Downloaded from YTS.BZ
♪ ♪
Official YIFY movies site: YTS.BZ
♪ ♪
(weak, gasping breaths)
♪ ♪
Here, have one of these.
♪ ♪
Fuck me.
Right.
Are you sure there's time?
There's time.
- Thank you. - (sighs)
(sighs)
Did they say how long you'll be gone for?
No, they didn't say.
I'm very proud they chose you, Jim.
I'll be fine.
Go.
Okay.
♪ ♪
(door closes)
Morning, sir.
♪ ♪
Sir.
Group Captain Dr. James Stagg,
chief meteorological officer, reporting for duty.
I.D. card and pass, please, sir.
Right this way, sir.
Welcome to Southwick House, sir.
I'm Andrew Carter with the Met Office.
I'll be your ADC.
- Mm-hmm. - (gate slams shut)
(busy chatter)
I must admit it's a great honor to meet you, Dr. Stagg.
I so enjoyed your paper on terrestrial magnetism.
It's a fascinating subject.
It is, yes.
(soldiers shouting indistinctly)
And here we are, sir.
- (phones ringing) - (busy chatter)
Operations rooms are upstairs, sir.
Teleprinters are in the cellars.
And our forecast room is just through here.
(busy chatter continues)
(loud hammering)
- Where can I put this down? - Anywhere, sir.
We'll have someone take it to your tent.
What are these?
ANDREW: They're historical analog charts.
I know what they are, but what are they doing here?
Colonel Krick, he requested them.
(loud hammering continues)
Well, which one is he? Introduce me.
(muffled under hammering): I believe he's with General...
Can you stop! Stop the banging, please.
(hammering stops)
ANDREW: I believe he's with General Eisenhower
at the moment, sir.
MAN: I'll call you back.
Sir.
What's coming through?
Soundings at 53 north, 35 west, sir.
Mm-hmm. Weather ship Hoste, yes?
Yes, sir.
Uh, Casey and Bryant here are linked directly
to the teleprinter ops at Dunstable and Bushy Park.
- Which one are you? - I'm Casey, sir.
That's wrong, Casey.
Our American contingent, sir.
This is Flight Officer Murray, Flight Officer Hamilton.
- Good to meet you, sir. - They're on surface weather.
What, both of you? Who's on upper air?
Uh, no one, sir.
No one's on upper air?
So that data just goes unrecorded, does it?
I'll need both of you on upper air at all times.
Uh, we were told to use historical analog charts, sir.
Not by me. Those weren't my instructions.
It's just, Colonel Krick instructed us otherwise, sir.
Did he? Do I have an office?
Yes, sir. It's just through here.
Ah.
Good afternoon, sir.
Uh, this is Group Captain Stagg.
He's just transferred from Dunstable.
We've been very much looking forward to his...
him joining us here.
Lieutenant Kay Summersby.
Motor Transport Corps. Welcome to Southwick House.
Are we sharing an office, or what?
No. I was just using it temporarily.
Good, because I'll need it exclusively.
Well, very good.
Can you see to it that General Eisenhower knows
that I'm here?
And that I apologize for my late arrival?
Yes, sir.
Sir.
(sighs) Right.
OPERATOR (over phone): Hello. Signals Department.
Switchboard speaking.
Yes, um, Richmond 1-9-3-7, please.
I'm sorry, but all outgoing calls are forbidden
without prior authorization, sir.
Uh, no, no, I-I-I... I need to speak with my wife.
- I'm sorry, sir. - (line disconnects)
- Hello? - (knocking at door)
Yes? Hello?
(hangs up phone)
If you'd like to follow me, please,
General Eisenhower will see you now.
♪ ♪
I wouldn't keep him waiting any longer than you already have.
- (busy chatter) - (phones ringing)
Group Captain Dr. James Stagg,
here at the express request of General Eisenhower.
(hushed chatter)
And all 265 vessels arrived without issue, sir.
And we've assigned, uh, five patrol craft
and three destroyers.
DWIGHT "IKE" EISENHOWER: Let's get the job done.
Glad to hear it.
Lieutenant Summersby?
Sir, may I introduce Group Captain James Stagg,
who finally made it in from London?
Well, it's good to meet you, Group Captain Stagg.
Welcome aboard.
Nice to finally put a face to the name.
Have you got all the equipment you need downstairs?
Equipment is not the problem, sir.
What's the problem?
Um, well, it's time, sir. I haven't really had any...
any time to establish any clear picture.
Have a look, Group Captain.
I got 7,000 naval vessels,
130,000 ground troops,
200,000 naval personnel, 15 hospital ships,
8,000 doctors, three airborne divisions
and a partridge in a pear tree.
Largest seaborne invasion force in history.
Is it?
And do we have a date yet for the invasion, sir?
We invade France Monday.
- This Monday? - Correct.
Monday, June 5th, 0630.
That is D-Day, which is in 61 hours from now.
Fate of the war hinges on this.
All the pieces of the jigsaw are in place.
There's only one imponderable that remains.
I need a forecast.
I'm... Yes, I'm concerned that what you're asking me is
scientifically impossible, sir.
Uh, long-term forecasting is
really only ever educated guesswork.
Monday is not long-term, for Christ's sake.
Does Monday sound like long-term to you, Lieutenant Summersby?
No, it certainly does not, sir.
Well, this is Northern Europe, sir.
Anything over 24 hours is-is... is considered long-term,
meteorologically speaking.
But I'll...
I'll do my best.
I don't want your best.
I already expect that.
I need certainty.
Churchill tells me
you're the best meteorologist in the country
and that I should rely on you over Colonel Krick.
You know him?
Only by reputation.
Well, Krick's been with me since '42.
He's never steered me wrong, so...
let's see how you measure up.
I need a forecast for Monday.
I need it first thing tomorrow morning.
Y-Yes, sir.
Don't let me down.
♪ ♪
Group Captain.
(clears throat) Let's go.
Group Captain.
(playing "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy")
♪ He had a boogie style that no one else could play ♪
♪ He was the top man at his craft ♪
♪ But then his number came up ♪
♪ And he was gone with the draft ♪
♪ He's in the Army now a-blowing reveille ♪
♪ He's the boogie-woogie bugle boy of Company B ♪
♪ They made him blow a bugle for his Uncle Sam ♪
♪ It really brought him down because he couldn't jam ♪
♪ The captain seemed to understand ♪
♪ Because the next day the cap went out ♪
- ♪ And drafted a band ♪ - Kay!
♪ And now the company jumps... ♪
Ladies and gentlemen, Kay Summersby. Take over.
- Come on, Kay. - KAY: Oh.
- Dance with me. - (man whoops) -(Kay laughs)
Like old times.
- (laughter) - (music continues)
There you go.
- There you go. - (man whistling)
KAY: Oh, stick to piano, Irv.
- (music concludes) - (laughter, applause)
I-I don't believe you've met, uh, Group Captain Stagg.
Only by telephone.
Dr. Stagg, so nice to finally meet you.
You're younger than I imagined.
You're shorter than I imagined.
(person coughs)
Analogs.
I realize that, yes.
Every single weather chart for Northern Europe since 1900.
Mm. Um, in my experience,
the weather never replicates its own history.
Ah, well, try telling that to a movie producer.
Remember Selznick, Kay?
(scoffs): Oh.
July '39.
David Selznick calls me up.
He's making a movie. He wants a forecast
for a three-day period in Beverly Hills.
- The scene is... - (plays drumroll on lap)
the burning of Atlanta.
"I don't want to see a drop of rain, Irv.
Not a drop. Not a drop."
Well, MGM calls me up. They give me the dates.
I give 'em the forecast.
(sighs) Beautiful weather.
I mean, just gorgeous.
Not a cloud in the sky.
Movie's a hit. I get to meet Clark Gable.
Little picture-- I-I don't know if you heard of it.
Called Gone with the Wind.
- You seen it, Stagg? - No.
No? That...
That's crazy. Who hasn't seen Gone with the Wind?
Me. I haven't seen it.
Well, you must. I mean, it's a great picture.
It's great. I saw it with Ike.
Kay drove us... to the London premiere.
- KAY: This is true. - Great night.
So, did you meet Vivien Leigh?
Oh, we sure did.
- BRYANT: What was she like? - What was she like?
Uh, she was cute. (laughs, mutters)
The Allied High Command has requested
our forecast by 1:00 p.m. tomorrow.
Time and date of the invasion to France
has been confirmed for Monday. Monday. Monday.
June 5th, 6:30 a.m., so can we start, please?
Get rid of the piano. Thank you.
Is it bothering you, Dr. Stagg?
- It's inappropriate. - (phone ringing)
(quiet chatter)
Call this extension if you need to speak
to General Eisenhower anytime, day or night.
Is this his direct line?
Oh, no. It's a direct line to me.
I handle all communication with the general.
(quiet chatter continues)
Can I have your attention, please?
(Bryant continues chattering over phone)
Bryant, can you put the phone down, please?
Is that his name? Bryant?
BRYANT: Okay, go ahead.
(slams piano shut)
I needn't, I hope, have to stress to you
how crucial this forecast is, but I do want to stress
one thing to you all and one thing only:
Get me the data.
That's what counts.
Get me the latest readings from every single base
within 2,000 miles of Normandy.
That's Paris, Galway, Reykjavík,
Boston, Washington, Lisbon...
...New York, Newfoundland.
You get the idea.
Get me the data from every Met station,
every weather balloon, every reconnaissance flight.
That's upper air. That's surface air.
That's radar soundings. That's sea temperature.
That's salinity. Everything.
If we've measured it, then I want it.
That room there...
that's where I'll be.
Get me the data.
That's what counts.
♪ ♪
(radio buzzing)
OFFICER: 700 millibars.
210. 28.
(over radio): 650 millibars.
- (overlapping radio chatter) - Plus 19.
OFFICER 2: Observations coming in from Spain.
OFFICER 3: Sea surface temp: 18 degrees.
OFFICER 4: Ten-tenths stratocumulus and altocumulus
now rising in zero-two.
OFFICER 5: 1-0-1-5 millibars.
(indistinct, overlapping radio chatter)
OFFICER 6: Northwest wind, force five.
OFFICER 7: 6-0-0 millibars.
OFFICER 5: Wind southwest, force four.
OFFICER 8: South Iceland seven-tenths, 30,000 feet.
Southeast, force six.
(indistinct radio chatter)
OFFICER 9: 1-0-1-8 millibars.
Say that again, please. Repeat that.
- Are you getting the L front temp? -No, I have...
(overlapping radio chatter continues)
OFFICER 10: Seven-tenths, stratocumulus,
3,000 feet, force six.
Southwesterly, force six.
We're still waiting on the Greenland data, sir.
Just-just leave that. Just leave that be.
JAMES: What speed is L3 moving at?
25 knots.
- ANDREW: Finished with that? - (busy chatter continues)
Ten StratoCu 3,000 feet, southeast, force four.
OFFICER 5: 1-0-1-3 millibars.
OFFICER 2: Radar soundings from 0930.
(busy chatter continues)
There's been no movement from the main course.
Sir, the weather conditions in Normandy.
(busy chatter continues)
These are from yesterday's 12 o'clock, sir.
Humidity reports.
And we have those folders you requested...
- (thunder crashes) - (busy chatter continues)
There's nothing there.
Carter. It's done.
Good man.
(indistinct radio chatter)
(busy chatter continues)
Sir.
The latest completed maps.
♪ ♪
IRVING: Oh, come on.
Look at the analogs.
It's as plain as day: calm, sunny weather.
Those analogs prove absolutely nothing.
How can you say that? It's right here.
- Are you blind? - (taps paper)
Look at it.
I don't need to look at it.
The chart is 19 years old.
Fine, that's-that's 40 years old,
27 years, uh, 15 years old.
That's-that's the point: patterns over time.
Okay. Thank you.
I think what we need to do is establish
what we already know today, here and now.
Um, we have two aggressive storms
stretching themselves across the Atlantic
from Newfoundland to Normandy.
Agreed.
There is an area of high pressure above the Azores.
That's what interests me.
But it's moving lethargically and...
Your word, not mine.
I'm sorry, would you like the floor again?
Me? No, it's your floor. Go ahead.
We can't just base the forecast on surface air
and, uh, analog charts.
We must also consider the jet stream, which...
The jet stream?
Yes, the jet stream
currently hurtling its way towards Europe
and dragging both the storms with it,
likely spawning a third storm.
That jet stream.
Okay.
Which will inevitably mean stormier conditions
over the next few days-- tomorrow, Sunday, into Monday.
Disastrous conditions for an invasion.
Okay, thank you so much, Dr. Stagg.
Now, this is a chart for June 2, 1925.
Nearly identical conditions to today.
Same depressions in the Atlantic,
same high pressures over the Azores.
Move ahead... three days
to June 5, 1925, D-Day if you will.
Calm. Sunny weather.
1925 is entirely irrelevant to what we're talking about.
I could've just as easily picked June 2, 1904, or 1929.
You know as well as I do
that atmospheric conditions can never be identical ever.
What I do know is who nailed the forecast at Alamein
for the Western Desert campaign,
for the Tunisian campaign, for Operation Torch.
I know who got it right every goddamn time in Cairo.
In Tripoli, Algiers, Oran, Casablanca.
Do you know?
You?
Yeah. Me.
This isn't Casablanca, Colonel Krick.
This is Northern Europe.
It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter.
When the atmospheric conditions are a match,
the weather follows suit.
Mark my words.
D-Day will be calm and sunny.
Nighty night, gentlemen.
Nobody move.
Back to work.
(others murmuring)
What do you make of Stagg?
Hmm.
Scottish.
Churchill says he's a genius.
Hmm.
Yeah, well...
men are too fond of that word.
(quiet chatter)
♪ ♪
OFFICER (over radio): Three-tenths Cu and StratoCu
at 2,000 feet, cloud extending to West Wales.
(overlapping radio chatter)
MONTY: Inflatable Shermans,
Spitfires, Long Toms
and troop carriers.
Just rubber and air, gentlemen.
But to a Nazi reconnaissance plane,
utterly indistinguishable from the real thing.
In North Africa, I proved this time and again
with victory after victory after victory.
Of course, it's not just about crushing the enemy, gentlemen.
It's about deceiving him, too, and deceive him we will.
We've conjured up phantom armies across all of East Anglia,
thousands of fake supply depots,
false radio transmissions, empty tents
and decoy campfires.
On D-Day,
dummy paratroopers weighted with sand
will be dropped 15 to 20 miles inland from the Normandy coast.
They explode on impact.
Only the chute remains.
With any luck, the enemy will think our boys are running wild
through the French interior,
drawing great chunks of their forces
right away from the beaches.
It's a little small, don't you think, Monty?
Small?
It's a joke, Monty.
(smacks lips)
Yes.
What's small is our window.
The 12th SS Panzer is already near Caen.
The 352nd Infantry Division are heavily entrenched.
If we delay beyond Monday,
they will see right through all of this.
Everything that we have done,
all our meticulous efforts, will be for naught.
MONTY: He's doubled his defenses in as many weeks.
Every passing hour makes our task more perilous.
Ideally, we bring D-Day forward.
Can't be done.
We are two days out.
The more prepared the enemy, the more ruthless I must become.
Though it's not my wish,
if it means getting more men ashore,
I may have to sacrifice
every last member of my advance brigade.
Well, if I didn't know you better, Monty,
I would've thought you enjoyed saying that.
Yes.
But then again, I've actually been to war.
Be that as it may, you're the boss.
I am.
And the final decision on the timing of D-Day will be mine...
and mine alone.
Pray for good weather.
The weather is irrelevant.
We must go, whatever the weather.
(door opens)
♪ ♪
(birds chirping)
(jovial chatter)
George said that she came over to him.
She came over to him, right?
(chatter continues indistinctly)
♪ ♪
Ah.
Thought I'd pop in and identify myself.
Bernard Montgomery.
Oh, yes. (clears throat)
Hello. Uh, James Stagg.
All looking good for Monday?
Um, no.
No, no, no.
Can't say that we are, sir.
Well, can't be that bad, surely.
JAMES: Well, you know this country, sir.
Looks can be deceiving.
Hmm.
Do not sow doubt, Group Captain.
Battles are lost when doubt enters the mind.
We'll cross the Channel on Monday.
That is definite.
If D-Day is canceled, we will lose this war.
Do you want to be personally responsible
for losing this war, Group Captain Stagg?
No, sir.
For Christ's sake.
Okay.
We ready to go?
Go where?
To the meeting.
And when we get to the meeting, what will we be saying exactly?
Monday will be calm and sunny.
The barometer at Foynes has been falling all morning.
Yeah, I saw it.
Minimal drop, insignificant.
I think it's significant.
Listen, pal.
I've been working with Ike for three years.
- I know the guy. - Mm-hmm. And?
He won't want uncertainty.
Right. Well, then I better attend the meeting alone.
(Irving chuckles)
Are you kidding?
You can't do that.
That's not how that works.
Uh, you can't do that.
The responsibility for the D-Day forecast is mine,
and it's not one that I'm going to take lightly.
It's not yours.
Okay? It's ours.
Ours, jointly.
No, no. There's one chief meteorological officer,
and it's not you.
You won't be attending the meeting.
Is there anything else?
IRVING: Asshole.
KAY: Irv.
- How much time do I have? - It's time.
What happened with Colonel Krick?
Never mind Colonel Krick.
Well, they won't like this.
Well, I don't like this.
They're waiting for you, Group Captain Stagg.
♪ ♪
(quiet chatter)
- IKE: Yes? - KAY: Sir, he's here.
(whispers): Excuse me, gentlemen.
Group Captain Stagg.
This is General Bernard Montgomery,
commander in chief, Allied land forces.
And here we have
Air Chief Marshal Leigh-Mallory,
commander in chief, Allied Expeditionary Air Force.
This is Admiral Ramsay,
commander in chief, Allied naval forces,
and Lieutenant General Omar Bradley,
commander of the U.S. First Army.
Where's Colonel Krick?
JAMES: He's not attending, sir.
Why not?
Well, I believe it's my duty to brief you all
on the forecast for Monday.
- He should be here. - Shall I have him fetched?
My forecast will be the same
whether Colonel Krick attends or not.
IKE: All right.
Going forward, I want him here.
Is that understood?
- Certainly, sir. - IKE: Good.
What have you got?
(quiet murmuring)
(man clears throat)
Regrettably, we are faced with a succession
of two aggressive storms in the Atlantic
of unprecedented intensity for this time of year.
My forecast, therefore... (clears throat)
Uh, excuse me. (clears throat)
My forecast, therefore,
for Monday, June 5th, the proposed D-Day,
is as follows.
Wind, west-northwest, strong,
reaching force six, possibly force seven.
Force seven? Are you sure?
(officers murmuring)
No.
It's an estimate.
Cloud low.
Visibility poor.
Rain very likely.
Waves eight to 12 feet,
possibly with an increase to 15 feet.
Confidence... poor.
Monday, June 5th
through at least Tuesday, June 6th, falling...
...to very poor.
- (officers murmuring) - (Ike chuckles)
IKE: Stagg, I-I'm no weatherman,
but have you looked out a window lately?
Well, the weather in this part of Europe, sir,
can change very rapidly.
This poor visibility-- how poor?
Less than a mile, or thereabouts.
Our paratroopers require a full moon
to land on target.
Spring tides are essential for landing our watercraft.
Do you realize, Group Captain Stagg,
that Monday, June 5th is the only date this calendar year
upon which these conditions perfectly coincide?
I do realize. Of course, sir.
So, when exactly do you suggest we go?
JAMES: Well, as it relates to the weather,
it's impossible to say.
As to the moon and the tides,
the next opportunity would be June 18.
(officers murmuring)
Two more weeks? Are you mad?
We can't keep our preparations secret for that long.
It's just not possible.
Of course it isn't.
The enemy will be ready and waiting.
They'll slaughter every single last one of us.
That's an extremely pessimistic forecast.
Are you absolutely certain?
No.
I'm not certain.
I'm confident that the storms will come.
I can't be absolutely certain as to when.
Not good enough.
If the storms come tonight,
then they may burn themselves off by Monday.
If they come tomorrow, then the weather will be...
exactly as I described.
We must go regardless.
(clock ticking)
This moment demands judgment
shaped by actual battlefield experience.
We can't risk another Exercise Tiger.
My men are ready and primed for the big match.
Get them onto the beaches somehow, anyhow.
Leave the rest to me.
♪ ♪
(officers murmuring)
IKE: Reload me, please.
Let's go. It's time.
Monty.
You can think what you like,
and you can say what you like to my face,
but don't you ever undermine me in front of the men again.
Relax, old chap.
It's not as if I'm telling them anything
they don't already know.
IKE: Tiger was a training op.
Dress rehearsal for D-Day.
Half those boys were fresh out of the draft.
So I called in live artillery to...
...toughen them up.
Naval command was supposed to bomb the beach
an hour before we landed.
There were delays, so we had to push the start time back.
Our radios had a different frequency from the Brits.
Our boys never got the message.
They walked right into it.
One mistake.
Just that one mistake.
Ike.
Ike, look at me.
You have to stop doing this to yourself.
What's done is done.
When I close my eyes...
...all I can see is failure.
- (typewriter keys clacking) - (phones ringing)
Well, look what the cat dragged in.
IRVING: Evening, sir.
Evening, Irv. You doing all right?
IRVING: Yeah. Can we talk?
IKE: What's on your mind?
IRVING: Well, sir, I'm not sure
- if you're aware of... - KAY: Ike!
Associated Press have just announced
that we're landing in France tomorrow.
CBS, Radio Moscow, they've already picked it up.
- Get General McClure on this. - Yep.
I want this cleaned up now.
And I want names.
Understood.
(slams table, picks up bottle)
IKE: You were saying?
(drink pouring)
(bottle thuds on table)
(busy chatter)
IKE: Stagg!
- Stagg! - (chatter quiets)
Everyone out!
Move!
Close the door behind you.
That, uh, forecast you gave...
...was that the view of the British
and the American teams?
It was the view of the Allied Meteorological Unit.
Don't give me that mealymouthed crap!
Krick told me-- he just told me!--
the weather on Monday is gonna be fine.
Just fine. Sunny and beautiful!
Well, Colonel Krick had no right to speak on behalf of...
IKE: Wrong! Colonel Krick has every right
to speak up if he thinks that that will affect
the outcome of the invasion!
Is that clear?!
Is it?!
Yes, sir.
IKE: Who do you think you are, anyway?
Who?
Ordering my man to stand down?
Pestering my staff so that you can phone home?
May I respond, sir?
I'm all ears.
As chief meteorological officer,
I take full responsibility
for the recommendation made at the meeting.
And it was precisely because Colonel Krick and I disagreed
that I decided it would be clearer and simpler
if I spoke alone.
Krick's forecasts have saved
thousands of lives.
Why on God's green earth should I trust you?
Because Colonel Krick has been lucky.
Good.
I like luck.
Why was he lucky?
He's been lucky because he's been tasked
with forecasting stable weather systems.
When patterns are predictable, then yes, of course,
analog charts can be useful.
In North Africa, he never made a mistake.
- Not once. - Well, of course he didn't.
He was safe as houses there.
The conditions here, sir...
they're not comparable.
Look at the charts, sir.
Here, there are two-- not one but two--
major storms advancing towards the Normandy coast
even as we speak.
That's nowhere near France.
No, sir.
Not yet.
I want a forecast the two of you agree on.
Clear?
Yes, sir.
KAY: OPW confirmed full retraction.
IKE: Thank you.
Not at all, sir.
(sighs)
I didn't tell him about you trying to call home.
Someone downstairs must have leaked it, I'm afraid.
Okay.
He gets like that sometimes.
Just let it wash over you.
He won't even remember what he said.
That how you deal with him?
Ah, he's nothing.
I was an ambulance driver during the Blitz.
There were so many dead bodies,
we had to use a cinema as a morgue.
- You just grow a thick skin. - Hmm.
From ambulance driver
to aide to the supreme commander.
Mm-hmm.
Driver, secretary,
aide, nurse.
Everything, really.
We've been together for three years now.
I've been to Morocco, Algeria.
Must be exciting.
It has its moments.
So, these storms you keep talking about--
how are you so certain that they're coming?
I'm not certain.
You can't be certain about the weather.
All we can do is look to the evidence.
Do you know that weathermen are traditionally a little boring?
- How dare you say that? - (laughs)
Weathermen, maybe, but how can the weather be boring?
It feeds us.
The weather.
Can destroy us.
Controls our daily life.
I don't think that's boring.
People ask, "When will it rain? When will the sun come out?"
But what about, "Why does it rain?"
"Why does the wind blow?"
"What's the wind?"
(phone ringing)
Excuse me. (clears throat)
Yes. Stagg.
Yes, go ahead. Repeat that.
Zero, zero, one, zero, four...
OFFICER (over radio): StratoCu at 2,000 feet.
Tops at 5,000 feet.
(overlapping weather reports over radio)
(quiet chatter)
♪ ♪
IKE: Good news or bad?
We're looking good, sir.
I couldn't disagree with that more.
We're not looking good at all.
You know what, I am done
with this Scotch pessimism of yours, this Highland gloom.
I'm not from the Highlands.
IRVING: Well, your Lowland gloom, then.
I'm neither from the Highlands nor the Lowlands.
Well, wherever it is he's from,
we're in good shape for Monday, sir.
You see this?
This ridge of high pressure has already moved in
from the Azores, just as it did on June 3, 1925.
JAMES: This is moronic.
This is actually moronic.
Oh, so I'm moronic now?
That's great, Stagg. That's just great.
Just insult me right to my face.
I'm not insulting you. I'm just describing you.
As a moron?
IKE: All right, enough.
As a confident moron, yes.
Oh, go to hell, Stagg. You come in here,
- you think you're better than us? -Hey! All right,
all right, all right, that's enough.
Jesus Christ.
We have three hours.
Three hours until we take this up with the C-in-Cs.
Now...
...go or not go?
Sir, what we need to consider...
No, no. No, no more considering.
No.
Go or don't go? Go or don't go?
- That's it. Which is it?! - (phone ringing)
We should go, sir.
Stagg.
(phone continues ringing)
ANDREW (quietly): I'm sorry, we'll have to call you back.
Understood.
Uh, uh, I-I'm sorry, sir. It's for you.
Not now.
They say it's extremely urgent.
Yes. Stagg.
(over phone): Sir, this is Private Amy Haig from Signals
relaying a message from the Dunstable Met Office.
Your wife was taken to the maternity ward of St. Mary's.
- She is pregnant, yes? - Yes.
Yes, that's correct.
Is the baby here?
Have I missed it?
Well, sir, they felt you should know:
St. Mary's Hospital was bombed earlier tonight.
There have been casualties, sir, and they're...
they're still looking for your wife.
Group Captain Stagg?
Is there any more information?
Not at this point, sir.
But there's been casualties?
Yes, sir.
Okay. Well, um...
Well, if you have any more...
information, then let me know-- anything.
Of course, sir.
Thank you.
You're welcome, sir.
IKE: There a problem, Stagg?
No. It's irrelevant.
IKE: Good.
So, can I give the order?
What?
The order.
For Monday.
No.
N-No?
I mean, so you're saying don't give the order?
Is that it?
Yeah, that... Yes.
Yes. I'm saying that... I'm saying...
that the weather on Monday will be extremely poor.
IKE: Let me tell you my problem, Stagg.
Even I can see that
Krick's anticyclone is on the move,
because it's right here on the goddamn map.
Now, our final meeting is at 0400 hours,
and that will be the absolute last opportunity
to change anything,
so unless you can prove these storms are inbound,
we invade as planned
Monday, June 5th, 0630 hours.
Yes, sir.
Three hours, gentlemen.
♪ ♪
(quiet chatter)
♪ ♪
SOLDIER: You ready? You ready?
("Hi De Ho Man" by Cab Calloway playing)
(Cab Calloway scatting in song)
(laughter)
- (soldiers exclaiming) - Yeah!
(laughter)
(singing along): ♪ Oh... ♪
♪ The hi-de-ho man, that's me ♪
♪ How'd you like to blow your top? ♪
♪ Dig yourself some fine rebop? ♪
♪ Hi-de-hi, he-de-he ♪
♪ Oh, the hi-de-ho man, that's me ♪
♪ Hi-de, hi-de, hi-de-hi ♪
♪ Hey-de, hey-de, hey-de-hey ♪
♪ He-de, he-de, he-de-he ♪
♪ Hi-de, hi-de, hi-de-hi ♪
♪ Say, I hepped 'em in London ♪
♪ I hepped 'em in Holland ♪
♪ I hepped 'em in gay Paris ♪
♪ Yes, sirree, yes, sirree ♪
♪ Oh, the hi-de-ho man, that's me ♪
♪ Hi-de, hi-de, hi-de-hi ♪
♪ Hi-de, hi-de-hi ♪
♪ Oh-ho, de-ho-de ♪
♪ Ho, de-ho-de ♪
♪ Hi-de, hi-de, hi-de-hi ♪
(scatting in song)
(soldiers hollering)
♪ The hi-de-ho man, that's me. ♪
- (song ends) - (insects chirping)
(chirping grows louder)
(voice muted)
- KAY: Dr. Stagg. - (chirping quiets)
Come with me.
Come on.
We need you back there.
♪ ♪
Come on.
You'll be all right.
- Yes. - Mm-hmm.
Anything at all.
Yeah.
Uh, this just came through, sir.
- (quiet chatter) - (insects chirping)
(knocking)
I want to say something.
Yeah, what's that?
I think the way you're treating Stagg is wrong.
I think if you keep it up,
he's gonna crack and you'll lose him.
Then I'll work with Krick.
You know I like Irv, but he-he's no match for Stagg.
Since when are you an expert?
Don't talk to me like that.
His wife is in the hospital.
- She's pregnant. - In labor.
Hospital's bombed, yes.
I know. What else?
He doesn't know if his pregnant wife is dead or alive.
Uh-huh. Yes.
- Let me find out. - Find out what?
I can make it to the hospital and back in a couple of hours.
- How are you gonna do that? - It'll give him clarity.
No. No, I need you here.
It's just a couple of hours.
No.
Dismissed.
Dismissed, Lieutenant.
♪ ♪
(door opens, slams shut)
OFFICER: South Iceland,
seven-tenths StratoCu, 3,000 feet,
- southeast force six. - (overlapping weather reports)
OFFICER 2: ...ten-tenths at 1,500 feet.
(busy chatter)
ANDREW: So we have warm sector conditions over Ireland,
and low 9-9-6 is off the northwest of Scotland.
It's the secondary low.
That's causing a low cloud base.
It's very high dew points in that warm sector upstream.
No sign of frontal systems moving north.
BRYANT: Not yet.
- They're about to start, sir. - Just a couple more minutes.
Please.
I have the 1300 and 1800 surface air maps. Bryant.
It's okay.
We don't need the charts.
We still have a little time, sir.
♪ ♪
(busy chatter)
(chatter quiets)
Irving, why don't you start us off, please?
Yes, sir.
Gentlemen...
this is a chart for June 3, 1925.
You'll notice here and here
a temporary weakening of pressure over the Azores,
just as we're seeing today.
Now, within 24 hours, that pressure reasserted itself,
and it cleared the storm threatening Northern Europe.
As you can see...
...nearly identical patterns occurred in 1904 and 1925,
and I can give you plenty of others,
but the bottom line is this:
Tomorrow, Monday, June 5th, is good to go.
(officers murmuring)
Thank you.
(murmuring quiets)
Stagg?
You've got the floor.
Nobody here likes me very much.
I realize that, and that's all right.
I don't expect you to like me,
but I do want you to listen to me.
Um, I could stand here and provide you
with yet more, uh, data--
the latest barometric readings, the wind speeds,
the new upper-air soundings that we've collated--
but none of it is going to make a lick of difference, is it?
Is it?
Because you want to believe that--
what Colonel Krick's just said, that it's going to be safe
to land in Normandy tomorrow-- and so that's what you believe.
But everything that he's just said
is pure, unadulterated...
horseshit.
(officers murmuring)
You can muster all the tanks and soldiers
and ships that you like.
You can assemble the greatest armada that ever there was,
but if you invade tomorrow, they're going to be washed away.
Because the storms that I'm talking about are real,
and the jet stream that's propelling them
towards the Normandy coast is real,
and the wrath of nature...
...is real.
And if you ignore it,
then countless men and countless boys...
That's it.
(officers murmuring)
He's lost his bloody mind.
Why is it horseshit?
Yes, the weather was as he described
in 1904 and 1925, but he fails to mention 1916.
June 5th, the Battle for Mount Sorrel.
Then, as now, there were areas of high pressure
above the Azores, but the storms came anyway.
Many people here will remember that battle.
Chaos. Absolute chaos!
Thousands of lives lost!
Hell on earth! Torrential rain!
He's selecting the data that suits him
and ignoring the rest, and we must face the facts.
The facts!
However frightening they may be!
Well, if...
if not Monday, when?
Not before June 18.
Christ on a bike, he's still talking about the 18th.
- The 18th? - (officers murmuring)
There is no 18th.
No 18th. No 18th!
None!
None, none, none, none, none!
The 18th is not an option!
Montgomery.
Bertie...
what is the worst
we can tolerate?
Waves of four to six feet would be tolerable.
Anything over six feet...
impossible.
Stagg?
I'm estimating waves of eight to ten feet.
(officers murmuring)
Trafford, worst case?
Cloud base can't be lower than a thousand feet,
or we're flying blind.
Cloud base will be at least eight to ten-tenths
below a thousand feet.
Then don't fly.
Ramsay, you get us ashore, our men will handle the rest.
- Without air cover? - With or without.
Shut up, Monty.
We need to land, is what we need to do.
If we don't land, we have no fourth front,
- and without a fourth front... - RAMSAY: For God's sake, Monty.
With waves of ten feet, we won't be landing anywhere.
Well, then, let's just start
the blasted Kraut lessons now, then, shall we,
and all the goose-stepping?
And then maybe one day years from now,
we can all yodel about the time that we didn't...
- (loud thud) - Enough!
(drops object on table)
Krick, do you have anything to add?
I'm telling you, sir, next week is nothing but clear skies.
If you choose to postpone,
you'll regret it for the rest of your lives.
(clock ticking)
I maintain my position.
And I maintain mine.
(sighs)
Then so be it.
D-Day will be postponed.
(officers murmuring)
♪ ♪
(indistinct chatter)
Ike.
I hate to bring this up,
but we have hundreds of thousands of troops
ready to deploy down there.
Now, they've obviously been briefed
as to the invasion plans.
BRADLEY: Yeah, that's a lot of loose lips.
- Secure all troops. - (phones ringing)
- I repeat, secure all troops. - OPERATOR 2: I repeat,
all troops must be detained at once.
OPERATOR 3: No one leaves until further notice.
No one leaves until further notice.
I repeat, all troops must be detained at once.
All troops must be detained at once.
Secure them on board, no exceptions.
♪ ♪
(footsteps approaching)
You did the right thing.
Jesus.
Should've gone.
Ike.
(church bell tolling)
(bell continues tolling in distance)
(second bell tolling in distance)
(bells tolling loudly)
(tolling continues)
(tolling stops)
(birds chirping)
(playing "All Creatures of Our God and King")
CONGREGATION: ♪ All creatures of our God and King ♪
(in distance): ♪ Lift up your voice and with us sing ♪
♪ Alleluia, alleluia ♪
♪ Thou burning sun ♪
♪ With golden beam ♪
♪ Thou silver moon ♪
♪ With softer gleam ♪
♪ O praise him, O praise him ♪
♪ Alleluia, alleluia ♪
♪ Alleluia ♪
♪ Thou rushing wind that art so strong ♪
♪ Ye clouds that sail in heaven along ♪
♪ O praise him, O praise him ♪
♪ Alleluia, alleluia ♪
♪ Alleluia. ♪
(hymn ends)
(birds chirping)
God, grant to the living...
...grace.
To the departed, rest.
To the nation,
peace and concord.
(voice fading): To us all, your servants,
the promise of eternal life.
(wind gusting)
♪ ♪
Your blessing to unite us all in your service
to our God and to this, our country.
(thunder rumbling)
- Light to guide us... - (thunder crashing)
guide us on our way.
(rain falling heavily)
Courage to support us and your blessing to unite us...
- in service to you. - (thunder crashes)
♪ ♪
Amen.
CONGREGATION: Amen.
♪ ♪
(rain pattering)
(thunder rumbling)
(wind howling)
We can't keep the men locked up like this, Ike.
Not for two more weeks.
Well, what do you want me to do?
Furlough 300,000 men with the playbook for D-Day?
We might as well tell the Nazis ourselves.
It's just an observation.
We will find a way, Trafford.
Hang in there.
Yes.
Sir.
(door opens)
(door closes)
CASEY: So L2 and 3 have merged into one system.
BRYANT: Mm. And a new low
has intensified east of Newfoundland.
ANDREW: Uh, sir?
Excuse me, Dr. Stagg?
The cold front appears to be clearing western Ireland.
What?
It's clearing, sir.
What's the geostrophic gradient?
Uh, 40 knots north, sir.
So it's slowing.
Well, you can't be sure, sir. We've only had one reading.
- Where'd it come from? - Northwest Ireland.
Tell me specifically, who... who recorded it?
What weather base?
A Miss Maureen Sweeney, sir.
- Blacksod Point. - Show me.
(thunder rumbling softly)
Well, call her back. Double-check it.
- Triple-check it. - Sir.
Right now, please.
Can you ask, uh, Teleprinter Ops
to get me readings from every base
within 500 miles of Blacksod Point? Right now.
BRYANT: Can I get the latest climate readings, please?
(busy chatter)
♪ ♪
(knocking)
Yeah?
Um...
This just came in from Blacksod Point.
Was it checked?
They're checking it now.
Could mean something, could mean nothing.
Yes, but which?
What do you think?
(chuckling): Why are you asking me?
Look out the goddamn window, Stagg.
I'm asking you because I need your expertise.
Please.
It's the fifth reading.
IRVING: It is unusual.
Mm-hmm. Yeah, it is.
It's worth looking into.
Good.
OFFICER (over radio): Heavy frontal cloud, west of 35.
OFFICER 2: Blacksod Point barometer fell overnight,
then slight rise by afternoon, front offshore.
(busy chatter)
OFFICER 3: 1-0-1-1 millibars.
JAMES: Who do you got now? Who are you speaking with?
HAMILTON: I was just asking him about...
So, what are you doing now?
And get the result for that one, please.
The low is moving in the right direction, but...
- It's too close. - Yeah.
Hamilton, when's the next chart coming out?
HAMILTON: Within the hour, sir.
Within the hour is not good enough.
Can we get... can we get Dunstable...
a result from Dun-Dunstable in, please, soon?
It should've been with us an hour ago.
IRVING: What's the movement on the cold front?
CASEY: Still 30 knots, sir.
Have you ever seen a progression like this?
Never. Winter, maybe.
Never this time of year.
OFFICER (over radio): StratoCu lifting above 2,000 feet.
OFFICER 2: Sea surface temperature, 15 degrees.
OFFICER 3: Data points up to 400 millibars.
IRVING: What are you looking for?
A gap, because there's one there.
You call that a gap?
Yes, I call that a gap.
IRVING: That's a very narrow gap.
A narrow gap is still a gap. Thank you.
Do you see a gap?
I believe there's one forming, sir, yes.
Yes, a gap. Thank you.
So, if this was a normal forecast, would you call it?
Yeah.
I don't know. Uh, probably.
Yeah.
The only difference is it's D-Day.
Big difference.
Call Eisenhower.
♪ ♪
(thunder crashes)
(phones ringing)
(knocking)
IKE: You wanted to see me?
Yes, sir.
There's been a development, sir.
It seems the storm at Newfoundland is slowing.
We believe it's enough to provide a... a...
a window in the disruptive weather.
Um...
Well, if I may, th-the cigarettes
are the Newfoundland storm,
the larger one of three.
My glasses here are the two smaller storms.
Currently, the larger storm is dragging the two smaller storms
away from the Normandy coast, leaving a...
a gap in the weather of sorts
just long enough for us to land in Normandy on Tuesday morning.
Tuesday?
As in 26 hours from now, Tuesday?
Sir, if you just look at the latest charts...
I don't want to look at your damn charts.
It's a bunch of gobbledygook.
What I want is for you to get down on your knees
and look me in the eye and tell me,
"Tuesday morning, sir, the sun's got his hat on."
Because in case you haven't noticed,
there's a goddamn hurricane blowing out there!
Technically, it's not a hurricane, sir.
Sunny weather, you say stop. Hurricane, you say go.
Well, no. Well, yes, sir.
Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying.
Send my men into...
into the storm?
Yeah.
They'll never see it coming, sir, never.
A gap like this in the storm-- never.
- (rain pattering) - (thunder rumbling)
You're absolutely sure of that?
Are you absolutely sure about that, Group Captain Stagg?
I'm sure there'll be a gap.
The weather won't be perfect...
but it'll do.
This is your official position?
My official position is this.
Go.
You should go, sir.
(takes deep breath)
Okay, we'll go.
D-Day is Tuesday, June 6.
- (thunder crashing) - (rain falling heavily)
- (paper rustling) - This is my statement...
- if all goes well tomorrow. - Mm-hmm.
And...
this one if not.
(Ike sighs)
- Hey. - Hmm?
I've got a surprise for you.
(Ike chuckles)
Rare as nylons.
(Ike sighs)
I have a good feeling about tomorrow.
(Ike sighs)
- You should get some sleep. - Yes.
Yeah?
- 0630 hours. - 0630 hours.
My men did all that bravery and devotion to duty could do.
If any blame or fault is attached to the attempt,
it is mine and mine alone.
That's what I wrote.
In case we fail tomorrow.
We won't.
(footsteps receding)
♪ ♪
IKE (amplified): Soldiers, sailors and airmen
of the Allied Expeditionary Force...
...you are about to embark upon the Great Crusade,
upon which we have striven these many months.
The eyes of the world are upon you.
The hope and prayers
of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you.
In company with our brave allies
and brothers-in-arms on other fronts,
you will bring about the destruction
of the German war machine...
...the elimination of Nazi tyranny
over the oppressed peoples of Europe
and security for ourselves in a free world.
You get any sleep?
Not a wink.
You?
Nope.
♪ ♪
(thunder rumbling)
IKE (amplified): Your task will not be an easy one.
Your enemy is well trained,
well equipped and battle-hardened.
He will fight savagely.
60 seconds to H hour.
Radio silence ends in... 60 seconds.
IKE (amplified): But this is the year 1944.
Where you from?
Bracken Mountain, North Carolina, sir.
- Bracken Mountain, North Carolina? -Yes, sir.
IKE (amplified): The tide has turned.
The free men of the world
are marching together to victory.
What's your name?
- Uh, Oiler, sir. - Oiler. Where you from, Oiler?
(amplified): I have full confidence in
your courage, devotion to duty and skill in battle.
We will accept nothing less than full victory.
Good luck,
and let us beseech the blessing of Almighty God
upon this great and noble undertaking.
(clock ticking)
(ticking continues)
- (ticking stops) - (static crackling)
Utah. Come in, Utah.
Utah, come in.
SHAEF main to Utah.
- (heavy gunfire) - (soldiers yelling)
Come in, Utah.
TELEPHONIST 2: Omaha Beach control, do you read?
- (heavy gunfire) - (soldiers yelling)
♪ ♪
TELEPHONIST 1: Utah, come in.
TELEPHONIST 2: Utah, do you read?
♪ ♪
(static crackling over radio)
(fractured, indistinct voice speaking under radio static)
(over radio): Utah... hit by machine-gun fire. Casualties...
Heavy incoming fire at Utah Beach.
What about the other beaches?
TELEPHONIST 3: Serious casualties at Omaha Beach.
How many casualties?
OFFICER: Westerly winds causing course corrections.
TELEPHONIST 1: Westerly winds causing course corrections.
OFFICER 2: Visibility two miles,
ceiling falling to 1,500 feet.
(overlapping chatter)
TELEPHONIST 1: Landing craft swept off course at Utah.
TELEPHONIST 2: Visibility two miles.
Ceiling falling to 1,500 feet.
(overlapping chatter)
TELEPHONIST 2: Omaha sky still overcast...
OFFICER 3 (over radio): ...unable to locate batteries
lying on south beach.
- (heavy gunfire, explosions) - (soldiers yelling)
- SOLDIER: Keep moving! - SOLDIER 2: Keep pushing!
SOLDIER 3: Move! Move!
SOLDIER 4: Incoming! Take cover!
OFFICER 4 (over radio): Cannot unload due to heavy shellfire.
OFFICER 5: L1 section lost in water.
Second half moving forward.
TELEPHONIST 2: ...800 yards off the beach.
OFFICER 6 (over radio): Omaha winds 14 knots west.
(soldiers yelling)
(heavy gunfire)
(screams)
TELEPHONIST 1: Taking heavy fire at Gold and Omaha.
- (yelling and gunfire continue) - (indistinct radio chatter)
OFFICER 7 (over radio): Many wounded at Dog Red,
needing immediate evacuation.
♪ ♪
OFFICER 8 (over radio): Cloud ceiling low, around 500 feet.
TELEPHONIST 3: Cloud ceiling low, around 500 feet.
OFFICER 9: ...find no targets of opportunity...
TELEPHONIST 3: Can find no targets of opportunity
without endangering own landing.
We can't see a bloody thing!
(overlapping radio chatter)
OFFICER 10 (over radio): Wind 18 knots, west, southwest.
TELEPHONIST 3: Wind 18 knots, west, southwest.
OFFICER 11: Clouds 800 feet, beginning to rise.
- You're good. You're good. - Am I gonna die?
No, we'll get you home. You're good. You're good.
OFFICER 12: Waves moderating at Utah, now two to three feet.
OFFICER 13: Ceiling lifting to 1,500 feet.
Clearer skies inland.
Keep pushing!
- I don't care! Go! - (busy chatter)
(soldiers shouting)
♪ ♪
(rapid, overlapping chatter)
- (heavy gunfire) - (soldiers yelling)
OFFICER 14 (over radio): Utah cloud ceiling clear.
♪ ♪
(gunfire and yelling continue)
SOLDIER: Move up!
OFFICER 15: Two U.S. destroyers are within one...
(heavy gunfire and yelling continue)
(speaks German)
(airplane engines buzzing)
(yells)
- (thumping repeatedly) - (continues yelling)
Move up!
(muffled explosions and gunfire)
♪ ♪
(indistinct, overlapping radio chatter)
(airplane engines buzzing)
Yes?
Mm-hmm.
What?
Thank you.
Footholds established on all the beaches.
(others murmuring, sighing)
Our men are ashore, with full air and naval support.
♪ ♪
(voices muted)
♪ ♪
(birds chirping)
OPERATOR (over phone): Hello. Signals Department.
Yes, St. Mary's Hospital in Clapham, please.
I'm sorry, sir, but there are still no outgoing calls
until security restrictions have been officially lifted.
- I believe... - (hangs up phone)
I've arranged a car to take you straight to the hospital.
Thank you very much. I appreciate that.
♪ ♪
(birds chirping)
Well, congratulations, Stagg.
Congratulations to you, too.
Good luck.
Thank you so much for everything.
Ah, don't be silly.
I'm sorry I couldn't have done more.
No, no, no.
We were busy.
(James chuckles)
(Kay chuckles)
(driver's door opens and closes)
(quiet chatter)
♪ ♪
JAMES: Thank you.
WOMAN (sobbing): No, no. You can't.
(sobbing continues)
No! No!
(quiet chatter)
(quiet chatter continues)
♪ ♪
Hello, Jim.
Hello, Liz.
(both crying)
Are you all right?
You okay?
Yeah?
(baby cooing)
LIZ: Your son.
Oh.
(baby fussing)
(fussing quiets)
(baby coos)
(fussing)
- (blowing softly) - (fussing quiets)
(softly): Hello.
Hello, beautiful.
♪ ♪
(music fades)