Smithsonian Channel(TM) Commemorates the 75th Anniversary of the Biggest Military Landings in History with Never-Before Seen Footage

SMITHSONIAN CHANNEL™ COMMEMORATES THE 75^th ANNIVERSARY OF THE BIGGEST MILITARY LANDINGS IN HISTORY WITH NEVER-BEFORE SEEN FOOTAGE

THE BATTLE OF NORMANDY:

85 DAYS IN HELL

FRENCH ARCHIVIST IDENTIFIES NEARLY 100 HOURS OF FILM TO CREATE EYEWITNESS ACCOUNT OF THE LEGENDARY WORLD WAR II CAMPAIGN

DOCUMENTARY TO PREMIERE JUNE 6 AT 8PM ET/PT

NEW YORK – May 23, 2019 – Smithsonian Channel will commemorate the 75^th anniversary of the Battle of Normandy with a new documentary that uses unseen and rare images to give an intimate account of the battle that freed Europe from Nazi rule.  One of the world’s foremost experts on World War II archives, Dominique Forget, has identified over 100 hours of previously unseen archival footage, including 20 hours from the battle itself, to reveal the Allies’ struggle to liberate Europe. THE BATTLE OF NORMANDY: 85 DAYS IN HELL premieres Thursday, June 6 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Smithsonian Channel.

June 6, 1944 – D-Day – began when the Allied forces of the United States, Britain and Canada landed in Normandy to beat back the German troops and liberate France. For 85 days, Allied troops fought the German Army in Northern France, establishing a presence  they would never relinquish. Co-writer and Co-producer Forget is a native of Normandy and brings an intimate understanding of the region as well as his 20-year research in film archives to THE BATTLE OF NORMANDY: 85 DAYS IN HELL.

Forget has meticulously identified each frame within the timeline of the larger battle and painstakingly converted it from 16mm film to high-definition footage. His finds include: amateur movies from Capt. Raymond Anderson (a frontline soldier in the 35^th U.S. Division from York, Nebraska), U.S. bombers embarking on their mission from the Lessay Airfield, General George S. Patton in Coutances and the emotional liberation of several Normandy towns by the Free French Army. Some of the documentary’s previously unseen footage comes from cameramen led by Academy Award^®-winning director George Stevens (“Giant,” “A Place in the Sun”). Stevens’ crew trained at a special camp in the U.S. to accompany soldiers for the express purpose of filming the landings and subsequent battles – the first time for such large-scale war filming. THE BATTLE OF NORMANDY: 85 DAYS IN HELL allows viewers to experience this legendary moment in history from an authentic, never-before-seen point of view.

  

THE BATTLE OF NORMANDY: 85 DAYS IN HELL is directed by Guilain Depardieu and produced by Thibaut Martin and Dominique Forget for T2MP. International distribution is by Beyond Distribution. Joy Galane and David Royle serve as executive producers for Smithsonian Channel.

Smithsonian Channel™, owned by Smithsonian Networks™, a joint venture between Showtime Networks Inc. and the Smithsonian Institution, is where curiosity lives, inspiration strikes and wonders never cease. This is the place for awe-inspiring stories, powerful documentaries and amazing factual entertainment, available in HD and 4K Ultra HD across multiple platforms. Smithsonian Channel, winner of Emmy® and Peabody awards for its programming, combines the storytelling prowess of SHOWTIME® with the unmatched resources and rich traditions of the Smithsonian, to create programming that shines new light on popular genres such as air and space, travel, history, science, nature and pop culture. Among the network’s offerings are series including Aerial America, America in Color, The Lost Tapes, Mighty Ships, Million Dollar American Princesses, The Pacific War in Color and Air Disasters, as well as critically-acclaimed specials that include The Coronation, The Mountain Lion and Me, Earth from Outer Space and Titanoboa: Monster Snake. Smithsonian Networks also operates Smithsonian Channel Plus™, a subscription video streaming service delivering over a thousand hours of the Channel’s stunning and diverse library of documentaries and series in HD and 4K Ultra HD. Smithsonian Channel is also available internationally in Canada, Singapore, Latin America and the UK. To learn more, go to www.smithsonianchannel.com, or connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.