| Imagine: What if today's American TV news had been | | | | suffer 1,200 dead on this beach alone as Operation |
| there to cover D-Day, June 6, 1944? | | | | Overlord stumbles onward. Back to you, Peter |
| "Good morning, this is Peter Jennings at ABC News in | | | | Jennings." |
| Washington with this special report. The War | | | | Peter Jennings: "We now are receiving reports from |
| Department is confirming this morning that Operation | | | | the small French village of St. Mere Eglise, where we |
| Overlord, the Allied invasion of Normandy, is now in | | | | understand Allied paratroopers began to drop last night. |
| motion. Unfortunately, the news from the battleground | | | | The news from there is dire. Scores of U.S. |
| is grim for American forces. Despite attacking with the | | | | paratroopers have accidentally landed in the town |
| largest military force in history, the Allies appear to | | | | square and are being slaughtered by German soldiers |
| have lost this battle before it has begun. We start our | | | | before the Americans can free themselves from their |
| coverage with reporter Terry Moran, who is | | | | parachutes. Now we go to Katie Couric for a preview |
| embedded with U.S. Army forces at a stretch of | | | | of this morning's 'Today Show.' I'm not sure why we're |
| Normandy that the War Department has designated | | | | going to Katie Couric, since she works for NBC, but |
| 'Omaha Beach.'" | | | | such is the fog of war. Katie?" |
| Terry Moran: "Peter, here at Omaha Beach, everything | | | | Katie Couric: "Thank you, Peter. This morning on |
| that could have gone wrong has gone wrong. The | | | | 'Today' we will ask the question that is on every |
| Allies sent 29 amphibious support vehicles to this site. | | | | American's mind: Is Operation Overlord the first Allied |
| Of those, 27 have sunk. We are pinned down by | | | | failure against Adolf Hitler? For that answer, we turn to |
| German gunfire. In addition, we now know the entire | | | | NBC's chief military analyst, Ret. Gen. Barry |
| beach is heavily mined along its six-mile expanse. | | | | McCaffrey. What is your take, General?" |
| Observers tell us they expect that more than 2,400 | | | | Gen. Barry McCaffrey: "Paratroopers are missing their |
| Allied soldiers will die in the next few hours. We now | | | | targets. Landing craft are arriving late. And now we |
| go to reporter Martha Raddatz, who is embedded with | | | | are getting estimates that as many as 14,000 French |
| forces at Utah Beach." | | | | civilians will die in this brutal, fruitless attack upon the |
| Martha Raddatz: "News is no better for the Allies here | | | | European continent. What can I say? If Operation |
| at Utah Beach. A navigational error placed Allied | | | | Overlord was to have any chance at all against these |
| forces several miles to the north of their intended | | | | formidable German defenses, everything had to go |
| landing site. As a result, the Allies are running into less | | | | perfectly. Instead, everything has gone haywire. The |
| resistance than expected, but they are also giving the | | | | Roosevelt Administration must accept that this mission |
| Germans an opportunity to strengthen their defenses | | | | has failed, that we cannot possibly mount another |
| before the attack is joined. It appears that the Allies | | | | operation of this magnitude, and that we must consider |
| have committed the crucial mistake that will cost them | | | | suing for peace with Hitler. This morning, Katie, I truly |
| the war. Now we shift to Juno Beach and reporter | | | | fear for America." |
| Dan Harris." | | | | Katie Couric: "Speaking of fear, don't miss tonight's |
| Dan Harris: "Here at Juno Beach, the Allies are having | | | | breathtaking episode of 'Fear Factor'. Share the thrills |
| to deal more with reefs and shoals than with bullets | | | | as that 'Yankee Doodle Dandy' James Cagney |
| and grenades. The landing crafts arrived too late to | | | | attempts to tap dance blindfolded atop a 70-foot |
| avoid these natural barriers. As a result, an estimated | | | | flagpole while Hollywood starlet Tallulah Bankhead |
| 30 percent of the crafts have been crushed before | | | | confronts her loathing of clothing. That's all tonight. ..." |
| they could reach the shoreline. The Allies likely will | | | | Copyright 2003 by W.O. Cawley Jr. |