A two part documentary about the D-Day invasion and the 100 day period following the Normandy landings to the approximate date of the liberation of Paris. It appears to be a European effort and features colorized film: American, Brit, Canadian, German, French resistance and civilian scenes. Lots of film that I’m sure you’ve never seen.

Disturbing scenes of Allied bombing of French towns in the effort to dislodge the Germans. Reportedly, 14,000 French civilians were killed—more than lost by the Allies on D-Day. Perhaps half the homes in these towns destroyed.

Never having much love for Field Marshal Montgomery, I was interested to learn that Eisenhower had assigned him and the Brits to take the town of Caen, only 15 km from the Normandy coast. Eisenhower was furious at Montgomery’s inability to take the town, and said that the American Army is out on its own without backup. Caen was captured 43 days after D-Day and 9,000 of the town’s 10,000 houses were flattened.

Montgomery effed up again during the Allied offensive of Falaise Pocket, a pincer offensive with Patton’s 3rd Army attacking from the south, and British and Canadian troops from the north. The Germans suffered significant losses, but because Montgomery was too slow to complete the trap, 100,000 Germans escaped the Pocket.

This is showing on Prime.

I’ll admit to being surprised at the lack of comment, I sure thought it was good.

My Great uncle S/Sgt. Robert B. Kellerman was a engineer on a B-24 that took part in the bombings. They were assigned the town of Vire, France to help stop German reinforcements moving toward the beaches. 98% of the town was destroyed and several hundred French residents were killed unfortunately.

That was he first mission, sadly 2 weeks later on his 7th, he'd be killed.

Thanks for the info. I'll have to check it out.

I watched it and found it to be pretty good.
Montgomery screwed up Operation Market Garden a little later in the war also.

Montgomery was arrogant and overly cautious.

"He is a little man, and he is a very selfish man. He is a very, very, very unpleasant person."
— General Omar Bradley (on Montgomery)“

The Bulge Incident: He took credit for winning the Battle of the Bulge which was his "political suicide." He implied our forces had collapsed and he had to "tidy up" the mess. It took a direct order from the British government to get him to apologize to Eisenhower to save the alliance; and probably his job as Eisenhower came inches from firing him over his claims.

But he understood the politics of the common soldier. He discarded the stiff, formal uniforms of the British elite for a black beret and casual sweaters. This made him immensely popular with his men, giving him a "political" shield—Churchill couldn't fire him because the British public loved him too much.

Winston Churchill famously quipped: "In defeat, unbeatable; in victory, unbearable." His inability to share credit or acknowledge the political sensitivities of a coalition made him a nightmare for his superiors.

British soldiers loved him. Basically nobody else did. He was overrated.

I’ll have to watch this. Thanks fire the heads-up.

I've been watching it. They have a lot of original videos I have never seen before and I'm a history buff. Excellent series.