On the Beach

June 3, 2024?

Dear Leaders,?

Summer’s here, school is out, time for travel, vacations, and basking in the sun at the beach.? The seashore often brings good memories of enjoyment, but for 156,000 men who landed on the beaches and fields of Normandy 80 years ago this week, it was anything but.? The leadership to not only assemble and embark on this massive undertaking is dwarfed only by the leadership demonstrated on those beaches to make it a success, and a colossal leadership failure that helped make it successful.?

Be it great or small, any undertaking requires planning, training, logistics, and most importantly, the leadership to make it all happen.? Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt knew what had to be done and also knew that having land, sea, and air power from multiple nations required a delicate balance of sensitivities among the nations and their military forces.? The solution was to have one person in overall charge of everything and the man for the job was General Dwight Eisenhower.? A West Point graduate with no combat experience, he was renowned for his reputation in planning that he put to good use in charge of the invasions of North Africa and Italy, from which he learned many lessons that would prove useful in the invasion of France.?

Aside from his experience, General Eisenhower relied on two skills that served him well:? a keen eye for selecting staff officers and field commanders, and the ability to navigate the egos and desires of political and military leaders involved, all of whom had their views on how the operation should proceed and who should lead it.? In insisting on his being the final word, he ensured that the operation would go forward.? Beyond keeping the haughty in their place, he knew when to replace someone who was not up to the task, and to also relate to the soldiers who would bear the battle, visiting them and relating through the simple act of sharing cigarettes.??

Like any student of military history, he was aware of the axiom that no battle plan survives first contact with the enemy, and the paratroopers landing in the night and the soldiers landing on the beaches became acutely aware of this when they missed their drop zones or landed on the wrong beaches, finding themselves facing stronger resistance than they anticipated.? Like any soldiers, they knew of the need to adapt and improvise to fight the battle where they were.??

It was in these instances that not only small and larger unit leaders distinguished themselves, but also men willing to take action, like then Private Carlton Barrett, who risked his life to pull comrades out of heavy seas and then evacuating wounded soldiers all while under intense fire.? At the other end of the rank spectrum was Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt, Junior, son of the former president and cousin of the then-current president, he led multiple groups of soldiers over the seawalls under heavy fire and moved inland to establish his unit firmly on the ground.? In all, ten Medals of Honor were awarded for actions in the first week, and yet, this is but a small sampling of the leadership it took to move men and machines forward through enemy fire and obstacles.??

As tough as the Germans were in defense, it was they who failed, and specifically Adolf Hitler in insisting that he alone would control reserve forces.? Allied planners were successful in making him believe that a larger invasion was yet to come at another location, and he struck such immense fear in his subordinate leaders, they would not disturb his sleep to ask him to commit tank units to the fight.? His instance of micromanaging the war on all fronts and not trusting his senior and field leaders was a key factor in the allied success, and a reminder of Napoleon’s axiom on not interfering with an enemy who is defeating himself.??

As leaders in many different fields and endeavors, you may never have a task on the magnitude of Operation Overlord, but as General Eisenhower had to coordinate massive amounts of air, sea, and land forces with all political and operational considerations in play, you too must take to every task great and small with the same level outlook and intent – accomplish the larger mission.? Even when your portion is much smaller, like the U.S. Army Rangers at Pointe du Hoc, who scaled high cliffs to seize key positions, you are part of something larger than the task to be done, and training, inspiring, and leading your people might not be remembered in grand history, but it will be your mark of success, nonetheless.?

Many leaders and commanders went on to greater heights and fame after the invasion of France, with General Eisenhower receiving a promotion to General of the Army, and ultimately becoming President.? Others returned to their lives beyond the service, yet never forgot what it took to succeed.? Nearly 37,000 allied soldiers died in the quest for what was right and lay in silent tribute in cemeteries there.? Most of their comrades who survived have joined them in death, but we as leaders must remember that the fight for that which is right and just never dies unless we fail in our duty.? ??

Lest we forget.?

Sincerely,

Tim