Saving Private Ryan vs. History

Saving Private Ryan vs. History

Saving Private Ryan vs. History The movie’s main character is Captain John H. Miller, who is played by Tom Hanks, he’s commanding officer of C Company, 2nd Ranger Battalion, and he assembles a group of soldiers and slowly penetrates the German defenses, leading to a breakout from the beach. (History in Film, Online) The History On 6 June 1944 the Western Allies landed in northern France, opening the long-awaited "Second Front" against Adolf Hitler's Germany. They had been fighting for nine months in Italy, but this Normandy invasion was much more important, setting the stage to drive the Germans from France and ultimately destroy the National Socialist regime. (Normandy Invasion, Online) “It had been four long years since France had been overrun and the British compelled to leave continental Europe, three since Hitler had attacked the Soviet Union and two and a half since the United States had formally entered the struggle. After an often seemingly hopeless fight, beginning in late 1942 the Germans had been stopped and forced into slow retreat in Eastern Europe, defeated in North Africa and confronted in Italy. U.S. and British bombers had visited ruin on the enemy's industrial cities. Allied navies had contained the German submarine threat, making possible an immense buildup of ground, sea and air power in the British Isles”. (Normandy Invasion, Online) Plans to go back to France, though hard to do, were now possible. Detailed operation plans were in hand. Troops were well-trained, many ships were accumulated, and local German forces battered from the air. Fake Operations were made to confuse the Germans as to where, when, or how the attack would unravel. (Normandy Invasion, Online) Commanded by U.S. Army General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Normandy assault phase, code-named "Neptune" (the entire operation was "Overlord"), was launched when weather reports predicted satisfactory conditions on 6 June. Hundreds of amphibious ships and craft, supported by...

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