D Day Invasion
June 6, 1944
- The
objective of this mission is to deliver or liberate France and
other occupied countries out of the hands of the Nazis
- This
will be the largest amphibious invasion ever assembled to liberate any
country
- Thousands
of ships, landing crafts, Para-troopers, tanks and ½ million soldiers are
transported across the English Channel to land on the beaches of Normandy,
France on June 6, 1944
- The
operation is code named Overlord
- It is
so massive it will take months to prepare this large and diverse force
- The
invasion will try to maintain the element of surprise as long as possible
- The
Allies will try to trick the Nazis by pretending the invasion will take
place in a different location, 100 miles north from the intended site at Normandy
- The
Nazis fall for it and the real invasion goes ahead in the middle of the
night on June 6th
- The
moon is bright, the tides are low and the sea is calm perfect conditions
for the invasion
- The
Nazis expect it to happen but are not sure of when or where
- The
Allied force is so large that is has to be landed at five different beach
locations along the Normandy
coastline
- Each
beach has a code name:
- Juno
Canadian soldiers
- Sword
British soldiers
- Gold
- British soldiers
- Utah American
soldiers
- Omaha American
soldiers
- The
invasion is a huge success, except at Omaha Beach
where the Americans are forced to fight hard to scramble up the beaches
- The
Nazis have heavy artillery, tanks and machine gun nests all along the
elevated points overlooking the beaches
- Many
thousands of Allied soldiers are killed in the first three days of the
invasion
- After
one month, the Allies are able to land more troops and equipment to help
them work their way inland
- One by
one French towns are liberated, including Paris on June 22nd
- The
liberation of Europe begins with France
and will soon lead to Belgium,
Holland, Denmark,
Norway and Poland