Lesson Seed 5: A Different Perspective on the Invasion of Normandy

Students will create an oral interpretation of “How D-Day Was Remembered,” using sound effects and background, as needed. Students can compare and contrast the interpretation of the events with the more realistic accounts of the invasion. An important aspect to this lesson is to provide perspective for the writing of the play. It was written in the days after the end of WWII and was not meant to glorify the battle but rather to highlight the accomplishments of the men of Normandy.

•       Other sources can be used to compare this account of the invasion to a more realistic account, such as “Overlord Accounts” at www.dday.org.

•        A teacher could read aloud from passages of Stephan Ambrose’s book D-Day: The Climactic Battle of World War II. The recommended chapter is chapter 17 (The 116^th Regiment at Omaha Beach).

•        Many veterans provide personal accounts of the invasion, which would be appropriate for this activity, in both the “In Their Own Words” and “Turning Point at Normandy: A Soldier’s Story” documentaries.

•       The documents Garcia, Official and Pogue—all in the primary source collection—provide excellent accounts from the 116^th Regiment and the 29^th Division.


Realistic Accounts

Account #1 Garcia
Garcia 1
Garcia 2

     Garcia 3
Garcia 4
Garcia 5
Garcia 6

Account #2 Official
Official 1

     Official 2

     Official 3

     Official 4

Account #3 Pogue
Pogue 1
Pogue 2
Pogue 3
Pogue 4
Pogue 5
Pogue 6


Screenplay How D-Day was Remembered
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