June 6, 2023
Today is the anniversary of D-Day. This 1944 monumental operation stands as the largest land, sea, and air invasion ever attempted — remarkably, seventy-nine-years later and it’s still significant today.
The Allied forces embarked on a mission to turn the tide of World War II by launching a massive assault on Nazi-held Europe. The soldiers who courageously landed on the beaches of Normandy encountered tremendous challenges, but showed unwavering determination even in the face of disaster.
What’s truly fascinating about D-Day is how U.S. General Patton played a cunning “decoy role.” Patton was stationed in England in an effort to fool the Nazis into thinking the attack would happen north of Normandy. Like everyone else in the world, Patton found out about the Normandy invasion by tuning in to the BBC at seven o’clock in the morning on June 6, 1944. But Patton did more than just sit around as a “decoy.” Patton delivered a series of speeches known as “Patton’s Speech to the Third Army” in 1944, addressing the soldiers of the United States Third Army. These speeches were given before the Allied invasion of France and aimed to inspire and uplift the relatively inexperienced Third Army troops in preparation for their upcoming combat duties.
These speeches were highlighted in the famous 1970 movie “Patton”:
However, you may not be aware of this, but the Patton speech underwent a great deal of censorship to make it palatable for Hollywood. A significant spicy portion was entirely omitted from the movie speech. However, rest assured, we have managed to obtain it, so you can relive the fervor of D-Day. Here is the speech in its entirety.
This is the full text of the speech Gen. Patton made prior to D-Day. The date was 5 June, 1944. Please be advised it is quite profane.