D-Day--Code Name: Overlord

On the morning of June 6, 1944, the largest combined sea, air, and land operation in the history of military warfare was launched on France's Normandy beach in an all-out (though terribly costly) assault that would eventually prove to be the turning point of the battle for Europe. Opening with the fascinating story of the desperate events that led to the planning of the invasion, along with the intrigue and deception put into place to maintain secrecy and fool the Germans into preparing for an invasion twenty miles south at Calais, this 3-hour documentary on DVD places the viewer in the middle of the action through b&w and color military archival footage that includes segments photographed by legendary Hollywood filmmaker George Stevens. Extra features include statistical information and a 1944 "time capsule" with a quartet of shorts: "Hollywood's Coming Attractions," "The Homefront," "The World at War," and "Veterans Remember." Although some of the footage is recycled a few times over the three hour length, the primary source material and bargain price would still make this a useful supplement to any World War II collection. Recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (L. Stevens)