When Cornelius Ryan's book 'The Longest Day' climbs on the bestseller list, Darryl F. Zanuck decides that the story must be made as a motion picture. Unfortunately the rights to the book are already sold to the French producer Raoul Levy. But Zanuck doesn't gif up and, after some negotiations, he gets the rights. He then starts the difficult search for wartime material. Especially German weapons are hard to find. In England they find a captured 20 mm cannon. A couple of 50 mm anti-airguns were secured from some bunkers near La Rochelle in France. From a museum in London they can borrow a PIAT. Other museums as well were willing to loan German weapons to Zanuck. Still harder to find was rolling material and what they found had to be restored.

In one scene they needed some Spitfires that attacked a German column. From the French ex-wartime pilot, Pierre Laureys, they rented a couple of Spitfires. Laurey's himself flew the Spitfire when they shot the 'shooting' scene, just as he did on June 6th, 1944, low and very fast! It was fortunate for Zanuck that he did not need a bigger armada of planes. The parachute droppings were under a heavy base of clouds and at night. To create the illusion, the sound effect of 'passing' planes was enough. They built two gliders, a British Horsa and an American Waco CG4A. There were a couple of large models of Lancaster bombers that were use as tow planes for gliders. They also used post-war Skyraider planes that looked a bit like Tempest fighter bombers.

The German 'Luftwaffe' consisted in the movie of two Bf 108's Taifuns, because for the lack of the real thing. It’s a pity, everyone sees that it are not fighter planes (in reality it were Fw 190's). But finally, the material, the costumes and the star cast is on the set, so the shooting could begin,… of ‘The Longest Day’.

After five minutes into ‘The Longest Day’, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel (a roll for Werner Hinz) steps into the frame, to tell us that at this spot, Normandy, the Allies are likely to land. It is obvious in front of a background projection. In the middle of the dialog, Rommel ‘disappears’ suddenly, while the dialog is continuing over the background projection. Was this an artistic experiment of the producer, or a slip up during editing?

When we talk about 'real', the location for OMAHA Beach was no longer useable to re-enact the American landings over there. Fortunately for Zanuck the 6th Fleet was at manoeuvre near Corsica. Twenty-five ships were available for him and 1600 marines stormed the Corsican beach. The filming became in danger when in August 1961 the Russians put up the 'Berlin Wall'. The co-operation of the American army was in jeopardy, the soldiers were more eager to fight the Russians than the 'Normandy' beach. There was even an investigation and later a change in policy between the Pentagon and Hollywood. Another location where a large portion of 'OMAHA' was shot, was on the island of Île de Ré. Here is a bay, Conches des Baleines, that has a similar curve as OMAHA Beach.

Star at Omaha Beach was Robert Mitchum as General Norman Cota. He speaks here the legendary words ‘Rangers, lead the way’. In the real world his words would have gone lost in the terrible noise of explosions, but there are countless eyewitness reports he spoke these words, on the beach or at his headquarters. So it is justice that the motto for the Rangers is proudly ‘Rangers lead the way.

A ‘sidekick’ next to Mitchum is Eddie Albert in the roll of Colonel Thompson. He suggests, to Cota, at one point to ask permission for a retreat from OMAHA Beach. Later in the movie he will die in a ‘dramatic’ way (after he whistles, like a cowboy who is moving his cattle out), when he is hit by a bullet. A heroes roll has Sgt. John H. Fuller (roll of Jeff Hunter) when he and his men place the bangeloors (pipemines) at the right spot so a breakout can be made.

The first real location were filming took place was Ste-Mere-Eglise. This is the location were the para-drop was re-enacted of the 82nd Airborne Division. Behind the church they built a house that was on fire during that night (the real house stood at the place were now the museum is housed). It was one of the more dramatic scenes from 'The Longest Day', the paratroopers in the flickering lights of the fire who came down around the church.

Actor Red Buttons plays the part of Private John Steele. This paratrooper became hooked on the church tower. He hung helpless for some hours and was a witness to the horror below. It was an ordeal to film in Ste-Mère-Eglise. Around the square at the church the set decorators made a big mess of burning wrecks and rubble. Life size dolls, in paratrooper clothing, were hung into trees and on to buildings. To conceal it, the large monument was covered in sandbags.

To prevent some uneasiness under the locals of Ste-Mère-Eglise, because of all those German uniforms (it was just 17 years after), a loudspeaker called out that it were all French actors and stuntmen!

Star part around Ste-Mère-Eglise was given to John Wayne in the roll of Lt.Col. Benjamin Vandervoort, commander of 2nd Battalion, 505 PIR of the 82ste Airborne Division. Wayne plays his part as he plays all his parts in westerns, a slow moving caricature, who can conquer the whole world. First of all, a dramatic gesture with his arms, and then a ‘John Wayne’ one-liner, such as 'go on,..'.

After shooting completed at Ste-Mere-Eglise the crew left for Pointe du Hoc. Actors Robert Wagner and Paul Anka had to climb the steep cliff together with real US Rangers. These are some exiting scènes. Steven Spielberg would later use one of the scènes for Saving Private Ryan. When German soldiers want to surrender, a Rangers shoots them. He seems not to know what;...'Bitte, bitte!' means.

The 'set-decorators' had little to do at this place. Everything was unchanged since June 1944. To protect the actors against the upcoming tide, they had a huge crane that operated a large platform that could move the 'Rangers' up and down (just as the camera crew). The Rangers in the movie are not wearing their distinctive blue shoulder patch.

While one team is filming at the cliffs of Pointe du Hoc, another team is working at the Caen canal, near Benouville. Here is the re-enactment of the attack on the so called Pegasus Bridge.

Actor Richard Todd, as Major John Howard, plays an important roll in ‘The Longest Day’. Todd was born on June 11, 1919, in Ireland. His childhood was in India, where is father was an army doctor. When the family returns to West Devon, England, Richard goes to the military school at Sandhurst. A career as a writers lies ahead, but he finally becomes an actor at Italia Conta school. When the Second World War starts, Richard Todd joins the 7th Parachute Battalion, part of the 6th Airborne Division. He jumps east of the Orne river, in Normandy, just before 01.00 hours, on June 6t, 1944. As relief troops he and other para’s head for the two bridges over the Orne and the Caen canal (Pegasus bridge). During the night Todd runs into Lt. Sweeney at the Pegasus Bridge, who captured with his men the Orne bridge. Sweeney had just captured Major Hans Schmidt when he approached the bridge. As a commander who was given the order to protect the bridges, Schmidt asked to be shot on the spot (his request was denied).

A week earlier, during a exercise, Todd and Sweeney, had also run into each other. When they introduced themselves, it went like this, Lt. Sweeney: "I met this chap on the bridge and he said,… "Hello, my name is Todd and they call me Sweeney",… So I replied,… "Hello, my name is Sweeney and they call me Tod!" (Richard Todd played once the roll of Sweeney Tod, a murderess barber). Richard Todd would never have guessed, that in 17 years time, in 1961, he would be once again standing on the bridge, now as an actor to portray Major John Howard who was given the order: 'Hold,… until relieved'. It has to be Richard Todd his 'twilight-zone' moment.

The ‘relieve’ for Howard had to come from Lord Lovat and his troops, who had landed on SWORD Beach, and were legging it towards Pegasus Bridge. Before the shooting of the scenes were started at Pegasus Bridge, producer Zanuck had Lord Lovat and Major John Howard brought over to meet the men who were going to portray them. The men had not seen each other since Jun 6, 1944. Richard Todd played Howard, Lord Lovat was done by Peter Lawford.