D-Day

Essential Question: What strategies did the Allies implement

to ensure D-Days success?

Air raids in preparation for D Day

The British and Americans began bombing targets in occupied France in preparation for D Day.

The French railway system came under continuous attack.

Raids were concentrated in the Calais region to mislead the Germans in to believing that was the intending invasion area.

The Normandy region was bombed, but less heavily.

Operation Fortitude The Allies began a massive deception of

operation to conceal the intended landing zone.

A massive build-up of fake armies and equipment was concentrated in Kent to fool the Germans in to thinking Calais was the intended target.

Canvas and rubber tanks were assembled to confuse any German aerial reconnaissance aircraft.

Fortitude – an inflatable rubber tank

Fortitude – canvas aircraft

What do such operations reveal about Allied planning for D day ?

Fortitude- fake radio signals

Enormous amounts of ‘fake’ wireless messages were transmitted relating to possible invasion plans in the Calais region in the hope the Germans would believe them.

Hitler expected the invasion here in the Pas de

Calais

Normandy

The Atlantic Wall Despite all Allied efforts, the

Germans obviously expected an Allied invasion somewhere in France.

Hitler appointed two of his ablest Generals, Gerd Von Rundstedt and Erwin Rommel to take charge of strengthening the French coast line from attack.

From Norway to the South of France the Germans built up a defensive line against the expected invasion.

Tens of thousands of Russian POWs were put to work to construct elaborate defences.

The line was by no means complete or evenly spread by the time of D Day.

Despite gaps in the line, the defences were formidable in some places.

Rommel inspects anti-tank defences on a French beach.

Preparations Y-Day – June 1st

• Everything had to be ready to go• No corrections could be made• Only waiting for Supreme Commander’s

word to go

First Attempt: June 4, 1944• Wind and high seas make conditions poor

Before the Beach Invasion Needed to rid the area of Nazi

defenses

VERY Early June 6, 1944• Airplanes, battleships bombarded the Nazi

defenses• Paratroopers dropped behind German lines

the night before to seize critical roads and bridges for the push inland

After Securing Normandy Allied losses had been high:

• U.S. AIRBORNE - 2,499• U.S. / UTAH - 197• U.S. / OMAHA - 2,000• U.K. / GOLD - 413• CAN. / JUNO - 1,204• U.K. / SWORD - 630• U.K. AIRBORNE - 1,500• TOTAL -9,000 casualties, approx. 3,000 fatalities

Fighting fierce, but superior manpower and equipment forced German troops off coast of Normandy in a week

Allied forces went on to liberate Paris August 25, 1944

Force most of German troops out of Belgium and France by September