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Eighty years ago, rumors of an Allied invasion of France during World War II had been spreading across the nation. It was no secret that an Allied assault against the war machine of Nazi Germany was going to happen; the only question was when. History records that four area men, two from Williamsburg and two from nearby King William County, went ashore at Omaha Beach on June 6, 1944.

D-Day was the largest amphibious landing in the history of warfare. Initially, D-Day was scheduled for June 5 but was postponed a day by Gen. Dwight D.



Eisenhower because of a storm predicted for the English Channel, which was reported nationally along with other war news. Therefore, the invasion the next morning was a surprise at homes throughout the U.S.

The word of the offensive reached America at 3:32 a.m. EST when radio stations began to announce Eisenhower’s Order of the Day: Invasion.

King William County soldiers Pfc. Robert V.I.

Moskalski, a tanker, and Pfc. Melvin V. Rosson, a combat infantryman, were scheduled to land during the morning on a segment of Omaha codenamed the Easy Red Sector, according to research by William H.

Casterline Jr., a retired Fairfax attorney and amateur history researcher and writer. On the western side of the beach, Army Capt.

John Hodges, whose father had been dean of men at William & Mary, and Navy Chief Motor Machinist Mate Richard E. Holland, who later worked for Colonial Williamsburg, were with the 29th division and USS LST-47, respectively. They later g.

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