In the months leading up to D-Day, General Dwight D. Eisenhower projected optimism about the massive undertaking but was aware that failure was always a possibility. Author Michel Paradis examines how Eisenhower’s qualities as a leader shaped the strategic planning of Operation Overlord—which led to D-Day and the liberation of France—focusing on the six months preceding the mission when he grew from a widely respected general into one of the singular figures of American history.