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Show The story of D-Day - the Allies’ invasion of northern France on June 6, 1944 —is 50 years old this week. On this anniversary of history’s greatest amphibious assault, Northern Utahns whowerepartofit recall their role in that “longest day,” battle that cost thousandsof Americanlives but, ultimately, led to the end of the Second World War. By RALPH WAKLEY Standard-Examiner staff The Associated Press American Gis board a landing craft off the coast of Normandy, France, on June 6, 1944. or the everyday Americansoldier, one of the first signs that D-Day was near was the communications blackout put onall Allied air bases in England at 8 a.m., June S., At 3 p.m. commanders began telling the crews of 11,000 planes their roles in D-Day or “Operation Overlord,” code name for the assault that would, 11 monthslater, bring about the unconditional surrender ofHitler’s Third Reich. The 8th Air Force’s 458th Bomb Group wouldparticipate in three missions that historic day, and Robert Hinckley Jr., a West Point graduate from Fruit Heights, Utah, would fly on two ofthem. Unknown to him, Hinckleyhad already, in a way, been flying D-Day missions before the historic Allied assault. His group had been bombing Germany’s war industries, but beginning in March — three months before the Allies’ push into western Europe: — his and thousands of other B-17s and B-24s slowly switched to bombing Nazi communication and transportation systems, especially railroad switching yards and bridges over rivers, in an effort to isolate Nazi troops in In retrospect, it should have been clear the missions were a forerunner to D-Day, but all that was lost on Hinckley at the time “] don’t think weever really madethat connection,” he said. “We wereJust getting ourlittle job done andtrying to get hometo England so you could do it tomorrow. We werejust trying to get through today alive so we could get through tomorrow.” Hinckley’s squadron would bombbridges just behind Omaha Beach on the Normandy coast to slow the movement of any German Normandy fromreserveunits in therest of would drop 10,395 tons of bombs on targets France and in Belgium. reinforcements, British and American planes Inside: ®@ D-Day chronology: A detailed look at the events that led up to the invasion @ How it began: The plans, skill and luck that led to the Allied victory @ D-Day facts: What did Ike really say and why was it named “Utah” beach? @ Mapping the battle: A full-color full-page look at the invasion of France ~ Pages 2, 7 and & See D-DAY on 7B “\ , 3 a = . BEEBE B |