D-Day

D-DAY June 6, 1994

** ﻿Who Was Inv﻿olved: **

Germany’s advance of taking over Poland caused the allied powers and In order for this invasion to be successful the allied powers along with the United States of America and Canada needed to contribute. Other services like Australia, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, France, Greece, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, and Poland put their soldiers into this fight. A total of 156,00 allied troops with about 30,000 vehicles stormed the coast of Normandy to face the German troops. This invasion was led by Dwight D. Eisenhower who commanded all the forces. General George Patton led 73,000 American soldiers into this invasion. D Day would not have been completed if it was not for the prime minister of Britain, Winston Churchill, who thought of this brilliant idea that stopped Germany from taking control over Europe.

**Where/When Did It Take Place:**

 The invasion took place across the English Channel, but the invasion force was secretly built in England and by May 1944 the invasion took place. The allies also had many ‘dummy’ armies to fake invasions, one of them took place at the sea port of France, Calais which was the shortest way from England to France so many German soldiers were positioned there. Within the Normandy shore there were five beaches where D-Day took place Utah, Omaha, Golden, Juno, and Sword. The invasion began on June 6, 1944 but it lasted for a month and by the end of that the Allies liberated France. By September France, Belgium and Luxembourg were liberated.

**What Happened:** media type="custom" key="9539888" align="left" width="94" height="94"During WWII, the Allies (Britain and France) started to form an invasion force in 1943 secretly in Great Britain. The plan was to launch an attack France, which was held by Germany, across the English Channel. By May 1944, thousands of planes, ships, tanks, and three million troops were ready to attack. General Dwight D. Eisenhow ﻿ er chose to strike North Eastern France on the coast of Normandy because this was not as defended by the Germans and could be sheltered by the waters. The Germans knew that the attack was coming, bu they did not know where. To trick the Germans and to keep Hitler guess, the Allies set up dummy armies, with their own headquarters and equipment. The Allies would even throw dummies out of air planes to make it seem like they were attacking there. This fake army was said to be attacking a sea port of France in Calais, because it was the shortest way from England to France. When it was time for the real attack, the code name was Operation Overload, and it was the largest land and sea invasion in history. The invasion began on June 6, 1944 and it was known as D-Day (the day known when the Allies began their land invasion). The British, American, French and Canadian troops traveled sixty miles on the beach of Normandy. The Germans dug in with machine guns and cannons and sheltered behind concrete walls. D-Day was the most chaotic day of WWII, and there were 2,700 American casualties alone on the beaches that day.

**Significance and Importance:** D-Day was an extremely significant event, known as the turning point of World War II. It was this attack that stopped Hitler and the Nazis from taking over Europe, and is also known as the beginning of Hitler’s end. If Hitler had won this battle, he and his country would have won World War II. However, he didn’t. This loss of a battle was responsible for the Europeans’ questioning of Hitler’s authority and his ability to control an entire continent, which led to his fall. While Germany fell, France regained rights and rose up with its ally. D-Day was the largest attack in history using both land and sea, and used more men and women from allied countries than ever. Though the Allies lost about nine thousand lives, stopping Hitler and his reign was well worth the sacrifice.

__SOURCES__ "American Experience . D-Day . Did You Know? | PBS." PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. Web. 23 May 2011. .

"D-Day, the Normandy Invasion, 6-25 June 1944." Naval History and Heritage Command. US Navy. Web. 23 May 2011. .

"D Day." Schools History. Web. 24 May 2011. .

"D-Day." United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Web. 23 May 2011. .

"Frequently Asked Questions for D-Day and the Battle of Normandy." D-Day Museum & Overlord Embroidery. Web. 24 May 2011. <http://www.ddaymuseum.co.uk/faq.htm>.