Ike: Countdown to D-Day is a 2004 American made-for-televisionhistoricalwardrama film originally aired on the American television channel A&E, directed by Robert Harmon and written by Lionel Chetwynd. Countdown to D-Day was filmed entirely in New Zealand with the roles of British characters played by New Zealanders; the American roles were played by Americans.
The film describes General Eisenhower's stewardship of the role of Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Forces earmarked to invade western Europe in World War II. The film uses Eisenhower as the main focus, presenting the many obstacles that faced him as he presided over a coalition of American, British, and French leaders with different priorities.[1] A main theme of the film is the wielding of power and the responsibility that comes with it.
Plot
In December 1943, Dwight D. "Ike" Eisenhower discusses the invasion of German-occupied Europe with Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Eisenhower threatens to resign as Supreme Commander of SHAEF unless he is given total control of all operations. Churchill acquiesces, and Eisenhower plans the invasion with Bernard Montgomery, the ground forces commander, and Omar Bradley commander of the 1st US Army. Eisenhower reprimands George S. Patton for making comments to the press minimizing the importance of US allies[2], reminding him of the slapping incidents earlier in the war. Eisenhower confides to his chief of staff Walter Bedell Smith that he thinks Patton doesn't understand why they're fighting the war, but his skill at armoured warfare will be needed once the Allies are ashore. Sir Trafford Leigh-Mallory is critical of the plan, suggesting extraordinarily high casualty estimates for the airborne troops if favourable conditions aren't met.
Eisenhower relieves his friend Henry Miller of his command for publicly disclosing sensitive information. The Allied leaders brief King George VI and Queen Elizabeth about Operation Overlord and the King confides his fears about heavy losses. Eisenhower admits he is worried also. In private, Eisenhower tells Churchill if the operation fails, he will absolve Churchill and President Franklin D. Roosevelt of any responsibility. Churchill is impressed, saying he admires Eisenhower's "manly choice" to shoulder the responsibility alone.
When Bradley and Smith report on redeployment of strong German forces to the American landing zones, Eisenhower is forced to mediate a heated debate between Leigh-Mallory and Bradley over potential airborne casualties. Bradley's view wins out, with Eisenhower mindful of the cost they may have to pay. The day before the landings, Eisenhower reluctantly meets with Charles de Gaulle, who disagrees with Eisenhower's views on AMGOT and who should address the French people by radio. A heavy rainstorm forces a 24-hour delay of the invasion to Tuesday, 6 June. Anxiously watching the weather reports, Eisenhower gives the final order for Operation Neptune despite the risks the weather may not favor the sea and air landings. Eisenhower visits American paratroopers at an airfield as they prepare to board their aircraft, and drafts a letter taking full responsibility for the failure of the Allies to create a beachhead in France, to be distributed to the press if the landings fail. As reports of a successful invasion arrive at headquarters, a message from Leigh-Mallory states the disastrous casualties he predicted had not come to pass, and he apologizes to Eisenhower for any stress he may have caused. Eisenhower takes a final walk through the operations room as the film fades to black.
Churchill incorrectly refers to the Combined Bomber Offensive as "saturation bombing", an anachronistic term that can only be accurately applied to RAF Bomber Command. The period term was "area bombing".
The opening scene suggests that Great Britain and the United States had not seriously considered the possibility of a supreme allied commander prior to planning the D-Day invasion. In fact, appointing supreme commanders for the various theaters was seen as a given as it had proved beneficial in the last days of World War I with the appointment of Ferdinand Foch in 1918 over the Allied forces in Western Europe.
The scene at the end of the film showing the visit to the 101st airborne troops is presented to the viewer as being on June 6, 1944. This particular gathering took place on the eve of D-Day on June 5, 1944, prior to the take-off to France. The airborne phase of Overlord began late in the evening of June 5 and into the early hours of June 6. Thus by daylight on June 6 Allied airborne troops were already on the ground in France.
The film incorrectly talks about "DD" – "duplex drive" - landing craft. No landing craft had DD drive. The "DD's" actually were Sherman tanks modified with a waterproof underbody and displacement skirt, allowing the tank to float in calm water, and a propeller to propel the tank from LCT launching craft to shore. On Omaha, most of them sank in rough seas, meaning the troops on the beach had no armored support. The raid by German torpedo boats on a large practice landing did happen, but did not involve DD (duplex drive craft) and was extensively "hushed up".
Contrary to the film, LST's (landing ship tank) were not used on the initial hours of D-Day; they came in after the beaches were secured.
General Montgomery's "dagger like thrust" into Berlin was not presented to Eisenhower before D-Day, it was part of his plan for operations following the breakout of Normandy and was presented during the first week of September. In fact the landings were enlarged from three beaches to five by Montgomery.
In the film, Churchill said "no-one in Britain lives more than 150 miles from the sea". In fact, it is 65 miles.
They are watching Olivier's Henry V which was released in London on 22 November 1944.
Historical accuracy
In the opening scene which Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Eisenhower are discussing potential commanders for the top overall Normandy invasion command, Ike incorrectly refers to United States Army Air Forces General Carl Spaatz, nicknamed "Tooey", as 'Jimmy Spaatz'.
The movie accurately depicts the incident in which Henry J. F. Miller, a temporary major general and West Point classmate of Eisenhower, who was serving as chief of the USAFE's Materiel Command, blurted out the general time and place of Overlord while drunk at a restaurant. A lieutenant of the 101st Airborne overheard this and reported it up the chain of command. Miller was sent back to the United States at his permanent rank of lieutenant colonel.[3]
The film accurately depicts the message Eisenhower composed for dissemination in the event of an unsuccessful invasion. In it, Eisenhower praised the troops who attempted the landings and took sole blame for the failure.
The movie accurately references the role of the Canadian First Army (Juno Beach) instead of simply rolling it into a generic reference to the "British".
References
↑ Canada was heavily involved in the landing operations but their role in planning the invasion, which was minimal, is not depicted in the film.
↑ This is a reference to the well-known "Knutsford Incident"
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