In this second part of a two part D-Day special, author and combat historian Patrick O'Donnell joins me to discuss specific events of WWII and the D-Day landing. Patrick's book catalog is the result of years of making friends with former operatives of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS - predecessor to the Central Intelligence Agency) and veterans of various wars including those who participated in the D-Day landings at Normandy, France.
The show opens with General Dwight Eisenhower's speech to the troops before the launch of the invasion followed by authentic sounds of gunfire recorded at Normand in 1944.
Pat shares with listeners the tale of one OSS operative who was tasked to go deep into enemy territory alone to disrupt an German main supply route through the Italian Alps. When we transition to talking about D-Day we discuss what the landings meant for the world, and what the character traits that can be found in the men who took part in the landings, air drops, and the rest of the war. This is not a tactical battle study of the D-Day landings but an understanding of the significance of the event and the impact it would have on history and in the future alike.
Thought it would be another year before the war in Europe would end, the show closes with President Harry Truman's declaration of victory in Europe (VE).
https://www.patrickkodonnell.com/
http://thedropzone.org/index_back.html
Twitter handle: @combathistorian