1944 : D-Day
On this day in 1944, Supreme Allied Commander General Dwight D.
Eisenhower gives the go-ahead for largest amphibious military
operation in history: Operation Overlord, code-named D-Day, the Allied
invasion of northern France.
By daybreak, 18,000 British and American parachutists were already on
the ground. At 6:30 a.m., American troops came ashore at Utah and
Omaha beaches. At Omaha, the U.S. First Division battled high seas,
mist, mines, burning vehicles-and German coastal batteries, including
an elite infantry division, which spewed heavy fire. Many wounded
Americans ultimately drowned in the high tide. British divisions,
which landed at Gold, and Sword beaches, and Canadian troops, landing
at Juno beach, also met with heavy German fire, but by the end of the
day they were able to push inland.
Despite the German resistance, Allied casualties overall were
relatively light. The United States and Britain each lost about 1,000
men, and Canada 355. Before the day was over, 155,000 Allied troops
would be in Normandy. However, the United States managed to get only
half of the 14,000 vehicles and a quarter of the 14,500 tons of
supplies they intended on shore.
Three factors were decisive in the success of the Allied invasion.
First, German counterattacks were firm but sparse, enabling the Allies
to create a broad bridgehead, or advanced position, from which they
were able to build up enormous troop strength. Second, Allied air
cover, which destroyed bridges over the Seine, forced the Germans to
suffer long detours, and naval gunfire proved decisive in protecting
the invasion troops. And third, division and confusion within the
German ranks as to where the invasion would start and how best to
defend their position helped the Allies. (Hitler, convinced another
invasion was coming the next day east of the Seine River, refused to
allow reserves to be pulled from that area.)
Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, commander of Britain's Twenty-first
Army Group (but under the overall command of General Eisenhower, for
whom Montgomery, and his ego, proved a perennial thorn in the side),
often claimed later that the invasion had come off exactly as planned.
That was a boast, as evidenced by the failure to take Caen on the
first day, as scheduled. While the operation was a decided success,
considering the number of troops put ashore and light casualties,
improvisation by courageous and quick-witted commanders also played an
enormous role.
The D-Day invasion has been the basis for several movies, from The
Longest Day (1962), which boasted an all-star cast that included
Richard Burton, Sean Connery, John Wayne, Robert Mitchum-and Fabian,
to Saving Private Ryan (1998), which includes some of the most
grippingly realistic war scenes ever filmed, captured in the style of
the famous Robert Capa still photos of the actual invasion.
history.com/tdih.do
1683 : The Ashmolean opens
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5069
1833 : President Jackson rides the Iron Horse
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5070
1918 : Battle of Belleau Wood begins
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5071
1966 : James Meredith shot
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5072
1984 : Indian army storms Golden Temple
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=6920
##########################################
On this day in 1944, Supreme Allied Commander General Dwight D.
Eisenhower gives the go-ahead for largest amphibious military
operation in history: Operation Overlord, code-named D-Day, the Allied
invasion of northern France.
By daybreak, 18,000 British and American parachutists were already on
the ground. At 6:30 a.m., American troops came ashore at Utah and
Omaha beaches. At Omaha, the U.S. First Division battled high seas,
mist, mines, burning vehicles-and German coastal batteries, including
an elite infantry division, which spewed heavy fire. Many wounded
Americans ultimately drowned in the high tide. British divisions,
which landed at Gold, and Sword beaches, and Canadian troops, landing
at Juno beach, also met with heavy German fire, but by the end of the
day they were able to push inland.
Despite the German resistance, Allied casualties overall were
relatively light. The United States and Britain each lost about 1,000
men, and Canada 355. Before the day was over, 155,000 Allied troops
would be in Normandy. However, the United States managed to get only
half of the 14,000 vehicles and a quarter of the 14,500 tons of
supplies they intended on shore.
Three factors were decisive in the success of the Allied invasion.
First, German counterattacks were firm but sparse, enabling the Allies
to create a broad bridgehead, or advanced position, from which they
were able to build up enormous troop strength. Second, Allied air
cover, which destroyed bridges over the Seine, forced the Germans to
suffer long detours, and naval gunfire proved decisive in protecting
the invasion troops. And third, division and confusion within the
German ranks as to where the invasion would start and how best to
defend their position helped the Allies. (Hitler, convinced another
invasion was coming the next day east of the Seine River, refused to
allow reserves to be pulled from that area.)
Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, commander of Britain's Twenty-first
Army Group (but under the overall command of General Eisenhower, for
whom Montgomery, and his ego, proved a perennial thorn in the side),
often claimed later that the invasion had come off exactly as planned.
That was a boast, as evidenced by the failure to take Caen on the
first day, as scheduled. While the operation was a decided success,
considering the number of troops put ashore and light casualties,
improvisation by courageous and quick-witted commanders also played an
enormous role.
The D-Day invasion has been the basis for several movies, from The
Longest Day (1962), which boasted an all-star cast that included
Richard Burton, Sean Connery, John Wayne, Robert Mitchum-and Fabian,
to Saving Private Ryan (1998), which includes some of the most
grippingly realistic war scenes ever filmed, captured in the style of
the famous Robert Capa still photos of the actual invasion.
history.com/tdih.do
1683 : The Ashmolean opens
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5069
1833 : President Jackson rides the Iron Horse
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5070
1918 : Battle of Belleau Wood begins
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5071
1966 : James Meredith shot
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5072
1984 : Indian army storms Golden Temple
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=6920
##########################################
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