LONGEST DAY, THE 223
postponements of the invasion. Col. Thompson (Eddie Albert) tells Gen. Norman
Cota (Robert Mitchum) that the operation is likely about to start, “providing the
weather doesn’t get any worse.” Lt. Col. Benjamin “Vandy” Vandervoort ( John
Wayne) meets with Brig. Gen. James M. Gavin (Robert Ryan) and expresses his
concern about the planned paratrooper drop zone his men have been assigned.
He wants it changed but relents when Gavin informs him that the chances that
Operation Overlord will commence shortly “are better than 50–50.” On the Ger-
man side, Gen. Erich Marcks (Richard Münch) predicts the Allies will do the unex-
pected and attack at Normandy (the longest distance across the En glish Channel)
and in bad weather. Gen. Dwight Eisenhower (Henry Grace) and his top generals
are briefed by Royal Air Force (RAF) meteorologist Group Capt. J. N. Stagg (Pat-
rick Barr), who predicts a win dow of moderately decent weather. Ike asks Sir
Bernard L. Montgomery (Trevor Reid) his opinion. Monty says, “Go! Go!” The moon
and tides won’t be favorable again until July so Ike decides to proceed with the
invasion. Gen. Gavin briefs his pathfinder paratroopers. An RAF airborne officer
demonstrates “Rupert,” a paradummy decoy loaded with fireworks that go off when
it lands. It is hoped that many Ruperts will divert German defenders away from
real paratroopers. Vandervoort briefs his men about signaling each other with
“crickets” (i.e., clickers) once they land in their drop zone. French re sis tance fight-
ers are stunned to get the coded radio transmission that the invasion is on; they
break out weapons and move out. The Germans intercept coded radio messages
indicating the invasion will start in the next 24 hours; the 15th Army is put on
alert. At midnight over Normandy, Major Howard’s (Patrick Jordan) glider detach-
ment releases from their towing planes to land. Their mission, to secure the stra-
tegically vital Pegasus Bridge on the Orne River before the Germans can blow it
up, proves successful. Caen, 1:07 hours: German AA guns open up on Allied trans-
ports dropping airborne troops as German ground troops muster. The Ruperts do
their job, fooling the Germans into mistakenly diverting troops. French re sis tance
fighters cut German phone lines and team up with British airborne troopers to blow
up a train carry ing German reinforcements. Sainte- Mère- Église, 2:03 hours: U.S.
paratroopers of the 82nd Airborne Division jump in force. One group overshoots
its landing zone and lands in the town square, where they are slaughtered by wait-
ing German troops. Pvt. John Steele (Red Buttons) lands on the pinnacle of a
church tower and hangs suspended, watching in horror as the carnage unfolds
below him. At a coastal bunker Wehrmacht Maj. Werner Pluskat (Hans Christian
Blech) phones headquarters to report hundreds of Allied planes in the skies. Vander-
voort breaks his ankle jumping and discovers that his paratroopers have missed
their drop zones and are scattered all over. German Field Marshall Gerd Von
Rundstedt (Paul Hartmann) requests that reserve panzer divisions be mobilized
to counter the invasion, but Col. Gen. Alfred Jodl (Wolfgang Lukschy) refuses to
release them without Hitler’s permission— and the Fuhrer is asleep and not to be
disturbed. French Cmdr. Philippe Kieffer (Christian Marquand) leads his comman-
dos into battle. Pluskat looks out from his bunker with binoculars and suddenly
sees hundreds of ships approaching. He exclaims, “The invasion— it’s coming!”
Soon the Allied warships begin shelling. Omaha Beach, 6:32 hours: the landings