The Longest Day
Chapter 1 Circle the right answers:1. In Morse code … _ = three dots and a dash, stand for the letter: U V W
2. This Morse code is the symbol for the word: unhappy victory winner
3. During WW2 this Morse code was used by: “Radio Londres” The German channels
The American Broadcasting Company
4. This statesman also used this letter as a symbol:
Roosevelt de Gaulle Pétain Hitler Mussolini Churchill
- Copy the title of the film
6. The music you can hear comes from a symphony composed by:
Bach Beethoven Bernstein Mozart Verdi Wagner
It’s his: 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th Symphony
Chapter 2
- Complete these lines by the French poet named V………………….
- When the second verse was broadcast, it meant that the Invasion would take place in …………………….. hours.
- The Field Marshall Erwin R…………….…. knew that.
- The scene takes place on June ……. th, the day before the Invasion.
- The weather: in the C………..……… there was the worst ………… in …………. years.
Chapter 3 - 4 - 6: The Americans
Find the details which show us these are the Americans:
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
1. John Wayne as Lt. Colonel V………………………… , from US ……… nd Airborne Division
His mission is to take his division to S…………. M………… E…………….
“ ……………….. I wonder which side G….. is on. ”
2. Robert Mitchum as General Norman ______, from US …..th Division.
“ Go, weather or no ………………. .”
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Chapter 8: Who are these German generals ?
1. He’s in charge of the Luftwaffe. His name’s …………………………………………………………
2. This Field Marshall, in charge of the A……………………. W………….. , left France the day
before the Invasion, to celebrate his wife’s birthday at home in Germany.
His first name is Erwin, his surname is R ______.
- General Erich Marcks, Commander of ……. th Arméekorps; he’s got g…………….. and walks with a s……………. . He’s going to R…………… for w……….. games with other generals. On a m………….. he’s showing ………….. possible invasion plans: either the s………………….. by crossing the Strait of Dover ( = Pas de Calais), or the l………………. by crossing the C………………….. from P……………………….. , the harbour in the south of England, to N…………………………… .
underline superlatives in § 3 and do the exercises
Chapter 9
- Main Character: E……………………………….
- Nickname: I __ __
- Nationality: ………………………………………….
- Rank in Army and operation Overlord : G………………… and
- Place: ………………………….
- Date and time: ………………………………………….…………..
- Decision to be made: ………………………………….
- Facts in favour of going:
- …………………………………………………………………..……………………………….
- ……………………………………………………………………………………………………
- Decision: …………………………………………………………
- Words: “ …………………………………….…………………………………………………….. ”
Chapter 10: Last recommendations
A. Ruperts:
- What ? ………………………………
- What made of ? …………………………..
- What for ? to ……………………………………………
Lt. Colonel Vandervoort (John Wayne) speaking to his men of US 82nd Airborne Division before boarding their plane towards Ste. Mère Eglise
_ an officer: “ The crickets have been distributed. ”
_ Vandervoort: “ So I heard.
To his men: At ease. You’re as ……………….. as we can make you. This …………. - ………. toy wasn’t issued to you for laughs. It may save your …………….. You’re ……………… be landing in the dark. On the other side of that hedgerow, the fellow may not be wearing the same …………………. you are. So, one click is to be answered by two ……………………. And if you don’t get that answering click, hit the dirt and ………………….. fire.
I ……………………… : one click must be answered by …………………. clicks.
Now, hang on this gimmick ( = gadget). It’s as important as your ………………………. Do you read me ? ”
_ a soldier: “ Loud and clear, Sir. “
_ Vandervoort: “ All right, one more thing: your assignment tonight is strategic. You can’t give the enemy a break.
Send them to hell. That’s all. ”
Grammar: les modaux soulignés expriment: ………………………………………………………………
Chapter 11 “Radio Londres”
- Frozen frame: describe
- Who’s the man ? …………………………………………………………………………………………
- What’s the message ? …………………………………………………………………………………..
- What’s the funny part of this scene ? ………………………………………………………………….
- Which message are other members of the French Resistance waiting for ?
- Did the German hear the last message too ? ………………………………..
- What’s their reaction ?
Chapter 12: Almost there …
- Comment who watches what, what sounds we can hear and what they say
1 / “The ………………
armada the world has ever ……………… ”
2 / x
- … ____
Seen when ……………………………………………………………………………………………….
Chapter 13 «The Orne Bridge»
1. Who ? ……………………………………………………………………………………………………..Where ? ……………………………………………………………………………………………………
When exactly (day + time) ……………………………………………………….…………………….
What for ? …………………………………………………………………………………………………
2. Copy what’s written on the screen:
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
3. Listening activity: complete the speech by Major John Howard’s superior, which he can
still hear in his head:
“ Major ………………………… , I cannot overestimate the ……………………. of your task. The ……………….. River Bridge must be ……………………………… before the enemy …………………..………. destroy it.
This bridge’s a vital …………………….. artery, and the ……………………… has prepared it for demolition. It …………….. be taken by ……………………………… and captured intact.
Your gliders will land …………….. night, without the benefit of ground support.
You ……………….. assault the garrison, overwhelm it, and hold …………………. relieved.
Hold until relieved . ”
GRAMMAR:
a. qu’expriment ces modaux:
- Can = …………………
- Cannot (can’t) = ……………………….
- Must = ………………………
- Will = ………………………
- = ……………………………………
- = …………………………………...
1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10
- Soldiers silently coming out of the glider, their weapons ready.
- While the glider is landing, the soldiers are ordered to put their feet up.
- The glider is hitting the ground.
- Standstill of the glider in front of the bridge.
- Now Major Howard has to wait and hold until he’s relieved.
- The British succeed in taking off the demolition charges hidden under the bridge.
- First fire exchange between the British and the Germans.
- Picture, taken from the inside of the glider, of the heavily fortified Orne Bridge below.
- Bridge taken in only 15 minutes, but with a lot of casualties.
- The doctor arrives from the German side saying: “Everybody can make a mistake.”
Chapter 14 – 15 – 16
- Find the right order of the events
- Underline the names of towns, villages or areas and write them on your map
a. British paratroopers dropping “Ruperts” saying: “ Bye, Rupert. Do your duty for God, King and
your country. “
b. Lt. Colonel Vandervoort’s paratroopers on a plane, their crickets in their hands, ready for
jumping in the neighbourhood of Sainte Mère Eglise.
c. Caen: 01.07 hours: Germans firing at planes above, from their bunkers on the coast.
d. The French Resistance has telephone lines blown up.
e. The German Major General Max Pemsel from 7th Army doesn’t like the idea of so many German
key officers being away at the same time at Rennes for war games.
f. The French Resistance, with the help of parachutists, blow up a railway bridge, so that the
Germans can’t reach Normandy.
Chapter 17: “What’s coming from the sky ? “
- R……………………………………………..
- …………………………………………………………..
Through the roof of a henhouse.
On a greenhouse, waking up the German owner.
Near cows.
In trees.
In the yard of the castle where some German officers were playing cards.
In a well, very deep and most probably filled with water.
In a French woman’s vegetable garden, while she’s on her way to the toilets.
In a swamp, right in front of their enemy !
Chapter 18: Sainte Mère Eglise Tick what you can see and hear
- A house is on fire.
- The sun’s shining.
- The mayor is phoning.
- People are filling buckets with water.
- The church bells are ringing.
- The mayor is screaming: “ hurry up, hide quickly.”
- The Germans are helping filling buckets with water.
- It’s five past one by the church.
- The woman who has just seen a parachutist falling in her garden, has come to warn the mayor.
- A German officer is watching them.
- The church starts burning too.
- People are so surprised seeing all those parachutes coming from the sky, that they forget the fire.
- So many of these American paratroopers fall right under the German bullets …
- John Steele gets stuck on the church tower, and legend says that he became deaf.
- One parachutist is falling inside the burning house.
- We can hear the firemen arriving.
- There’s the constant sound of gunfire.
- John Steele is taking his cricket out of his coat pocket.
- The scene is a real slaughter and seems a nightmare.
Chapter 19
- Complete this grid about earlier invasions with the help of your history teacher
- Don’t forget to place these names on your map !
WHEN?
WHO ?
Result ?
These statements about Theodore Roosevelt are all wrong.
Underline the wrong words and correct them.
He’s a colonel in the British Navy. ……………………………..….…………………………
His father is President of the United States of America. ……………………………..…..…………….…………..
He wants to wait aboard for his division’s return. ..………………………………..…………………………..
His division is going to land on Gold beach. ……………………………………..…………………………
His request is denied. ……………………………………………………..……………
He suffers from severe headaches. …………………………………………………………………
Chapter 20 – 21 - 22
Are these statements, in order of the events, right or wrong ?
- Philippe Kieffer is the Commander of the French troops.
- Hitler wants to be woken up as soon as the invasion has started.
- General Günther Blumentritt is furious against the Führer.
- He says: “I sometimes wonder whose side God is on. “
- These words were also said by the Supreme Allied Commander Eisenhower.
- It’s silence before the storm, when Major Werner Pluskat is watching with his binoculars the smooth sea.
- As soon as ships appear at the horizon, we can hear Beethoven’s 5th Symphony.
- The man aboard a ship, with glasses is General Omar Bradley, Us 2nd Army.
- The Invasion has started.
Chapter 23 - 27
Beach / Time / Characters / Event that impressed you most1.
2.
Chapter 27 - 33: put these events in the right order
1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8
- The Mayor of Colleville-sur-Orne (Bourvil) welcoming the soldiers on Sword Beach with a bottle of champagne.
- Lord Lovat and his Division arrive at last at Pegasus Bridge, where Major John Howard is still waiting for reinforcements, still reminding his superior’s words “Hold until relieved”.
- Germans attacked by planes.
- US Rangers have to climb the cliffs of Pointe du Hoc with ropes, under heavy fire from above, as the Germans outman the Rangers three to one.
- Once at the top, they discover that the bunker is empty !
- The Führer is awake ….
- At his wife’s birthday, Rommel hears about the Invasion in Normandy.
- Lt. Colonel Vandervoort, on a stretcher because of his broken ankle, and his men are now very close to their final destination: Sainte Mère Eglise.
Chapter 34: Ouistreham Complete
- Place of action: …………………………………………..
- Where exactly is it ? ………………………………………………………………………………….
- Nationality of troops: …………………………………………………………………………………
- Name of Commander: ……………………………………………………………………………….
- Winner: ……………………………………………………………………………………………….
- How exactly did they win ? ………………………………………………………………………….
Chapter 35 Complete the grid
Place / Characters / Sentences to be completed
1 / “ If we can hold them on the ...... , the Invasion ...... collapse. ”
2 / “ Only two kinds of ………………. are going to stay on this ………………….. , those that are already …………….. , and those that …………. die. ”
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Chapter 37
- Place of action: ………………………………………………………………
- Justification: …………………………………………………………………………………………
- Find the right order of the events a – b – c - d:
a.With the help of Major Lance, the village is now captured by the division.
b.Lt. Colonel Vandervoort is arriving on a stretcher with his 82nd Airborne.
c.John Steele, with a hurt foot, has become deaf, because of the church bell which had been ringing for ten hours.
d.The Colonel orders his soldiers to take down the dead bodies of the parachutists still hanging in the trees.
Chapter 38 Underline the WRONG words AND correct
- The action takes place at the German HQ. ……………………………………………………………..
- Roosevelt and his commandos have reached the Seine bridge. ………………………………………
- Bayeux is captured by Units of the 101 Airborne. ……………………………………………………
- 82nd Airborne is driving on Sword. ……………………………………………………………………
- There are still problems at Gold. ……………………………………………………………………….
- General Norman Cota has promoted Fuller from Lieutenant to Sergeant. ………..…………………
- They succeed in blowing up the British bunker on top of the hill. ………………………………….
- Finally they can leave the village and move inland. …………………………………………………
Chapter 39: The beginning of the end
- Gap-fill exercise:
On the ……………. we can see the back of a man with a …………… in his …………….. hand, so it ……………… be General Erick Marcks; he’s ……………… in front ……………. a huge map, representing the areas ……………….. the Invasion ……………………. place.
……………….. German officers are ………………….. papers in the fireplace. Others are ……………………. suitcases.
Only words are ……………… : “ We …………….. leave, Herr General, the main highway is under aerial attack. “
Grammar: le modal MUST a dans ce texte 2 valeurs différentes, lesquelles? autorisation - capacité - déduction - éventualité - futur - incapacité - interdiction - obligation
- In this last scene, three characters we’ve already met, come together. Complete the grid
injured
dead
lost
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- Describe the last picture:
- Remember having already seen this last picture ?
Credits
1.Write these past participles in the right placearranged - based - composed - conducted - directed -
produced - written
Film ………………………… by three directors and ………………………… by Darryl Zanuck
Screenplay …………….……… by C. Ryan, ……………… on his book
Music ………………… by Paul Anka, ……………………..… by Mitch Miller and
………………………… by Maurice Jarre
2.Listen to Paul Anka’s song and complete it.
Many men came here as ………………………
Many ……………… will pass this way
Many men ……………… count the hours
As they live the ………………… day.M…………. men are tired and weary
Many ……………… are here to stay
Many men ………………. see the sunset
When it ends the longest ……………… .
T……….. longest day, the ………………. day
This ……………. be the longest day
Filled ……………. hopes and ………………. with fears
Filled with blood …………. sweat …………….. tears
Many men the mighty ………………………
Many men to ………………..
Marching …………. , right into …………………..
In the longest day ……………….. history.
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