The man who saved D-Day: the real history behind Pressure

From the high stakes of the D-Day decision, to the portrayal of Group Captain James Stagg, HistoryExtra's Charlotte Vosper takes a closer look at the real history explored in the film Pressure

Published: May 29, 2026 at 9:20 AM

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New film Pressure, starring Andrew Scott, Brendan Fraser and Kerry Condon, is set to arrive in US cinemas on 29 May 2026 and is released in the UK on 9 September 2026.

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It tells the story of a crucial decision in WW2, one that could have changed the outcome of the conflict: the date the Allies' invasion of Normandy, known as D-Day.

In this video, HistoryExtra's Charlotte Vosper explores the real history, travelling to the UK Met Office to get closer to some of the original sources. You'll see a personal diary from Group Captain James Stagg, the meteorologist (played in the film by Andrew Scott) who was tasked with providing crucial weather charts that helped make the final decision.

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What were the other factors playing into Dwight D Eisenhower's decision-making? What was Exercise Tiger in the preparations for D-Day, and why did it go so wrong? And why didn't the Germans see the invasion coming? Hear more in this explanation of the real events, and how they translate into the high-stakes action on screen in Pressure, written for the screen by David Haig and Anthony Maras.

Authors

Charlotte VosperContent producer

Charlotte Vosper is a content producer at HistoryExtra

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