European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 6, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Robert Mitchum portrayed Brig. Gen. Norman d. Cota in the longest Day. 20th cd a Tui foxy Chuck Vinci i Washington Bureau hundreds of frightened troops splash through the roiling water As they Wade ashore under a murderous curtain of bullets and mortar shells ripping at them from the heavily fortified Bluffs above. A off the Beach lets go a an officer Bellows exhorting his troops Onward and. Hey that a Robert Mitchum if not for Mitchum and a Bevy of other Well known actors charging through this scene it might easily be mistaken for actual combat footage of operation overlord the invasion of Normandy. But its actually producer Darryl f. Zanuck a 1962 film the longest Day based on 20th a no Ury Fox John Wayne appears As 82nd airborne div it. Col. Benjamin Vandervoort in the longest Day. Cornelius Ryan a Best Selling Book. Many movies have used that conflict As a backdrop Over the years. But when it comes to a Day this film which won oscars for visual and sound effects and cinematography is the Only one that matters. Its the kind of Large scale extravaganza that Hollywood does no to make anymore with a cast of extras whose size seems to rival that of the original invasion Force. For movie buffs half the fun of watching the. Three hour film lies in picking out the familiar faces that make up a virtual who a who of the Early 1960s movie Industry. Of course its easy to spot heavyweights like Mitchum As Brig. Gen. Norman d. Cota assistant commander of the 29th inf div that landed at Omaha Beach and John Wayne As it. Col. Benjamin h. Vandervoort a battalion commander with the 82nd airborne div. B it other cameos Are sure to cause double takes. For example when British forces land at sword Beach a Young Sean Connery almost drowns disembarking from his Landing Craft. Other stars who pop up include Roddy Mcdowall Peter Lawford Henry Fonda Richard Burton Robert Ryan George Segal Sal Mineo and Mel Ferrer. A lot of the dialogue will seem stilted today. Wayne in particular hams it up in his inimitable style. After breaking his ankle during the night drop behind the German coastal positions he drawls to a medic a put my Boot Back on and lace it up  but once the action kicks in the use of High contrast Black and White film Stock and subtitles for the German and French speaking parts gives the movie an almost eerie authenticity of combat footage. The special effects fully deserve their oscars. The film alternates Between panoramic vistas and tight close that brilliantly recreate the intensity of such Battles As the Ranger assault on the heavily fortified German positions at Pointe do hoc. The Only other a Day film Worth mentioning is the 1956 movie a Day the sixth of june an entertaining Effort that also has Broad and Well executed action sequences. It has a More typical Hollywood feel to it than the longest Day focusing mainly on the personal adventures of Robert Taylor and Richard Todd As american and British officers caught up in the invasion. Dozens of books have been written about every aspect of a Day but for sheer visual Impact few can match the Large format volume published recently by time life books. Profusely illustrated with combat photos a Day offers a graphic portrait of the operation in a Way that words alone simply cannot. Two of the More interesting a Day books currently in print come from British writers. One is bodyguard of lies by Anthony Cane Brown a Lively recounting of the cloak and Dagger efforts of the allies to keep the invasion plans secret from Adolf Hitler. The other is overlord a Day and the Battle for Normandy by Max Hastings. Its a revisionist history that questions Why the allies had such a difficult time when they enjoyed substantial numerical superiority Over the germans whose main body of armoured support was Miles from the beaches when the invasion took place. A Day a richly illustrated volume by Richard Collier that was published just two years ago is a Fine factual account of the Battle. Other books that also serve Well As Basic primers include the Battle for Normandy by Eversley Belfield and Victory in Normandy by David Belchem. Two respected american historians Carlo do Este and Russell Weigley have penned a Day books that Are often cited As sources in other accounts of the invasion. Do Estes Effort is decision in Normandy and Weigley a is titled Eisenhower a lieutenants. Finally a Book that leans heavily on the perspective of the do faces who fought the Battles is six armies in Normandy by John Keegan which focuses on firsthand accounts from u.s., Canadian scottish English German and polish troops. Cornelius ryan60 a stars and stripes commemorative edition june 6, 1994