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The movie does not fully show the heavy losses sustained by the Anglo-Canadian invasion force on Juno Beach. Only on Omaha beach, are the Allied troops shown as encountering stiff resistance.<ref> Keegan, John Six Armies in Normandy: From D-Day to the Liberation of Paris (New York: Penguin Books, 1994), p 13</ref> The movie gives a false impression that Omaha Beach was the only landing point where the allies experienced fierce resistance and suffered heavy casualties. The assault on the cliff at Pointe du Hoc by the US Rangers on Sword Beach conforms with historical accounts.<ref> Ryan, p. 312</ref> The Rangers had adapted mortars to fire grappling ropes onto the face of the cliffs. The films fail to show that many of these ropes did not hit the target as they had become soaked in sea water during the landings. Indeed only 19 ropes hit the target but the Rangers still managed to climb and attack the Germans at the top of the cliffs. The movie shows very truthfully that this heroic assault was unnecessary. It was ordered to take place as the allies believed that heavy guns were positioned on the cliffs and that they could destroy landing craft. In truth there were no guns on top of the cliffs at Pointe du Hoc, which is shown in a scene in the movie.
====Airborne landings==D-Day was the greatest sea-born invasion in history but airborne forces played a crucial role in the invasion <ref> Keegan, p. 13</ref>. The Allied High Command ordered that British, American and other allied paratroopers be dropped behind the German positions to capture territory and to disrupt the Nazis supply lines and even to cut-off their units on the beaches in Normandy. The film accurately portrays the many paratroopers who landed in Normandy by gliders or by parachuting into the area. These men played a crucial role in the success of the Allied landings and displayed incredible bravery. Many paratroopers were among the first into occupied France and the first to engage the Nazis. The film shows correctly how in the early morning of June 6, 1944, the airborne troops of the United States 82nd and 101st US divisions were dropped into Normandy and were parachuted into the wrong place and were dropped miles from their target. Many of these airborne troops were killed by German fire before they even landed. The movie shows the confusion of units of the 101st Airborne Division when they landed in Sainte-Mère-Eglise. One paratrooper is shown becoming entangled on the church steeple of the Normandy town and this in fact happened. While others are shown landing directly in the town. This did not happen and most of the paratroopers landed outside the towns or in gardens. The movie does over-dramatize the landings in Sainte-Mère-Eglise. The film also shows how dummies made to appear as paratroopers were dropped as part of an elaborate decoy strategy by the allies. This is historically correct and there was indeed a decoy parachute drop when dummies dressed in American jumpsuits were dropped to fool the Germans<ref> Ryan, p. 325</ref>. ==
[[File: Operation Overlord (the Normandy Landings)- D-day 6 June 1944 B5245.jpg|200px|thumb|left| Allied troops on D-Day]]
D-Day was the greatest sea-born invasion in history, but airborne forces played a crucial role in the invasion.<ref> Keegan, p. 13</ref> The Allied High Command ordered that British, American and other allied paratroopers be dropped behind the German positions to capture territory and to disrupt the Nazis supply lines and even to cut-off their units on the beaches in Normandy. The film accurately portrays the paratroopers who landed in Normandy by gliders or by parachuting into the area. These men played a crucial role in the success of the Allied landings and displayed incredible bravery.
Many paratroopers were among the first into occupied France and the first to engage the Germans. The film shows correctly how in the early morning of June 6, 1944, the airborne troops of the United States 82nd and 101st US divisions were dropped into Normandy and were parachuted into the wrong place. They ended up miles from their intended target. Many of these airborne troops were killed by German fire before they even landed. The movie shows the confusion of units of the 101st Airborne Division when they landed in Sainte-Mère-Eglise. One paratrooper is shown becoming entangled on the church steeple of the Normandy town and this happened. While others are shown landing directly in the town. This did not happen and most of the paratroopers landed outside the towns or in gardens.
The movie does over-dramatize the landings in Sainte-Mère-Eglise. The film also shows how dummies made to appear as paratroopers were dropped as part of an elaborate decoy strategy by the allies. This is historically correct and there was indeed a decoy parachute drop when dummies dressed in American jumpsuits were dropped to fool the Germans<ref> Ryan, p. 325</ref>.
==French Involvement==
