation. The duration of basic training varied from camp to camp throughout the war,
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and at 6:30 am, when Edward Morozewicz disembarked with his company WN62's machine guns were ready to fire with an unobstructed view of the beach As the ramp of the barge opened, the front line was completely wiped out As a medic, Edward was at the back of the barge and managed to escape from the sinking ship
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but when he was drafted, time was taken to prepare these young men for their first action. Those close to him described him as a rather outgoing, cheerful young man.
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when you see dozens of soldiers trying to protect themselves being shot at Half of them have been shot, there's blood everywhere, there must be screams, the sound, the smell, all that, I mean it must be...
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He wrote many letters to his family back in New Jersey. After this initial training, he received specific training to become a medic. He therefore would have no weapons and would have the heavy task of taking care of his injured comrades.
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- Well they had a lot of losses in North Africa and Sicily, but you're right, you've still got guys here who are veterans of North Africa and Sicily, so they've got experience.
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At the beginning of 1944, he left for England from New York to join the American troops already there, who were busy preparing Operation Neptune, the code name given to the landings. At the time, Britain had become a giant open-air military camp.
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And then in Oklahoma I met the last veteran who was in the first round, probably from the 29th, who landed in the Easy Red sector and was several kilometres away from his sector.
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Edward Morozewicz was posted to F Company, Second Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division.
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well I think so, in any case the few veterans from the 29th that I met who arrived in the Big Red One sector, yeah, they told me about it bodies.... blood .... the sound of bullets, mortar shells....
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He was among the first to land on Omaha Beach on the 6th of June 1944.
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and his job, along with Charles Shay, was looking to be a very tricky one.
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Now I need to tell you about the operation itself. For the operation to be a success, they needed good weather, and early June 1944 was deemed the most suitable time. First scheduled for the morning of 5 June, it was postponed to 6 June because of a storm.
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realised that the lads were going to be sucked into the sea so for several hours he had to get the lads out of the water to shelter, all whilst under German fire - Does that mean he was going back and forth between the dune and the sea?
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Operation Neptune mobilized 156,000 Allied troops. The beaches of Utah and Omaha were given over to American troops, including 34,000 GIs for Omaha alone.
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he has to make sure the guys are out of the water and if we put ourselves right here, you'll see that in less than 5 minutes, if you're wounded on the ground, now you're under the water, you'll see how quickly it happens
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The men were loaded aboard large troop carriers. Edward was on board the USS Henrico with another combat medic from his unit, Charles N. Shay. As they were both medics, they did not carry weapons and their main task was to take care of the wounded.
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- So we're going to take a moment to discuss the equipment, because the soldiers landed They're on the beach, they have loads of equipment, the major decided to give them more equipment than usual so that they could be as self-sufficient as possible
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At 2:30 a.m., they both joined their landing ship off the coast of Normandy with the rest of the company in stormy seas. The objective for Edward and his comrades was clear: the beach had been divided into several sectors and they would land on Easy Red, on the front line.
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which would have made it very difficult for them to move around easily When the guys disembarked, most of them had an M1 Garand there were lots of different types of equipment, but the M1 Garand was a very well-known weapon
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They had to take advantage of the aerial and naval bombardment, which was supposed to destroy the German defenses in order to take possession of the beach and allow the rest of the troops and equipment to land and set up a beachhead on the Normandy coast.
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behind the cliff edges or under cover to unpack the gun and start shooting So they didn't have any weapons to fire for the most part until they got here and as you've seen, at low tide, the coast is a long way away
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To better understand what happened on the beach that day, we went to meet guide Florent Plana. For years, Florent has been talking to American veterans of the Second World War and their families and has been researching archives to find out what happened to these young men.
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The work of the medics on the beach was therefore perilous between the equipment and the tide which washed away the men, the equipment and, of course, there was the German fire While treating soldiers on the beach, Edward Morozewicz was hit in the stomach
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He took us to casemate WN 62, the bunker where Edward and his comrades landed. So here we are on the WN62, which in German is Widerstandsnest 62, which translates to 'resistance nest 62.' And on Omaha Beach, there are 14 fortifications or 'resistance nests.'
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it was clear the first waves of the landings were pinned down by enemy fire Of the 2,500 men in Edward and Charles' 16th infantry regiment, almost 1,000 were killed, wounded or missing on D-Day The men lost their lives as well as their equipment
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On this one, there would've been around 40 soldiers. After there is the 61 and further along the 60, which were in place to protect this entrance to the beach, which was renamed E3 'easy three.' There are five entrances to Omaha Beach over eight kilometers.
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was about to divert the reinforcements planned for the next tide to the beaches of Utah and the British sector, which would have been catastrophic for the allies Then, supported by the fire of the warships and the successive reinforcements brought in by barges
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There you have the entrance E3 and F1, and on the other side the other three entrances. It's the only way out of the beach with the heavy equipment, tanks, trucks. So the Germans secured these entrances and you can see that from here we overlook the beach and the plateau too that allows you to get out.
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The other breakthroughs followed in the afternoon The toll at Omaha on the evening of this first day was terrible with 5,000 dead, wounded and missing Edward was one of them So this is the monument to the First Infantry Division on the WN62
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So not only would you have barbed wire, you'd have minefields, you'd have mortars, artillery, machine guns. And this WN62 where we are now was shooting until, or so I’ve been told, until the early afternoon...
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Because that's what the American army considered to be the Normandy campaign, even though in August they were still in Normandy, but elements of the American army started to move towards Brittany, so from 24 July onwards it was called The Northern France Campaign
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It would become the last 'resistance nest' to fall on the 6th of June 1944. This stronghold was well in place when the Allied assault began...
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- That's right, a few hundred metres from here. Before saying goodbye after this first day with Florent he told me that Charles Shay, Edward's friend, had survived the Normandy campaign and the Second World War and was still alive today, and on top of that, he lived... in Normandy
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The aerial bombardments didn’t work. The Navy was firing on them, but they're... they are bunkers that are several meters thick, they're bomb proof.
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Especially not one who participated in the Normandy landings and who knew Edward Morozewicz In the meantime, I'm joining Florent, who wants to show me another spot that only he, or almost only he, knows about Welcome to the hamlet of Sainte Anne, connected to the town of Tour en Bessin
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You can hide in them. The Navy could fire on them, you'll be safe in them for several weeks. I mean, you could fire on these bunkers, they won't blow up. It's strong stuff. Because of the unpredictable weather, the aerial and naval bombardments proved completely ineffective.
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the other here and to the south of the Route Nationale 13. And they were expecting a counter-attack from the south except that they didn't know that there were Germans who had been scattered between the German and American lines
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And at 6:30 a.m., when Edward Morozewicz disembarked with his company, WN62's machine guns were ready to fire with an unobstructed view of the beach. As the ramp of the barge opened, the front line was completely wiped out. As a medic, Edward was at the back of the barge and managed to escape from the sinking ship.
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he was Captain John Semanchyk he was still a lieutenant at the time He fought in the North African campaign, got a Silver Star in North Africa, fought in the Sicilian campaign, got another Silver Star.
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He was up to his waist in water and hid behind obstacles on the beach as he began to understand the hell that was unfolding around him. But when you think that it was just here...
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John served with the 26th Infantry Regiment the same regiment that relieved Charles and Edward's regiment on the evening of 6 June 1944.
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When you see dozens of soldiers trying to pr...
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- So that was the day the Germans attacked from behind? - Exactly We obtained these daily reports from Captain Semanchyk's I Company from the American archives These reports provide logistical and practical information as well as an account of the losses suffered by the company
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the reports were signed every day by Captain John M Semanchyk When we opened the page of the report for the morning of 9 June it did indeed mention a German attack that had taken place in the evening and announced the death, disappearance and injury of several soldiers,
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including the company captain, John M Semanchyk with the initials KIA, for KILLED IN ACTION as well as the probable time of death, 11.30pm That day's report was signed by his first lieutenant, who had taken over command This confrontation may resemble others that took place at this time in the war
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But for me it is representative of the precarious situation in which the American soldiers found themselves in the Normandy countryside in what was known as the 'Battle of the Hedgerows' The fact that they were ill-prepared for the topography of the terrain
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added to the discomfort of the situation experienced by the GIs The men lived in difficult conditions, governed by the cold, lack of sleep and food as the men had to make do with combat rations and sometimes struggled to find water
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The same applied to the constant fear of coming under fire and being hit The terrain quickly became a source of anxiety and terror for these young soldiers The Normandy countryside of tall, thick hedges became a formidable fortress in which the Germans were entrenched in order to defend the territory they knew by heart
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having occupied it since 1940 The terrain also made it difficult for the troops to coordinate their efforts As a result, it was not uncommon for German formations to find themselves behind the American lines which was the case for John M Semanchyk's company
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In the first days of the landings, 1,900 Allied soldiers were killed every day on the Normandy front The war in the countryside was a war of the senses The din of combat mingled with the heavy silence of waiting,
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the cool nights and the rain The empty stomach never satiated and the prospect of death everywhere all set against the green backdrop of nature The enemy seemed invisible, hidden in the embankments, or waiting around the corner I found the account of a soldier who was here
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and there was a lot of confusion Where were the German lines? Where were the American lines?
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They had Americans on both sides of the road And at one point he panicked, got into his manhole and just waited, curled up and waited he said there was shooting everywhere, the Americans were shooting at each other... It was a big mess.
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- Because it was the middle of the night as well... - It was the middle of the night, so I personally don't know what he did.
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I'm waiting to find his account. Maybe Pierre-Louis will have it. Now, Florent was intriguing me so to find out more about what happened I got in touch with Pierre Louis Gosselin the founder of a museum dedicated to the Big Red One
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But before I left Florent, I asked him a final question about the veterans and in particular about their desire to tell their story Even today, when you meet 98 or 99 year old veterans, they can tell you the names of all their comrades.
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They'll tell you "he was killed at such and such a place..." and then you see their tears, and it feels like it just happened yesterday.
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For me, these are things you never get over. The trauma. The guys I met were shaken up. They had never talked about it.
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Some of them still. When I went to their house, they were fully closed off.
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Their families tried to approach me: "Florent, try to come to the house, maybe Dad will tell you about it..." but they were very guarded...
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So I left Florent, after these two fascinating excursions and headed off as planned to the Big Red One museum a few kilometres away And I have to admit that at this moment I was pretty stressed, I was waiting for a reply for an interview with Charles Shay, the veteran who knew Edward
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I've got my fingers crossed and I hope he responds. We've had our obstacles, it's not easy sometimes...
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But if we get it, it'll be a crazy story. And most importantly, I've never met a veteran, there's that too...
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99 years old... it may be one of his last... Now we've prepared the questions for Charles Shay, we're going to send them to him and see if he agrees to answer our questions or not.
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So we're keeping our fingers crossed. Pierre Louis is the founder of the Big Red One museum not far from Colleville sur Mer a collector since the age of 9, for years he has been amassing objects and information each more interesting than the last, about the Big Red One
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we met the day before, off camera, and he kindly agreed to open his museum and his collection to me When I told him about the skirmish at Sainte Anne, he took me to the back of his museum, to discover a piece that was... astonishing
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All the objects here belong to Captain Fred Edwin Andrews, who was chaplain with the 2nd Battalion, 26th Regiment, all this was recovered from his family in the United States.
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The chaplain... He was responsible for giving Masses to the soldiers in his company, but also for reassuring and delivering the last rites to the men who lost their lives The special role who some men, a little too superstitious,
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did not want to see for fear of a warning sign Edwin Andrews was also a member of the 26th Infantry Regiment, along with Captain Semanchyk and also took part in the North African and Sicilian campaigns paths that crossed until the fateful evening of 8 June 1944
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Everything is really his, from the helmet to the satchel. He stayed on the beach for a day and a half because there were so many soldiers killed.
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He did his job as chaplain: giving the last rites, encouraging the wounded... His battalion had even advanced on Formigny, so of course he joined them just afterwards, and the battalion continued on its way to Maule via Tour-en-Bessin so he followed them all the way to Tour-en-Bessin
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- Wow, ok... And this chaplain, he also went to St Anne? - Yes - OK. So the night the Germans arrived...
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- He was in the area, yes. - And he survived? - He survived that, he even went as far as Caumont L'Eventé, it was even his battalion that liberated the town of Caumont on the 13th of June They stayed in Caumont for a month
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and were relieved on the 14th of July 1944. They then had a few days' rest before launching Operation Cobra at the end of July 1944.
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- Is it possible that if he had been there on the of 8 June with John Semanchyk, he would have given him the last rites?
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- Definitely - Wow... While John Semanchyk's story may resemble those of many American soldiers of the time, it also brings to mind the harsh reality of the fighting that took place in the days following the landings.
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Coming across the uniform of this chaplain, who belonged to the same regiment and had been in the same sector, makes me want to investigate the fate of John M Semanchyk even further Was he awarded any medals? Do we have details of the circumstances of his death?
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As I record this video, I have made a request to the American military archives for access to his military file and the daily report of his company even if 80% of the military files were burnt in a fire in 1973
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I am hopeful of learning more about this captain from Pensylvania who died on the night of the 8th June 1944 If I have any news, I'll share it with you live on my Twitch channel Before leaving Pierre Louis and his museum,
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I receive some news Here, I'll check my phone while we wait. The suspense... Ok perfect.
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She just said "ok perfect". I'm just waiting for the answer. Fingers crossed... Unbelievable. Charles Shay has read the email, he's agreed to a short interview tomorrow at 5:30pm!
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Let's go! Well done! Amazing! Before the interview, it's important to know that Charles is of Native American origin and grew up on a reserve At the time of the landings on Omaha Beach, he was barely 20 years old
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and because of his origins he didn't have the right to vote, but he did have the right to risk his life on the front line on D-Day What Charles makes clear here is the long wait on board the landing craft,
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waiting for their orders, in a stormy sea, these little boats would sail around in circles for several hours waiting for the operations to start a wait that would leave a deep mark on the soldiers and their memories, such as the terrible seasickness,
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the sound of bullets and shells and, of course, the fear So Charles was there, accompanying his friend Edward Morozewicz to the very end administering a dose of morphine, easing his pain and trying to reassure him until his last breath
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The story you've just heard was not told to Edward's family for over 70 years 70 years in which his family didn't know how, when or why Edward lost his life But in 2016 Edward's sister, Rose Morozewicz, met Charles here in Normandy
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and was finally able to shed light on the circumstances of her brother's death Waking up among the men who lost their sight on 6 June, is a memory that Charles will cherish for the rest of his life, along with the faces of those he tried to care for, like that of his friend Edward
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The time has come for us to say goodbye to Charles, whom I'd like to thank for his availability and kindness, at the age of 99 he opened the door to his home and his memories and took the time to share them with me,
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to share with us, what he experienced on 6 June 1944 It was an exchange that lasted almost an hour, and I'll be publishing it on this channel in a few days' time, so that you can understand the whole of his personal, professional and military life
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so that you can get to know Charles Norman Shay a little better. Before leaving, I made a final stop at the Colleville-sur-Mer American cemetery where there are more than 9,000 graves of American soldiers who died during the Normandy operations
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9,000 including that of Captain John M Semanchyk of Pennsylvania who died on the 8th of June 1944 and of course that of Private First Class Edward Morozewicz who died on the morning of the 6th June 1944 in the arms of his friend
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Omaha is a place like no other just like the rest of the beaches in Normandy To tell you the truth, the director of this video, Alex, was visiting Omaha for the first time and he told me about the special feeling
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he had when he saw this beach for the first time And I think that's also what history is about: creating our own perception of a place with the help of the work of historians.
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Feeling it, hearing it, observing it. It's up to us to make it our own, in our own way So don't hesitate to come to Normandy, because these dunes have a lot to teach you.
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English Subtitles: Lucy Brown
Topics:D-DayNormandy LandingsOmaha BeachWorld War IIOperation NeptuneOperation FortitudeAllied InvasionEdward Morozewicz1944Military History
