>> the complete guide to congress is now available and has lots of details about the house and senate for the current session of congress. information about congressional committees, state governors and the cabinet. directoryongressional is a handy, spiral-bound guide. order your copy from the c-span online store for $18.95. ♪ >> the atlantic wall has been penetrated. there after the first assault, the allies clung precariously to a few beaches. but now they have a solid foothold on fortress europa. men and material are poured on to the newly won beaches with every favorable tide -- and on some unfavorable ones. the allied command has announced that the battle of the beaches is complete. the tremendous offensive was

bitterly contested. the nazis knew that each passing hour diminished their chances of throwing the allies back into the sea. but the american, british and canadian troops pressed forward firmly onto the soil of france, and made contact with the french people. this was no pushover, driving the germans back. some of our troops dropped within yards of the water's edge. there were two enemies, the germans and the heavy seas. german prisoners were taken almost at once. american and british aircraft supported the shocked troops magnificently, preventing the germans from marshalling reinforcements. they plastered peaceful looking forests, the hiding places of

nazi tank formations. [explosions] with beaches free of enemy fire, the allies came ashore, setting up air landing strips. the blast of allied shells left shattered german defenses and many dead german defenders.

survivors were given attention, some were grateful, many bewildered by the smashing allied blow. doughboys and tommies pushed forward yard by yard, into the small villages and towns. and more and more prisoners fell into their hands. some were still arrogant, reluctant to raise their hands in defeat. landing craft carried the captives back to england. this is hitler's invasion of britain. they come now defeated men to the confinement behind barbed-wire. the united nations onslaught is smashing ahead on many fronts. here in rome, general clark watched his men march into the city.

the allies were able to view the work of their mighty air support. some of these rail yards were bombed months ago, but repairs for the germans were out of the question. this is the same devastation now being wrought to nazi transport throughout the whole of europe. in their triumphal entry, the united nations troops moved past monuments of antiquity. the long history of the ancient city has seen few more joyous events. the liberators were acclaimed with fervor. rome is the first great capital to be freed from the enemy.

the flags of united nations were unfurled at once, heralding the end of four years of nazi tyranny for the people of rome. and here is the balcony where mussolini once haranged his people. but suddenly there is excitement in the square. a bomb has been thrown into the former german headquarters. the italian people discover that some were hiding inside. and soon they smashed their way in. the traitors who collaborated with germany find little forgiveness in the hearts of the people. as general clark rode through the capital, american flags found their way into hands of liberated italians.

the brilliant commander of the victorious french armies went up to the familiar balcony with the american commander. then the drama shifted to st. peter's. his holiness the pope was about to speak, and nearly half a million packed the historic square. pope pius had this to say, thanks be to god. rome has been spared the horrors of war. we should show our gratitude by good works and charity and cease from hatred and rancor. [speaking italian]

[cheers] >> back in the english channel, great convoys of troops and reinforcements continue to move toward the beaches of normandy. the beach head already had expanded to 50 miles, and they put ashore the complete equipment of a highly mechanized army.

pinpoint shooting put numbers of nazi tanks out of action. and in the skies, bombers and fighters maintained cover for the ground forces below. [explosions] the allied troops are received as long-awaited friends. peasants show them the way, warn them where to expect mines and give all possible help. the allies have found firm resistance and are prepared for

even stronger contests. less than a week after the initial landings, we had taken 10,000 prisoners. there is much hard fighting ahead, but the germans are now faced with a three-front war. in the northern reaches of russia, in the mountains of italy, and here against this most tremendous military operation in history. among those witnessing the beach head operation was the supreme allied commander, general eisenhower. here he meets with admiral ramsey and with britain's great soldier, general montgomery. the supreme commander is on hand to learn first-hand how the offensive is going. what he learned was good indeed. the meeting of these brilliant leaders symbolizes the unity of the united nations forces they

represent. the conference over, the british leader returns to the normandy headquarters to get on with the business at hand. ♪ [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2019] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] next in american history tv, howard university librarian lopez matthews, talks about the students at this historically black college and their service during world war i and world war ii. he is the author of "howard university and the world wars, men and women serving the nation." we recorded the interview at an event hosted by the association of the study of african american life and history. >> so, howard university students were a part of the