During the first three days of the Normandy invasion, the 82nd Airborne Division struggled to capture and hold crucial crossing points over the Merderet River. The fighting was most brutal at the causeway at La Fière, just east of Ste. Mère-Église.

Pressured by the weight of German infantry, artillery and armor, the division held its ground, subsequently pushing the enemy westward in what has been called “the bloodiest small struggle in the experience of American arms.”

This summer, the filmmakers will return to those very same battlefields in France, and re-tell the story of the battle of La Fière. And there is no one more insightful or qualified to tell the story than Dale Dye.

Dale Dye enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in January 1964. He served in Vietnam in 1965 and 1967 through 1970 surviving 31 major combat operations. He emerged from Southeast Asia highly decorated including three Purple Hearts for wounds suffered in combat. He spent 13 years as an enlisted Marine, rising to the rank of Master Sergeant before he was chosen to attend Officer Candidate School. Appointed a Warrant Officer in 1976, he later converted his commission and was a Captain when he was sent to Beirut with the Multinational Peacekeeping Force in 1982-83.

Starting with the Academy Award-winning Platoon, Dye has matched his mission with Hollywood’s needs. His methods create convincing soldiers and better actors. “Most actors believe the sun rises and sets on their posteriors,” Dye has said. “That’s the antithesis of the way a soldier thinks. We understand there are certain things worth sacrificing for—the mission is frequently more important than you are.” 

Dye, the founder of Warriors, Inc., is uniquely qualified to direct No Better Place to Die. He has worked on more than 50 film and television productions. Along with his extensive combat experience, he has worked closely with the directors and actors on almost every major war film to come out of Hollywood in last twenty-two years, including the films Platoon, Born on the Fourth of July, Saving Private Ryan, The Thin Red Line, Band of Brothers and The Great Raid. He recently directed the 2nd unit of Alexander under Oliver Stone, and is currently using his influence on the maxi-series The Pacific, the companion piece to the acclaimed Dreamworks/Playtone/HBO series Band of Brothers.


July 31, 2008

Captain Dale Dye, director of the film "No Better Place To Die", was interviewed by Jeff Stoffer Managing Editor of The American Legion Magazine. The interview was done this last June in Normandy during the D Day Anniversary at Josie’s B&B at La Fiere.

 American Legion Magazine interview with Dale Dye: Click Here