The boys of Pointe du Hoc

"Those who in their lives fought for life ... And left the vivid air signed with their honor."

At 0016 hours on June 6, 1944, a Horsa glider crash-landed alongside the Caen Canal and 21 British paratroopers, some injured on landing, faced off against 50 German sentries holding Pegasus Bridge in northern France. The paratroopers’ landing 81 years ago today was the leading edge of the largest and most complex military operation in modern history. It took two years of training and preparation by the Allied Expeditionary Force to launch the D-Day invasion of Normandy. They numbered 175,000 British, American, Canadian, Free French, Polish, Norwegian and other soldiers—supported by 50,000 vehicles, 11,000 airplanes, and 5,000 ships.

The surprise invasion was no overnight success. The Allies would combat German forces another 11 months, including some of the worst battles of World War II, before wresting Europe from Hitler and declaring victory on May 8, 1945. On D-Day itself, 4,440 Allied troops were killed with 5,800 wounded or missing.

Commemorative festivities along the Normandy landing beaches mark D-Day.

Before the commemoration each year, French volunteers collect sand from Omaha Beach, part of a rubbing ceremony for every grave marker at the American Cemetery. The sand highlights the etched names and rank of the 9,389 military dead buried there who gave their lives in the D-Day landings and ensuing operations.

Normandy residents haul out of storage Allied vehicles and uniforms handed down for generations, and school children lay wreaths in solemn ceremonies at each of the beach landing sites. Women don period dresses and seamed pantyhose for the day. I don’t think I would believe how comprehensive the festivities are except for seeing them firsthand. With my daughter Emily, her cousin and aunt, we visited the beaches on June 6, 2001.

We spent the day observing wreath ceremonies up the beaches and hearing stories from veterans who turned out for that 57th anniversary. At Sword Beach, a handful of British D-Day soldiers showed us where they came ashore, pointing to the artificial harbors still visible in the water. They were members of a British charity for limbless veterans, Blesma, that’s still active today. All of them had enlisted in their teens and most had not seen combat until they plunged into the English Channel waters on D-Day. (Three months after our visit, the Allies who formed NATO following World War II, for the first and only time, would invoke Article 5 calling for collective defense following the 9/11 attacks.)

For most of the invasion’s survivors, the only time they saw one another so many years later was on D-Day. They were so glad to reunite, they couldn’t stop grinning and retelling old jokes. Normandy was holy ground for them, and the only thing that mattered was being there again. There were no speeches, just tales and laughter, but everyone wore their medals.

Roy Cadman joined the commando unit that helped capture Pegasus Bridge that day. At 17, he was told he was too young when he signed up in 1941, but by 1944 he’d served in Sicily, been captured, and escaped. He came ashore at Sword Beach on June 6 and his commando unit arrived just in time to reinforce the paratroopers fighting the German sentries at the bridge. Without Allied forces controlling it, the Germans could have mounted a successful counterattack to tie them down at water’s edge.

In his remarks at the 40th anniversary, President Ronald Reagan quoted from Stephen Spender's poem "The Truly Great":

Gentlemen, I look at you and I think of the words of Stephen Spender's poem. You are men who in your 'lives fought for life... and left the vivid air signed with your honor'.

Cadman returned to Normandy each year for over 50 years on June 6 to remember friends he lost in battle. He died on Tuesday this week at age 102. He’s believed to be the last surviving member of the legendary 3 Commandos.

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Ukraine has changed the game in modern warfare again with its June 1 launch of Operation Spider’s Web, striking extensive targets inside Russia to cripple Moscow’s air advantage over Kyiv.

The operation, 18 months in planning, deployed 117 drones trucked surreptitiously into Russia and positioned inside disguised containers. With operators based outside Russia, they attacked four military bases spread across the country. The targets included Belaya Air Base, more than 3,700 miles from Ukraine, and home to Russia’s most valuable long-range aircraft.

Ukrainian authorities claimed to have hit a total of 41 aircraft, including strategic (long-range) bombers, plus airborne early warning and control aircraft. Satellite imagery appears to confirm the extent of damage.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Russia no longer produces the decades-old Tupolev planes that were targeted in the attacks, meaning “it has lost a cornerstone of its ability to project military power beyond its borders.”

Ukraine released video on June 4 that appears to show several of the bombers already loaded with conventionally armed cruise missiles, ready for launch against Ukraine. TWZ noted:

That fact underlines how big a threat these aircraft are to Ukraine and reinforces the fact that they are legitimate targets.

CSIS has a thorough analysis of the attacks and what they may mean for the future of war. And C.J. Chivers reported from the inside on Ukraine’s UAV battalions and what’s gone into harnessing its drone capabilities last January that’s worth another look.

Other news:

Poland saw Conservative historian Karol Nawrocki narrowly win a presidential runoff Sunday in a victory that has raised concerns about the country’s future relations with the European Union, support for Ukraine, and democratic governance, the Wall Street Journal reported.

South Korea swore in its new president, Lee Jae-myung, one day after June 3 elections and amid widespread hopes of ending six months of turmoil in a country polarized by impeached former President Yoon Suk Yeol's attempt to impose martial law last December.

Iran appears ready to challenge findings by the UN nuclear watchdog agency at its upcoming meeting June 9. Western leaders plan for the first time in 20 years to introduce a resolution highlighting Iran’s violations under the nuclear nonproliferation treaty after investigators concluded it is stockpiling uranium in recent months.

In Uganda, a pilgrimage with record turnout marked Martyr’s Day on June 3 to honor 45 Christian converts—22 Catholics and 23 Anglicans—executed between 1885 and 1887 by the orders of Buganda King Mwanga II for refusing to renounce their faith. Their deaths became a touchstone for church growth in Uganda and across Africa, and many made the 190-mile pilgrimage starting in mid-May:

“We walked with intention,” said Grace Akello, who traveled with her children. “At night, people welcomed us into churches or schools. They shared food, water, even medicine for our wounds. This walk humbles you.”

A Trump travel ban set to take effect on Monday will further restrict legal immigration, halting travel for individuals from 12 countries, including those already with visas, and limiting visas for individuals from seven additional countries. Advocacy groups say the ban will separate families, hinder the work of international missions, other development work, and negatively impact the economy. Experts are mystified by the seven African countries that received the new restrictions, and Trump himself seemed to be confused about which country is “the Congo.”

The latest move against immigrants comes after the U.S. Supreme Court a week ago gave the Trump administration the go-ahead to begin deporting about a half-million immigrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela who entered the U.S. legally under “humanitarian parole” programs implemented during the Biden administration.