WAR infographic

PART 2

 

D-day

 

The first successful opposed landing across the English Channel for 9 centuries.

 

Eisenhower told the troops: “You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you.” In his pocket was a statement to be read in case the invasion failed.

 

Mission was to gain a foothold in the Europe.

 

Originally scheduled for 5 June, the invasion was postponed for one day by bad weather.

 

The Germans took comfort from the poor weather conditions and believed no invasion would be possible for a few days.

 

The Normandy invasion began with the overnight parachute, air attacks, naval bombardments, and an early morning amphibious phase. Only around 15% of paratroopers landed in the right place. The primary factor which affected the performance of parachutes was the decision to make a parachute drop at night. That was a tactic not used again in the war.

 

Later that day, more than 6,000 ships left England for the trip across the Channel to France

 

More than 11,000 aircraft were mobilized to provide air cover and support for the invasion.

 

The German airforce was outnumbered 30:1 on D-day but they didn’t shoot down even one allied plane in air to air combat!

 

Around 50,000 German troops opposed the landing forces. 

 

From hour to hour

 

June 5th - beginning at 11:00pm

 

That night, around 800 aircraft carrying parachutists roared overhead to the landing zones.

 

24,000 troops were dropped behind German lines to allow the Allies to secure strategic bridges and roads.

 

Dummy paratroops were dropped in strategic locations to fool the Germans as well.

 

June 6th at 3:00am

 

Allied bombers began to attack the Germans, dropping a total of 3 million kilograms of explosive that day

However, the Allied bombardment did little to destroy enemy positions

 

at 5:00am

 

The naval forces included 7 battleships, 43 destroyers, and 18 cruisers began with attack on German positions

 

At 6:31am

 

American, Canadian and British forces began to go ashore, followed by the British and Canadians.

 

Soldiers faced resistance as they came ashore on all the beaches. In the first hour the chance of becoming a casualty was one in two. 

 

Nazi leader Adolf Hitler was asleep when information of the invasion arrived. No one dared wake him. It is said crucial time was lost in sending reinforcements. 

 

The worst landing for Allies was on Omaha Beach

 

More than 2,000 Americans were killed or wounded before Omaha was finally secured

The U.S. 1st Division confronted the best German coast division (the 352nd) and was roughly handled by machine gunners as the troops waded ashore.

 

One American unit landing in the first wave lost 90% of its men.

 

Allied landings at Sword, Utah, Gold and Juno had been relatively casualty free.

 

The Allies enjoyed superiority in numbers of troops (approximately 3.5:1) and armored vehicles (approximately 4:1)

 

on June 6: by day’s end, approximately 156,000 Allied troops had successfully stormed Normandy’s beaches.

 

Total Allied casualties on D-Day:

around 10,000 with 4,500 killed including 1,600 Brits.

The Germans lost about 9,000 men. 

 

None of the Allied forces succeeded in reaching their inland D-Day objectives

 

It allowed successive waves of troops and supplies to come ashore.

 

D-Day was a success

 

BUT

 

Initial Allied efforts to break quickly out of Normandy and begin the march toward Germany were not such success.

 

To be continued….