Normandy invasion remains one of largest in history
Shortly after midnight, June 6, 1944, 156,000 fighting men from nearly a dozen countries began an assault of epic proportions, the Normandy invasion, the likes of which the world had never seen.
Though almost a year of fierce fighting remained before VE (Victory over Europe) Day, the events of D-Day, as it was and is still known, signaled the beginning of the end of the Third Reich and the Nazi regime.
The invasion of Europe at Normandy, code-named Operation Overlord, had its beginnings in 1943, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed General Dwight D. Eisenhower as Supreme Allied Commander and presented him with orders to “enter the continent of Europe, and in conjunction with other united nations, undertake operations aimed at the heart of Germany and the destruction of her armed forces.”
Success of such an enormous operation would hinge on where it was launched. The most obvious choice to operation planners was the near French city of Calais, which at around only 20 miles across the English Channel from Dover, was and is the nearest point to England. This area was most advantageous as it would have given the Allies a very short supply line. The Germans came to the same conclusion, however, so operation planners opted for the less obvious choice of Normandy coast, approximately 200 miles west of Calais.
By early 1944, southern England was a virtual training camp for the invasion. 3.5 million soldiers, sailors and airmen from Britain, the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland and Czechoslovakia all spent months preparing for the same objective. Entire towns were cordoned off in a successful effort to keep the invasion plans secret.
The invasion began with British and U.S. airborne troops landing behind German fortifications, known as the Atlantic Wall, during the early hours of June 6. Shortly there after some 156,000 men were deposited near the Norman shore by over 6,000 ships and landing craft – the largest armada ever assembled.
The Normandy invasion centered on five beaches, covering a distance of some 40 miles. The Americans landed on beaches code-named Omaha and Utah, while the British, Canadians and other nations’ troops landed on beaches code-named Sword, Juno and Gold.
Despite fierce German resistance, Allied soldiers were able to push forward, capturing the whole of Normandy, and less than a year later, the whole of Europe.
The price of the invasion was high, however. Total Allied casualties on D-Day are estimated at 10,000, including 2,500 dead. Additionally, nearly 12,000 men were lost in air force operations paving the way for D-Day in April and May, 1944. Total German casualties on D-Day are not known, but are estimated between 4,000 and 9,000 men.