Remembering D-Day – and all the other D-Days since

There are few moments from history where it’s possible to pin our national story to a single date in the calendar. Seventy years ago, 6th June 1944 was one of those days. That’s why today I’ll be pausing to remember the brave Allied troops who laid siege to 30 miles of French coastline to fight for our freedom.

It is a day to reflect not just on the heroes who went into battle 70 years ago, but all those who have served in our Armed Forces since, and who continue to serve today.

This is not least because the term ‘D-Day’ is still used to plan military operations. There were ‘D-Days’ in Korea, the Falklands, Kosovo, Iraq, Afghanistan, and countless other conflicts. Ask anyone who has served in the Navy, Army or the RAF, and they will have their personal ‘D-Day’ memories. Though none will be as ferocious as 6 June, in their own way they are days that will stay with those who lived through them forever.

For me, it’s the helicopter flight up the Kacanik defile, crossing from Macedonia into Kosovo in June 1999, driving in a Land Rover out of Kuwait, crossing into Iraq in May 2003, and the many D-Days that were to come in Afghanistan.

There’s a reason though why the D-Day that began at 6:30am on June 6th 1944 will forever stand out.

It was mission unlike any other. Operation Overlord was the largest amphibious invasion in history. It is a story of great courage, determination and ingenuity. There has been nothing quite like it before or since.

More than 158,000 men were deployed that day, carried by over 4,000 ships, thousands of landing craft, with gliders, planes and parachutists supporting from the air.

They did so at a time when the Second World War hung in the balance. The outcome of their mission was so crucial that Winston Churchill famously wanted to join the invading forces himself. He was only talked out of it when King George VI told the Prime Minister that if he was going, then he’d be coming along too.

It is worth imagining what it must have felt like for the British soldiers who did make that journey – as they received their final orders the night before and as their landing crafts closed in on the Gold and Sword beaches.

It reminds me of my service in The Paras: waiting silently side-by-side with comrades in the dark for the clock to tick down to ‘H-Hour’ – the precise time the operation starts.

This moment of calm, before the chaos of war erupts. The moment when you look deep inside and steel yourself for what is to come. This moment has changed little throughout history. Whatever training you’ve done, nothing can quite prepare you for when the door opens and it’s time to go. That is a moment which stays with you.

For thousands of young men, that moment 70 years ago began with a ramp lowering in front of them. Some would arrive on beaches that were unopposed. Others would run into hails of heavy machine-gun fire with virtually no cover.

I remember talking to one D-Day veteran who had spent 40 hours in a boat. He told me that the crossing had been so hazardous that when they finally arrived at the Normandy beaches they weren’t in any fit state to fight. But they just got on with it. We will forever be in their debt and be grateful that their mission succeeded.

If it was the British victory at El Alamein in 1942 that marked “the end of the beginning” of the Second World War, it was D-Day that marked the beginning of the end.

The Battle for Normandy did not end on June 6th. The Germans would counter-attack and there were many more hard battles fought over the following 80 days. The human cost of that victory can still be seen today at the 27 war cemeteries dotted along the Normandy coast, containing the remains of more than 110,000 dead from both sides.

I’ve stood in front of those graves and felt both humbled and inspired. Roughly 9,000 German forces lost their lives on D-Day alone. Around 10,000 Allied troops would be killed or wounded.

In this important year of remembrance, it is right that we commemorate those who fell on D-Day. Thoughts will also turn to the anniversary of the outbreak of the First World War later this year.

The sad death of Harry Patch – the last Tommie – in 2009, marked the transition of the First World War from a war of memory to a war of history. By contrast, we are privileged that a number of D-Day veterans are still with us today. For many the 70th anniversary will be the last time they will all gather together. But as memories slowly turn to history, we know their legacy will stand for all time.

Dan Jarvis is the Labour MP for Barnsley Central and a Shadow Justice Minister. Before his election to Parliament, he served as a Major in the Parachute Regiment