JF Ptak Science Books Quick Post
I've just listened to this series of radio broadcasts and found them absolutely fascinating. In the first broadcast we find that the earliest information was based on a 12:30 Berlin broadcast, followed by a 1:00 am news headline which stated "the long waited British American invasion has begun..."--thus the unlikely scenario in which the first announcements of the invasion were made by Germany. This first recording--the first CBS report--aired at about 3:00 am and recounted the events, the radio host Bob Trout doing a superb job in keeping the story straight and the listeners informed. At the earliest stages the reports from Germany were not believed as they could well have been the expected diversionary feints, done so to draw out Partisan fighters who were in hiding. They weren't.
3am is just about the time that Franklin Roosevelt was woken up--at that point, the president sprang into action, as did the rest of the White House, with the Map Room instantly abuzz.
All broadcasts are from youtube.
This next recounting is round two of the coverage, beginning at 4:15 am EST. Robert Trout, the CBS correspondent, continues his amazingly good job:
The next step, broadcast at 5:00 am:
Later in the day, President Roosevelt addressed the nation:
This fantastic recording was made by correspondent George Hicks (London Bureau Chief for the Blue Network) from the deck of the USS Ancon (a communication and HQ ship) at the very beginning of the invasion, as it was barely light...
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