1 JUNE 2004

D-Day World Premiere

Robert Capa (Doug Rao) witnessed the invasion first hand armed with only a camera.

D-Day
The World Premiere
60th Anniversary Special
Sunday 6 June at 8.30pm
Prime TV

Prime TV will screen the World Premiere of the BBC’s D-Day on Sunday 6th June at 8.30pm, marking the 60th Anniversary of D-Day, allowing New Zealand audiences the chance to see this BBC production before any other country in the world.

This spectacular 2-hour film tells the epic story of the preparation and execution of the Allied invasion of Normandy, of the defence of the Western Front by the forces of the German Third Reich, and of the complex and deadly secret war fought by the men and women of France and mainland Europe.

D-Day examines the intricate jigsaw from both sides, presenting events through the eyes of the men and women who were there, telling their extraordinary stories.

Produced by Richard Dale (The Human Body, Walking with Cavemen, Teachers), D-Day re-defines the genre of drama/documentary in factual storytelling.

	Troops board landing craft.

The planning for the Allied invasion on June 6, 1944, took two years and cost thousands of lives. It involved a deception of breathtaking audacity. Both the preparation leading up to and the actions and events on the day itself relied on the absolute discretion of many and the genius and nerve of a few.

By early 1944, the edifice of Hitler’s empire is crumbling. The war against Russia in the east and the build-up of Allied forces has made him vulnerable for the first time. The moment has come for the Allies to create a second front: to invade France; move swiftly towards Paris and ultimately Berlin. But to succeed, the plan will need planning, security, luck and courage.

The film is told from multiple viewpoints on both sides of the conflict. While the head of Allied Forces, General Eisenhower, fights to prepare over a million troops for battle, on the German side Field Marshall Erwin Rommel battles against time to prepare his defences and has to deal with the increasingly erratic behaviour of his leader, Adolf Hitler.

Airborne troops anxiously wait.

The film also celebrates the lesser-known heroes of the conflict. One of the first to set foot on Omaha Beach is Robert Capa, the photographer who leaves the champagne and glamour of London to witness the invasion first hand, armed with only a camera. We follow the fortunes of the British paratroopers in a race against the clock as they try to capture a key German gun battery before the landings can take place. We join the teenage soldiers who take on the might of the German Panzers and their journey from being boys into men. And as the Allies seek to establish a foothold on French soil, we see the heroic members of the French Resistance being executed one by one in Caen prison.

The film begins early in 1944 and brings to life the tense build-up to the day itself. Using the voices and memories of veterans who are still alive today, we follow the meticulous planning, the endless training, the obstacles and dilemmas they faced. We reconstruct the tragedy of Operation Tiger, the dress rehearsal for the beach landings in which a flotilla of ships carrying thousands of young American GIs is hit by German E-Boats. We explore the world of espionage: the Allied deception plan, masterminded by charismatic double agent Garbo, and devised to keep the Germans guessing as to the timing and location of the assault.

Storming the beaches of Normandy.

Once Eisenhower has decided that it’s now or never, we shift to the beaches of Normandy. The clock begins to tick. Will the Allies manage to establish a foothold on the beaches in the face of withering German artillery? Will the aerial bombardment be enough? Has the deception plan worked? How will one young resistance worker stop the Allies bombing Caen hospital? Are the Allies marching towards victory, or disaster?

D-Day combines in a unique way true history, personal testimony and compelling drama to bring to the screen the momentous events of that day and the stories of those who took part.

What: D-Day 60th Anniversary Special The World Premiere
When: Sunday 6 June at 8.30pm
Where: Prime TV

For more information download these documents:

How D-Day was made
(63KB Acrobat Document)
Requires Acrobat Reader

Cast List
(42KB Acrobat Document)
Requires Acrobat Reader

D-Day Battle Statistics
(43KB Acrobat Document)
Requires Acrobat Reader

Related Links

Prime TV
www.primetv.co.nz

BBC D-Day Special Exhibition
www.bbc.co.uk/history/war/wwtwo