"Our landings in the Cherbourg-Havre area have failed to gain a satisfactory foothold and I have withdrawn the troops. My decision to attack at this time and place was based upon the best information available. The troops, the air, and the Navy did all that bravery and devotion to duty could do. If any blame or fault attaches to the attempt, it is mine alone."
That is the letter handwritten and signed by General Dwight Eisenhower, to be published in the event that the Allied invasion of Normandy failed. And while the airborne landings were scattered and first wave units landing on the beaches suffered terrible losses, by the end of June 6, 1944, the Allies had established a foothold in northwest Europe for the first time since the evacuation of Dunkirk in 1940.
