One of the really big movies of the time John Wayne had one of the leading roles but the film must have had at least 20 leading man roles in it. He did a fine job. The problem I have with most war movies of the era is the actors in almost every role are much too old for their parts. You would think wars were fought by old men.

The Duke is a Colonel in one of the airborne regiments that drops with the 82nd Airborne behind Utah Beach during the D-Day Invasion.  Duke plays a great role here and an important one.

The scene where Duke orders the dead paratroopers hanging from their harness cut down rang with me.  My dad, who to my good fortune, is still alive, and is now age 94, landed on Utah Beach in that invasion.  When his unit pushed inland, they had to cut down lots of 82nd paratroopers hanging from trees, poles, buildings and anything else that could catch a soldier falling from the air.

One of the best WWII epics, and the Duke was simply one of many great stars in a stellar cast.