d-day

By Nicole Leighton, Ailie Kerr, and Alan Nolan

background• Nazis had control of

France and the majority of Europe.

• Without intervention, Hitler’s military would continue to conquer.

• A front needed to be mounted in the west of France.

beginnings• The British began planning

informal plans for an invasion of Europe as early as 1940.

• The US began planning after Hitler declared war on them on December 11, 1941.

• By 1942, Stalin urged Roosevelt and Churchill to mount a western second front.

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planning• Official planning began in

1943 when they met in Iran and decided “Operation Overlord” would occur in May 1944.

• The plan was once they got control of northwest France on the English Channel, the Allies could continue conquering Nazi occupied country.

Object.

1. The object of Operation “Overlord” is to mount and carry out an operation, with forces and equipment established in the United Kingdom, and with target date the 1st May, 1944, to secure a lodgement on the Continent from which further offensive operations can be developed. The lodgement area must contain sufficient port facilities to maintain a force of some twenty-six to thirty divisions, and enable that force to be augmented by follow-up shipments from the United States or elsewhere of additional divisions and supporting units at the rate of three to five divisions per month.

challenges• The US army was still

forming while no boat existed to carry the army and cross the English Channel.

• Hitler knew that a Channel attack was inevitable, but chose to ignore it November 1943, when he recognized it and announced that France defense would be reinforced.

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Hitler appointed Erwin Rommel as the inspector of Costal Defenses

Attack in Normandy• June 6, 1944… D-Day

• June 5: 3,000 landing crafts, 2,500 other ships, and 500 naval vessels leave from England as well as 822 aircrafts, part of 13,000 aircrafts used.

• The Allies, Britain and U.S. landed on Omaha and Utah Beach.

The Germans were Prepared with many obstacles on the beach, such as hedgehogs (crossed steel beams) and log ramps and posts with mines attached. Getting to the actual beach was a battle in itself

The ever popular trenches were dug on the cliffs lining the coast, being above the Alliances was an advantage but not enough of one.

Omaha Beach

• Before landing naval gunshots and air bombardments were set off to scare the Germans

• It didn’t work and German defense was thick

• Some abandoned the beach because it was so dangerous, but slowly the Allies made their way inland.

Utah Beach• 2 airborne divisions

dropped soldiers from the 101st division randomly behind German lines

• The Germans didn’t know where Americans were and so they could close in from another front than the beach

At the End of the Day…

• The Alliances had high expectations, and not all of them were met, however they did make progress and gained back some of the French territory.

• D-Day lead to many other important victories.

Significance of D-Day• D-Day was the first very successful

attack the allied forces made on the new German Empire

• The American, British, and Canadian forces were the only significant armies that had any part in the storming of the beach, but navies from France, the Netherlands, Norway Poland, and Greece helped to bomb the beachhead from a distance

Invasion of Normandy

• Prior to the invasion by sea from the navies of these countries the 101st from the United States was dropped in behind the Germans and made their way to attack the beach from behind

• The invasion was all along the beaches in between Cherbourg and Ouistreham

Impact of D-Day

• The success at Normandy was the base of the allies breakdown of the Germans

• Once the beach was taken it was possible for the allies to move farther into Germany slowly breaking down their bases of operations

The Invasion Plans

What This Led To

bibliography• http://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/case_dda

y/index.html

• http://www.britannica.com/dday