REMEMBER needs your help to digitise and preserve rare interviews with U.S. Ist Infantry Division Veterans who fought on D-Day.

In 2002 and 2003, filmmakers Jacques Rutman and Rodolphe Rutman, father and son, travelled across the United States to record the memories of veterans of the U.S. 1st Infantry Division, the legendary “Big Red One.” Their work resulted in the documentary Big Red Omaha, a film broadcast on television, that brought the experiences of American soldiers who landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day to audiences on both sides of the Atlantic.

What many people do not realise is that the finished documentary represents only a small portion of the material that was recorded for this film.

D-Day Veteran Interviews

During the production of Big Red Omaha, more than 50 hours of interviews were filmed with American veterans who served in Normandy and throughout the European campaign during the Second World War. These men shared first-hand accounts of D-Day, the Battle of Normandy, combat in France, and Germany, and their memories of returning home after the war.

Many of these powerful testimonies, recorded on video tape, were never included in the final documentary. Today, they remain preserved in the archives of REMEMBER.

Why this D-Day archive matters

When these interviews were recorded more than twenty years ago, the veterans were already elderly men. Sadly, every veteran interviewed for the project has since passed away.

Their voices, memories and personal stories are now part of a disappearing generation.

These recordings contain valuable historical testimony from men who witnessed some of the most significant events of the twentieth century. Unlike written records, filmed interviews preserve emotion, personality and details that are often lost in official military documents.

For historians, researchers, students, families and anyone interested in D-Day history, the Battle of Normandy or the history of the U.S. 1st Infantry Division, these interviews represent an important historical resource.

The Challenge: ageing video tapes

Although the original tapes are safely stored in REMEMBER’s archives, videotape is not a permanent medium.

As technology evolves, the equipment needed to play and digitise these tapes becomes increasingly rare. Professional digitisation is essential to ensure that these interviews can be preserved in a modern digital format before access becomes more difficult and costly.

Without digitisation, unique historical material risks becoming inaccessible to future generations.

Our Preservation Project

REMEMBER is launching a dedicated archive preservation project to:

• Professionally digitise more than 50 hours of original interview footage.
• Create high-quality digital preservation copies.
• Catalogue and organise the recordings for future research.
• Identify veterans, locations and historical subjects discussed in the interviews.
• Ensure the long-term preservation of these rare D-Day testimonies.
• Prepare the collection for donation to the U.S. National Archives and other appropriate historical institutions.

Our goal is to transform a collection of ageing tapes into a permanent and accessible historical archive.

About REMEMBER

REMEMBER is a French non-profit organisation dedicated to preserving the memory of the Second World War and passing that history on to future generations. Through educational projects, commemorative activities, historical research, documentaries and guided tours, we work to ensure that the sacrifices of the wartime generation are never forgotten.

The preservation of veteran testimony is at the heart of our mission.

How You Can Help

By supporting this project, you will help preserve the voices of D-Day veterans and ensure that their stories remain available to future generations.

Every contribution, regardless of size, directly supports the digitisation, preservation and cataloguing of this unique collection.

Together, we can preserve these remarkable stories and ensure that the voices of the men who fought on Omaha Beach and across Europe continue to educate and inspire future generations.

Support the Big Red Omaha Archive Project

As a thank-you for your support, every donor will receive complimentary online access to watch

the documentary Big Red Omaha for up to 28 days.

To donate, visit our GoFundMe page

Please note that GoFundMe charge transaction fees. Contact REMEMBER to make a direct donation

or email: contact@remember-npo.org

Help us save these irreplaceable D-Day veteran interviews before it is too late.