Today is the 68th anniversary of D-Day
On June 6, 1944 Allied troops landed on the beaches of Normandy, France. It was the largest invasion of another country in the history of the world.
June 6, 1944, 160,000 Allied troops landed along a 50-mile stretch of heavily-fortified French coastline to fight Nazi Germany on the beaches of Normandy, France. General Dwight D. Eisenhower called the operation a crusade in which ‘we will accept nothing less than full victory.’ More than 5,000 Ships and 13,000 aircraft supported the D-Day invasion, and by day’s end on June 6, the Allies gained a foot- hold in Normandy. The D-Day cost was high -more than 9,000 Allied Soldiers were killed or wounded — but more than 100,000 Soldiers began the march across Europe to defeat Hitler.
Here are some pictures:
Supreme Allied Commander U.S. Army Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower speaks with 101st Airborne Division paratroopers before they board airplanes and gliders to take part in a parachute assault into Normandy as part of the Allied Invasion of Europe, D-Day, June 6, 1944.
Army Air Corps photographers documented D-Day beach traffic, as photographed from a Ninth Air Force bomber on June 6, 1944. Note vehicle lanes leading away from the landing areas, and landing craft left aground by the tide.
Members of a landing party help injured Soldiers to safety on Utah Beach during the Allied Invasion of Europe on D-Day, June 6, 1944.
German troops surrender to Soldiers during the Allied Invasion of Europe, D-Day, June 6, 1944.
Soldiers in cargo vehicles move onto a beach in Normandy during the Allied Invasion of Europe, D-Day, June 6, 1944. After fierce fighting, the Allies established a foothold in northern France.
How did it go down? From CNN:
Here’s a timeline of the events leading up to D-Day:
-August 19, 1942 – A raid on the French port of Dieppe that resulted in heavy losses convinces D-Day planners to land on the beaches. Discussions and preparations for an Allied invasion across the English Channel begin.
-1944 – The Germans expect an invasion along the north coast of France, but they do not know where. They build up their troops and artillery near Calais, where the English Channel is the narrowest.
-June 5, 1944 - Between 11 p.m. and 3 a.m., 13,000 U.S. paratroopers and gliders carrying heavy equipment leave England to begin the invasion of France by air.
-June 6, 1944 – D-Day begins.
-Overnight, about 2,700 ships with landing craft and more than 156,000 troops cross the channel. Minesweepers go ahead to clear the water and paratroopers drop behind German lines to capture bridges and railroad tracks. The landing includes more than 5,000 ships and 11,000 airplanes.
- Between midnight and 8 a.m. – Allied forces fly more than 14,000 sorties.
- 6:30 a.m. – Troops from the United States, UK, Canada and France come ashore on a 60-mile front in the largest seaborne invasion in history.
-Allied confirmed fatalities, 2499 from the United States, UK and Canada and another 1915 from other Allied countries, bringing the total to 4414.
-In a broadcast to the people of occupied Europe, Eisenhower says: “Although the initial assault may not have been in your own country, the hour of your liberation is approaching.”
-In an order to his troops, Eisenhower says: “The tide has turned. The free men of the world are marching together to victory…. We will accept nothing less than full victory.”