Operation Overlord: the Invasion That Shaped

Operation Overlord: The Invasion That Shaped History Interviewer: Louis Poirot Interviewee: Donald McKee Instructor: Amanda Freeman February 10, 2016 Poirot 2 Table of Contents Statement of Purpose 3 Interviewee Release Form 4 Interviewer Release Form 5 Biography 6 “D-Day: The Battle That Turned the Tide” 8 Interview Transcription 22 Interview Analysis 69 Appendix 73 Works Consulted 81 Poirot 3 Statement of Purpose The purpose of this oral history project and interview with Donald McKee is to create a primary source document on D-Day. By reading this oral history project, an individual will learn the story of an American medic risking his life to protect the country he loves, his experiences, and his reflections on his time in the battle and after. Poirot 6 Biography of Mr. Donald McKee Mr. Donald McKee was born on November 4, 1923 in Detroit, Michigan. Throughout his life he lived in many places, moving to Kalamazoo, Michigan until he started college in 1941; Ann Arbor, Michigan until he was drafted in 1943; Pelham Manor, Rhode Island (1947-1948); St. Louis, Missouri in 1948; Chicago, Illinois (1949- 1950); Kansas City, Missouri (1951-1958), and finally Silver Spring, Maryland, where he has lived ever since. After serving in the war, he went back to college and earned his degree in June of 1947. His career started early, because he had a job interview at his college, which was where the interviewer had also graduated. Mr. McKee was accepted within 30 minutes and started working at his new job as a marketer for the Permutit Company 2 weeks later. Poirot 7 He worked in the sales office and explained the system to engineers who designed water plants to sell their equipment. He covered West Missouri, South West Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, and Oklahoma and had to drive a lot between the states, finally he got tired, and became the supervisor of sales for the North-East of the U.S.. He worked at that job from 1959 to 1995, when he retired. He became interested again in WWII and joined the 29th Division Association. He was the National Commander in 1994 and, along with 500-600 people, went back to Normandy to revisit where they had been during the war, and introduced Bill Clinton when he came up to speak before the group. He has been active in the group ever since, and this past year was the first where he skipped a meeting (which occur about 3 times a year). Mr. McKee’s late wife lived in New York until 1947, when she met him, and they got married in mid 1948. She did not like New York very much and enjoyed living in Kansas much more. She stopped working after marriage and became active in the Panhellenic Society because she liked her experience in sororities in college. She passed in January of 2007. Mr. McKee says that the war definitely changed him, but because it happened such a long time ago, that he doesn’t remember how exactly. All he knows is that he felt happy when the war was over and that he missed his country during the two years he was gone. Poirot 8 D-Day: The Battle That Turned the Tide “We cannot afford to fail,” said General Dwight D. Eisenhower on one of the most important battles in all of human history: D-Day: "The D-Day operation of June 6, 1944 brought together the land, air and sea forces of the allied armies in what became known as the largest invasion force in human history.” (“Eisenhower Presidential Library.”) Properly known as Operation Overlord, this battle took place at the climax of World War II, a war that changed the pace of history completely for the entire world: “’It was unknowable then, but so much of the progress that would define the 20th century, on both sides of the Atlantic, came down to the battle for a slice of beach only six miles long and two miles wide.’ Barack Obama, remarks on 65th anniversary of D-Day, June 6, 2009” ("Remarks by the President at D-Day 65th Anniversary Ceremony." The White House) To understand D-Day one must examine Germany’s unification under Bismarck, the consequences for Germany of World War I, Hitler’s rise to power, and the events that led both Germany and the U.S. into World War II as well as gain a first-hand perspective of the history of what led up to the event. Before its creation, Germany was divided into many independent German states. Otto Eduard Leopold, Prince of Bismarck, also known as Otto von Bismarck, created a unified German country, today’s Germany. The Franco-Prussian War (July 19, 1870 – May 10, 1871) was the main war in Bismarck's unification of Germany, and went just as planned for the Germans, if not better: “The rapid and overwhelming victory of the German states under the leadership of Prussia in this conflict made possible the creation of a unified German Empire” (FrancoPrussianWar.com) Germany’s unification also Poirot 9 played a part in many events that followed, such as World War I and World War II (D- Day): “More recent historians do not deny that Bismarck had a profound effect on the later development of Germany and even the rise of Hitler.” (Kitson, Alison, Germany, 1858-1990: Hope, Terror and Revival) “The rise of Germany was a primary factor which produced tension among the major European powers.” (McDonough, Frank, The Origins of the First and Second World Wars) World War I, the first World War, was the first important introduction for the new Germany to the world, and when it became involved, it worried the most powerful European countries. Because of this and its siding with the Central Powers and Austria-Hungary, Germany was blamed in the Treaty of Versailles (28 June, 1919) for starting the war and for all the damage that was done: “The view of Germany as the story-book villain is enshrined in Article 231 of the Treaty of Versailles, which held Germany and its allies ‘guilty’ for starting the First World War.” (McDonough, Frank, The Origins of the First and Second World Wars) The Central Powers were condemned, but Germany suffered the worst fate, not only losing many territories, but also many riches; a huge blow to the economy. Firstly, the Allied Powers (U.S., U.K., France, Russia, Italy) were afraid of an uprising or attack from Germany and limited its army and military forces to prevent this: “The German army was limited to 100,000 men, conscription was abolished, and tanks and aircraft were prohibited. The navy was slimmed down to a coastal force of 36 vessels, and the building of battleships and submarines was outlawed.” (McDonough, Frank, The Origins of the First and Second World Wars) Secondly, “Germany lost 13 per cent of its territory,” (McDonough, Frank, The Origins of the First and Second World Wars) leaving it much weaker and vulnerable Poirot 10 to attacks, since it did not just lose the territory, but had to give it to the Allied Powers to ensure that there would be no counterstrike. Germany also had some territory outside of Europe, especially in Africa, which was also an important loss: “Germany lost 13 per cent of its territory, including Alsace-Lorraine, Eupen, Marlmédy, North Schleswig, West Prussia and Posen. The loss of territory in Eastern Europe was particularly bitterly criticized by the German government. […] In addition, all German colonies became mandates (territories under the trusteeship of the League of Nations), and the Allies insisted that the German government agree to uphold a democratic constitution and allow free elections in its own country.” (McDonough, Frank, The Origins of the First and Second World Wars) The most important punishment given to Germany in the Treaty of Versailles, however, was the enormous payment that was to be made to the Allied Powers to pay for all the damages caused in the war: “The Germans were also required to pay substantial financial compensation. The final figure, decided by the Reparations Committee in 1921, was set at £6,600 million, and all the foreign currency and assets of Germany abroad were seized.” (McDonough, Frank, The Origins of the First and Second World Wars) Germany was a very rich European power, but even a country so wealthy could not pay such a mass of money without severe repercussions: “Unemployment, severe inflation, strikes, and the rising tide of communism alarmed many middle-class Germans, who began to see the anticommunist National Socialist Party (Nazis) […] in a different light.” (Hullar, Link, and Scott A. Nelson, A Brief Narrative History) All of these terms were forced upon the Germans, and they had no choice but to sign the treaty: “Every German greeted the terms of the Treaty of Versailles with varying degrees of anger, horror and disgust.” (McDonough, Frank, The Origins of the First and Second Poirot 11 World Wars) The effort was in vain, however, since these restrictions and punishments not only angered and irritated the Germans into wanting to revolt more than ever, but it also led to the rising of the Nazi party, and Adolf Hitler: “In July 1919, when Hitler heard the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, he decided to enter politics. His dream was to build a ‘new Germany’ under his own leadership, to overturn the Treaty of Versailles, and to establish Germany as the major European power.” (McDonough, Frank, The Origins of the First and Second World Wars) During the time between World War I and World War II, Adolf Hitler rose to power.

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