June 6th, 1944 - D-Day. The most momentous day in the history of the 20th Century, possibly the modern age. Secure telex lines and printers began to clatter the length and breadth of Britain. The long wait was over – the great adventure was on. Thousands of servicemen began their preparations, making their peace in their own way. For them the longest day of their lives was about to begin.

“Les sanglots longs des violins de L’Automne” – the first lines of Verlaine’s poem “Chanson D’Automne” were broadcast by the BBC World Service on 1st June 1944 as a pre-cursor to the invasion. On receipt of these lines Resistance units up and down the coast of Normandy and others further inland, made ready – they now knew that the invasion was imminent. Their wait was a short but tense one – on 5th June the second set of lines was received – “Blessent mon coeur d’une longueur monotone” – this was it - the invasion would begin within 48 hours!

For four long years western Europe had suffered under the yoke of the Nazi war machine. Now was the hour when the allies were to start the process of liberation and set Europe and the world free. Immortalized in the classic film " The Longest Day ", and more recently " Saving Private Ryan " and " Band of Brothers " many thousands of young men fought fiercely for victory or simply for survival.

Written by  Ed Church.

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