To honor those brave men and to remember all those who served on that longest day on both sides, D-Day Conneaut is pleased to present our 10th D-Day series Commemorative Challenge Coin; “Leadership”.

Prior to the Second World War, Dwight Eisenhower served in staff roles under the leadership of General John J. Pershing and General Douglas MacArthur. As WWII began, Eisenhower was assigned to become the Chief of the War Plans Division assigned to develop the plan to defeat Germany and Japan. Under the direction of Army Chief of Staff, George C. Marshall, on June 24th, 1942, Eisenhower was promoted by Marshall to command the European Theater of Operations.

Eisenhower soon was also made Supreme Allied Commander of the North African Theater of Operations where he supervised the American landings in North Africa and the march of Allied troops across Tunisia. Along with British forces under the command of Field Marshall Montgomery, they slowly squeezed the Germans from the west and the east. Following the success of beating back the German occupation of North Africa, Eisenhower's command was re-designated the Mediterranean Theater of Operations. Eisenhower then directed the invasion of Sicily in July 1943 and was part of the planning for additional landings in Italy and guided the allied advance up the peninsula.

With a wealth of political experience of dealing with difficult personalities of Montgomery, General George S. Patton, and allied leaders of state, Winston Churchill and Charles de Gaulle coupled with General Marshall’s importance to President Roosevelt state side, the President tapped Eisenhower to become the Supreme Allied Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force and charged him with assembling the team needed to assault “Fortress Europa”, the axis fortified coast of occupied France.

From February 1944, Eisenhower, along with his staff, crafted invasion plans. As D-Day approached, the strain upon Supreme Allied Commander Eisenhower mounted. Keeping the coalition together with conflicting egos, along with keeping the landing location secret despite the enemy’s attempts to determine those landing sites, Eisenhower became a man within himself. Predictions of high casualties, especially those of the Airborne troops, weighed heavy on his mind. Weather too became an issue as storms delayed the decision to “GO”. With secrecy in jeopardy, and hundreds of thousands of troops, airmen and naval personal packed and ready, a final decision amongst those within the Allied Command fell to just one man. On the eve of the invasion and after pooling his staff, General Eisenhower pacing the floor then cast the final decision that would affect millions. “Okay, We’ll Go”, and with that, the invasion was on.

Later that day, Eisenhower spent time with the troops paying close attention to those who would be first in France; the paratroopers. Given the predictions of high casualties, visits with these men showed the true character of Eisenhower’s leadership. It would have been easy to stay within the confines of Southwick House, but Eisenhower chose to be with his men, many which he knew would be dead within hours.

The Allied side inset of the 2018 coin features a striking portrait of General Eisenhower surveying maneuvers leading up to the Allied invasion. A map of the Allied invasion plans is shown behind the Supreme Allied Commander. General Eisenhower’s determined appearance exudes confidence and experience. Surrounding General Eisenhower are names that will live on in D-Day lore; Montgomery, Leigh-Mallory, Tedder, Ramsey, Dempsey, Smith and Bradley. British General Bernard Law Montgomery was assigned as Commander of all Allied ground troops, Air Chief Marshal Sir Trafford Leigh-Mallory commander of all Allied air power, Admiral Sir Bertram Home Ramsay led Allied Naval Forces, Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Tedder oversaw Allied Air Operations, General Miles Dempsey commanded British 2nd Army Forces overseeing British and Canadian Ground Forces across Gold, Juno and Sword beaches, General Omar N. Bradley, Senior Commander of U.S. Ground Forces, and SHAEF Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Walter Bedell Smith; all key personal within Eisenhower’s circle of trust.

To the west, “AF”, a shoulder patch worn by “Allied Forces” and to the east, the SHAEF shoulder patch worn by the staff of the Supreme Headquarters of the Allied Expeditionary Force. Further encircling the portrait of Eisenhower, the Flags of the United States, England, Canada, France and Norway envelop the scene. These 5 countries suffered the most allied casualties on D-Day. As in all the coins in the series, Liberte’, and the longest day itself, D-Day June 6 1944 further commemorate the scene. Also on the outer ring, Normandy LXXIV marks the 74th anniversary of the invasion, and Conneaut XIX marks the 19th anniversary of the D-Day Conneaut event; the numbers shown in Roman numerals in tribute to what has been called “The Great Crusade”.

Depicted on the Axis side of the 2018 D-Day Conneaut Challenge Coin is the portrait of one of WWII’s most iconic figures; German Army Field Marshall Erwin Rommel. Highly decorated in World War I, Rommel and was awarded the prestigious Pour le Mérite, the highest order of Merit in extraordinary personal achievement, also known today as "The Blue Max". In World War II, he commanded the 7th Panzer Division during the 1940 invasion of France. During the North African Campaign, Rommel established a reputation as one of the most able tank commanders of the war earning him the nickname "The Desert Fox". A gentleman in warfare, his British adversaries highly respected his tenacious leadership. As the allies closed in on the Afrika Corps, Hitler ordered his most endeared General back to Greece where he took command of German Army Group E. In the fall of 1943, Rommel was reassigned to Army Group B, with responsibility implied for defending the French coast against the pending Allied invasion.

Yet Rommel’s assignment to Normandy gave him little means to prepare the yet to be finished Atlantik Wall or to prepare troops for the upcoming battle. After protesting his lack of purpose and inability to issue orders and commands, Rommel petitioned German Army Group Commander West Gerd von Rundstedt to grant him complete control of the much unprepared defenses. Von Rundstedt reluctantly agreed to Rommel’s request and within a few months the Atlantik Wall under Rommel’s leadership became a formidable line of defense. Rommel ordered millions of mines laid throughout Normandy and the preparation of the French countryside with “Rommel’s Asparagus”, long poles embedded into open fields designed to prevent allied air operations. However, Rommel was unable to convince Von Rundstedt to reposition German armored divisions near the coast. Although given authority over the entire Northern France area, Rommel’s defensive plans as the invasion unfolded were hampered by Hitler himself who would not permit the deployment of armored divisions without his expressed consent. As Hitler slept on the morning of June 6th, valuable time was lost in sending the armor to where it was most needed. As the invasion commenced, the allies gained a foothold and the beginning of the end of the war in Europe was at hand.

Yet it wasn’t just infighting amongst the German high command that doomed the defense of Normandy. Much credit must be extended to Allied deception plans prior to the invasion. False radio traffic, fake plans falling into enemy hands, the aerial bombing of positions far from Normandy and the disruptive activities of the French resistance all were designed to make the Germans believe that invasion would take place at the Pas-de-Calais. So good were these deception plans that even on the 7th of June, Rommel and von Rundstedt among others within the German command still believed that Normandy was just a diversionary attack and not the main event. More time lost.

Encircling Field Marshall Rommel’s portrait is a phrase made famous in D-Day legend. Rommel was quoted as saying, "Die ersten 24 Stunden dieser Invasion werden entscheidend sein. Das wird für die Alliierten, aber auch für die Deutschen der längste Tag werden. Der längste Tag!" Translated, “The first 24 hours of the invasion will be decisive. For the Allies as well as the Germans, it will be the longest day... the longest day.” … Der längste Tag - Der längste Tag

Behind the portrait, the German Headquarters at the Château de Bernaville where Rommel visited on May 17th 1944 is shown. Present still today, the Château is historically significant in that it was where the first German General was killed on D-Day. This much visited historic site is southwest of Sainte-Mère-Église and the home for the Normandy Institute. Completing the axis face is the prestigious Pour le Mérite awarded to Rommel during World War One and the Knights Cross with Diamonds and Swords, also awarded to the Field Marshall during World War Two. Finally, at the 6 o’clock position, the insignia of Army Group B completes the 2018 coin.

We hope you enjoy the 2018 D-Day Conneaut Commemorative Coin and the history of the longest day depicted upon it as we remember the 74th anniversary of D-Day and our 19th year here in Conneaut.