D-Day | Normandy Landings (2024)

Normandy landings
Part ofOperation Overlordand theWestern FrontofWorld War II
Taxis to Hell – and Back – Into the Jaws of Death, an iconic image of men of the16th Infantry Regiment,US 1st Infantry Divisionwading ashore from their landing craft onOmaha Beachon the morning of 6 June 1944
Date 6 June 1944; 80 years ago Location Normandy,France 49.34°N 0.60°W Result Allied victory Territorialchanges Five Allied beachheads established in Normandy
Belligerents
Allies: United Kingdom United States Canada France Australia Czechoslovakia Poland Netherlands Norway New Zealand Greece South Africa Southern Rhodesia	Germany
Commanders and leaders
Dwight D. Eisenhower Arthur Tedder Miles Dempsey Bernard Montgomery Trafford Leigh-Mallory Bertram Ramsay Omar Bradley	Gerd von Rundstedt Erwin Rommel Hugo Sperrle Theodor Krancke Leo von Schweppenburg Friedrich Dollmann Hans von Salmuth
Units involved
First Army Second Army	5th Panzer Army 7th Army
Strength
156,000 soldiers195,700 naval personnel	50,350+170 coastal artillery guns
Casualties and losses
10,000+ casualties; 4,414 confirmed dead185 M4 Sherman tanks	4,000–9,000 killed, wounded, missing, or captured

v t e Operation Overlord (Battle of Normandy)

TheNormandy landingswere thelanding operationsand associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of theAlliedinvasion ofNormandyinOperation OverlordduringWorld War II. CodenamedOperation Neptuneand often referred to asD-Day, it is the largest seaborne invasion in history. The operation began theliberation of France, and the rest of Western Europe, and laid the foundations of the Allied victory on theWestern Front.Planning for the operation began in 1943. In the months leading up to the invasion, the Allies conducted a substantialmilitary deception, codenamedOperation Bodyguard, to mislead the Germans as to the date and location of the main Allied landings. The weather on the day selected for D-Day was not ideal, and the operation had to be delayed 24 hours; a further postponement would have meant a delay of at least two weeks, as the planners had requirements for the phase of the moon, the tides, and time of day, that meant only a few days each month were deemed suitable.Adolf HitlerplacedField MarshalErwin Rommelin command of German forces and developing fortifications along theAtlantic Wallin anticipation of an invasion. U.S. PresidentFranklin D. Rooseveltplaced Major GeneralDwight D. Eisenhowerin command of Allied forces.The invasion began shortly after midnight on the morning of 6 June with extensive aerial and naval bombardment as well as anairborne assault—thelanding of 24,000 American,British, and Canadian airborne troops. The early morning aerial assault was soon followed byAllied amphibious landingson the coast of Francec.06:30. The target 50-mile (80km) stretch of the Normandy coast was divided into five sectors:Utah,Omaha,Gold,Juno, andSword. Strong winds blew the landing craft east of their intended positions, particularly at Utah and Omaha.The men landed under heavy fire fromgun emplacementsoverlooking the beaches, and the shore wasminedand covered with obstacles such as wooden stakes,metal tripods, and barbed wire, making the work of the beach-clearing teams difficult and dangerous. Casualties were heaviest at Omaha, with its high cliffs. At Gold, Juno, and Sword, several fortified towns were cleared inhouse-to-house fighting, and two major gun emplacements at Gold were disabled using specialised tanks.The Allies failed to achieve any of their major goals beyond the establishment of thebeachheadson the first day.Carentan,Saint-Lô, andBayeuxremained in German hands, andCaen, a major objective, was not captured until 21 July. Only two of the beaches (Juno and Gold) were linked on the first day, and all five beachheads were not connected until 12 June; however, the operation gained a foothold that the Allies gradually expanded over the coming months. German casualties on D-Day have been estimated at 4,000 to 9,000 men. Allied casualties were documented for at least 10,000, with 4,414 confirmed dead.

Background

After the German Army invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941, the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin began pressing his new allies for the creation of a second front in western Europe. In late May 1942, the Soviet Union and the United States made a joint announcement that a “… full understanding was reached with regard to the urgent tasks of creating a second front in Europe in 1942.” However, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill persuaded U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt to postpone the promised invasion as, even with U.S. help, the Allies did not have adequate forces for such an activity.Instead of an immediate return to France, the western Allies staged offensives in the Mediterranean Theatre of Operations, where British troops were already stationed. By mid-1943, the campaign in North Africa had been won. The Allies then launched the invasion of Sicily in July 1943 and subsequently invaded the Italian mainland in September the same year. By then, Soviet forces were on the offensive and had won a major victory at the Battle of Stalingrad. The decision to undertake a cross-channel invasion within the next year was taken at the Trident Conference in Washington in May 1943.Initial planning was constrained by the number of available landing craft, most of which were already committed in the Mediterranean andPacific.^[20] At theTehran Conferencein November 1943, Roosevelt and Churchill promised Stalin that they would open the long-delayed second front in May 1944.

The Allies considered four sites for the landings: Brittany, the Cotentin Peninsula, Normandy, and the Pas-de-Calais. As Brittany and Cotentin are peninsulas, it would have been possible for the Germans to cut off the Allied advance at a relatively narrow isthmus, so these sites were rejected. With the Pas-de-Calais being the closest point incontinental Europeto Britain, the Germans considered it to be the most likely initial landing zone, so it was the most heavily fortified region. But it offered few opportunities for expansion, as the area is bounded by numerous rivers and canals, whereas, landings on a broad front in Normandy would permit simultaneous threats against the port of Cherbourg, coastal ports further west in Brittany, and an overland attack towards Paris and eventually into Germany. Normandy was hence chosen as the landing site. The most serious drawback of the Normandy coast—the lack of port facilities—would be overcome through the development of artificial Mulberry harbors. A series of modified tanks, nicknamedHobart’s Funnies, dealt with specific requirements expected for the Normandy Campaign such as mine clearing, demolishing bunkers, and mobile bridging.The Allies planned to launch the invasion on 1 May 1944. The initial draft of the plan was accepted at theQuebec Conferencein August 1943. General Dwight D. Eisenhower was appointed commander of theSupreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force. GeneralBernard Montgomerywas named commander of the21st Army Group, which comprised all land forces involved in the invasion. On 31 December 1943, Eisenhower and Montgomery first saw the plan, which proposed amphibious landings by three divisions with two more divisions in support. The two generals insisted that the scale of the initial invasion be expanded to five divisions, with airborne descents by three additional divisions, to allow operations on a wider front and to hasten the capture of Cherbourg. The need to acquire or produce extra landing craft for the expanded operation meant that the invasion had to be delayed to June. Eventually, thirty-nine Allied divisions would be committed to the Battle of Normandy: twenty-two American, twelve British, three Canadian, one Polish, and one French, totaling over a million troops.^[31]

Operations

Operation Overlord was the name assigned to the establishment of a large-scale lodgment on the continent. The first phase, the amphibious invasion and establishment of a secure foothold, was codenamed Operation Neptune. To gain the air superiority needed to ensure a successful invasion, the Allies undertook a bombing campaign (codenamed Operation Pointblank) that targeted German aircraft production, fuel supplies, and airfields. Elaborate deceptions, codenamed Operation Bodyguard, were undertaken in the months leading up to the invasion to prevent the Germans from learning the timing and location of the invasion.The landings were to be preceded by airborne operations near Caen on the eastern flank to secure the Orne River bridges and north of Carentan on the western flank. The Americans, assigned to land at Utah Beach and Omaha Beach, were to attempt to capture Carentan and Saint-Lô the first day, then cut off the Cotentin Peninsula and eventually capture the port facilities at Cherbourg. The British at Sword and Gold Beaches and the Canadians at Juno Beach would protect the U.S. flank and attempt to establish airfields near Caen on the first day. (A sixth beach, code-named “Band”, was considered to the east of the Orne.) A secure lodgment would be established with all invading forces linked together, with an attempt to hold all territory north of the Avranches-Falaise line within the first three weeks. Montgomery envisaged a ninety-day battle, lasting until all Allied forces reached the RiverSeine.

Deception plans

See also:D-Day naval deceptions

Under the overall umbrella of Operation Bodyguard, the Allies conducted several subsidiary operations designed to mislead the Germans as to the date and location of the Allied landings.^[37]Operation Fortitudeincluded Fortitude North, a misinformation campaign using fake radio traffic to lead the Germans into expecting an attack on Norway,^[38]and Fortitude South, a major deception involving the creation of a fictitiousFirst United States Army Groupunder Lieutenant GeneralGeorge S. Patton, supposedly located inKentandSussex. Fortitude South was intended to deceive the Germans into believing that the main attack would take place atCalais.^[32][39]Genuine radio messages from 21st Army Group were first routed to Kent via landline and then broadcast, to give the Germans the impression that most of the Allied troops were stationed there.^[40]Patton was stationed in England until 6 July, thus continuing to deceive the Germans into believing a second attack would take place at Calais.^[41] Many of the German radar stations on the French coast were destroyed in preparation for the landings.^[42]In addition, on the night before the invasion, a small group ofSpecial Air Serviceoperators deployed dummy paratroopers overLe HavreandIsigny. These dummies led the Germans to believe that an additional airborne landing had occurred. On that same night, inOperation Taxable,No. 617 Squadron RAFdropped strips of “window”,metal foilthat caused a radar return which was mistakenly interpreted by German radar operators as a naval convoy near Le Havre. The illusion was bolstered by a group of small vessels towingbarrage balloons. A similar deception was undertaken nearBoulogne-sur-Merin the Pas de Calais area byNo. 218 Squadron RAFinOperation Glimmer.^[43][2]

Weather

Main article:Weather forecasting for Operation Overlord

The invasion planners determined a set of conditions involving the phase of the moon, the tides, and the time of day that would be satisfactory on only a few days in each month. A full moon was desirable, as it would provide illumination for aircraft pilots and have the highest tides. The Allies wanted to schedule the landings for shortly before dawn, midway between low and high tide, with the tide coming in. This would improve the visibility of obstacles on the beach while minimizing the amount of time the men would be exposed in the open.^[44]Eisenhower had tentatively selected 5 June as the date for the assault. However, on 4 June, conditions were unsuitable for a landing: high winds and heavy seas made it impossible to launch landing craft, and low clouds would prevent aircraft from finding their targets.^[45]The weather forecast that reported the storms was sent from a weather station on the western coast of Ireland.^[46]

Group CaptainJames Staggof theRoyal Air Force(RAF) met Eisenhower on the evening of 4June. He and his meteorological team predicted that the weather would improve enough for the invasion to proceed on 6 June.^[47]The next available dates with the required tidal conditions (but without the desirable full moon) would be two weeks later, from 18 to 20 June. Postponement of the invasion would have required recalling men and ships already in position to cross theEnglish Channeland would have increased the chance that the invasion plans would be detected.^[48]After much discussion with the other senior commanders, Eisenhower decided that the invasion should go ahead on 6 June.^[49]A major storm battered the Normandy coast from 19 to 22 June, which would have made the beach landings impossible.^[45] Allied control of the Atlantic meant German meteorologists had less information than the Allies on incoming weather patterns.^[42]As theLuftwaffemeteorological centre in Paris was predicting two weeks of stormy weather, many Wehrmacht commanders left their posts to attendwar gamesinRennes, and men in many units were given leave.^[50]Field MarshalErwin Rommelreturned to Germany for his wife’s birthday and to petition Hitler for additionalPanzerdivisions.^[51]

German order of battle

Germany had at its disposal fifty divisions in France and theLow Countries, with another eighteen stationed in Denmark and Norway. Fifteen divisions were in the process of formation in Germany.^[52]Combat losses throughout the war, particularly on theEastern Front, meant that the Germans no longer had a pool of able young men from which to draw. German soldiers were now on average six years older than their Allied counterparts. Many in the Normandy area wereOstlegionen(eastern legions)—conscripts and volunteers from Russia, Mongolia, and other areas of the Soviet Union. They were provided mainly with unreliable captured equipment and lacked motorised transport.^[53][54]Many German units were under strength.^[55] In early 1944, the German Western Front (OB West) was significantly weakened by personnel and materiel transfers to the Eastern Front. During the SovietDnieper–Carpathian offensive(24 December 1943 – 17 April 1944), theGerman High Commandwas forced to transfer the entireII SS Panzer Corpsfrom France, consisting of the9thand10thSS Panzer Divisions, as well as the349th Infantry Division, 507th Heavy Panzer Battalion and the 311th and 322nd StuG Assault Gun Brigades. All told, the German forces stationed in France were deprived of 45,827 troops and 363 tanks, assault guns, and self-propelled anti-tank guns.^[56]It was the first major transfer of forces from France to the east since the creation ofFührer Directive 51, which eased restrictions on troop transfers to the eastern front.^[57] The1st SS Panzer Division “Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler”,9th,11th,19thand116thPanzer divisions, alongside the2nd SS Panzer Division “Das Reich”, had only arrived in France in March–May 1944 for extensive refit after being badly damaged during the Dnieper-Carpathian operation. Seven of the eleven panzer orpanzergrenadierdivisions stationed in France were not fully operational or only partially mobile in early June 1944.^[58] German Supreme commander:Adolf Hitler

• OberbefehlshaberWest (Supreme Commander West;OB West): Field MarshalGerd von Rundstedt

• (Panzer Group West: GeneralLeo Geyr von Schweppenburg)

• Army Group B: Field Marshal Erwin Rommel
  • 7th Army:GeneraloberstFriedrich Dollmann
    • LXXXIV Corps underGeneral der ArtillerieErich Marcks

Cotentin Peninsula

Allied forces attacking Utah Beach faced the following German units stationed on the Cotentin Peninsula:

• 709th Static Infantry DivisionunderGeneralleutnantKarl-Wilhelm von Schliebennumbered 12,320 men, many of themOstlegionen(non-German conscripts recruited from Soviet prisoners of war).^[59]
  • 729th Grenadier Regiment^[60]
  • 739th Grenadier Regiment^[60]
  • 919th Grenadier Regiment^[60]

Grandcamps Sector

Americans assaulting Omaha Beach faced the following troops:

• 352nd Infantry DivisionunderGeneralleutnantDietrich Kraiss, a full-strength unit of around 12,000 brought in by Rommel on 15 March and reinforced by two additional regiments.^[61]
  • 914th Grenadier Regiment^[62]
  • 915th Grenadier Regiment (as reserves)^[62]
  • 916th Grenadier Regiment^[62]
  • 726th Infantry Regiment (from 716th Infantry Division)^[62]
  • 352nd Artillery Regiment^[62]

Allied forces at Gold and Juno faced the following elements of the 352nd Infantry Division:

• 914th Grenadier Regiment^[63]
• 915th Grenadier Regiment^[63]
• 916th Grenadier Regiment^[63]
• 352nd Artillery Regiment^[63]

Forces around Caen

Allied forces attacking Gold, Juno, and Sword Beaches faced the following German units:

• 716th Static Infantry DivisionunderGeneralleutnantWilhelm Richter. At 7,000 troops, the division was significantly understrength.^[64]
  • 736th Infantry Regiment^[65]
  • 1716th Artillery Regiment^[65]
• 21st Panzer Division, (south of Caen) underGeneralmajorEdgar Feuchtingerincluded 146 tanks and 50assault guns, plus supporting infantry and artillery.^[66]
  • 100th Panzer Regiment^[63](at Falaise underHermann von Oppeln-Bronikowski; renamed 22nd Panzer Regiment in May 1944 to avoid confusion with 100th Panzer Battalion)^[67]
  • 125th Panzergrenadier Regiment^[63](underHans von Luckfrom April 1944)^[68]
  • 192nd Panzergrenadier Regiment^[63]
  • 155th Panzer Artillery Regiment^[63]

Atlantic Wall

Main articles:Atlantic WallandEnglish Channel

Alarmed by the raids onSt NazaireandDieppein 1942, Hitler had ordered the construction of fortifications all along the Atlantic coast, from Spain to Norway, to protect against an expected Allied invasion. He envisioned 15,000 emplacements manned by 300,000 troops, but shortages, particularly of concrete and manpower, meant that most of the strongpoints were never built.^[69]As it was expected to be the site of the invasion, the Pas de Calais was heavily defended.^[69]In the Normandy area, the best fortifications were concentrated at the port facilities at Cherbourg andSaint-Malo.^[30]Rommel was assigned to oversee the construction of further fortifications along the expected invasion front, which stretched from the Netherlands to Cherbourg,^[69][70]and was given command of the newly re-formed Army Group B, which included the 7th Army, the15th Army, and the forces guarding the Netherlands. Reserves for this group included the2nd, 21st, and116th Panzerdivisions.^[71][72] Rommel believed that the Normandy coast could be a possible landing point for the invasion, so he ordered the construction of extensive defensive works along that shore. In addition to concrete gun emplacements at strategic points along the coast, he ordered wooden stakes, metal tripods, mines, and large anti-tank obstacles to be placed on the beaches to delay the approach of landing craft and impede the movement of tanks.^[73]Expecting the Allies to land at high tide so that the infantry would spend less time exposed on the beach, he ordered many of these obstacles to be placed at thehigh water mark.^[44]Tangles of barbed wire,booby traps, and the removal of ground cover made the approach hazardous for infantry.^[73]On Rommel’s order, the number of mines along the coast was tripled.^[30]The Alliedair offensive over Germanyhad crippled theLuftwaffeand establishedair supremacyover western Europe, so Rommel knew he could not expect effective air support.^[74]TheLuftwaffecould muster only 815 aircraft^[75]over Normandy in comparison to the Allies’ 9,543.^[76]Rommel arranged for booby-trapped stakes known asRommelspargel(Rommel’s asparagus) to be installed in meadows and fields to deter airborne landings.^[30] German armaments ministerAlbert Speernotes in his 1969 autobiography that the German high command, concerned about the susceptibility of the airports and port facilities along the North Sea coast, held a conference on 6–8 June 1944 to discuss reinforcing defences in that area.^[77]Speer wrote:

In Germany itself we scarcely had any troop units at our disposal. If the airports at Hamburg and Bremen could be taken by parachute units and the ports of these cities seized by small forces, invasion armies debarking from ships would, I feared, meet no resistance and would be occupying Berlin and all of Germany within a few days.^[78]

Armoured reserves

Rommel believed that Germany’s best chance was to stop the invasion at the shore. He requested that the mobile reserves, especially tanks, be stationed as close to the coast as possible. Rundstedt, Geyr, and other senior commanders objected. They believed that the invasion could not be stopped on the beaches. Geyr argued for a conventional doctrine: keeping the Panzer formations concentrated in a central position around Paris and Rouen and deploying them only when the main Allied beachhead had been identified. He also noted that in theItalian Campaign, the armoured units stationed near the coast had been damaged by naval bombardment. Rommel’s opinion was that because of Allied air supremacy, the large-scale movement of tanks would not be possible once the invasion was under way. Hitler made the final decision, which was to leave threePanzer divisionsunder Geyr’s command and give Rommel operational control of three more as reserves. Hitler took personal control of four divisions as strategic reserves, not to be used without his direct orders.^[79][80][81]

Allied order of battle

See also:List of Allied forces in the Normandy campaign

Commander, SHAEF: General Dwight D. EisenhowerCommander, 21st Army Group: General Bernard Montgomery^[82]

U.S. zones

Commander,First Army: Lieutenant GeneralOmar Bradley^[82] The First Army contingent totalled approximately 73,000 men, including 15,600 from the airborne divisions.^[15]

Utah Beach

• VII Corps, commanded by Major GeneralJ. Lawton Collins^[83]
  • 4th Infantry Division: Major GeneralRaymond O. Barton^[83]
  • 82nd Airborne Division: Major GeneralMatthew Ridgway^[83]
  • 90th Infantry Division: Brigadier GeneralJay W. MacKelvie^[83]
  • 101st Airborne Division: Major GeneralMaxwell D. Taylor^[83]

Omaha Beach

• V Corps, commanded by Major GeneralLeonard T. Gerow, making up 34,250 men^[84]
  • 1st Infantry Division: Major GeneralClarence R. Huebner^[85]
  • 29th Infantry Division: Major GeneralCharles H. Gerhardt^[85]

British and Canadian zones

Commander,Second Army: Lieutenant General SirMiles Dempsey^[82] Overall, the Second Army contingent consisted of 83,115 men, 61,715 of them British.^[15]The British and Commonwealth air and naval support units included a large number of personnel from Allied nations, including several RAF squadrons manned almost exclusively by overseas air crew. For example, theAustralian contributionto the operation included a regularRoyal Australian Air Force(RAAF) squadron, nineArticle XV squadrons, and hundreds of personnel posted to RAF units and RN warships.^[86]The RAF supplied two-thirds of the aircraft involved in the invasion.^[87]

Gold Beach

• XXX Corps (UK), commanded by Lieutenant GeneralGerard Bucknall^[88]
  • 50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division: Major GeneralDouglas Graham^[88]
  • reinforced with
    • 56th Infantry Brigade
    • 8th Armoured Brigade
    • 47th (Royal Marine) Commando

Juno Beach

Main article:Juno Beach order of battle

• BritishI Corps, commanded by Lieutenant GeneralJohn Crocker^[89]
  • 3rd Canadian Division: Major GeneralRod Keller^[89]

Sword Beach

• British I Corps, commanded by Lieutenant General John Crocker^[90]
  • 3rd Infantry Division: Major GeneralTom Rennie^[90]
  • 6th Airborne Division (UK): Major GeneralRichard Gale^[90]

79th Armoured Division: Major GeneralPercy Hobart^[91]provided specialised armoured vehicles which supported the landings on all beaches in Second Army’s sector.

Coordination with the French Resistance

Through the London-basedÉtat-major des Forces Françaises de l’Intérieur(French Forces of the Interior), the BritishSpecial Operations Executiveorchestrated a campaign ofsabotageto be implemented by theFrench Resistance. The Allies developed four plans for the Resistance to execute on D-Day and the following days:

• PlanVertwas a 15-day operation to sabotage the rail system.
• PlanBleudealt with destroying electrical facilities.
• PlanTortuewas a delaying operation aimed at the enemy forces that would potentially reinforce Axis forces at Normandy.
• PlanVioletdealt with cutting underground telephone and teleprinter cables.^[92]

The resistance was alerted to carry out these tasks bymessages personnelstransmitted by theBBC’s French servicefrom London. Several hundred of these messages, which might be snippets of poetry, quotations from literature, or random sentences, were regularly transmitted,maskingthe few that were actually significant. In the weeks preceding the landings, lists of messages and their meanings were distributed to resistance groups.^[93]An increase in radio activity on 5 June was correctly interpreted by German intelligence to mean that an invasion was imminent or underway. However, because of the barrage of previous false warnings and misinformation, most units ignored the warning.^[94][95] A 1965 report from the Counter-insurgency Information Analysis Center details the results of the French Resistance’s sabotage efforts: “In the southeast, 52 locomotives were destroyed on 6 June and the railway line cut in more than 500 places. Normandy was isolated as of 7 June.”^[96]

Naval activity

Main article:List of Allied warships in the Normandy landings

Naval operations for the invasion were described by historianCorrelli Barnettas a “never surpassed masterpiece of planning”.^[97]In overall command was British Admiral SirBertram Ramsay, who had served asFlag officeratDoverduring theDunkirk evacuationfour years earlier. He had also been responsible for the naval planning of theinvasion of North Africain 1942, and one of the two fleets carrying troops for theinvasion of Sicilythe following year.^[98] The invasion fleet, which was drawn from eight different navies, comprised 6,939 vessels: 1,213 warships, 4,126 landing craft of various types, 736 ancillary craft, and 864 merchant vessels.^[15]The majority of the fleet was supplied by the UK, which provided 892 warships and 3,261 landing craft.^[87]In total there were 195,700 naval personnel involved; of these 112,824 were from the Royal Navy with another 25,000 from theMerchant Navy; 52,889 were American; and 4,998 sailors from other allied countries.^[15][10]The invasion fleet was split into theWestern Naval Task Force(under AdmiralAlan G. Kirk) supporting the U.S. sectors and the Eastern Naval Task Force (under Admiral SirPhilip Vian) in the British and Canadian sectors.^[99][98]Available to the fleet were five battleships, 20 cruisers, 65 destroyers, and two monitors.^[100]German ships in the area on D-Day included three torpedo boats, 29fast attack craft, 36R boats, and 36minesweepersand patrol boats.^[101]The Germans also had severalU-boatsavailable, and all the approaches had been heavily mined.^[44]

Naval losses

At 05:10, four Germantorpedo boatsreached the Eastern Task Force and launched fifteen torpedoes, sinking the Norwegian destroyerHNoMSSvenneroff Sword Beach but missing the British battleshipsHMSWarspiteandRamillies. After attacking, the German vessels turned away and fled east into asmoke screenthat had been laid by the RAF to shield the fleet from the long-range battery at Le Havre.^[102]Allied losses to mines included the American destroyerUSSCorryoff Utah andsubmarine chaserUSSPC-1261, a 173-foot patrol craft.^[103]

Bombardment

Bombing of Normandybegan around midnight with more than 2,200 British, Canadian, and U.S. bombers attacking targets along the coast and further inland.^[44]The coastal bombing attack was largely ineffective at Omaha, because low cloud cover made the assigned targets difficult to see. Concerned about inflicting casualties on their own troops, many bombers delayed their attacks too long and failed to hit the beach defences.^[104]The Germans had 570 aircraft stationed in Normandy and the Low Countries on D-Day, and another 964 in Germany.^[44] Minesweepers began clearing channels for the invasion fleet shortly after midnight and finished just after dawn without encountering the enemy.^[105]The Western Task Force included the battleshipsArkansas,Nevada, andTexas, plus eight cruisers, twenty-eight destroyers, and one monitor.^[106]The Eastern Task Force included the battleshipsRamilliesandWarspiteand the monitorRoberts, twelve cruisers, and thirty-seven destroyers.^[1]Naval bombardment of areas behind the beach commenced at 05:45, while it was still dark, with the gunners switching to pre-assigned targets on the beach as soon as it was light enough to see, at 05:50.^[107]Since troops were scheduled to land at Utah and Omaha starting at 06:30 (an hour earlier than the British beaches), these areas received only about 40 minutes of naval bombardment before the assault troops began to land on the shore.^[108]

Airborne operations

The success of the amphibious landings depended on the establishment of a secure lodgement from which to expand the beachhead to allow the build-up of a well-supplied force capable of breaking out. The amphibious forces were especially vulnerable to strong enemy counter-attacks before the arrival of sufficient forces in the beachhead could be accomplished. To slow or eliminate the enemy’s ability to organise and launch counter-attacks during this critical period,airborne operationswere used to seize key objectives such as bridges, road crossings, and terrain features, particularly on the eastern and western flanks of the landing areas. The airborne landings some distance behind the beaches were also intended to ease the egress of the amphibious forces off the beaches, and in some cases to neutralise German coastal defence batteries and more quickly expand the area of the beachhead.^[109][110] The U.S. 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions were assigned to objectives west of Utah Beach, where they hoped to capture and control the few narrow causeways through terrain that had been intentionally flooded by the Germans. Reports from Allied intelligence in mid-May of the arrival of the German91st Infantry Divisionmeant the intended drop zones had to be shifted eastward and to the south.^[111]The British 6th Airborne Division, on the eastern flank, was assigned to capture intact the bridges over theCaen Canaland RiverOrne, destroy five bridges over theDives6 miles (9.7km) to the east, and destroy theMerville Gun Batteryoverlooking Sword Beach.^[112]Free Frenchparatroopers from the BritishSAS Brigadewere assigned to objectives in Brittany from 5 June until August in OperationsDingson,Samwest, andCooney.^[113][114] BBCwar correspondent Robert Barr described the scene as paratroopers prepared to board their aircraft:

Their faces were darkened with cocoa; sheathed knives were strapped to their ankles; tommy guns strapped to their waists; bandoliers and hand grenades, coils of rope, pick handles, spades, rubber dinghies hung around them, and a few personal oddments, like the lad who was taking a newspaper to read on the plane… There was an easy familiar touch about the way they were getting ready, as though they had done it often before. Well, yes, they had kitted up and climbed aboard often just like this—twenty, thirty, forty times some of them, but it had never been quite like this before. This was the first combat jump for every one of them.^[115]

United States

Main article:American airborne landings in Normandy

The U.S. airborne landings began with the arrival ofpathfindersat 00:15. Navigation was difficult because of a bank of thick cloud, and as a result, only one of the five paratrooper drop zones was accurately marked with radar signals andAldis lamps.^[116]Paratroopers of the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions, numbering over 13,000 men, were delivered byDouglas C-47 Skytrainsof theIX Troop Carrier Command.^[117]To avoid flying over the invasion fleet, the planes arrived from the west over the Cotentin Peninsula and exited over Utah Beach.^[118][116] Paratroops from 101st Airborne were dropped beginning around 01:30, tasked with controlling the causeways behind Utah Beach and destroying road and rail bridges over theDouve River.^[119]The C-47s could not fly in a tight formation because of thick cloud cover, and many paratroopers were dropped far from their intended landing zones. Many planes came in so low that they were under fire from bothflakand machine-gun fire. Some paratroopers were killed on impact when their parachutes did not have time to open, and others drowned in the flooded fields.^[120]Gathering together into fighting units was made difficult by a shortage of radios and by thebocageterrain, with itshedgerows, stone walls, and marshes.^[121][122]Some units did not arrive at their targets until afternoon, by which time several of the causeways had already been cleared by members of the 4th Infantry Division moving up from the beach.^[123] Troops of the 82nd Airborne began arriving around 02:30, with the primary objective of capturing two bridges over the RiverMerderetand destroying two bridges over the Douve.^[119]On the east side of the river, 75 per cent of the paratroopers landed in or near their drop zone, and within two hours they captured the important crossroads atSainte-Mère-Église(the first town liberated in the invasion)^[124]and began working to protect the western flank.^[125]Because of the failure of the pathfinders to accurately mark their drop zone, the two regiments dropped on the west side of the Merderet were extremely scattered, with only four per cent landing in the target area.^[125]Many landed in nearby swamps, with much loss of life.^[126]Paratroopers consolidated into small groups, usually a combination of men of various ranks from different units, and attempted to concentrate on nearby objectives.^[127]They captured but failed to hold the Merderet River bridge at La Fière, and fighting for the crossing continued for several days.^[128] Reinforcements arrived byglideraround 04:00 (Mission ChicagoandMission Detroit), and 21:00 (Mission KeokukandMission Elmira), bringing additional troops and heavy equipment. Like the paratroopers, many landed far from their drop zones.^[129]Even those that landed on target experienced difficulty, with heavy cargo such asJeepsshifting during landing, crashing through the wooden fuselage, and in some cases crushing personnel on board.^[130] After 24 hours, only 2,500 men of the 101st and 2,000 of the 82nd Airborne were under the control of their divisions, approximately a third of the force dropped. This wide dispersal had the effect of confusing the Germans and fragmenting their response.^[131]The 7th Army received notification of the parachute drops at 01:20, but Rundstedt did not initially believe that a major invasion was underway. The destruction of radar stations along the Normandy coast in the week before the invasion meant that the Germans did not detect the approaching fleet until 02:00.^[132]

British and Canadian

Main articles:Operation TongaandOperation Mallard

The first Allied action of D-Day was thecapture of the Caen canal and Orne river bridgesvia a glider assault at 00:16 (since renamedPegasus BridgeandHorsa Bridge). Both bridges were quickly captured intact, with light casualties by theOxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light InfantryRegiment. They were then reinforced by members of the5th Parachute Brigadeand the7th (Light Infantry) Parachute Battalion.^[133][134]The five bridges over the Dives were destroyed with minimal difficulty by the3rd Parachute Brigade.^[135][136]Meanwhile, the pathfinders tasked with setting up radar beacons and lights for further paratroopers (scheduled to begin arriving at 00:50 to clear the landing zone north ofRanville) were blown off course and had to set up the navigation aids too far east. Many paratroopers, also blown too far east, landed far from their intended drop zones; some took hours or even days to be reunited with their units.^[137][138]Major GeneralRichard Galearrived in the third wave of gliders at 03:30, along with equipment, such as antitank guns and jeeps, and more troops to help secure the area from counter-attacks, which were initially staged only by troops in the immediate vicinity of the landings.^[139]At 02:00, the commander of the German 716th Infantry Division ordered Feuchtinger to move his 21st Panzer Division into position to counter-attack. However, as the division was part of the armoured reserve, Feuchtinger was obliged to seek clearance fromOKWbefore he could commit his formation.^[140]Feuchtinger did not receive orders until nearly 09:00, but in the meantime on his own initiative he put together a battle group (including tanks) to fight the British forces east of the Orne.^[141] Only 160 men out of the 600 members of the9th Battaliontasked with eliminating the enemy battery at Merville arrived at the rendezvous point. Lieutenant ColonelTerence Otway, in charge of the operation, decided to proceed regardless, as the emplacement had to be destroyed by 06:00 to prevent it firing on the invasion fleet and the troops arriving on Sword Beach. In theBattle of Merville Gun Battery, Allied forces disabled the guns with plastic explosives at a cost of 75 casualties. The emplacement was found to contain 75mm guns rather than the expected 150mm heavy coastal artillery. Otway’s remaining force withdrew with the assistance of a few members of the1st Canadian Parachute Battalion.^[142] With this action, the last of the D-Day goals of the British 6th Airborne Division was achieved.^[143]They were reinforced at 12:00 by commandos of the1st Special Service Brigade, who landed on Sword Beach, and by the6th Airlanding Brigade, who arrived in gliders at 21:00 inOperation Mallard.^[144]

Beach landings

Tanks

Some of the landing craft had been modified to provide close support fire, and self-propelled amphibiousDuplex-Drive tanks(DD tanks), specially designed for the Normandy landings, were to land shortly before the infantry to provide covering fire. However, few arrived in advance of the infantry, and at Omaha many sank before reaching the shore.^[145][146]Other specialist tanks landed in the early waves to clear the beach defences.

Utah Beach

Main article:Utah Beach

Utah Beach was in the area defended by two battalions of the 919th Grenadier Regiment.^[147]Members of the8th Infantry Regimentof the 4th Infantry Division were the first to land, arriving at 06:30. Their landing craft were pushed to the south by strong currents, and they found themselves about 2,000 yards (1.8km) from their intended landing zone. This site turned out to be better, as there was only one strongpoint nearby rather than two, and bombers ofIX Bomber Commandhad bombed the defences from lower than their prescribed altitude, inflicting considerable damage. In addition, the strong currents had washed ashore many of the underwater obstacles. The assistant commander of the 4th Infantry Division, Brigadier GeneralTheodore Roosevelt Jr., the first senior officer ashore, made the decision to “start the war from right here,” and ordered further landings to be re-routed.^[148][149] The initial assault battalions were quickly followed by 28 DD tanks and several waves of engineer and demolition teams to remove beach obstacles and clear the area directly behind the beach of obstacles and mines. Gaps were blown in the sea wall to allow quicker access for troops and tanks. Combat teams began to exit the beach at around 09:00, with some infantry wading through the flooded fields rather than travelling on the single road. They skirmished throughout the day with elements of the 919th Grenadier Regiment, who were armed with antitank guns and rifles. The main strongpoint in the area and another 1,300 yards (1.2km) to the south were disabled by noon.^[150]The 4th Infantry Division did not meet all of their D-Day objectives at Utah Beach, partly because they had arrived too far to the south, but they landed 21,000 troops at the cost of only 197 casualties.^[151][152]

Pointe du Hoc

Pointe du Hoc, a prominentheadlandsituated between Utah and Omaha, was assigned to two hundred men of the2nd Ranger Battalion, commanded by Lieutenant ColonelJames Rudder. Their task was to scale the 30m (98ft) cliffs with grappling hooks, ropes, and ladders to destroy the coastal gun battery located at the top. The cliffs were defended by the German 352nd Infantry Division and French collaborators firing from above.^[153]Allied destroyersUSSSatterleeandHMSTalybontprovided fire support. After scaling the cliffs, the Rangers discovered that the guns had already been withdrawn. They located the weapons, unguarded but ready to use, in an orchard some 550 metres (600yd) south of the point, and disabled them with explosives.^[153] The Rangers fended off numerous counter-attacks from the German914th Grenadier Regiment. The men were isolated, and some were captured. By dawn on 7 June, Rudder had only 90 men able to fight. Relief did not arrive until 8 June, when members of the743rd Tank Battalionand others arrived.^[154][155]By then, Rudder’s men had run out of ammunition and were using captured German weapons. Several men were killed as a result, because the German weapons made a distinctive noise, and the men were mistaken for the enemy.^[156]By the end of the battle, the Rangers casualties were 135 dead and wounded, while German casualties were 50 killed and 40 captured. An unknown number of French collaborators were executed.^[157][158]

Omaha Beach

Main article:Omaha Beach

Omaha, the most heavily defended beach, was assigned to the 1st Infantry Division and29th Infantry Division.^[159]They faced the 352nd Infantry Division rather than the expected single regiment.^[160]Strong currents forced many landing craft east of their intended position or caused them to be delayed.^[161]For fear of hitting the landing craft, U.S. bombers delayed releasing their loads and as a result most of the beach obstacles at Omaha remained undamaged when the men came ashore.^[162]Many of the landing craft ran aground on sandbars, and the men had to wade 50–100m in water up to their necks while under fire to get to the beach.^[146]In spite of the rough seas, DD tanks of two companies of the741st Tank Battalionwere dropped 5,000 yards (4,600m) from shore; however, 27 of the 32 flooded and sank, with the loss of 33 crew.^[163]Some tanks, disabled on the beach, continued to providecovering fireuntil their ammunition ran out or they were swamped by the rising tide.^[4] Casualties were around 2,000, as the men were subjected to fire from the cliffs above.^[164]Problems clearing the beach of obstructions led to the beachmaster calling a halt to further landings of vehicles at 08:30. A group of destroyers arrived around this time to provide fire support so landings could resume.^[165]Exit from the beach was possible only via five heavily defended gullies, and by late morning barely 600 men had reached the higher ground.^[166]By noon, as the artillery fire took its toll and the Germans started to run out of ammunition, the Americans were able to clear some lanes on the beaches. They also started clearing the gullies of enemy defences so that vehicles could move off the beach.^[166]The tenuous beachhead was expanded over the following days, and the D-Day objectives for Omaha were accomplished by 9 June.^[167]

Gold Beach

Main article:Gold Beach

The first landings onGold Beachwere set for 07:25 because of the differences in the tide between there and the U.S. beaches.^[168]High winds made conditions difficult for the landing craft, and the amphibious DD tanks were released close to shore or directly on the beach instead of further out as planned.^[169]Three of the four guns in a large emplacement at theLongues-sur-Mer batterywere disabled by direct hits from the cruisers HMSAjaxandArgonautat 06:20. The fourth gun resumed firing intermittently in the afternoon, and its garrison surrendered on 7 June.^[170]Aerial attacks had failed to hit the Le Hamel strongpoint, which had itsembrasurefacing east to provideenfiladefire along the beach and had a thick concrete wall on the seaward side.^[171]Its 75mm gun continued to do damage until 16:00, when anArmoured Vehicle Royal Engineers(AVRE) tank fired a large demolition charge into its rear entrance.^[172][173]A secondcasematedemplacement at La Rivière containing an 88mm gun had been neutralised by a tank at 07:30.^[174] Meanwhile, infantry began clearing the heavily fortified houses along the shore and advanced on targets further inland.^[175]TheNo. 47 (Royal Marine) Commandomoved toward the small port atPort-en-Bessinand captured it the following day in theBattle of Port-en-Bessin.^[176]Company Sergeant MajorStanley Hollisreceived the onlyVictoria Crossawarded on D-Day for his actions including attacking two pillboxes at the Mont Fleury high point.^[177]On the western flank, the 1st Battalion,Royal Hampshire RegimentcapturedArromanches(future site of Mulberry “B”), and contact was made on the eastern flank with the Canadian forces at Juno.^[178]Bayeux was not captured the first day because of stiff resistance from the 352nd Infantry Division.^[175]Allied casualties at Gold Beach are estimated at 1,000.^[15]

Juno Beach

Main article:Juno Beach

The landing atJuno Beachwas delayed because of choppy seas, and the men arrived ahead of their supporting armour, suffering many casualties while disembarking. Most of the offshore bombardment had missed the German defences.^[179]Several exits from the beach were created, but not without difficulty. At Mike Beach on the western flank, a large crater was filled using an abandoned AVRE tank and several rolls offascine, which were then covered by a temporary bridge.^[d].^[180]The beach and nearby streets were clogged with traffic for most of the day, making it difficult to move inland.^[181] Major German strongpoints with 75mm guns, machine-gun nests, concrete fortifications, barbed wire, and mines were located atCourseulles-sur-Mer,St Aubin-sur-Mer, andBernières-sur-Mer.^[182]The towns had to be cleared in house-to-house fighting.^[183]Soldiers on their way toBény-sur-Mer, 3 miles (5km) inland, discovered that the road was well covered by machine gun emplacements that had to be outflanked before the advance could proceed.^[184]Elements of the9th Canadian Infantry Brigadeadvanced to within sight of theCarpiquet airfieldlate in the afternoon, but by this time their supporting armour was low on ammunition so the Canadians dug in for the night. The airfield was not captured until a month later as the area became the scene of fierce fighting.^[185]By nightfall, the contiguous Juno and Gold beachheads covered an area 12 miles (19km) wide and 7 miles (10km) deep.^[186]Casualties at Juno were 961 men.^[187]

Sword Beach

Main article:Sword Beach

OnSword Beach, 21 of 25 DD tanks of the first wave were successful in getting safely ashore to provide cover for the infantry, who began disembarking at 07:30.^[188]The beach was heavily mined and peppered with obstacles, making the work of the beach clearing teams difficult and dangerous.^[189]In the windy conditions, the tide came in more quickly than expected, so manoeuvring the armour was difficult. The beach quickly became congested.^[190]BrigadierSimon Fraser, 15th Lord Lovatand his 1st Special Service Brigade arrived in the second wave,piped ashoreby PrivateBill Millin, Lovat’s personal piper.^[191]Members ofNo. 4 Commandomoved throughOuistrehamto attack from the rear a German gun battery on the shore. A concrete observation and control tower at this emplacement had to be bypassed and was not captured until several days later.^[192]French forces under CommanderPhilippe Kieffer(the first French soldiers to arrive in Normandy) attacked and cleared the heavily fortified strongpoint at the casino at Riva Bella, with the aid of one of the DD tanks.^[192] The ‘Morris’ strongpoint nearColleville-sur-Ornewas captured after about an hour of fighting.^[190]The nearby‘Hillman’ strongpoint, headquarters of the 736th Infantry Regiment, was a large complex defensive work that had come through the morning’s bombardment essentially undamaged. It was not captured until 20:15.^[193]The 2nd Battalion,King’s Shropshire Light Infantrybegan advancing to Caen on foot, coming within a few kilometres of the town, but had to withdraw due to lack of armour support.^[194]At 16:00, the 21st Panzer Division mounted a counter-attack between Sword and Juno and nearly succeeded in reaching the Channel. It met stiff resistance from the British 3rd Division and was soon recalled to assist in the area between Caen and Bayeux.^[195][196]Estimates of Allied casualties on Sword Beach are as high as 1,000.^[15]

Aftermath

The Normandy landings were the largest seaborne invasion in history, with nearly 5,000 landing and assault craft, 289 escort vessels, and 277 minesweepers participating.^[197]Nearly 160,000 troops crossed the English Channel on D-Day,^[9]with 875,000 men disembarking by the end of June.^[198]Allied casualties on the first day were at least 10,000, with 4,414 confirmed dead^[13]and the Germans had 4,000–9,000 casualties (killed, wounded, missing, or captured).^[15]The Germans never achieved Hitler’s stated aim of “throwing the Allies back into the sea” on D-Day or anytime thereafter.^[199] The Allied invasion plans had demanded a rapid build-up of troops and the establishment of a secure bridgehead, which was achieved with fewer casualties than expected.^[200]The plan had also called for the capture of Carentan, Saint-Lô, Caen, and Bayeux on the first day, with all the beaches (other than Utah) linked with a front line 10 to 16 kilometres (6 to 10mi) from the beaches; none of these latter objectives were achieved.^[34]At Utah the 4th Division made significant progress inland, making a rendezvous with the airborne troops, and the British and Canadians were between four and seven miles inland (six to eleven kilometres).^[200]The five beachheads were not connected until 12 June, by which time the Allies held a front around 97 kilometres (60mi) long and 24 kilometres (15mi) deep.^[201]Caen, a major objective, was still in German hands at the end of D-Day and would not be completely captured until 21 July.^[202]The Germans had ordered French civilians other than those deemed essential to the war effort to leave potential combat zones in Normandy.^[203]Civilian casualties on D-Day and D+1 are estimated at 3,000.^[204] The Allied victory in Normandy stemmed from several factors. German preparations along the Atlantic Wall were only partially finished; shortly before D-Day Rommel reported that construction was only 18 per cent complete in some areas as resources were diverted elsewhere.^[205]The deceptions undertaken in Operation Fortitude were successful, leaving the Germans obliged to defend a huge stretch of coastline.^[206]Rommel was in Berlin^[51]and the forecasted stormy weather meant that some German other commanders and troops were not present in Normandy.^[50]The Allies achieved and maintained air supremacy, which meant that the Germans were unable to make observations of the preparations underway in Britain and were unable to interfere via bomber attacks.^[207]Infrastructure for transport in France was severely disrupted by Allied bombers and the French Resistance, making it difficult for the Germans to bring up reinforcements and supplies.^[208]Some of the opening bombardment was off-target or not concentrated enough to have any impact,^[162]but the specialised armour worked well except on Omaha (where most of it had been lost at sea), providing close artillery support for the troops as they disembarked onto the beaches.^[209]Indecisiveness and an overly complicated command structure on the part of the German high command were also factors in the Allied success.^[210]

War memorials and tourism

At Omaha Beach, parts of the Mulberry harbour are still visible, and a few of the beach obstacles remain. A memorial to the U.S.National Guardsits at the location of a former German strongpoint. Pointe du Hoc is little changed from 1944, with the terrain covered with bomb craters and most of the concrete bunkers still in place. TheNormandy American Cemetery and Memorialis nearby, inColleville-sur-Mer.^[211]A museum about the Utah landings is located atSainte-Marie-du-Mont, and there is one dedicated to the activities of the U.S. airmen at Sainte-Mère-Église. Two German military cemeteries are located nearby.^[212] Pegasus Bridge, a target of the British 6th Airborne, was the site of some of the earliest action of the Normandy landings. The bridge was replaced in 1994 by one similar in appearance, and the original is housed on the grounds of a nearby museum complex.^[213]Sections of Mulberry Harbour B still sit in the sea at Arromanches, and the well-preserved Longues-sur-Mer battery is nearby.^[214]TheJuno Beach Centre, opened in 2003, was funded by the Canadian federal and provincial governments, France, and Canadian veterans.^[215]TheBritish Normandy Memorialabove Gold Beach was designed by the architect Liam O’Connor and opened in 2021.^[216]

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  TheBény-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery

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  TheLa Cambe German war cemetery, near Bayeux

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  TheBayeux Commonwealth war cemetery

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  TheNormandy American Cemetery and Memorial, overlooking Omaha Beach

LIFE Magazine June 19, 1944 / D-Day