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6 June 1944 D-Day: The Invasion of Normandy |
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The weather in early June was overcast and rainy, causing Eisenhower
to postpone the planned invasion of Normandy until June 6, when the weather was expected to improve
somewhat. The operation had been preceded by an intensive bombing campaign of northern France,
aimed at disrupting the railway network and therefore slowing German movement in the area. It was
also preceded by a number of airborne operations, in which paratroopers were dropped behind enemy
lines to destroy bridges and generally cause confusion among the Germans.
On the evening of June 5 the invasion fleet—consisting of some 700 warships, 2,500 landing craft (carrying more than 150,000 combat troops from the United States, Great Britain, and Canada), and 2,700 support ships—set sail across the English Channel. In the first light of day landings took places on five separate beaches, designated Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword. Because of the weather the Germans had not expected an invasion to occur anytime soon, and even after the initial landings took place Hitler refused at first to send reinforcements to the area, since he remained convinced that the real invasion was to take place at Pas-de-Calais. Moreover, the Allies enjoyed complete control of the skies over Normandy, and additionally had the support of the warships offshore, which subjected German defenses to a withering bombardment. Thanks to all this, the Allies encountered serious difficulties only on Omaha Beach, where entrenched Germans were able to fire down on the invading Americans from high cliffs. There the casualties exceeded 4,600, but on the other four beaches the loss of life was comparatively small. By the end of the day 155,000 Allied troops were on French soil; the liberation of Western Europe had begun. Histories: Campaign Maps: Personal Accounts: Photographs: |
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