Ike and the 101st

This is a picture of Supreme Allied Commander Dwight D Eisnehower speaking to the men of the 101st Airborne on June 5, 1994, the day before the Landing at Normandy. This battle ranks among some of the most pivotal moments in the 20th century, along with the Fall of the Berlin Wall and the Moon Landing. They say that pictures are worth a thousand words. This picture, however is worth not just thousands of words, but thousands of lives. Had the landing at Normandy failed to establish a foothold in Northern France, World War 2 could have developed into a decades long stalemate. The large casualties caused by an amphibious landing would have prevented another one, and Hitler would have been able to use all of his forces to hold the Russians in. the paratroopers to which Ike is speaking played a crucial role in the victory of the Allies. They cut crucial supply, transportation, and communication lines, which prevented the Nazis from bringing their full strength to bear. This photo shows the stock that Ike put in these soldiers. He is making sure that they know exactly what is riding on them. And judging by history, they understood exactly what he was saying