The Longest Day

This Saturday is June 6th – the 65th anniversary of the Allied landings on the beaches of Normandy, perhaps the greatest invasion landing force ever launched. Precious few of those who were there survive today to tell their story to this generation.

Do we encourage our students to commemorate this event? Or realize its significance? There are a variety of ways to learn more about D-Day. For instance, the students could be directed to websites with veteran interviews:

-Veterans History Project
-National D-Day Memorial
-American Experience

Or, some interesting and readable books that would pique the interest of the students. While many books on this subject are available, some of my favorites are:

-D-Day June 6, 1944: The Climatic Battle of World War II, by Stephen Ambrose
-True Stories of D-Day, by Henry Brook
-D-Day Survivor, by Harold Baumgarten
and my personal favorite:
-The Longest Day, by Cornelius Ryan

There are also a lot of films available concerning D-Day. The History Channel will undoubtedly be running some shows, and some of the many movies available are:

-Saving Private Ryan
-Band of Brothers

and, The Longest Day DVD

I usually listen to segments of the 24-hour radio broadcast to get the idea of the excitement over the invasion caused by the news releases of the day. The collection is located through a link near the bottom of the page on our Social Studies website.

For primary resources on D-Day, visit NARA where they have lessons and materials on the invasion, including Eisenhower’s letter that he wrote ‘in case of failure’.

What does my June 6th look like? Some radio, and watching The Longest Day with my family – pretty much an annual event in our household.

Essential Question: What could our teachers and students do to personally recognize D-Day?

Photo Resources:

Dday 01. Landing Craft: NARA
Dday 01. The Longest Day book by Cornelius Ryan
Dday 03. Eisenhower Note: NARA

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