Texoma remembers D-day and its historical connection

(KXII) -Allied troops invaded the beaches at Normandy, and began the liberation of France from the Nazis, 79 years ago.

Texoma has a very special tie to D-day.

General Dwight D. Eisenhower was born in Denison in 1890 and served as the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in World War II.

“Nazi Germany captured most of Europe, captured France, and so democracy was threatened,” said John Akers, Eisenhower Birthplace Site Manager.

And he commanded the battle that opened the second front during the D-day Invasion.

“So not only did he command American troops, but he commanded British troops, Canadian troops, even Polish troops. He had to keep presidents and prime ministers all on the same page in terms of how we were going to fight the war,” Akers said.

Akers recounted how Ike was the architect of the D-day Invasion at Normandy Beach.

“On June 5, a huge storm hit Europe and then the seas were choppy and it was raining. The Germans thought, well, we’re in for a storm for a week. The invasion is not going to happen now. But the allies had a weatherman and said, ‘There’s going to be a break in the weather’. General Eisenhower had this information and he made the decision and it was on him, we go,” Akers said.

While the invasion was successful and turned the tides of the war.

Eisenhower was ready to take responsibility if things went south.

“The note that he had in his pocket, that if the invasion failed, he had a statement, in case of failure, I withdrawn the troops. None of it’s their fault, mine alone and I thought, wow, what a leader. A person that’s willing in advance to take the responsibility if it didn’t work out,” Akers.

More than 4,000 Allied troops were killed and more than 5,000 were wounded from the D-day Invasion alone.

Historians estimate between 4,000 to 8,000 Germans were killed, wounded, or missing on that same day.

Eight years later Eisenhower was elected President of the United States and served two terms.

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