D-Day was 6 June 1944.
I was in Normandy, France
for the 75th anniversary events. The sacrifices were incredible! So many died in the pursuit of
freedom. D-Day was the beginning of the end of World War II.
Many Flags- People working together |
D-Day is the day, the Allied forces of the United States, Great Britain, Canada, and other allies amassed the largest armada in history to invade German occupied France and liberate Western Europe forcing Germany and Italy out of World War II.
The “D” refers to the
designated day for the operation and the “H” in H-hour is the hour the scheduled
operation began.
7:55 Canadian and British forces land on Juno Beach.
9:00 African-American Soldiers of the 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion reach the beaches. Their task to construct a curtain of hydrogen-filled balloons with steel cables over the beaches. Read more at NBC.
Troops
from other allied nations were also represented: France, Poland, Belgium,
Netherlands, Australia, Greece, Czechoslovakia, Norway, and New Zealand.
Other nations were involved in the war effort at many other locations around the world. It was truly, and sadly, a world war.
Five Beaches of the D-Day Invasion |
On
4 June, chief meteorologist James Stagg of Scotland told U.S. General Dwight D.
Eisenhower the weather looked good for 6 June. On 5 June Eisenhower gave the order for
Operation Overlord—telling the troops, "The eyes of the world are upon you".
The
invasion forces left southern England on 5 June 1944.
5 June On Our Way
17:00
The largest armada in world history left the south coast of England
with troops, supplies, and ammunition. Eventually, naval forces would include 6,939 warships and vessels: 4,126 landing crafts and boats, 1,213 combat ships, 736 other craft, and 864 merchant ships.
22:00
Airborne troops make final checks and begin boarding Horsa Gliders.
D-Day 6 June 1944
00:16
British paratroopers land on target at two bridges later named Pegasus and
Horsa, on the path to Caen (Read more about Pegasus Bridge).
00:26
British forces defeat Germans to take Pegasus bridge. A nearby house (now a museum) is among
the first liberated from German occupation.
Pegasus Bridge, Normandy / Geoff Sutton 2012 |
01:11
German General Marcks gets word of paratroopers, but decides to wait.
01:55
American paratroopers land around Sainte-Mère-Eglise on the path to Cherbourg.
After several hours of fighting, the first village is liberated (Read more about the Americans at Sainte-Mère-Eglise).
U.S. Paratrooper Survives at Sainte-Mère-Eglise |
04:30 British capture the Merville Battery (Read more about the British at Merville).
05:23 Allied warships begin firing on the German defenses along the coast. Naval operations were under the command of British Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsay.
06:00
American bombers join British bombers, but many bombs fall behind the German defenses. Over 2,000 British, Canadian, and American bombers attacked areas along the coast.
Landing Craft- National WWII Museum, New Orleans |
6:30
H-Hour: Americans land on Omaha and Utah Beaches in specially designed landing craft (Higgin's Boats). The US zones were under the command of General Omar Bradley.
Utah Beach/ Geoff W Sutton 2012 |
07:00
U.S. Rangers scale the cliffs to attack the guns of Pointe-du-hoc
(Read more about the Americans at Pointe-du-Hoc).
Pointe-du-Hoc, Normandy / Geoff W Sutton 2012 |
7:25
British forces land on Sword and Gold Beaches.
British land at Sword Beach/ WWII Museum |
7:55 Canadian and British forces land on Juno Beach.
9:00 African-American Soldiers of the 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion reach the beaches. Their task to construct a curtain of hydrogen-filled balloons with steel cables over the beaches. Read more at NBC.
9:32
BBC broadcasts that the allies have landed in France to audiences in the UK and worldwide.
10:15
German General Rommel learns of the invasion and returns to France. He had been celebrating a birthday in Germany.
11:00
Americans secure Vierville.
11:15
Canadians and British capture Saint Aubin-sur-Mer (Calvados).
12:00
Hitler at his Bavarian Alps Headquarters believes the allies will be driven
back.
14:00
Soldiers continue to land with equipment.
14:30
Allies reach Caen but do not capture it. Germans execute previously captured
French resistance fighters.
15:00
The first sections of ingeniously designed prefabricated harbours arrive (Mulberry Harbours) from England.
18:00
German Panzer division attacks British forces.
20:00
British and Canadians join forces and approach Bayeux.
20:10
Canadians capture Taillerville.
21:00
More than 140,000 Allies have landed along 55 miles.
At
the end of D-Day, 4,413 allies died. Many are buried in the cemeteries at
Normandy. When we consider the entire battle of Normandy, more than 425,000 men were killed, injured, or missing. Among the allied airmen, 16,714 died and 37,00 died amongst the ground forces.
Remembering
My photos from services in D-Day 2019
Further Reading and Resources
D-Day Normandy Landing Beaches by Holt and Holt
D-Day Illustrated Edition by Stephen E. Ambrose
75th Anniversary of D-Day -- Video Clips from YouTube
An overview of our photos and video clips- including the Red Arrows flyover
The New British Memorial in Normandy
PM Theresa May stops for a visit.
Marching Band plays at the end of the Ceremony
The BBC coverage of the 75th Anniversary Ceremony
Places to Visit
National World War II Museum, New Orleans, Louisiana USA
This museum complex is worth 2-3 days to begin to appreciate the scope of the global war.
German U-Boat and Allied warplanes
More Websites
LINK TO -->> THE NAZI TRAIL OF TERROR
Please check out my webpage to see if any of my books on psychology topics might be of interest.
Geoffrey W. Sutton suttong.com
No comments:
Post a Comment