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New York Times June 7, 1944

Normandy, France

A disastrous day on Normandy beach yesterday, as an estimated 10,000 allied troops have been cut down by German forces firing from waiting positions overlooking the beaches. The failures in operation “D-Day” were wide and complete, leaving many Pentagon sources livid at Eisenhower’s lack of preparation. It is widely known that there was an internal debate on where the invasion of France should take place, Calais or Normandy, and it is clear now that the Supreme Allied Commander has bungled the decision.

Many of the troops are still bogged down on the beaches, and those who have made there way inland were surprised by the French landscape dominated by hedgerows. Supreme Command was unaware of the shrubbery, even though General De Gaul is supposedly working in concert with the Allies and probably knew of the local features. The Germans have used these thickets to hide their Panzers, which are delivering crushing blows to the invading forces.

A defensive General Eisenhower was peppered with questions at his briefing this morning:

Gen. Eisenhower, Why wasn’t General Patton given command of the invading army?

Eisenhower: General Patton has an important role to play in these operations which I am not able to discuss.

There are rumors that he is in charge of a diversionary fake army. Is this true?

Eisenhower: Again I can not comment on Gen. Patton’s role in the operation.

Our paratroopers badly missed their targets. Do we know what happened? Was it faulty communications?

Eisenhower: In any drop, many factors can lead to missing a target, including cloud cover, weather, enemy actions, etc. I do not yet know why we missed so many drops.

Were the pilots properly trained?

Eisenhower: Of course they were trained. These are the finest men in the country, and every officer and enlisted man takes these missions deadly serious.

Gen. Eisenhower, what will you say to the families who lost their sons yesterday due to a lack of planning on our part?

Eisenhower: What will I say? What will I say? First of all we have planned every aspect of these landings, right down to the last private stepping on to the beach. So with heavy heart I will write to all the families who made the ultimate sacrifice yesterday that their sons died as heroes in defense of their country.

Gen Eisenhower, how is this a defense of our country? Did France attack the U.S., or did Germany? Why have we taken our focus off the real enemy in Japan?

Eisenhower: If you can’t see how Nazi Germany and their allies in Japan are related, I don’t have the time nor the gumption to explain it to you.

Do we have schedule for withdrawal?

Eisenhower: We will withdrawal when we win. Period.

The Vichey government opposes this invasion; have you or the State department contacted the French?

Eisenhower: Gen. DeGaulle leads the Free French Forces, and yes he has been intricately involved in these operations.

There are report that it was Allied planes that dropped the bombs which killed over 1,000 men, including Lt. Gen. Lesley J. McNair. Can you confirm this? Did we kill our own men?

Eisenhower: Again, I can not discuss operational issues at this time. Thank You Gentlemen.

Eisenhower quickly left the briefing room, visibly upset. Sources inside the War Department have stated that there are movements to have Eisenhower replaced by Omar Bradley. As troops slog through the hostile French territories, and with Operation Overlord in disarray, some experts are calling for a change in strategies now. With the death count mounting, those calls will only get stronger.