D-Day – The Battle of Normandy – June 6, 1944

Posted by highlysuspect on June 7, 2007 in Historical Significance | ∞

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D-Day

On June 6, 1944, The Battle of Normandy was fought in Western Europe between the Allied forces and Nazi Germany – which resulted in a major victory for the Allies during WWII landing a devastating blow to Germany.

More than 60 years later, the invasion of Normandy, or D-Day, still remains the largest seaborne invasion in history, involving nearly 3 million troops crossing the English Channel from England to Normandy in occupied France.

Overview of the Battle
The primary Allied forces that saw combat in Normandy came from our U.S. Armed Forces, the United Kingdom and Canada.

Operation Overlord was the codename for the full Allied invasion of northwest Europe, which began on June 6, 1944, and ended on August 19, 1944, when the Allies crossed the River Seine.

The initial assault phase of Operation Overlord, was known as Operation Neptune (or D-Day) – its mission: to gain a foothold on the continent. (June 6-30, 1944)

The Allied “D-Day” forces deployed from bases all along the south coast of England, with the base at Portsmouth being the most important.

The Allies began the Normandy invasion utilizing:

Overnight parachute and glider landings.

Massive air attacks.

Naval bombardments.

An early morning amphibious phase on June 6.

Hazards of the Normandy Invasion
U.S. General Dwight D. Eisenhower faced an extremely challenging task that had never before been attempted – He would have to transport his forces 100 miles across the English Channel and storm a heavily fortified coastline.

The Allies set out and boasted a 6,000+ vessel armada, carrying men and vehicles, along with 4,000 smaller landing craft and more than 11,000 aircraft.

Results of the Invasion
By nightfall of June 6, 1944 – 100,000 Allied soldiers had made it ashore and secured French coastal villages. Within weeks, supplies were being unloaded at Utah and Omaha beachheads at the rate of more than 20,000 tons per day. By June 19 – we landed 314,504 American soldiers, 41,000 vehicles, and 116,000 tons of supplies.

The Allies over powered the Germans and had established a firm foothold in Normandy by June 30. Over 57,000 Allied soldiers bravely gave their lives fighting against the Germans at the Battle of Normandy.

The Normandy landings were the first successful landings across the English Channel for nine centuries. They were costly in terms of men, but the defeat inflicted on the Germans was one of the largest of the war – they lost major grounds in France, and the Allies established secure new fronts.

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