User:KaranBhatt001/sandbox

= D-Day-1: Propaganda Film =

D-Day - 1 was a short propaganda film produced shortly before the end of the Second World War to boost the 7th war bond drive. It focused on the experiences of American paratroopers and gliders who went into Normandy prior to the sea borne invasion.

Opening with a statement by Gen. | Barney M. Giles, reminding the audience that the war can't be won without money to pay for armaments and equipment, the film turns to an overview of Operation Overlord and the necessity for breaking the Atlantic wall. However, the emphasis soon turns to the men stationed in England, and their life while training and waiting for the inevitable invasion. Finally, the big day arrives and paratroopers are flown in over northern France in advance of the actual invasion. Their tasks included blowing up bridges, securing airfields, cutting communication lines, and other clandestine operations.

The film ends by reminding the audience that many of the men they have just seen have given their lives in defense of freedom, and urges them to buy war bonds.

Film Facts and Information
Atomic Films Courtesy of National Nuclear Security Administration / Nevada Site Office | Courtesy of the National Security Archive | The Nuclear Vault 
 * Published to Youtube Aug 26, 2009 by Username: Nuclear Vault
 * Documentary filmed by the United States Airforce.
 * Also posted to livestream on Amazon Prime for rent of 0.99 cents.
 * The original film made in 1945 has no record on IMDB. But can be found in full on multiple streaming websites.
 * This is the record of the operations of the U.S. 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions in the 1944 invasion of France.
 * There is a Living History Documentary Version listed on the IMDB website. The director of this adaptation is Ted Fitzgerald, and the movie was released in 2018 for publication.
 * Both documentaries were only released in the English language to American viewership.
 * The Youtube “Nuclear Vault” is a channel that provides militaristic, and nuclear videos within US history. Their sources for these videos are posted below:

What was D-Day
D-Day, also known as ‘Operation Neptune’ was a mass coordinated assault on the shores of Normandy, France. On June 6th, 1946, the troops of the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, and many more allied forces would make landfall. The attack was meticulously planned and was done in three phases that would work in harmony. The first phase was the dropping of paratroopers onto the beach and areas of land around the Normandy stronghold. Over 18,000 paratroopers were dropped throughout the battle, which in turn meant there needed to be a distraction for them to make their assault. This is phase two, the storming of the beaches with soldiers alongside other destroyers that were further offshore to barraide the fortifications. Over 7,000 naval ships would be used in order to operate the invasion, battleships, assaulters, minesweepers, everything was used. Finally, the third phase of the invasion was aerial bombardment and fighting, the allied forces needed to take control of the skies. It was a known fact at the time that the German air force was a force to be reckoned with. It would take over 14,000 air crafts in order to take command of the skies and release paratroopers to the ground. In total, it is estimated that 132,000 allied soldiers made contact in battle for the land of Normandy, the largest effort in history at the time.

Financial Burden of D-Day
The true cost of D-Day for America cannot be known due to the magnitude of countries that were involved in the invasion. It is estimated that World War II overall would cost a total of 4.69 trillion dollars to fight in terms of inflation. This would include both the war in Europe and the Pacific Islands. We could never get a straight value for the invasion in Normandy, but it could be assumed to be an expensive ordeal for a rising superpower to handle. It needed a way to fund such an operation and fund the war in general.

What are War Bonds
Think of war bonds like buying into a company within the stock market. These bonds are sold at a value that is slightly less than face value. Bonds would be sold at $25 to American citizens but were truly worth $30. After a period of time the bond could be sold back to the government for its face value, resulting in a profit of $5. The bond would not incur interest, therefore you could not earn more than the face value of the bond. At first glance this does not seem very enticing to the average American, due to its low profit, but over the war the United States would accrue $180 billion in revenue from the bonds. How did they do it? Propaganda films such as [| D-Day-1] were privital in swaying the emotions of the everyday American. An American citizen could not see World War II on the television. These films were the only contact being the citizen and the soldier, creating a connection. The urge to support the everyday ‘hero’ or troop would be instilled throughout the film, it was an act of patriotism.