‘The Battle of Normandy: 85 Days of Hell’ Remembers Largest Military Landing in History
Smithsonian Channel’s new documentary, The Battle of Normandy: 85 Days of Hell, airing on Thursday, June 6, uses unseen and rare images to give an intimate account of the battle that freed Europe from Nazi rule.
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One of the world’s foremost experts on World War II archives, Dominique Forget, has identified over 100 hours of previously unseen archival footage, including 20 hours from the battle itself, to reveal the Allies’ struggle to liberate Europe.
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June 6, 1944 – D-Day – began when the Allied forces of the United States, Britain and Canada landed in Normandy to beat back the German troops and liberate France.
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For 85 days, Allied troops fought the German Army in Northern France, establishing a presence they would never relinquish. This documentary allows viewers to experience this legendary moment in history from an authentic, never-before-seen point of view.
Courtesy of Smithsonian Channel Copyright 2019
Included are amateur movies from Capt. Raymond Anderson (a frontline soldier in the 35th U.S. Division from York, Nebraska), U.S. bombers embarking on their mission from the Lessay Airfield, General George S. Patton in Coutances and the emotional liberation of several Normandy towns by the Free French Army.
The Battle of Normandy: 85 Days of Hell, Premiere, Thursday, June 6, 8/7c, Smithsonian Channel
