D-Day Remembered

By Phil Padgett | June 5, 2024 |

And Crispin Crispian shall ne’er go by, From this day to the ending of the world, But we in it shall be remembered— We few, we happy few, we band…

OVERLORD 80 Years Ago: Exercise TIGER and The Battle of Lyme Bay, April 27-28, 1944

By Phil Padgett | April 27, 2024 |

Spring 1944 saw a flurry of final amphibious exercises for the Allied forces that would assault five beaches in Normandy on D-Day, June 6, 1944. Exercise TIGER, at Slapton Sands…

D-Day 80 Years Ago – Minding the Gap

By Phil Padgett | February 26, 2024 |

For the Allies to get ashore in Normandy with a good prospect for military success from D-Day to breakout into France, every individual soldier, vehicle, and pound of materiel had…

Overlord 80 Years Ago: New Year’s Eve, 1943-44

By Phil Padgett | December 31, 2023 |

 Powerful engines throttled down to a low mutter in the dark on New Year’s Eve 1943, two Royal Navy motor gunboats, towing hydrographic survey craft, edged toward the German minefield…

(“Cheeky American!”)

By Phil Padgett | August 14, 2023 |

“These often are quite impressive,” the young archivist said, handing me the closed-up flat file for this painting by C.E. Turner in Britain’s National Archives. When I returned the file…

Under Bombs, 1940 and 2023

By Phil Padgett | August 9, 2023 |

In July, I was in London for two weeks’ research for a follow-on to Advocating Overlord (more to come). After immersion in World War II documents all day inside Britain’s…

FDR’s Fishing Trip, 80 Years Ago This Week

By Phil Padgett | August 6, 2023 |

“Also, historical events took place that will perhaps go down in history as the most momentous occasion of this World War II.  This, of course, I cannot discuss for some…

Happy D-Day!

By Phil Padgett | June 5, 2023 |

Happy 79th anniversary of D-Day! Over the months beforehand, many brave men and women risked their lives to obtain this OMAHA Beach-West map’s intelligence on fortifications, obstacles, and mines that…

Kensington’s Day of the Book Returns!

By Phil Padgett | March 20, 2023 |

Looking forward to the return of Kensington, Maryland’s Day of the Book on Sunday, April 23, from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., rain or shine! Three years ago, the pandemic…

“The Quadrant Conspiracy” – a New Novel Inspired by “Advocating Overlord”

By Phil Padgett | October 10, 2022 |

Writing a book often comes down to choices.  For Advocating Overlord, I decided that stating the case for Roosevelt and Churchill having reached a quid pro quo involving Normandy and the…