New Entertaining D-Day Reimagining

A new D-Day reimagining has been created during the lead-up to the seventieth anniversary of the Normandy landings, which will hit on the sixth of June this year. The Public Broadcasting Station (PBS) is going to be airing the new special which uses the technology common in televised media to create three-dimensional models of the settings and events of the Normandy invasion. Entitled “D-Day 360,” the reimagining will air at least twice leading up to the anniversary.

Not only are the digitized effects at the top of their game, but they use new methods of data collection as well. These include forensic scans of the environment using lasers. Historians and other history buffs find that the particularly poignant aspect of the new D-Day reimagining is that the men who served in the event are able to witness newer technologies bringing their glory days to the eyes of the modern public in a way previously not possible. Given the historical importance of the Normandy landings, it is good to provide a visual reference to those being educated.

The special will give great attention to an area known as Viercill-sur-Mer, as it played a highly important role in the invasion. The Viercill-sur-Mer helped to decide the triumph of the Allied forces that day, and the high-tech D-Day reimagining will try to examine exactly how and why this was the case. It will do this by looking at a great deal of scientific and mathematical data from the events of the day.

Said data includes everything from the precise locations of specific units as well as the angle they would have been hit by shells and gunfire when shot from a particular distance at which the enemy was known to have congregated. The D-Day reimagining does not just demonstrate the creators’ abilities to model the beach, but also the bunkers and other vehicles or temporary structures present during the invasion. On top of that, it tells true stories of men who fought that day, the Fox News reports.

D-Day 360” is a reimagining which will take the viewer on a journey through a historical event which has never been experienced quite like this before. PBS is not generally known for the high budget of its specials, but the filming of this particular special was given great credence due to its timing and purpose. It is anticipated that this D-Day reimagining will have a more breathtaking scope than some of those attempted in the past, and many feel it is worth seeing even if the viewer does not need the educational boost it will offer.

Ian Harvey

Ian Harvey is one of the authors writing for WAR HISTORY ONLINE