D-Day
On June 6, 1944, Allied forces stormed the beaches of Normandy in northern France. Their goal: to liberate Western Europe from Nazi tyranny. From a distance, it might seem that victory was pre-ordained, but no one felt that way at the time. British military historian Peter Caddick-Adams tells the incredible story of what happened on that monumental day.
Which date was the most consequential in the twentieth century?
June 10th, 1943June 6th, 1944June 5th, 1942June 9th, 1945The Allied invasion fleet for D-Day was comprised of ten thousand vessels.
TrueFalseThe average age of the American GIs that took part in D-Day was ________________.
18192021Who was the person responsible for making the decision to launch the invasion or not inside the 12-hour weather window?
Prime Minister Winston ChurchillField Marshal BrookeGeneral EisenhowerPresident RooseveltOf the 156,000 Allied personnel who hit the beaches on D-Day _____________ were killed.
5001,0005,00010,000
- Of the 36,525 days in the 20th century, none was more consequential than June 6th, 1944: D-Day, the Allied invasion of Normandy.
In the early stages of World War II, Germans used blitzkrieg tactics to overwhelm France, Belgium and the Netherlands, breaking through defenses that were thought to be impenetrable.
View sourceThe British left mainland Europe during the Dunkirk evacuation, removing nearly 200,000 troops from France.
View sourceThe success of the Allied invasion of Normandy was by no means a certainty. Commenting on the plans for D-Day, Winston Churchill’s senior advisor, Field Marshal Brooke, wrote in his diary, “It may well be the most ghastly disaster of the whole war.”
View sourceChurchill himself expressed doubts about the operation.
View sourceGeneral Dwight D Eisenhower wrote a speech accepting responsibility if the operation failed.
View source- In order to give D-Day the best chance of success, the Allies took every precaution to keep the pivotal invasion of Normandy a secret.
Allied air forces destroyed bridges, roads and railways to prevent German reinforcements from quickly joining the fight.
View sourceDeceptive radio messages wrongly suggested that Calais would be the landing point.
View sourceDouble agents leaked fake details of units forming in South East England.
View sourceThe Allies used phony tanks, planes and ships to support the ruse of an army preparing to cross near Dover.
View sourceWATCH: “How Did The Allies Keep D-Day A Secret?” – Eisenhower Memorial
View source- Allied victory on D-Day required not only defeating the entrenched German forces but overcoming massive logistical challenges.
The 13,000 paratroopers and glider-borne infantry invading Normandy was dependent on appropriate wind conditions.
View sourceThere had to be a low tide to expose Nazi obstacles and mines.
View sourceThe Allied plans were so precariously dependent on weather that Allied supreme commander General Dwight Eisenhower was forced to postponed the invasion date of June 5th by 24 hours due to high winds.
View sourceThere appeared to be a break in the weather on June 6, and Eisenhower ordered the attack.
View sourceThe next forecasted clear day for D-Day was 2 weeks later, but the forecast was incorrect.
View source- Though the Allies were ultimately victorious on D-Day, initial battle reports were alarming—particularly at Omaha Beach.
At Omaha Beach, overlooked by cliffs honeycombed with trenches, cannon, and machine-guns, the Americans took heavy losses.
View sourceThe Americans were facing off against the 352nd, Germany’s best division.
View sourceGerman soldier Hein Severloh, a machine gunner on Omaha beach, estimated that he killed at least a thousand men from his bunker.
View sourceRussel Pickett, a 94 veteran of Omaha beach, lost 96% of his company during the first hour of D-Day.
View sourceDr. Harold Baumgarten, with the U.S Army’s 116th Infantry, remembered his concern about the heavy field jackets many soldiers were wearing, and which ultimately drowned many of them upon their Normandy landing.
View sourceArmy Rangers also took heavy casualties as they scaled the cliffs under intense gunfire.
View source- On D-Day, 156,000 Allied troops stormed the beaches of Normandy. 10,000 became casualties and over 4,000 were killed—but none in vain.
In just one day, 156,000 Allied troops had stormed the beaches of Normandy, and beaten back the Germans.
View sourceBy the time Nazi armored divisions were ordered to Normandy, it was too late to stop the Allies from securing all five landing beaches.
View sourceThe night before the attack, Winston Churchill told his wife he expected 20,000 to be killed on D-Day. The losses were much lower than Churchill expected. Of the 156,000 Allied personnel who hit the beaches that day, 10,000 became casualties and more than 4,000 were killed.
View sourceRelated Reading: “Sand and Steel: A New History of D-Day” – Peter Caddick-Adams
View source
There were 36,525 days in the twentieth century. Of these, none was more consequential than June 6th, 1944. D-Day: the Allied invasion of Normandy in Nazi-occupied France. It did not end World War II, but without it, the Nazi war machine would not and could not have been defeated.
We, of course, know the good guys – America, England and its allies – won. But in 1944, there was no certainty of success. In fact, there was just as much doubt as confidence. Winston Churchill's senior advisor, Field Marshal Brooke, wrote in his diary, "I am very uneasy about the whole operation. It may well be the most ghastly disaster of the whole war."
Brooke's fears were entirely reasonable.
First there were tens of thousands of men and millions of tons of material and supplies that had to be moved one hundred miles across one of the roughest bodies of water in the world – the English Channel. And it had to be kept secret. If the Germans knew where and when the allies were landing, they could mass forces against them and turn the beaches of northern France into killing fields.
To prevent this, the Allies took every possible precaution. Their air forces destroyed bridges, roads and railways that might be used by the Germans to rush troops to the invasion site. Everyone knew the attack was coming; the key was to keep the Germans guessing.
Fake radio chatter was broadcast to suggest the beaches near Calais would be the landing point. Double agents leaked fake details of units forming in South East England. And movie set designers built phony tanks, planes and ships to support the ruse of an army preparing to cross near Dover for the benefit of German reconnaissance pilots and spies.
The Germans swallowed it all. But the Nazis were not the only enemy the Allied forces faced. Mother Nature was just as threatening.
The 23,000 paratroopers and glider-borne infantry jumping into Normandy needed moderate winds to be effective. The twelve thousand Allied aircraft needed clear skies. The invasion fleet of six thousand vessels needed calm seas. And there had to be a low tide to expose Nazi obstacles and mines. When high winds and rain began pummeling the Channel, Allied supreme commander General Dwight Eisenhower postponed the invasion date of June 5th by twenty-four hours. That might not sound like a significant delay, but it was. All forces were concentrated and ready to go. All the plans, all the deceptions, could be exposed at any moment. Then came a new forecast. The weather appeared to be breaking. There might be a 12-hour window of opportunity.
Eisenhower gave the order: We go. Immediately, the greatest invasion fleet ever assembled set sail. On board were over 130,000 young soldiers.
Consider for a moment who these soldiers were. The average age of the American GI was 21. Most had never seen combat or even been fifty miles from their hometown. As they sailed toward the French shoreline, Eisenhower wrote a press release in case of catastrophe. D-Day was an all-or-nothing affair. A new invasion strategy would take months, if not years, to devise.
The initial battle reports were seriously troubling. At Omaha Beach, overlooked by cliffs honeycombed with trenches, cannon and machine-guns, the Americans took heavy losses. "I might have killed hundreds that morning," reflected German soldier Hein Severloh, manning one of the bunkers. The rough surf also took its toll. Dr. Harold Baumgarten, with the U.S Army's 116th Infantry, remembered, "Some of the fellows were pulled under by their wet combat jackets and heavy equipment. We couldn't help; they just drowned." Further along, Army Rangers also took heavy casualties as they scaled the cliffs under intense gunfire. However, by mid-day – with US naval support – the Germans, low on supplies and ammunition, began to fold. Nazi reinforcements, including hundreds of tanks, which might have made all the difference, were not ordered to Normandy until the afternoon. Before the Germans could mount an effective counter-attack, the Allies had secured all five landing beaches.
Churchill had expected twenty thousand to be killed on D-Day. Fortunately, heavy though they were, the losses were much lower. Of the 156,000 Allied personnel who hit the beaches that day, ten thousand became casualties. Of these, five thousand were killed.
No one died in vain.
Their sacrifice meant an end to Nazi Germany and the Holocaust. Another year of bitter fighting lay ahead, but D-Day – June 6, 1944, was a pivotal step on the road to forever removing the Nazi tyranny from Europe and the world.
I'm Peter Caddick-Adams, author of Sand and Steel: A New History of D-Day, for Prager University.
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