My wife's uncle worked at SHAEF in 1944 and has many tales of his time there that take your breath away. One of these was the the level of casualties that would have been tolerated as part of the landings. These were, in his own words, "appallingly high" compared to actual casualties bad as they were. The determination to succeed no matter the cost that such planning suggests is staggering to me now.
According to Unc, Churchill actually sent a written request to SHAEF for him to be a part of the landings. He felt he could not sanction such potential loss of life and not take part. The response was apparently swift and short.
To all those who fought and fell, I have no words that are adequate to express my gratitude and respect.
BM