Ike: Countdown to D-Day
Encyclopedia
Ike: Countdown to D-Day is a 2004 American television film originally aired on the American television channel A&E
and was directed by Robert Harmon
and written by Lionel Chetwynd
.
Tom Selleck
portrays General Dwight D. Eisenhower
- US Army – also known by his nickname of "Ike", hence the title. The film emphasizes the difficult decisions he had to make while dealing with the varied personalities of his direct subordinates, including General Omar N. Bradley - US Army (James Remar
), Lieutenant General George S. Patton, Jr. - US Army (Gerald McRaney
), General Bernard Montgomery
- British Army
(Bruce Phillips) and General Charles De Gaulle
- Free French (George Shevtsov).
The film does not have action sequences, focusing instead on the inner dealings of Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force
that led to the successful D-Day
invasion of World War II. The film concentrates on decisions actually made by Eisenhower and the pressure brought to bear on him personally, including his personal relationship with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill
(Ian Mune
). His Chief of Staff
, Lieutenant General Walter Bedell Smith
- US Army, is also portrayed in the film, by Timothy Bottoms
.
The film is also notable for being the only major video or film production in which General Montgomery
's portrayal concentrates on his role as a competent military professional instead of focusing on his alleged personality disorders while still showing his egocentrism and foibles. General Patton's complex personality is also shown in a very brief set of scenes played by Gerald McRaney
.
The film also mostly omits Ike's relationship with Kay Summersby
though it is believed she appears briefly in the scene where the general officers are viewing the movie reels.
Countdown to D-Day was filmed entirely in New Zealand
with the British parts played by New Zealanders. The American parts were played by Americans.
, is incorrectly referenced as "Jimmy" Spaatz.
In one scene Churchill tells Eisenhower that nobody in Great Britain
is more than 150 miles from the sea. The true figure is 60 miles.
The film makes no reference to or image of Bushy Park
, Teddington
, West London, where Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force, with over 1,200 personnel, was based for over a year up to D-Day.
The movie accurately depicts the incident which nearly torpedoed Overlord. In a drunken scene at a restaurant, Major General
Henry Miller — a West Point classmate of Eisenhower — of the USAAF blurted out the general time and place of Overlord. A lieutenant
of the 101st Airborne overheard this and reported it up the chain of command. Miller was sent home with a reduced rank of Lieutenant Colonel
.
Maj. Gen. Bedell-Smith spoke to the lieutenant and reported that the officer felt bad about doing what he did, but that he was worried about the lives of his men on the day they went to war without letting the Germans know when and where. Eisenhower on hearing this said the officer was better than Miller. He told Miller that it was their longstanding friendship that prevented him from seriously court-martialing him.
The film also makes reference to a message composed by Eisenhower to be given to the press corps in the event the invasion failed. This message was found, years later, in a pocket of General Eisenhower's old uniform. In this speech, Eisenhower accepted full responsibility for any failure of the assault.
In the US Armed Forces at the time, flag ranks were not always permanent and many were temporarily granted to senior officers through the use of Army of the United States
ranks (before the 20th century, it was called brevetting
). Often if an officer was relieved due to other honorable conditions, he would be returned to his original rank in the Regular Army. As Bedell-Smith put it: "You'd lose your theater rank. They'll take three of those stars." In the Miller case he was going to be returned home a major. Instead Ike asked that he be kept a Lt. Colonel instead.
The scene at the end of the film showing the visit to the 101st airborne troops is presented to the viewer as being on June 6, 1944. This particular gathering took place on the eve of D-Day on June 5, 1944, prior to the take-off to France
.
A&E Network
The A&E Network is a United States-based cable and satellite television network with headquarters in New York City and offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, London, Los Angeles and Stamford. A&E also airs in Canada and Latin America. Initially named the Arts & Entertainment Network, A&E launched...
and was directed by Robert Harmon
Robert Harmon
Robert Harmon is an American film and television director. He is best known for the 1986 horror classic The Hitcher, starring Rutger Hauer, as well as for films like They and Nowhere to Run....
and written by Lionel Chetwynd
Lionel Chetwynd
Lionel Chetwynd is a London-born Canadian-American screenwriter, motion picture and television film director and producer.-Life and career:...
.
Tom Selleck
Tom Selleck
Thomas William "Tom" Selleck is an American actor, and film producer. He is best known for his starring role as Hawaii-based private investigator Thomas Magnum on the 1980s television show Magnum, P.I.. He also plays Police Chief Jesse Stone in a series of made-for-TV movies based on the Robert B....
portrays General Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
- US Army – also known by his nickname of "Ike", hence the title. The film emphasizes the difficult decisions he had to make while dealing with the varied personalities of his direct subordinates, including General Omar N. Bradley - US Army (James Remar
James Remar
James Remar is an American actor and voice artist. He has appeared in movies, video games, and TV shows. He is perhaps best known as Richard, the on-off tycoon boyfriend of Kim Cattrall's character in Sex and the City, as Ajax in The Warriors, as the homicidal maniac Albert Ganz in the 1982...
), Lieutenant General George S. Patton, Jr. - US Army (Gerald McRaney
Gerald McRaney
Gerald Lee "Mac" McRaney is an American television and movie actor. McRaney is best known as one of the stars of the television shows Simon & Simon, Major Dad, and Promised Land. He was a series regular for the first season of Jericho.-Early life:McRaney was born in Collins, Mississippi, the son...
), General Bernard Montgomery
Bernard Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein
Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, KG, GCB, DSO, PC , nicknamed "Monty" and the "Spartan General" was a British Army officer. He saw action in the First World War, when he was seriously wounded, and during the Second World War he commanded the 8th Army from...
- British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
(Bruce Phillips) and General Charles De Gaulle
Charles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969....
- Free French (George Shevtsov).
The film does not have action sequences, focusing instead on the inner dealings of Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force
Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force
Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force , was the headquarters of the Commander of Allied forces in north west Europe, from late 1943 until the end of World War II. U.S. General Dwight D. Eisenhower was in command of SHAEF throughout its existence...
that led to the successful D-Day
D-Day
D-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...
invasion of World War II. The film concentrates on decisions actually made by Eisenhower and the pressure brought to bear on him personally, including his personal relationship with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
(Ian Mune
Ian Mune
Ian Barry Mune, OBE is a New Zealand character actor and director. He co-wrote and starred in Roger Donaldson's first film, Sleeping Dogs. He also directed Came a Hot Friday, which featured comedian Billy T. James as the Tainui Kid, and What Becomes of the Broken Hearted?, the sequel to Once Were...
). His Chief of Staff
Chief of Staff
The title, chief of staff, identifies the leader of a complex organization, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a Principal Staff Officer , who is the coordinator of the supporting staff or a primary aide to an important individual, such as a president.In general, a chief of...
, Lieutenant General Walter Bedell Smith
Walter Bedell Smith
Walter Bedell "Beetle" Smith was a senior United States Army general who served as General Dwight D. Eisenhower's chief of staff at Allied Forces Headquarters during the Tunisia Campaign and the Allied invasion of Italy...
- US Army, is also portrayed in the film, by Timothy Bottoms
Timothy Bottoms
-Early life:Bottoms was born in Santa Barbara, California, the eldest son of Betty and James "Bud" Bottoms, who is a sculptor and art teacher. He is the brother of actors Joseph Bottoms , Sam Bottoms and Ben Bottoms . In 1967, Bottoms toured Europe as part of the Santa Barbara Madrigal...
.
The film is also notable for being the only major video or film production in which General Montgomery
Bernard Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein
Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, KG, GCB, DSO, PC , nicknamed "Monty" and the "Spartan General" was a British Army officer. He saw action in the First World War, when he was seriously wounded, and during the Second World War he commanded the 8th Army from...
's portrayal concentrates on his role as a competent military professional instead of focusing on his alleged personality disorders while still showing his egocentrism and foibles. General Patton's complex personality is also shown in a very brief set of scenes played by Gerald McRaney
Gerald McRaney
Gerald Lee "Mac" McRaney is an American television and movie actor. McRaney is best known as one of the stars of the television shows Simon & Simon, Major Dad, and Promised Land. He was a series regular for the first season of Jericho.-Early life:McRaney was born in Collins, Mississippi, the son...
.
The film also mostly omits Ike's relationship with Kay Summersby
Kay Summersby
Kay Summersby was a member of the British Mechanised Transport Corps during World War II, who served as chauffeur to Supreme Commander Allied Expeditionary Force Dwight D. Eisenhower, later as his secretary and, it is alleged, his mistress.-Biography:Summersby was born Kathleen Helen...
though it is believed she appears briefly in the scene where the general officers are viewing the movie reels.
Countdown to D-Day was filmed entirely in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
with the British parts played by New Zealanders. The American parts were played by Americans.
Noteworthy
U.S. Army Air Corp Major General Carl SpaatzCarl Spaatz
Carl Andrew "Tooey" Spaatz GBE was an American World War II general and the first Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force. He was of German descent.-Early life:...
, is incorrectly referenced as "Jimmy" Spaatz.
In one scene Churchill tells Eisenhower that nobody in Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
is more than 150 miles from the sea. The true figure is 60 miles.
The film makes no reference to or image of Bushy Park
Bushy Park
- External links :***...
, Teddington
Teddington
Teddington is a suburban area in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in south west London, on the north bank of the River Thames, between Hampton Wick and Twickenham. It stretches inland from the River Thames to Bushy Park...
, West London, where Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force, with over 1,200 personnel, was based for over a year up to D-Day.
The movie accurately depicts the incident which nearly torpedoed Overlord. In a drunken scene at a restaurant, Major General
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
Henry Miller — a West Point classmate of Eisenhower — of the USAAF blurted out the general time and place of Overlord. A lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
of the 101st Airborne overheard this and reported it up the chain of command. Miller was sent home with a reduced rank of Lieutenant Colonel
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
.
Maj. Gen. Bedell-Smith spoke to the lieutenant and reported that the officer felt bad about doing what he did, but that he was worried about the lives of his men on the day they went to war without letting the Germans know when and where. Eisenhower on hearing this said the officer was better than Miller. He told Miller that it was their longstanding friendship that prevented him from seriously court-martialing him.
The film also makes reference to a message composed by Eisenhower to be given to the press corps in the event the invasion failed. This message was found, years later, in a pocket of General Eisenhower's old uniform. In this speech, Eisenhower accepted full responsibility for any failure of the assault.
In the US Armed Forces at the time, flag ranks were not always permanent and many were temporarily granted to senior officers through the use of Army of the United States
Army of the United States
The Army of the United States is the official name for the conscription force of the United States Army that may be raised at the discretion of the United States Congress in the event of the United States entering into a major armed conflict...
ranks (before the 20th century, it was called brevetting
Brevet (military)
In many of the world's military establishments, brevet referred to a warrant authorizing a commissioned officer to hold a higher rank temporarily, but usually without receiving the pay of that higher rank except when actually serving in that role. An officer so promoted may be referred to as being...
). Often if an officer was relieved due to other honorable conditions, he would be returned to his original rank in the Regular Army. As Bedell-Smith put it: "You'd lose your theater rank. They'll take three of those stars." In the Miller case he was going to be returned home a major. Instead Ike asked that he be kept a Lt. Colonel instead.
The scene at the end of the film showing the visit to the 101st airborne troops is presented to the viewer as being on June 6, 1944. This particular gathering took place on the eve of D-Day on June 5, 1944, prior to the take-off to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.