D-Day

By: Phoebe Kishbaugh, Grayson Bidel, and Nathan Nash

• The phase of the moon (full) and the level of the tide (three hours past its ebb) would dictate the invasion’s start.

• For a few days each month those conditions were possible. A full moon would provide sufficient light. The tide had to be low enough to allow those manning the landing crafts to see German-placed obstacles on the French shore but high enough for troops to avoid too much unprotected beach. The best day in June, 1944, was the 5th - a Monday.

• But would the weather cooperate?

A Cross-Channel Attack

Until June 1944, the war only had one front-the Eastern Front-which caused the death of millions already.

The Horrific battle of Stalingrad was the most deadliest battle in military history.

The British used their great ports to successfully launch an invasion on an German occupied France.

The Allied Forces launched but failed an attack called Operation Overload on June 5th.

D-Day Commanders

Air Chief Marshall-Sir Arthur Teddy- coordinator of the Air Forces.

Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsey- Invasion naval commander.

Air Chief Marshall-Arthur T. Harris- Head of RAF Bomber Command

Gen. Bernard Law Montgomery-Commander of Allied Ground Forces.

“Let’s Go!”

Years before Eisenhower gave the “Let’s Go” order, Allied commanders had secretly worked to plot every battle-plan detail.

British and American air personnel practiced bomb runs before Eisenhower gave the “Let’s Go”.

On June 5th American troops marched down the British air field to meet allied troops.

The details of the battle plan was kept secret until the last possible moment.

Crossing the Channel When Eisenhower gave the order to “go”, most of the Allied assault

troops had been aboard their transport vessels for hours. Departing from various British ports as part of “ Operation Neptune,”

the ships and troops reconnoitered in the north Atlantic, joining at a spot called “Picallily Circus” and proceeding, as a convoy, to their individual destinations. USA to Utah and Omaha beaches; Britain to Gold and Sword beaches; Canada to Juno beach.

On June 6th “Higgins Boats,” the nickname for “Landing Craft, Vehicle, Personnel” (LCVP) brought 156,000 men to the shores of France.

“Rhino Barges” were used to off-load tanks and trucks- ferry them ashore- during the first hours of the invasion.

Death On The Shore

•Allie soldiers attack after an hour of daylight

•During the first hour of daylight, the bomers tried to make the fighting easier for the infantry

•Meanwhile, huge ships carried all of the equipment and backup troops to help in the fighting

•When the fighting began between Britain, Canada and Ameria, a ship sank and the passangers’ lives were threatened

•The survivors were forced to cross open land and were in full exposure to enemy fire

•Many soldiers were killed, causing allied forces to secure their beachhead

Digging In; Fighting On•Germans faught from inside small boxes made of steel and reinforced by concrete called pillboxes

•The boxes had machine guns inside

•The boxes were scattered everywhere along with others made of things such as cement and stone

•Soldiers spent so much time in the boxes, they sometimes napped and were occasionally killed by the enemy while sleeping

•Many men were killed while seeking better protection

•The soldiers were not the only people hurt, some villages were destroyed, leaving many people devastated

Utah Beach

•During the early landings, German shells were fired at an LST coming to Utah Beach

•The ships were protected by barrage balloons

•The balloons protected the men from German planes

•Weapon carriers head to shore

•Many ships were sunk, creating a breakwater

•Soldiers wait at seawall for orders to move inland

•German prisoners of war were kept temporarily in a barbed wire enclosure

I. Before D-Day, German 75-mm guns were in placed on Omaha Beach.

II. The difficult terrain at Omaha Beach was, in many places, impassable for vehicles and included bluffs west of Vierville Draw.

III. In addition to natural barriers at Vierville Draw landing troops had to contend with German-built “pillboxes,” which shielded enemy guns aimed at approaching Allies.

IV. Troops Ferried to Omaha Beach carried M1903 rifles and M1 carbines.

V. After the landings, sunken ships formed a breakwater just off Les Moulins Draw.

VI. took place at “Fox Green Beach” in the eastern half of Omaha Beach.

VII.Reinforcements (men and equipment) moved inland during the build-up at Omaha Beach known, to some, as “The Tough Beach.”

VIII.LSTs, grounded on the beach, allowed equipment to be offloaded directly on shore.

IX. Despite setbacks, the Omaha Beach assault troops achieved success, although the outcome of their objectives were not clear by the end of June 6th.

STUNNING D-DAY FACTS• There are 9,386 in the American cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer. Each

grave faces west, toward America. 4,868 British are buried in the Bayeux Cemetery, 21,500 German dead are buried at Lacambe.

• There was 3,701 soldiers, sailors and airmen still missing.• Over 50,000 soldiers, sailors and airmen died.• The units conducting the initial assaults did not know the locations of

their landings.

STUNNING D-DAY FACTS

• The United States shipped 7 million tons of supplies. Of those supplies, ammunition accounted for 448,000 tons.

• Between the 1st of April and the 5th of June, 1944, the Allies flew 14,000 missions losing 12,000 airmen and 2,000 aircraft.

• 127 more planes were lost on D-Day.

D-Day was a devastating event. Many families were effected and lots of soldiers were killed. The people of this earth will never forget this time in our history and will forever remember the great sacrifice these men were willing to make for their country.