("What if" in History - No. 3) June 1, 1944: NEW YORK TIMES breaks OPERATION OVERLORD

Free Republic ^ | 12/25/2005 | Origionally Posted by Doug from Upland

[AirBorn]

("What if" in History - No. 3) June 1, 1944: NEW YORK TIMES breaks OPERATION OVERLORD DFU "what if" in history | June 1, 1944 | Jonathon Risen (fictitious name)

Posted on 12/26/2005 7:15:58 PM PST by doug from upland

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Jonathon Risen, New York Times Dateline: France June 1, 1944

The NEW YORK TIMES, always first with breaking news, has discovered that a daring invasion is planned on the coast of France on June 5 in an effort to liberate the courageous and valiant French citizens from the Nazis. If the weather conditions are not right, we have learned that Gen. Dwight Eisenhower may delay the invasion for a day.

OPERATION OVERLORD will be a massive Allied invasion of Western Europe that will include simultaneous landings on five beachheads by U.S., British, and Canadian forces.

When Eisenhower's chief meteorologist, James Martin Stagg, informs the general of a break in the weather, Eisenhower will announce -- “O.K. We'll go.”

Within hours of the decision to go, an armada of 3,000 landing craft, 2,500 other ships, and 500 naval vessels--escorts and bombardment ships--will began to leave English ports. At night, 822 aircraft, carrying parachutists or towing gliders, will roar overhead to the Normandy landing zones. They will be just a fraction of the air armada of 13,000 aircraft that will support "D-Day."

The largest of the D-Day assault areas, Omaha Beach, stretches over 10 km (6 miles) between the fishing port of Port-en-Bessin on the east and the mouth of the Vire River on the west. The western third of the beach is backed by a seawall 3 metres (10 feet) high, and the whole beach is overlooked by cliffs 30 metres high.

Utah Beach is the westernmost beach of the planned five landing areas. It will be assaulted by elements of the U.S. 4th Infantry Division. In the pre-dawn hours, units of the 82nd and 101st airborne division will be airdropped inland from the landing beach. Their plan is to isolate the seaborned invasion force from defending German units.

Sword Beach is the easternmost beach of the five landing areas of the planned invasion. It will be assaulted by units of the British 3rd Division, with French and British commandos attached. Shortly after midnight on D-Day morning, elements of the 6th Airborne Division will launch a daring glider-borne assault, hoping to seize bridges inland from the beach and also silence artillery pieces that could threaten the seaborne landing forces.

H-Hour (the time the first assault wave is to land) at Gold Beach is set for 0725 hours, one hour later than the scheduled landings on the American beaches owing to the direction of the tide, which move from west to east and bring high water later to the British beach.

Juno Beach is the second beach from the east among the five landing areas of the invasion. The Canadian 3rd Infantry Division will invade Juno Beach.

Sources have told us that this invasion could be the beginning of the end for the Nazis. Although TIMES editors held a meeting to discuss whether this information should be reported, it was decided unanimously that it is news and our first obligation is to journalism and reporting the story. We do hope, of course, that Allied casualties are kept to a minimum.

Count on the NEW YORK TIMES for all your war coverage. If it's news, we will have it first.

[mainepatsfan]

That and the pilots for bombing them.

[Polybius]

Goebbels would have played them like a fiddle.

Someone IS playing them like a fiddle today!

I disagree.

Today, the American liberal news media, just as Goebbels used to be, are the fiddlers and not the fiddle.

[Dilbert56]

Don't forget Victor Davis Hanson's parody on the results .

[mainepatsfan]

He had a classic article about how we'd react to Pearl Harbor today.

[DBrow]

I see your point of view.

I have wondered, though, how things get coordinated so well- with all of these high strung fiddlers, don't you ever wonder who the conductor is?

[Polybius]

I see your point of view. I have wondered, though, how things get coordinated so well- with all of these high strung fiddlers, don't you ever wonder who the conductor is?

You don't need a conductor. You just need to show up at the fiddle festival to play with other fiddlers who share the same goal.

The goal of both is to defeat the American war effort. The terrorists play their fiddle by planting IED's and murdering civilians and the liberal news media plays their fiddle by acting as their force multipliers by portrayinmg the war effort to the American Home Front in the worst possible light.

It's an extremely easy tune to follow.

Terrorist atrocity: Ignore.

Misconduct by American forces: Equivalent to Nazi Germany.

Total defeat of the Iraqi Army: Yawn.

Almost ten times less American deaths in the entire Iraq War than American deaths in the Battle of the Bulge alone: Military catastrophe.

You can follow that tune with a kazoo.

[DBrow]

Thanks, a great way to look at it!

[Old_Mil]

Although TIMES editors held a meeting to discuss whether this information should be reported, it was decided unanimously that it is news and our first obligation is to journalism and reporting the story. We do hope, of course, that Allied casualties are kept to a minimum.

All very realistic except for the last paragraph. There would have been no meeting, and certainly no wish that Allied casualties were kept to a minimum.

[AirBorn]

Actually-- This is a RE-post--as I mentioned.

I managed to find it from the other FREEPER who had the smarts to put it up!

I PM'ed him--to tell him/her-that I think it should be Re-posted--and IF I didn't hear from them--I'd do it and give them the credit--so I eneded up posting it - with my name-by their name on the credit posting..

But know what now too??

Look at what's happened with HADITHA!!

Quite the OPPOSITE!!--NO Media or Talking Head is speaking in SUPPORT for " Pre-Judging " ( Hanging ) the Marines BEFORE ANY REAL INFO is found out!!

So---just like the Dan Rather " Bush MILITARY RECORDS " that were supposedly LEAKED--that WEREN'T true!!
THAT they said SHOULD be " Published " ..just in CASE!!Cause the PUBLIC has the " Right to know"!

...and that everyone should NOT jump on RATHER just because he jumped the gun on this!!

Buuuuuuuutttttttt...we SHOULDN'T Jump the GUN on McKiney! Right!--she's INNOCENT until we hear HER side!!

and....like Harry Reid's Sporting Free-bee Tickets!!--we shouldn't jump down on Him and say he's GUILTY of ANYTHING UNTIL all the FACTS are in!!

And....what's his name with the 100,000$$ in his FREEZER!!! Nope!! can't CONVICT HIM in a COURT OF PUBLICITY and " In the MEDIA!!!" - as THEY like to say when Caught!!

But the HADITHA CASE?? and the MARINES???- all GUILTY!!!
Guilty!! Guilty!! Guilty!!!

But the SLIMES "Leaking" facts to our enemies--like the way our Secret Agencies operate--THAT is open game!!

So..I thought that this Satire ws very fitting!!

Liberals: always the hypocrites!!

Darth Airborne