0:00:03 > 0:00:06Hello and welcome to Southwick House in Hampshire.
0:00:06 > 0:00:1170 years ago, in June 1944, it was from here
0:00:11 > 0:00:15that the Allies planned the invasion of German-occupied France.
0:00:15 > 0:00:18It was the most audacious battle of modern history,
0:00:18 > 0:00:23that involved more than 150,000 troops on the first day alone.
0:00:23 > 0:00:26It saw the beginning of the end of the Second World War.
0:00:28 > 0:00:32It was called Operation Overlord but it's better known as D-Day.
0:00:32 > 0:00:34For all those who took part in it,
0:00:34 > 0:00:37and who gather for its 70th anniversary this Friday,
0:00:37 > 0:00:40it was a day they will never forget.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43It's a day I remember vividly
0:00:43 > 0:00:46for the noise, the spectacle of the whole thing.
0:00:46 > 0:00:49I mean, it was a gigantic operation.
0:00:49 > 0:00:52The sky was just black with aircraft.
0:00:52 > 0:00:56We were being fired at and shelled all the time, grenades thrown at us.
0:00:56 > 0:00:57Bodies falling.
0:00:57 > 0:01:01The headteacher came round and said to us,
0:01:01 > 0:01:04"This will be a day that you'll remember.
0:01:04 > 0:01:05"It's D-Day."
0:01:28 > 0:01:29Over the next four days,
0:01:29 > 0:01:32we will be charting the story of the build-up to D-Day
0:01:32 > 0:01:36and hear from those who took part in its planning and preparation.
0:01:37 > 0:01:39In today's programme,
0:01:39 > 0:01:41Dan Snow tells the story of the brave men
0:01:41 > 0:01:44who went into Normandy by air
0:01:44 > 0:01:47and meets current paratroopers on a training exercise.
0:01:49 > 0:01:53We'll hear from a veteran who crossed the Channel in a glider.
0:01:53 > 0:01:55It's just dark. It's pitch black.
0:01:55 > 0:02:00You can't really see the faces of the other people in the glider.
0:02:00 > 0:02:04If you had a watch, you couldn't tell the time, so you go on.
0:02:04 > 0:02:08James Holland assesses the crucial role that deception played
0:02:08 > 0:02:10in the success of D-Day.
0:02:12 > 0:02:14We were very importantly involved
0:02:14 > 0:02:17for the success of the D-Day landings.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20So, from this point of view, 70 years on,
0:02:20 > 0:02:22I think we did a very good job.
0:02:22 > 0:02:25And two women of the Royal Naval Service
0:02:25 > 0:02:28remember their time here at Southwick House.
0:02:29 > 0:02:32Everything was quiet and everything was gone.
0:02:33 > 0:02:35That was when we said, "What's happened?"
0:02:35 > 0:02:38and they said, "We've gone into France."
0:02:42 > 0:02:44Many of the remaining D-Day veterans
0:02:44 > 0:02:47still return to Normandy year after year.
0:02:47 > 0:02:51Five years ago, Harold Dudman decided to go back with his family,
0:02:51 > 0:02:54but they could not have predicted what happened next.
0:02:59 > 0:03:03I just heard this thing about this Heroes Return programme
0:03:03 > 0:03:07and they were talking about the 65th anniversary of D-Day.
0:03:07 > 0:03:11Now, bearing in mind my dad had never really talked about it,
0:03:11 > 0:03:14I didn't think he'd be the least bit interested.
0:03:14 > 0:03:18I told him about it and I was quite surprised, he was really quite keen.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25As part of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers,
0:03:25 > 0:03:28Harold landed on Sword Beach just days after D-Day.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34Throughout the rest of the war he travelled through France,
0:03:34 > 0:03:36into Belgium, and finally on to Germany.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41But it was to the very spot where he landed at Sword Beach
0:03:41 > 0:03:43that he wanted to return.
0:03:43 > 0:03:47We had been to Normandy once with friends of ours
0:03:47 > 0:03:49and walked along near Sword Beach
0:03:49 > 0:03:53and he couldn't see anything that he recognised.
0:03:53 > 0:03:57He said, "I'd like to find my beach one day but this is not it."
0:03:57 > 0:04:00For the 65th anniversary, Harold travelled to Normandy
0:04:00 > 0:04:03with his family and his 89-year-old-friend, Harry.
0:04:03 > 0:04:05They were like naughty schoolboys.
0:04:05 > 0:04:08When we got on the bus, they went straight for the back row.
0:04:08 > 0:04:11They were silly and giggly and noisy.
0:04:11 > 0:04:14- They had a ball. - They had a great time.- Yeah.
0:04:15 > 0:04:19- June the 5th, it was a lovely, sunny day, wasn't it?- Yes.
0:04:19 > 0:04:24- We started the day going to Ranville War Cemetery.- Yes.
0:04:24 > 0:04:30There were marching bands, then they re-enacted the parachute drops.
0:04:31 > 0:04:36- From the war cemetery, we went to Pegasus Bridge.- Yeah.
0:04:36 > 0:04:38And there were some serving soldiers
0:04:38 > 0:04:42who just, you know, from across the way recognised his tie
0:04:42 > 0:04:45and came over and shook his hand and were chatting to him,
0:04:45 > 0:04:48so he thought that was pretty great.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52Later that day, Harold returned to Sword Beach,
0:04:52 > 0:04:54searching for the exact spot where he landed.
0:04:56 > 0:04:58We went for a walk along the beach.
0:04:58 > 0:05:03And, even then, my dad was saying, "Are you sure this is Sword Beach?"
0:05:03 > 0:05:09He's looking up and down and he's like, you know, nothing clicked.
0:05:09 > 0:05:10Um...
0:05:10 > 0:05:15- Actually, I think at that point he was quite disappointed.- Yes.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18They drove away from the beach, but a road closure meant the coach
0:05:18 > 0:05:21was forced to make an unscheduled stop.
0:05:22 > 0:05:25He turned into a very small car park
0:05:25 > 0:05:27and said, "There is a bit more beach
0:05:27 > 0:05:32"just down that slope if anyone wants to get off, just for ten minutes."
0:05:32 > 0:05:34So I wheeled him down the slope.
0:05:35 > 0:05:38And...when we got to the bottom,
0:05:38 > 0:05:41he just said, "This is it. It was just there."
0:05:41 > 0:05:46He was... He absolutely knew it, 100%,
0:05:46 > 0:05:49that was the bit that he'd been looking for.
0:05:49 > 0:05:50Yeah, he was, um...
0:05:53 > 0:05:58It was almost as though he'd achieved what he wanted to do.
0:05:58 > 0:06:00It was... He...
0:06:00 > 0:06:03It sort of rounded everything off for him somehow.
0:06:05 > 0:06:09He was really thoughtful, sort of staring.
0:06:09 > 0:06:12He sat and he looked and, um...
0:06:13 > 0:06:17..he did say to me, "I've never been so scared in my life."
0:06:17 > 0:06:20- Which was... I'd never heard him... - No.
0:06:20 > 0:06:24I've never known my dad to be scared of anything. So, um...
0:06:24 > 0:06:26that was that.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30That evening came a surprise announcement.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33The following day, the veterans and their families were invited
0:06:33 > 0:06:35to have lunch with Prince Charles.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39Yeah, everyone was quite excited.
0:06:39 > 0:06:41They were all going back to give their medals
0:06:41 > 0:06:43one last polish for that.
0:06:44 > 0:06:48So we got back to the hotel and my dad, he said,
0:06:48 > 0:06:50"Oh, I need to get ready for tomorrow."
0:06:50 > 0:06:54He said, "I'm going to have a shave tonight and get everything ready.
0:06:54 > 0:06:57"But I'd like a cup of tea."
0:06:57 > 0:07:01So I left him, you know, doing whatever.
0:07:01 > 0:07:05Went down, brought them up a tray of tea, took it in,
0:07:05 > 0:07:08said good night, and went off.
0:07:23 > 0:07:26- It was awful.- It was awful. - It was absolutely awful.
0:07:26 > 0:07:31But, you know, when we look back, we think, "Well...
0:07:31 > 0:07:33"he had such a fantastic day."
0:07:33 > 0:07:37Oh, no, he did, he had a wonderful day.
0:07:37 > 0:07:41I think we realised that it had meant much more to him
0:07:41 > 0:07:43than any of us had any idea of.
0:07:43 > 0:07:47Finding his beach somehow closed a circle.
0:07:47 > 0:07:49And he went to bed really happy that night
0:07:49 > 0:07:52and looking forward to the next day.
0:07:52 > 0:07:58And I suppose you can't...you can't want for much more than that,
0:07:58 > 0:08:03than to go to bed happy, satisfied and just not wake up.
0:08:11 > 0:08:13Well, I'm joined by George Batts,
0:08:13 > 0:08:16who is the Secretary of the Normandy Veterans Association
0:08:16 > 0:08:19and also a D-Day veteran.
0:08:19 > 0:08:22It took you a very long time to go back to Normandy, didn't it?
0:08:22 > 0:08:23Yes, it did, firstly, 50 years.
0:08:23 > 0:08:25I didn't want to go back.
0:08:25 > 0:08:30And it was only, being quite honest, my wife died rather suddenly
0:08:30 > 0:08:33and I was left with nothing to do.
0:08:33 > 0:08:38And then a friend of mine, who joined up on the same day as me,
0:08:38 > 0:08:43and he landed in Normandy with me, he was...
0:08:43 > 0:08:46and we used to see each other a lot during that time.
0:08:46 > 0:08:49And he was dying of cancer and I went to see him
0:08:49 > 0:08:52and he asked me if I was a member of the association, I said no.
0:08:52 > 0:08:54And I won't tell you what he said,
0:08:54 > 0:08:58but you can imagine because he told me I was a silly billy boy. You know?
0:08:58 > 0:09:00In rather stronger language.
0:09:00 > 0:09:02And with it...
0:09:03 > 0:09:08..I really joined, I suppose, as a tribute to him
0:09:08 > 0:09:10because we were very, very close.
0:09:10 > 0:09:14And why did it take you so long to go back to Normandy?
0:09:15 > 0:09:19I just didn't want to, the feeling was still there.
0:09:19 > 0:09:20Like so many of we vets...
0:09:22 > 0:09:27..for quite a few years, we had nightmares in the mind all the time.
0:09:27 > 0:09:34And I suppose, subconsciously, I felt once I'd got over that
0:09:34 > 0:09:38I didn't want to come back in case the feeling came back.
0:09:40 > 0:09:43You know, it might be that or...
0:09:43 > 0:09:44I think it was that.
0:09:44 > 0:09:49And, since then, I've been back virtually every year.
0:09:49 > 0:09:52And, you know...
0:09:53 > 0:09:56..we always go on a pilgrimage for that,
0:09:56 > 0:09:58to remember the friends we left behind.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01And there was a lot of them.
0:10:01 > 0:10:03Of course, to be a Normandy veteran,
0:10:03 > 0:10:06you had to land between the 5th of June and the 21st of August.
0:10:06 > 0:10:11And so, in that time, over 19,000 killed,
0:10:11 > 0:10:13which is a heck of a lot.
0:10:13 > 0:10:17What was it like then, 51 years after D-Day,
0:10:17 > 0:10:19when you decided to return?
0:10:20 > 0:10:21Um...
0:10:21 > 0:10:24I'll tell you the complete story.
0:10:24 > 0:10:27It was my daughter and son-in-law...
0:10:27 > 0:10:31that said, "We're going on holiday," and I had two young grandsons then.
0:10:31 > 0:10:34And we went down on the beach
0:10:34 > 0:10:38and, of course, with the grandsons and their chatter, I didn't notice.
0:10:38 > 0:10:42And, all of a sudden, we were on Gold Beach and I did recognise it.
0:10:42 > 0:10:46And I walked in the middle of it
0:10:46 > 0:10:47and cried my eyes out.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52And that feeling still comes, you know,
0:10:52 > 0:10:55I could cry now with the memory of it.
0:10:55 > 0:10:56It must have been quite a moment
0:10:56 > 0:10:59when suddenly you're there with your grandchildren
0:10:59 > 0:11:02and, all of a sudden, you look up and you realise where you are.
0:11:02 > 0:11:05Yeah, it is. It's a heck of a shock.
0:11:05 > 0:11:08And silly little things happened,
0:11:08 > 0:11:10the two boys were very young then
0:11:10 > 0:11:12and they started to run after me
0:11:12 > 0:11:16and my daughter and son-in-law grabbed them and said, "Leave him!"
0:11:17 > 0:11:19So I cried.
0:11:21 > 0:11:25And they've got photographs of me, so I always cry, say I cried
0:11:25 > 0:11:29because they didn't let me play with my grandsons.
0:11:29 > 0:11:32George, we'll talk more about D-Day itself in a moment.
0:11:32 > 0:11:35But, first, the Normandy invasion had been years in the planning.
0:11:35 > 0:11:39James Holland takes a peek inside Southwick House here
0:11:39 > 0:11:41to find out how meticulous preparation
0:11:41 > 0:11:44and an elaborate deception campaign
0:11:44 > 0:11:47were vital for the success of the D-Day landings.
0:11:50 > 0:11:52As I look around Southwick House,
0:11:52 > 0:11:55it's amazing to think that, within these walls,
0:11:55 > 0:11:58decisions were made that would shape the course of world history.
0:12:00 > 0:12:02In the days leading up to the invasion,
0:12:02 > 0:12:06this place was teeming with staff, including all the key players -
0:12:06 > 0:12:08Admiral Ramsay, General Montgomery,
0:12:08 > 0:12:10Air Chief Marshal Leigh-Mallory
0:12:10 > 0:12:13and, of course, the Supreme Allied Commander himself,
0:12:13 > 0:12:14General Eisenhower.
0:12:14 > 0:12:17He was actually staying in a camp of caravans in the woods,
0:12:17 > 0:12:18just a stone's throw away.
0:12:18 > 0:12:21They now had one big decision to make -
0:12:21 > 0:12:23precisely when to launch D-Day.
0:12:27 > 0:12:32Their plan included launching 12,000 planes and 7,000 vessels,
0:12:32 > 0:12:35land 24,000 paratroopers into enemy territory
0:12:35 > 0:12:39and get over 150,000 British, American and Canadian troops
0:12:39 > 0:12:43across the English Channel and onto 50 miles of Normandy beaches.
0:12:46 > 0:12:48To plan and plot the progress of the invasion,
0:12:48 > 0:12:51this large plywood map of the English Channel
0:12:51 > 0:12:54had been commissioned from the firm Chad Valley Toys.
0:12:55 > 0:12:59This is an incredibly detailed map, which allowed anyone looking at it
0:12:59 > 0:13:02to see at a glance precisely what was going on.
0:13:02 > 0:13:04You can see here, this is Piccadilly Circus,
0:13:04 > 0:13:06the main assembly point for the invasion force,
0:13:06 > 0:13:09and you could then plot the progress of the assault forces
0:13:09 > 0:13:10as they crossed the Channel.
0:13:10 > 0:13:13The secrecy around this map was absolutely immense.
0:13:13 > 0:13:17And the planners were so concerned about a breach in security
0:13:17 > 0:13:18that the workmen that assembled it
0:13:18 > 0:13:22were actually detained here until after the invasion.
0:13:26 > 0:13:29Early on the morning of the 5th of June, 1944,
0:13:29 > 0:13:31General Eisenhower and the Allied Commanders
0:13:31 > 0:13:35gathered here, in this room, to make the final decision
0:13:35 > 0:13:38whether to launch the invasion the following day.
0:13:39 > 0:13:40The weather had been terrible
0:13:40 > 0:13:44and already the invasion had been postponed by 24 hours.
0:13:44 > 0:13:47And, to be honest, it didn't look great going forward either.
0:13:47 > 0:13:51For Eisenhower, this was an absolutely massive call
0:13:51 > 0:13:55and for a moment he just sat here, his head in his hands, in silence,
0:13:55 > 0:13:58while everyone waited for him to make up his mind.
0:13:58 > 0:14:03Then eventually he looked up and said, "All right, let's go."
0:14:07 > 0:14:12The vast and complex task of planning D-Day had taken two years.
0:14:12 > 0:14:15But it was as early as 1941
0:14:15 > 0:14:18that north-west Europe was identified for an invasion.
0:14:18 > 0:14:19But where, exactly?
0:14:22 > 0:14:23To pinpoint the location,
0:14:23 > 0:14:27RAF pilots took millions of top-secret aerial photographs
0:14:27 > 0:14:31to scrutinise every inch of the heavily-fortified coast.
0:14:32 > 0:14:36It was using optical instruments such as this stereoscope
0:14:36 > 0:14:39that expert photographic interpreters at RAF Medmenham
0:14:39 > 0:14:42were able to pinpoint the thousands of bunkers, gun positions
0:14:42 > 0:14:46and other coastal defences that made up the Atlantic Wall.
0:14:46 > 0:14:48But, for the Germans, it was almost impossible to defend
0:14:48 > 0:14:52every inch of the 3,000-mile coastline.
0:14:52 > 0:14:55And the Allies believed they had found a potential weak spot.
0:14:57 > 0:15:00The 50-mile stretch of Normandy beaches
0:15:00 > 0:15:03offered the best chance of success for an invasion.
0:15:03 > 0:15:06It had fewer defences than other areas and, crucially,
0:15:06 > 0:15:10an invasion there would take the enemy completely by surprise.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15Of course, the Germans knew there was going to be an invasion,
0:15:15 > 0:15:17just not where or when.
0:15:17 > 0:15:21And so the Allies put in place a set of highly sophisticated
0:15:21 > 0:15:25and multilayered deception plans, designed to convince the enemy
0:15:25 > 0:15:28the invasion could be anywhere but Normandy.
0:15:30 > 0:15:33Operation Fortitude saw the Allies create a phantom army
0:15:33 > 0:15:35in the south-east of England
0:15:35 > 0:15:38using dummy tanks, landing craft and aeroplanes,
0:15:38 > 0:15:41all designed to convince the German High Command
0:15:41 > 0:15:45that the real invasion would be further east, in the Pas-de-Calais.
0:15:46 > 0:15:50To keep up the pretence, key figures such as General George Patton
0:15:50 > 0:15:54were sent to inspect the entirely fictitious US First Army Group.
0:15:54 > 0:15:57There was also a network of double agents working for the Allies,
0:15:57 > 0:16:01feeding the Germans a web of lies and misinformation
0:16:01 > 0:16:04to divert attention away from the real invasion plans.
0:16:05 > 0:16:07But that was not all.
0:16:07 > 0:16:1170 years ago, Wing Commander John Bell was a bomb aimer
0:16:11 > 0:16:14with the famed 617 Dambusters Squadron.
0:16:14 > 0:16:15A month before D-Day,
0:16:15 > 0:16:19he and his crew were assembled for a top-secret deception mission.
0:16:19 > 0:16:22They began training straight away.
0:16:22 > 0:16:24But it wasn't bombs they would be dropping.
0:16:24 > 0:16:26This was a strange flying exercise,
0:16:26 > 0:16:29we didn't really know what it was about.
0:16:29 > 0:16:32Later in the month, of course, they introduced the...
0:16:32 > 0:16:34We were going to be dropping not bombs,
0:16:34 > 0:16:37we were going to be dropping this Window,
0:16:37 > 0:16:40Window, it's called, this metallic foil, aluminium foil.
0:16:40 > 0:16:44So here we were, flying along, dropping this Window
0:16:44 > 0:16:45is what we were told.
0:16:45 > 0:16:48So you were being instructed what to do, but not why you were doing it.
0:16:48 > 0:16:50Not why and even where.
0:16:52 > 0:16:55And it was not until June the 5th
0:16:55 > 0:16:57that we were all assembled for briefing
0:16:57 > 0:16:59and told exactly what we were doing.
0:17:01 > 0:17:04The mission required precise, close formation flying.
0:17:04 > 0:17:08At carefully timed intervals, the crew would drop Window
0:17:08 > 0:17:11over the Channel, creating a cloud of aluminium foil.
0:17:11 > 0:17:15Along with a flotilla of boats, this would fool German radar
0:17:15 > 0:17:19into thinking a large invasion fleet was moving towards the French coast
0:17:19 > 0:17:22but, crucially, east of the actual invasion beaches.
0:17:25 > 0:17:29- So, effectively, you were simulating a dummy invasion.- That's right.
0:17:29 > 0:17:31All very carefully devised by the scientists.
0:17:31 > 0:17:33So we thought, "We hope this works."
0:17:33 > 0:17:35It must have required a heck of a lot of skill!
0:17:35 > 0:17:38It was absolutely incredible that they could fly so accurately.
0:17:38 > 0:17:41I was a bomb aimer, so I was at the back,
0:17:41 > 0:17:44stuffing Windows through the flare chute.
0:17:44 > 0:17:48And after two hours they were relieved by another flight
0:17:48 > 0:17:52of eight Lancasters, and it was very carefully done and expertly flown.
0:17:53 > 0:17:55Meanwhile, the real invasion fleet
0:17:55 > 0:17:57was heading towards the Normandy coast.
0:17:59 > 0:18:03When I think about it, I think, yes, we were very importantly involved
0:18:03 > 0:18:07for the success of the D-Day landings.
0:18:07 > 0:18:10So, from this point of view, 70 years on,
0:18:10 > 0:18:11I think we did a very good job.
0:18:13 > 0:18:16The Allied deception plans were so successful,
0:18:16 > 0:18:19they not only achieved complete tactical surprise,
0:18:19 > 0:18:22but they convinced Hitler that Normandy was just a diversion
0:18:22 > 0:18:25away from the main assault further north.
0:18:25 > 0:18:28By the time he'd realised his mistake, it was too late.
0:18:38 > 0:18:42This Friday, on the 70th anniversary of D-Day,
0:18:42 > 0:18:44heads of state from around the world -
0:18:44 > 0:18:45the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh,
0:18:45 > 0:18:47Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall,
0:18:47 > 0:18:50and Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge -
0:18:50 > 0:18:54will be in Normandy to pay their respects at a series of events.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57HE PLAYS "LAST POST"
0:19:06 > 0:19:10The day will begin with a service at the Commonwealth Cemetery
0:19:10 > 0:19:13at Bayeux, and end with the British Veterans' event
0:19:13 > 0:19:17at Arromanches, by the beach that was known as Gold Beach on D-Day.
0:19:20 > 0:19:23George, you're going back to Normandy this year.
0:19:23 > 0:19:26- Who will you be going with? - I shall be going with my branch.
0:19:26 > 0:19:29Number 23 South East branch,
0:19:29 > 0:19:31of which I'm chairman, actually, as well. And...
0:19:33 > 0:19:37..we booked our coach about two-a-half years ago and our hotel
0:19:37 > 0:19:41because, as you know, there's no spaces left now,
0:19:41 > 0:19:44there hasn't been for a while, so we're lucky.
0:19:44 > 0:19:48But with it, we've got 52 going in the coach,
0:19:48 > 0:19:54and that is, er... 19 full Normandy vets,
0:19:54 > 0:19:57some wives, widows, friends.
0:19:57 > 0:20:00My grandson is going to look after me. Ha!
0:20:00 > 0:20:03Every anniversary is poignant, obviously,
0:20:03 > 0:20:05but this one is going to be particularly poignant for you
0:20:05 > 0:20:08because the Normandy Veterans Association is disbanding.
0:20:08 > 0:20:14Yes, we are, we've had to - because our average age is about 92.
0:20:14 > 0:20:15And, er...
0:20:16 > 0:20:20..at one time we had about 13,000, 14,000 members,
0:20:20 > 0:20:22we're now down to less than 600.
0:20:22 > 0:20:27It's a case of, I suppose, not wanting to but having to.
0:20:27 > 0:20:33But, although we're disbanding and laying up our standard,
0:20:33 > 0:20:37a lot of us are carrying on at our branches
0:20:37 > 0:20:40as a little social thing, so that every month, couple of months,
0:20:40 > 0:20:43we can get together, have a beer, a cup of coffee, a chat.
0:20:43 > 0:20:45And keep the friendship going,
0:20:45 > 0:20:48because the friendships that were formed in Normandy...
0:20:50 > 0:20:52A heck of a lot of them are still going today.
0:20:52 > 0:20:55And they're, you know... They will never be broken
0:20:55 > 0:20:57and so we are determined on that.
0:20:57 > 0:21:01And a lot of us are talking about going back to Normandy next year.
0:21:01 > 0:21:05It won't be official parades and that, we shall just be by ourselves.
0:21:05 > 0:21:09But this is the last year of official events.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12And how do you think you will react
0:21:12 > 0:21:15when the Veterans Association finally disbands?
0:21:16 > 0:21:19I'm going to be honest, I shall cry my eyes out.
0:21:19 > 0:21:22And I think nearly every other veteran will be.
0:21:22 > 0:21:26We'll try not to do it at a big event in Normandy,
0:21:26 > 0:21:29we'll do it in the privacy of our own home, if possible.
0:21:29 > 0:21:32But it is going to be a loss.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35We old codgers, we'll find something to do
0:21:35 > 0:21:36and we shall be keeping in touch.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41But, um, it will be sad...
0:21:42 > 0:21:46..not to be looking forward to going there on our yearly pilgrimage.
0:21:46 > 0:21:50- But impossible, isn't it?- Missed, but definitely not forgotten.
0:21:50 > 0:21:53No. No, nobody's going to forget us.
0:21:53 > 0:21:54They're not going to get a chance.
0:21:56 > 0:21:59We're determined!
0:21:59 > 0:22:01Well, it is, of course, the men who fought in Normandy
0:22:01 > 0:22:03who will be remembered on Friday.
0:22:03 > 0:22:05But, back on the Home Front,
0:22:05 > 0:22:08many women contributed to the success of D-Day.
0:22:08 > 0:22:10Marsie Taylor and Jean Leppard,
0:22:10 > 0:22:12who were both in the Women's Royal Naval Service,
0:22:12 > 0:22:15worked here at Southwick House.
0:22:19 > 0:22:22Marsie Taylor joined the Wrens in 1942
0:22:22 > 0:22:25and was involved in the planning for Operation Overlord.
0:22:26 > 0:22:28I was one of three Wrens
0:22:28 > 0:22:31and we started working on plans for Overlord.
0:22:31 > 0:22:34And we were typing the operation orders
0:22:34 > 0:22:36for the Army, Navy and Air Force.
0:22:36 > 0:22:39It was right in the hub of everything
0:22:39 > 0:22:41and we knew when the invasion was going to be
0:22:41 > 0:22:43and where it was going to be.
0:22:44 > 0:22:46It wasn't difficult to keep it secret.
0:22:46 > 0:22:49It sounds as though it would be difficult,
0:22:49 > 0:22:52but we knew so much, it wasn't like having a tiny secret.
0:22:52 > 0:22:55All I said when people asked me what I did in the Wrens,
0:22:55 > 0:22:58I just said I did intelligence work
0:22:58 > 0:23:00and they didn't ask any more questions
0:23:00 > 0:23:02and I didn't volunteer any more information,
0:23:02 > 0:23:04and that was that.
0:23:06 > 0:23:10Jean Leppard joined the Wrens just before her 18th birthday
0:23:10 > 0:23:13and left her home city of Leeds to work at Southwick House.
0:23:15 > 0:23:19Our duties were basically domestic duties.
0:23:19 > 0:23:24One of our jobs was to clean the map room.
0:23:25 > 0:23:28I remember cleaning in here,
0:23:28 > 0:23:33all round the plotters' desks.
0:23:33 > 0:23:36And we used to have to mop the floors
0:23:36 > 0:23:38and polish the brass
0:23:38 > 0:23:41and there was always one or two
0:23:41 > 0:23:44of the little ships from the map
0:23:44 > 0:23:46on the floor,
0:23:46 > 0:23:48which we'd pick up
0:23:48 > 0:23:50and stick on the map
0:23:50 > 0:23:54wherever we thought we'd like them to be.
0:23:56 > 0:23:59I assume they knew where everything should be.
0:24:01 > 0:24:04We didn't ever realise how serious it all was.
0:24:05 > 0:24:08For Marsie and Jean, life at Southwick House
0:24:08 > 0:24:11couldn't have been more different.
0:24:11 > 0:24:13I don't remember any social life,
0:24:13 > 0:24:15except there were a few other people
0:24:15 > 0:24:17billeted in the same lodge that I was.
0:24:17 > 0:24:19One was just busy
0:24:19 > 0:24:22and working, you know, long hours.
0:24:25 > 0:24:26It was exciting, yes.
0:24:27 > 0:24:31If you were lucky to get a whole day off,
0:24:31 > 0:24:33the sentry would stop a car
0:24:33 > 0:24:36and get them to take you into Portsmouth.
0:24:38 > 0:24:42If you stayed in Southwick, usually it was The Golden Lion.
0:24:42 > 0:24:45I can remember my 19th birthday
0:24:45 > 0:24:47was spent in The Golden Lion.
0:24:47 > 0:24:51The first time I'd ever had whisky.
0:24:51 > 0:24:52SHE CHUCKLES
0:24:52 > 0:24:55And I've never drunk whisky since!
0:24:56 > 0:24:59This wasn't Jean's only new experience.
0:24:59 > 0:25:01The Americans camped nearby
0:25:01 > 0:25:04had brought with them culinary delights.
0:25:04 > 0:25:07Sometimes if you were walking through the woods
0:25:07 > 0:25:09near the cookhouse,
0:25:09 > 0:25:11you might get a treat,
0:25:11 > 0:25:13like a chocolate fudge cake
0:25:13 > 0:25:15or something like that.
0:25:15 > 0:25:19It was the first time I'd ever tasted that, and it was wonderful.
0:25:23 > 0:25:26But, as D-Day approached, the tension mounted.
0:25:26 > 0:25:29We knew exactly when it was going to be,
0:25:29 > 0:25:32and so the atmosphere
0:25:32 > 0:25:36was very much tightened just beforehand.
0:25:37 > 0:25:40The atmosphere was very tense.
0:25:40 > 0:25:43Wherever you went, there was...
0:25:43 > 0:25:46People appeared to be waiting.
0:25:48 > 0:25:51I remember particularly
0:25:51 > 0:25:54I saw Eisenhower's car there,
0:25:54 > 0:25:56with his driver -
0:25:56 > 0:25:58it was a friend of mine, Kay Summersby.
0:25:58 > 0:26:02And, although I didn't realise it at the time -
0:26:02 > 0:26:04I was just nattering to her outside
0:26:04 > 0:26:06while she was sitting waiting for him -
0:26:06 > 0:26:08Eisenhower was there
0:26:08 > 0:26:13to decide if they went on the early hours
0:26:13 > 0:26:16of the morning of the 6th of June.
0:26:16 > 0:26:18It turned out to be rather a momentous occasion.
0:26:20 > 0:26:23People of Western Europe.
0:26:23 > 0:26:26A landing was made this morning on the coast of France
0:26:26 > 0:26:28by troops of the Allied Expeditionary Force.
0:26:29 > 0:26:32This landing is part of a concerted United Nations plan
0:26:32 > 0:26:34for the liberation of Europe.
0:26:35 > 0:26:37PLANE ENGINE HUMS
0:26:37 > 0:26:39One heard the planes go over,
0:26:39 > 0:26:41the terrific noise of them,
0:26:41 > 0:26:44and realised, "Ah, OK, it HAS started.
0:26:44 > 0:26:48"All we've been working for has actually started."
0:26:48 > 0:26:50Yes.
0:26:51 > 0:26:54Everything was quiet and everything was gone.
0:26:54 > 0:26:57That was when we said, "What's happened?"
0:26:57 > 0:27:00And they said, "We've gone into France."
0:27:01 > 0:27:04Keep your faith staunch.
0:27:04 > 0:27:06Our arms are resolute.
0:27:06 > 0:27:08Together, we shall achieve victory.
0:27:12 > 0:27:15I liked it, I really enjoyed my time away like that.
0:27:17 > 0:27:20I wouldn't have changed the experience for anything.
0:27:24 > 0:27:27Never again did I have such an interesting job.
0:27:29 > 0:27:33That was the most interesting and exciting part of the war from me.
0:27:42 > 0:27:44George, you were just 18 years old
0:27:44 > 0:27:47when you went to Normandy. You were with the Royal Engineers.
0:27:47 > 0:27:48With the Royal Engineers, yes.
0:27:48 > 0:27:50I went over on landing ship infantry
0:27:50 > 0:27:54with the assault craft round the sides of the ships.
0:27:54 > 0:27:57And we left in Newhaven, in the dark,
0:27:57 > 0:28:01and, quite frankly, we didn't know where we were going,
0:28:01 > 0:28:05because the only people who had all the maps and the details
0:28:05 > 0:28:07were the senior officers,
0:28:07 > 0:28:11and we youngsters, we were doing as we were told.
0:28:11 > 0:28:16And eventually got off at the coast of Normandy.
0:28:17 > 0:28:20And it's a thing I'll never forget.
0:28:22 > 0:28:25We saw the gliders and everything going over.
0:28:25 > 0:28:28I've never seen so many barrage balloons in all my life,
0:28:28 > 0:28:30because every ship had them.
0:28:30 > 0:28:31And, er...
0:28:33 > 0:28:35You know, we were waiting.
0:28:35 > 0:28:40Of course, the first lot went in about half past seven in the morning
0:28:40 > 0:28:42and there was like a misty fog
0:28:42 > 0:28:44over the whole of the beach
0:28:44 > 0:28:46and it was from the cordite and everything
0:28:46 > 0:28:49being thrown up and that.
0:28:49 > 0:28:52And then I landed about 11 o'clock.
0:28:52 > 0:28:55Front ramp of the assault craft went down
0:28:55 > 0:28:58and we ran to get off the beach.
0:28:58 > 0:29:01And, as we were going in,
0:29:01 > 0:29:04you know, the noise, you can't describe it, it was phenomenal.
0:29:04 > 0:29:08And, of course, there were landing craft being blown up,
0:29:08 > 0:29:10and God-knows-what vehicles on the beach.
0:29:10 > 0:29:13And that moment when you come off the landing craft
0:29:13 > 0:29:15and you're going up the beach,
0:29:15 > 0:29:17I mean, do you remember that incredibly vividly?
0:29:17 > 0:29:19I do.
0:29:19 > 0:29:22Of course, we had a heck of a lot of kit on
0:29:22 > 0:29:26and running on sand is always difficult.
0:29:26 > 0:29:29But we've often said since
0:29:29 > 0:29:33that we broke the four-minute mile before Roger...
0:29:33 > 0:29:34Before anybody.
0:29:34 > 0:29:37Because you did, you literally wanted to get off.
0:29:39 > 0:29:44And it's amazing how fast you can go
0:29:44 > 0:29:46when you're scared stiff,
0:29:46 > 0:29:50and I don't care who it was, we were scared.
0:29:50 > 0:29:53Because you didn't know whether you were going to live or die.
0:29:53 > 0:29:55And, you know, at 18, who wants to die?
0:29:55 > 0:29:58But you lost a lot of people that day, didn't you, on those beaches?
0:29:58 > 0:30:00There was.
0:30:00 > 0:30:02It's reckoned that on D-Day alone
0:30:02 > 0:30:05there was around about 4,500 killed...
0:30:06 > 0:30:08..which is a lot of people.
0:30:08 > 0:30:13Well, George, extraordinary to hear, 70 years later,
0:30:13 > 0:30:16such vivid memories told by somebody who was there on D-Day.
0:30:16 > 0:30:18Thank you very much for sharing it.
0:30:18 > 0:30:20Thank you very much for having me to do it.
0:30:20 > 0:30:22Thank you.
0:30:22 > 0:30:26Just a few hours before the first troops made it onto those beaches,
0:30:26 > 0:30:28more than 23,000 men
0:30:28 > 0:30:32had landed in Normandy by air in the dead of night.
0:30:32 > 0:30:35Dan snow looks at how this airborne assault
0:30:35 > 0:30:37paved the way for the invasion.
0:30:40 > 0:30:45On the 5th of June, 1944, on airfields across England,
0:30:45 > 0:30:4724,000 airborne troops
0:30:47 > 0:30:50prepared themselves for operations behind enemy lines.
0:30:53 > 0:30:57They were tasked with securing or destroying vital German positions,
0:30:57 > 0:31:00things like bridges, crossroads, or artillery.
0:31:00 > 0:31:04The lives of the men that would be assaulting the beaches
0:31:04 > 0:31:07would depend on the success or failure of these operations.
0:31:09 > 0:31:12One of those targets was a bridge over the Caen Canal,
0:31:12 > 0:31:15four miles inland from Sword Beach.
0:31:15 > 0:31:17It was codenamed Pegasus.
0:31:21 > 0:31:25Spearheading the assault were 180 men of the British 6th Airborne Division.
0:31:27 > 0:31:29They were assigned to capture Pegasus Bridge
0:31:29 > 0:31:32and defend it against German counterattack.
0:31:32 > 0:31:35Theirs would be the opening battle of D-Day.
0:31:35 > 0:31:39If they failed, British forces would be dangerously exposed.
0:31:42 > 0:31:45The soldiers would be taken to their objective
0:31:45 > 0:31:47in six Horsa gliders.
0:31:47 > 0:31:49Now, these were very primitive aircraft -
0:31:49 > 0:31:51they were made out of wood with no engine,
0:31:51 > 0:31:55they were designed to be towed to the French Channel coast
0:31:55 > 0:31:59then released and glide down towards their target.
0:31:59 > 0:32:01They would crash-land,
0:32:01 > 0:32:04then anyone who survived that ordeal would jump out,
0:32:04 > 0:32:08take the fight to the Germans and seize Pegasus Bridge.
0:32:11 > 0:32:14The mission relied on months of meticulous planning
0:32:14 > 0:32:17using 3-D reconnaissance photographs.
0:32:17 > 0:32:19A scale model was created of the area
0:32:19 > 0:32:23and even a film simulating the gliders' approach to Pegasus Bridge.
0:32:24 > 0:32:26Even with all that planning,
0:32:26 > 0:32:28there was still huge amount that could go wrong.
0:32:28 > 0:32:30After all, they were attacking a well-defended bridge
0:32:30 > 0:32:32deep behind enemy lines.
0:32:32 > 0:32:36As they boarded their aircraft on the night before D-Day,
0:32:36 > 0:32:39many of them wondered whether they'd come back alive.
0:32:48 > 0:32:50Operating behind enemy lines in this way
0:32:50 > 0:32:52requires an elite fighting unit.
0:32:52 > 0:32:55So I've come to this airfield in the Highlands
0:32:55 > 0:32:57to see exactly how it's done today.
0:32:59 > 0:33:01Now, in just a few minutes
0:33:01 > 0:33:03I'm going to witness a major NATO exercise -
0:33:03 > 0:33:06there's going to be an air assault right here.
0:33:06 > 0:33:08It's a great opportunity to look at the way
0:33:08 > 0:33:10that some of the techniques, some of the tactics
0:33:10 > 0:33:12that were at the heart of the D-Day invasion
0:33:12 > 0:33:15are still being used today.
0:33:16 > 0:33:181,600 troops of the Parachute Regiment,
0:33:18 > 0:33:22supported by forces from 16 Air Assault Brigade,
0:33:22 > 0:33:25had been tasked with capturing the airfield.
0:33:25 > 0:33:28But it won't be easy - the area is well-defended.
0:33:30 > 0:33:31Just like 70 years ago,
0:33:31 > 0:33:35aerial reconnaissance is vital before any landings can take place.
0:33:35 > 0:33:37Jets have been flying over with cameras,
0:33:37 > 0:33:39providing as much information as possible
0:33:39 > 0:33:41to the planners back at headquarters.
0:33:41 > 0:33:44And, of course, before any troops get on the ground,
0:33:44 > 0:33:47you've got Apache helicopter gunships coming in,
0:33:47 > 0:33:48striking any targets on the ground
0:33:48 > 0:33:50that might be useful for the defenders.
0:33:52 > 0:33:57To land troops, the modern equivalent of the glider is the helicopter.
0:33:57 > 0:33:59These five Merlin helicopters
0:33:59 > 0:34:01are carrying the troops of the first wave.
0:34:01 > 0:34:03Now, just like the gliders back in 1944,
0:34:03 > 0:34:07they're going to get those soldiers as close as possible to their target.
0:34:17 > 0:34:19You can see the infantry running out now.
0:34:19 > 0:34:21They're straight onto their target,
0:34:21 > 0:34:24they've got the element of surprise and speed.
0:34:28 > 0:34:32These guys are now tasked with securing this target, this location.
0:34:32 > 0:34:36At Pegasus Bridge, they had to move with extreme speed
0:34:36 > 0:34:37to try to secure that bridge
0:34:37 > 0:34:40before the Germans could blow it up or defend it.
0:34:48 > 0:34:50This is the second wave coming in now,
0:34:50 > 0:34:53bringing specialist equipment,
0:34:53 > 0:34:55heavier weapons,
0:34:55 > 0:34:58and that's what was going on throughout D-Day.
0:34:58 > 0:35:00More and more airborne troops landing
0:35:00 > 0:35:02until you had enough people
0:35:02 > 0:35:05to defend themselves against German counterattacks.
0:35:06 > 0:35:09To understand how it feels to be involved in an assault like this,
0:35:09 > 0:35:12I've met up with Lance Bombardier Richard Jackson.
0:35:13 > 0:35:16When you're in those helicopters, approaching,
0:35:16 > 0:35:17what do you try and think about?
0:35:17 > 0:35:19I try and think about the mission aim and the objective.
0:35:19 > 0:35:22Obviously there's always the fear of failure as well.
0:35:22 > 0:35:23So make sure everything works
0:35:23 > 0:35:26and everything's perfect for the mission to go properly.
0:35:26 > 0:35:28So, I mean, it's the same, I suppose,
0:35:28 > 0:35:30if you'd been approaching Pegasus Bridge 70 years ago,
0:35:30 > 0:35:32you're just thinking, "What's my job?
0:35:32 > 0:35:35"As soon as I get on the ground, what do I need to do?"
0:35:35 > 0:35:36Oh, yeah, of course.
0:35:36 > 0:35:38They knew they were going in blind,
0:35:38 > 0:35:41they didn't have any backup, no heavy weapons, stuff like that.
0:35:41 > 0:35:44So, yeah, to go in like that is very brave.
0:35:44 > 0:35:46So what was your job?
0:35:46 > 0:35:50I was prepared to call in NGS, Naval Gunfire Support,
0:35:50 > 0:35:53on proposed targets in the surrounding area.
0:35:53 > 0:35:55Because that was a job that guys like you were doing on D-Day.
0:35:55 > 0:35:58They were calling in naval gunfire from the ships out at sea
0:35:58 > 0:36:00to attack targets on the land.
0:36:00 > 0:36:01Yeah, they did, yeah.
0:36:01 > 0:36:04And obviously technology has pushed on further now,
0:36:04 > 0:36:07so it's made it a little bit easier for ourselves to do it these days.
0:36:07 > 0:36:10Obviously back then it was a lot harder.
0:36:13 > 0:36:15These guys here are in a defensive posture.
0:36:15 > 0:36:17They're effectively still in enemy territory,
0:36:17 > 0:36:18they're basically surrounded.
0:36:18 > 0:36:21But paratroopers are meant to be surrounded,
0:36:21 > 0:36:23they can hold out like this for hours, perhaps even for days,
0:36:23 > 0:36:26until the heavy support arrives.
0:36:29 > 0:36:30After nearly an hour,
0:36:30 > 0:36:33the airborne troops have secured their target,
0:36:33 > 0:36:37just as they did 70 years ago at Pegasus Bridge.
0:36:38 > 0:36:39Then, they charged into battle
0:36:39 > 0:36:42after landing just metres from their target.
0:36:42 > 0:36:45It took them only ten minutes to overwhelm the German defenders.
0:36:47 > 0:36:48In the early hours of D-Day,
0:36:48 > 0:36:50the commander of the troops at Pegasus Bridge
0:36:50 > 0:36:55was able to go on the radio and issue the code words "Ham and Jam".
0:36:55 > 0:36:59They meant Pegasus Bridge had been captured.
0:37:04 > 0:37:0670 years ago, Para Geoff Pattinson
0:37:06 > 0:37:09was also preparing to cross the Channel in a glider.
0:37:09 > 0:37:12His target was a German gun battery
0:37:12 > 0:37:14just a few miles from Pegasus Bridge.
0:37:14 > 0:37:16But things didn't quite go to plan.
0:37:19 > 0:37:23In 1943, Geoff Pattinson joined the newly-formed
0:37:23 > 0:37:279th Parachute Battalion of the 6th Airborne Division
0:37:27 > 0:37:30We were told what was expected of us
0:37:30 > 0:37:32in terms of physical drive
0:37:32 > 0:37:34and endurance.
0:37:34 > 0:37:38And we did loads of route marches,
0:37:38 > 0:37:41jumping out of a Whitley aircraft.
0:37:41 > 0:37:44It was very physically demanding.
0:37:44 > 0:37:47We thought we were a little bit special.
0:37:47 > 0:37:50We thought we were the best.
0:37:50 > 0:37:53The 9th Battalion were tasked with destroying
0:37:53 > 0:37:56the heavily-fortified Merville Gun Battery,
0:37:56 > 0:37:59whose large guns could threaten the British landings
0:37:59 > 0:38:01at Sword Beach on D-Day.
0:38:02 > 0:38:06We did the training on the dummy battery
0:38:06 > 0:38:09and we did it day in and day out, night-time,
0:38:09 > 0:38:12to replicate what we might expect
0:38:12 > 0:38:14on the actual landing itself.
0:38:16 > 0:38:17After that training,
0:38:17 > 0:38:21it was decided that the method of attack
0:38:21 > 0:38:25would also entail three gliders.
0:38:26 > 0:38:29The plan was to land three Horsa gliders
0:38:29 > 0:38:31inside the gun battery's perimeter
0:38:31 > 0:38:34to coincide with the main assault.
0:38:34 > 0:38:36Volunteers were called for.
0:38:36 > 0:38:38Nobody stood back.
0:38:38 > 0:38:39We all went forward,
0:38:39 > 0:38:41but the thought in my mind, really, was,
0:38:41 > 0:38:44"Well, everybody's going forward, we'll go forward together."
0:38:44 > 0:38:46That's what you do.
0:38:46 > 0:38:49And so I was one of the 60 picked.
0:38:50 > 0:38:55In the early hours of D-Day, the paratroopers took off for Normandy.
0:38:56 > 0:39:00A glider compartment for passengers is just dark,
0:39:00 > 0:39:01it's pitch black.
0:39:01 > 0:39:06You can't really see the faces of the other people in the glider,
0:39:06 > 0:39:09if you had a watch you couldn't tell the time,
0:39:09 > 0:39:11and so you go on.
0:39:11 > 0:39:14So you don't really know how long you've been in the air.
0:39:16 > 0:39:17It was all quiet,
0:39:17 > 0:39:20as each had his own thoughts.
0:39:20 > 0:39:23The other lads were thinking probably the same as me -
0:39:23 > 0:39:26"What's going to happen? Are you going to let your mates down?
0:39:26 > 0:39:29"Will you be all right when you get there?
0:39:29 > 0:39:30"Are we going to survive?"
0:39:33 > 0:39:34When we were going down,
0:39:34 > 0:39:37and we were getting ready for the landing,
0:39:37 > 0:39:39everybody was tensed up and ready to go.
0:39:39 > 0:39:42We were getting ready to get out the door
0:39:42 > 0:39:43and meet whatever was your fate.
0:39:48 > 0:39:50But they hadn't landed in Normandy as expected,
0:39:50 > 0:39:52they were in Hampshire.
0:39:54 > 0:39:56We'd come down
0:39:56 > 0:39:58because the tow rope had broken, we'd discovered,
0:39:58 > 0:40:02and that we were not in France.
0:40:02 > 0:40:04A real anticlimax,
0:40:04 > 0:40:07all your pent-up emotions have drained out of you.
0:40:07 > 0:40:10You just... Well, you didn't know what to think.
0:40:13 > 0:40:15But D-Day wasn't over for Geoff.
0:40:15 > 0:40:19That evening, he boarded another glider landing at Ranville.
0:40:20 > 0:40:23After fighting off German counterattacks,
0:40:23 > 0:40:27Geoff was sent to defend the area around the Chateau Saint Come.
0:40:27 > 0:40:31The sergeant had got Corporal Jack Watkins
0:40:31 > 0:40:33and he told him to take me
0:40:33 > 0:40:37and to go round the back of the stables of the chateau,
0:40:37 > 0:40:39to seek out any movement at all
0:40:39 > 0:40:44and to report back to the sergeant in the chateau.
0:40:48 > 0:40:50Corporal Watkins, who was in front of me,
0:40:50 > 0:40:52and we were keeping along,
0:40:52 > 0:40:55keeping close to the stables,
0:40:55 > 0:40:58and all of a sudden he said, "Stop.
0:40:58 > 0:40:59"Stop."
0:41:00 > 0:41:02And he said, "When I say, 'Run,'
0:41:02 > 0:41:04"run back to the stables."
0:41:05 > 0:41:07And all of a sudden he said, "Run."
0:41:10 > 0:41:14When he ran, I just spotted several of them there
0:41:14 > 0:41:18and, as we started off, they started firing.
0:41:18 > 0:41:20I thought to myself, "Keep going,"
0:41:20 > 0:41:25and that's when it felt that everything was red-hot
0:41:25 > 0:41:26at the back of my legs
0:41:26 > 0:41:29and it knocked me to the stable floor.
0:41:29 > 0:41:33There was blood coming out all over the place.
0:41:33 > 0:41:36And I realised then that I'd been shot.
0:41:38 > 0:41:40Geoff had been shot in both legs
0:41:40 > 0:41:42but it could have been much worse.
0:41:42 > 0:41:44Jack was very sharp there. He...
0:41:44 > 0:41:46He probably saved our lives.
0:41:48 > 0:41:51His injuries meant he was evacuated back to England,
0:41:51 > 0:41:53but his war wasn't over.
0:41:53 > 0:41:56The next year, he parachuted into Germany.
0:41:58 > 0:42:01I wasn't all that keen on being in action again.
0:42:03 > 0:42:07But that, I'm afraid, is a soldier's role. Any soldier.
0:42:07 > 0:42:10He's wounded, he's mended,
0:42:10 > 0:42:12and he goes back to war.
0:42:12 > 0:42:14That's what we do.
0:42:19 > 0:42:20That's it from us for today.
0:42:20 > 0:42:24Tomorrow, we'll be looking at the atmosphere here on the south coast
0:42:24 > 0:42:27in the run-up to D-Day.
0:42:27 > 0:42:29The whole area
0:42:29 > 0:42:32was overrun with American soldiers.
0:42:32 > 0:42:34It was... You know, they were everywhere.
0:42:37 > 0:42:38James Holland goes underground
0:42:38 > 0:42:40to explore the secret tunnels
0:42:40 > 0:42:43that housed the operation's nerve centre.
0:42:47 > 0:42:50Dan Snow looks at the role of the Navy
0:42:50 > 0:42:52during the Normandy invasion.
0:42:54 > 0:42:56And we meet a Normandy veteran
0:42:56 > 0:43:00who honours the sacrifice of servicemen past and present.
0:43:01 > 0:43:03I've been to them all, except one.
0:43:05 > 0:43:07They should, er...
0:43:07 > 0:43:09be remembered,
0:43:09 > 0:43:10there's no doubt about that.
0:43:12 > 0:43:14Join me again tomorrow morning
0:43:14 > 0:43:16when I'll be at Fort Southwick in Portsmouth,
0:43:16 > 0:43:20D-Day's underground command headquarters.
0:43:20 > 0:43:21Goodbye.