The Germans knew an invasion was coming, but not when or where - the most likely Many operations, it is now most associated with the Allied invasion of Normandy, France, on 6 June 1944.įaced with such obstacles, as well as battle-hardened German forces led by the legendary General Erwin Rommel, the Allies decided that surprise would be their greatest weapon. For that reason, the term D-Day was used to refer to the day on which an attack was to begin. When planning a military operation, the specific date on which the attack would occur was not always known in advance. Strewn with layers of barbed wire, anti-tank ditches, mines and other obstacles designed to obstruct an invading army. In fact, much of the French side of the English Channel had been turned into what was called the “Atlantic Wall” - mile after mile of concrete bunkers, machine gun nests, and other fortifications built by the Germans, overlooking beaches and tidal estuaries However, the disastrous 1942 raid on the French port of Dieppe, in which 3,367Ĭanadians were killed, wounded or captured, had convinced military planners that a seaborne assault against a well-defended port was folly ( see Dieppe Raid). By the end of June, the Allies had seized the vital port of Cherbourg, landed approximately 850,000 men and 150,000 vehicles in Normandy, and were poised to continue their march across France.The Allies needed a French harbour from which to supply and sustain a successful invasion force. In the ensuing weeks, the Allies fought their way across the Normandy countryside in the face of determined German resistance, as well as a dense landscape of marshes and hedgerows. Moreover, the Germans were hampered by effective Allied air support, which took out many key bridges and forced the Germans to take long detours, as well as efficient Allied naval support, which helped protect advancing Allied troops. He also hesitated in calling for armored divisions to help in the defense. Reinforcements had to be called from further afield, causing delays. At first, Hitler, believing the invasion was a feint designed to distract the Germans from a coming attack north of the Seine River, refused to release nearby divisions to join the counterattack. Less than a week later, on June 11, the beaches were fully secured and over 326,000 troops, more than 50,000 vehicles and some 100,000 tons of equipment had landed at Normandy.įor their part, the Germans suffered from confusion in the ranks and the absence of celebrated commander Rommel, who was away on leave. According to some estimates, more than 4,000 Allied troops lost their lives in the D-Day invasion, with thousands more wounded or missing. However, by day’s end, approximately 156,000 Allied troops had successfully stormed Normandy’s beaches. forces faced heavy resistance at Omaha Beach, where there were over 2,000 American casualties. The British and Canadians overcame light opposition to capture beaches codenamed Gold, Juno and Sword, as did the Americans at Utah Beach. The amphibious invasions began at 6:30 a.m. Frank DeVita Describes Landing on the Beachīy dawn on June 6, thousands of paratroopers and glider troops were already on the ground behind enemy lines, securing bridges and exit roads.
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