Changes

The D-Day landings were the first stage in the liberation of Western Europe after 4 years of German rule. The French played a major role in the success of D-Day. The French Resistance is shown in the movie as playing a key role in the run-up to the landings. They are shown as gathering intelligence for the allies and relaying it back in secret to London. The intelligence that was secured by the French Resistance was very important and they identified the location of German lines of defense and troops movements. This was all a great help to the planners of D-Day.

The movie also shows the incredible bravery of the many ordinary French people who risked their lives to secure vital information on the Germans. "The Longest Day " also shows how French saboteurs helped to disrupt the Nazis preparations in the run-up to D-Day. The movie also accurately shows the role of Free French forces in the landings. On the beach head beachhead known as Sword Beach, a French commando unit are shown in the movie attacking a former casino that had been turned into a German fortress and capturing it and this . This takeover is a historical fact. However, the movie does exaggerate the scale and size of the former casino but not the ferocity of the battle. It also shows how the timely arrival of an American tank helped the Free French forces to seize the casino when it seemed that they were on the brink of defeat.<ref> Neillands, Robin. The Battle of Normandy, 1944 (London: Cassel, 1999), p. 113</ref>