黑料社

PARIS 鈥� On June 6, 1944, more than 150,000 Allied troops invaded the northern French coast, marking the start of France鈥檚 liberation from its Nazi occupiers.

It is remembered as a defining moment of World War II. Here are some little-known facts about 鈥渢he longest day鈥�:

鈥楨ROTIC ADVENTURE鈥�

鈥淲hen the Germans came, we told the men to hide. But when the Americans came, we had to hide the women!鈥�

The French joke refers to the 鈥渆rotic adventure鈥� that the US military promised American soldiers fighting in France, historian Mary Louise Roberts writes in 鈥淲hat Soldiers Do: Sex and the American GI in World War II France.鈥�

Propaganda painted France as 鈥渁 tremendous brothel inhabited by 40 million hedonists.鈥�

Readers of the US military newspaper Stars and Stripes could learn the French for 鈥淵ou are very pretty,鈥� 鈥淚 am not married,鈥� and 鈥淎re your parents at home?鈥� whereas the German vocabulary section offered phrases, such as 鈥淣o cigarettes!鈥� and 鈥淟ine up!鈥� Roberts explains.

American promiscuity sparked outrage in cities like Le Havre and Reims, where sexual acts 鈥渢ook place in parks, cemeteries, streets and abandoned buildings.鈥�

More than 150 American soldiers were tried for rape, most of them black men, underlining the racial discrimination at the time, Roberts said.

THREAT OF DEFEAT聽聽聽聽

With D-Day looming, the Allies prepared for the worst.

But Gen. Dwight Eisenhower, supreme commander of Allied forces in Europe and future US president prepared himself in advance for announcing a failure.

He penned a statement on June 5 entitled 鈥淚n case of failure,鈥� which said that 鈥渁ny blame or fault 鈥� is mine alone.鈥�

鈥淢y decision to attack at this time and place was based upon the best information available 鈥�. The troops, the air and the Navy did all that bravery and devotion to duty could do.鈥�

Allied forces quickly gained control of five points along an 80-kilometer front on beaches code-named Utah, Gold, Juno and Sword.

But at Omaha, heavy casualties earned the beach the somber nickname 鈥淏loody Omaha.鈥�

High cliffs there gave the Germans an immediate advantage.

Americans were left waist deep in rough seas as crashing water sank their landing craft, and some drowned.

Of the 34,000 Americans deployed, 2,500 were killed or wounded.

Some paratroopers drowned in 鈥渃atastrophic鈥� jumps, said French historian Jean Quellien, author of 鈥淭he Battle of Normandy.鈥�

Heavy equipment weighing 30 to 40 kilograms pulled them underwater.

INFLATABLE TANKS聽聽聽聽

鈥淔ake news鈥� might be considered a modern phenomenon, but the British led a deception campaign, code-named 鈥淥peration Fortitude,鈥� to try and fool the Germans into thinking the Allies planned to attack Scandinavia, then France鈥檚 Calais region, rather than Normandy.

Inflatable tanks were positioned on the British coast facing Calais, and metallic lures were used to make it appear to German radar that a large force was about to land near Calais.

Fake radio messages were leaked to German intelligence services.

Even after the D-Day landings on June 6, the Germans believed a second attack was planned in the Calais region.

Hitler eventually ordered troops to join the Normandy front.

鈥楥ODE TALKERS鈥櫬犅犅犅�

Communicating through coded messages would have taken too long during the landings and commanders couldn鈥檛 speak in English in case they were intercepted by the Germans.

Instead, the Americans used Native American 鈥渃ode talkers,鈥� especially the Comanche, who worked in their indigenous language.

John Parker, son of 鈥渃ode talker鈥� Simmons Parker, remembers that 鈥渂omber plane鈥� was translated as 鈥減regnant bird.鈥�

He said his father told him that in the Comanche language, 鈥渃razy white man鈥� meant Hitler.

LANDING IN . . . INDONESIA聽聽聽

In December 2018, the British postal service, Royal Mail, apologized after releasing a stamp commemorating D-Day鈥檚 75th anniversary showing American troops landing in Indonesia, then known as Dutch New Guinea.

鈥淲e would like to offer our sincere apologies,鈥� Royal Mail said. 鈥擜FP