A war meteorologist’s riveting account of how the Allies averted a D-Day disaster

‘We got the most important weather forecast in history right – but only just.’

While planning for D-Day, Allied military commanders decided that a late full moon, a high tide, a quiet day, moderate winds and no more than a light cloud covering would be required to optimise their chances for success. Three groups – the Royal Navy, the UK Meteorological Office and the US Air Force – were tasked with finding the ideal day for the operation. In this video adaptation of a piece published in the London Review of Books in 1994, Lawrence Hogben, a New Zealand-born meteorologist and Royal Navy officer, gives the inside story on how this team landed on 6 June 1944 and, in doing so, barely averted disaster. A riveting slice of world history, the short also makes for an intriguing glimpse into the politics and calculated uncertainties of war.