More than eight decades after Allied troops stormed the beaches of Normandy, World War II historian John C. McManus believes the story of D-Day is far from settled. New research continues to deepen historians' understanding of the invasion, while the passing of the generation that fought it makes preserving those stories more urgent than ever, he said during a recent interview with KETR.
McManus, author of 15 books on World War II, will speak July 23 as part of the World War II History Roundtable quarterly lecture series at the Audie Murphy/American Cotton Museum in Greenville. His presentation will draw heavily from The Dead and Those About to Die, his acclaimed account of the U.S. Army's 1st Infantry Division — the famed "Big Red One" — during the assault on Omaha Beach on June 6, 1944.
Although McManus is now recognized internationally as a military historian, he took an unconventional path to the field. Originally trained in sports journalism, he said a lifelong fascination with history and an early visit to Normandy convinced him to change course. Walking the beaches, exploring German bunkers and standing where history unfolded transformed the war from something he had only read about into something tangible. He also discovered that history and journalism shared the same essential mission: telling compelling human stories through careful research.
That focus on individual soldiers shaped The Dead and Those About to Die. Rather than retelling the invasion from a broad strategic perspective, McManus chose to examine D-Day through the experiences of the Big Red One. He said historians had not fully explored the division's role at Omaha Beach, leaving an opportunity to better understand one of the most studied battles in American history through the people who fought it.
The book's title comes from one of the most memorable moments of D-Day. Colonel George Taylor, commander of the 16th Infantry Regiment, urged pinned-down soldiers to leave the deadly beach by declaring, "There are only two kinds of people who are going to stay on this beach: the dead and those about to die." McManus said his research revealed Taylor had been refining that phrase for months before the invasion, underscoring how critical decisive leadership became during the chaos of the landing.
McManus also hopes audiences move beyond Hollywood's portrayal of Omaha Beach. While films such as Saving Private Ryan capture the brutality of the fighting, he said they cannot fully convey the enormous planning effort behind Operation Overlord or the broader significance of the Normandy campaign. Planning for the invasion evolved over years and required unprecedented coordination among Allied nations, military branches and supply networks before a single soldier set foot on French soil.
Even today, historians continue to debate aspects of D-Day, including the quality of German defenses, the effectiveness of Allied planning and the relative importance of naval, air and ground forces. For McManus, however, the larger lesson is one of cooperation. Success required twelve Allied nations working together, with victory ultimately depending on the soldiers who fought their way inland after landing on the beaches.
As the number of surviving World War II veterans dwindles, McManus believes historians now carry a special responsibility. Earlier generations could hear firsthand accounts from those who served; today's historians must ensure those voices continue to be heard by future generations. He views that responsibility not simply as scholarship, but as stewardship of one of the defining events of the modern world.
McManus will present "The Big Red One at Omaha Beach" at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 23, at the Audie Murphy/American Cotton Museum in Greenville. The lecture is part of the World War II History Roundtable series, and admission is free. Following his presentation, McManus plans to take questions from the audience and discuss the men whose experiences inspired his book.
