D-Day occurred 80 years ago today on June 6, 1944, when nearly 160,000 Allied forces landed in Nazi-occupied France as part of the largest naval, air and land invasion ever executed. Of the naming of D-Day, U.S. Gen. Eisenhower said: “Any operation has a ‘departed date;’ therefore the shortened term ‘D-Day’ is used.” Normandy was the biggest and most well-known of several D-Days during the war. Although it ended with heavy casualties, D-Day is considered the successful beginning of the end of Hitler’s regime in Western Europe.
FACTS
- Only nine days in May and June met the weather requirements: long days, a near-full moon, strong tides. Commanders chose June 5. However, given the forecasts Gen. Eisenhower decided to switch D-Day — the start of codenamed Operation Overlord — to June 6.
- As the invasion was the first of its kind, no equipment existed to carry it out. The British designed and constructed Mulberry Harbours to facilitate the unloading of supply ships off the coast of Normandy. Also invented were landing crafts with a ramp that dropped into the sea so troops didn’t need to scramble over the side to get out.
- Through fake plans, camps and coded radio messages, the Allies duped the Nazis into thinking an attack would occur on France’s north coast. On the morning of June 6, the Allied forces bombed Calais to give the illusion of readying for an attack.
- From 6:30 am on, Allied forces stormed five beaches of Normandy: U.S. troops on Omaha and Utah; Great Britain and smaller forces on Gold and Sword; Canadians on Juno.
- More than 9,000 Allied soldiers were killed or wounded in the first 24 hours. Despite the challenges, the Allies took just days to establish a beachhead in Normandy. By the end of June they’d landed 800,000 troops and more than 100,000 vehicles.
- Two-thirds of participating British and Canadian troops set off from Southampton’s docks. By the end of the war, 3.5 million British, Canadian and American troops had passed through Southampton.
- “Decoding the German code machine known as Enigma, then keeping that decoding device a secret, is one of the most brilliant strategies that came out of World War II.” Intercepting the German codes before D-Day pinpointed nearly all of the German fighting units in the Normandy area.
Please add any facts you know about D-Day in the comments below. •
Sources: Royal British Legion; U.S. Department of Defense
Chris krueger says
Thank you for the reminder. So many lives lost. So many lives affected. We need to be very grateful for our freedom!
Ian says
Good post Pam. We need to remember major historic events such as D-Day and make sure that another general war in Europe never takes place (wishful thinking?) Next year, you can review the decision to drop A-bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Linda Richardson says
A good reminder Pam of this historic battle and the role that Canadian troops played in establishing a beach head in Normandy to ultimately liberate Europe. This was a war against fascism which is, unfortunately, on the rise all around us, including making inroads in U.S. politics, legislation and court decisions there. I am fearful that this trend will take further hold and filter into Canada. I’m grateful that the 80th Anniversary of D-Day is getting wide news coverage and attention so that we can remember and teach young people how close we came to living in a very different, authoritarian world. We need to ensure through our votes and education that this doesn’t happen again in our lifetime.
Tim McPhail says
Well said Linda. I find it ironic that the U.S. instituted The Marshall Plan and supported democracy in Western Europe and Japan after World War 11 and is today so close to making the mistakes of the Fascist governments in the 30s. Surely they will come to their sense.
Linda Watts says
Thank you for your post and the reminder of the history. Canada is a very lucky country, thanks to those who served. ❤️