75
Years ago today (June 6, 1944) the D-Day Normandy Landings in German-occupied
France took place. It was the largest seaborne invasion in history with 5,000
landing and assault craft, 289 escort vessels, and 277 minesweepers.
1.) The Allies By Sea: 160,000 American, Canadian and British
soldiers invaded by sea along a 50 mile stretch of beaches occupied by the
Germans. 4,414 Allied soldiers were killed and 10,000 wounded on the first day
alone.
2.) The Allies by Air: 25,537 American, Canadian and British
soldiers were parachuted into occupied France near the beaches on June 6, 1944.
Of the 17,037 American paratroopers: 1,003 were killed and 2,657 were wounded.
Of the 8,500 British and Canadian paratroopers:
800 were killed or wounded.
3.) The French: 3,000 French civilians were killed on June 6,
1944.
4.) The Germans: There were 50,350 German troops in Normandy.
Between 4,000 and 9,000 Germans were killed on June 6, 1944.
The Normandy Landings were part
of Operation Overland which lasted from June 6-August 30, 1944 and saw the
D-Day Landings take place on June 6, 1944, the Liberation of Paris on August
25, 1944 and the Germans retreating across the Seine River on August 30, 1944.
Troop Strength and Casualties
during all of Operation Overland (June 6, 1944- August 30,1944):
1.) The Allies: Out of a total of 2,052,299 American, Canadian
and British soldiers fighting:
Americans: 124,394 casualties, of
whom 20,668 were killed
Canadians: 18,444 casualties of
whom 5,021 were killed
British: 39, 552 casualties of whom 10,975 were killed
2.) The French: 13,632 and 19,890 French civilians were killed
3.) The Germans: Out of
a total of 640,000 German soldiers fighting: Between 288,695 to 530,000 were killed or wounded.
D-Day Invasion Timeline:
A Second Front
In 1942, Winston Churchill and
Franklin Roosevelt issued a statement that the western allies would work as
quickly as possible to open a second front to relieve pressure on the Soviets.
Though united in this goal, issues soon arose with the British who favored a
thrust north from the Mediterranean, through Italy and into southern Germany.
This approach was advocated by Churchill who also saw a line of advance from
the south as placing British and American troops in a position to limit the
territory occupied by the Soviets. Against this strategy, the Americans
advocated a cross-Channel assault which would move through Western Europe along
the shortest route to Germany. As American strength grew, they made it clear
that this was the only approach they would support.
Codenamed Operation Overlord,
planning for the invasion began in 1943 and potential dates were discussed by
Churchill, Roosevelt, and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin at the Tehran Conference.
In November of that year, planning passed to General Dwight D. Eisenhower who
was promoted to Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF) and
given command of all Allied forces in Europe. Moving forward, Eisenhower
adopted a plan begun by the Chief of Staff of the Supreme Allied Commander
(COSSAC), Lieutenant General Frederick E. Morgan, and Major General Ray Barker.
The COSSAC plan called for landings by three divisions and two airborne
brigades in Normandy. This area was chosen by COSSAC due to its proximity to
England, which facilitated air support and transport, as well as its favorable
geography.
The Allied Plan
Adopting the COSSAC plan,
Eisenhower appointed General Sir Bernard Montgomery to command the invasion's
ground forces. Expanding the COSSAC plan, Montgomery called for landing five
divisions, preceded by three airborne divisions. These changes were approved
and planning and training moved forward. In the final plan, the American 4th
Infantry Division, led by Major General Raymond O. Barton, was to land at Utah
Beach in the west, while the 1st and 29th Infantry Divisions landed to the east
on Omaha Beach. These divisions were commanded by Major General Clarence R.
Huebner and Major General Charles Hunter Gerhardt. The two American beaches were
separated by a headland known as Pointe du Hoc. Topped by German guns, capture
of this position was tasked to Lieutenant Colonel James E. Rudder's 2nd Ranger
Battalion.
Separate and to the east of Omaha
were Gold, Juno, and Sword Beaches which were assigned to the British 50th
(Major General Douglas A. Graham), Canadian 3rd (Major General Rod Keller), and
British 3rd Infantry Divisions (Major General Thomas G. Rennie) respectively.
These units were supported by armored formations as well as commandos. Inland,
the British 6th Airborne Division (Major General Richard N. Gale) was to drop
to the east of the landing beaches to secure the flank and destroy several
bridges to prevent the Germans from bringing up reinforcements. The US 82nd
(Major General Matthew B. Ridgway) and 101st Airborne Divisions (Major General
Maxwell D. Taylor) were to drop to the west with the goal of opening routes
from the beaches and destroying artillery that could fire on the landings
(Map).
The Atlantic Wall
Confronting the Allies was the
Atlantic Wall which consisted of a series of heavy fortifications. In late
1943, the German commander in France, Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt, was
reinforced and given noted commander Field Marshal Erwin Rommel. After touring
the defenses, Rommel found them wanting and ordered that they be greatly
expanded. Having assessed the situation, the Germans believed that the invasion
would come at the Pas de Calais, the closest point between Britain and France.
This belief was encouraged by an elaborate Allied deception scheme, Operation
Fortitude, which suggested that Calais was the target.
Split into two major phases,
Fortitude utilized a mix of double agents, fake radio traffic, and the creation
of fictitious units to mislead the Germans. The largest fake formation created
was the First US Army Group under the leadership of Lieutenant General George
S. Patton. Ostensibly based in southeastern England opposite Calais, the ruse
was supported by the construction of dummy buildings, equipment, and landing
craft near likely embarkation points. These efforts proved successful and
German intelligence remained convinced that the main invasion would come at
Calais even after landings commenced in Normandy.
Moving Forward
As the Allies required a full
moon and a spring tide, possible dates for the invasion were limited.
Eisenhower first planned to move forward on June 5, but was forced to delay due
to poor weather and high seas. Faced with the possibility of recalling the
invasion force to port, he received a favorable weather report for June 6 from
Group Captain James M. Stagg. After some debate, orders were issued to launch
the invasion on June 6. Due to the poor conditions, the Germans believed that
no invasion would occur in early June. As a result, Rommel returned to Germany
to attend a birthday party for his wife and many officers left their units to
attend war games at Rennes.
The Night of Nights
Departing from airbases around
southern Britain, the Allied airborne forces began arriving over Normandy. Landing,
the British 6th Airborne successfully secured the Orne River crossings and
accomplished it objectives including capturing the large artillery battery
complex at Merville. The 13,000 men of the US 82nd and 101st Airbornes were
less fortunate as their drops were scattered which dispersed units and placed
many far from their targets. This was caused by thick clouds over the drop
zones which led to only 20% being marked correctly by pathfinders and enemy
fire. Operating in small groups, the paratroopers were able to achieve many of
their objectives as the divisions pulled themselves back together. Though this
dispersal weakened their effectiveness, it caused great confusion among the
German defenders.
The Longest Day
The assault on the beaches began
shortly after midnight with Allied bombers pounding German positions across
Normandy. This was followed by a heavy naval bombardment. In the early morning
hours, waves of troops began hitting the beaches. To the east, the British and
Canadians came ashore on Gold, Juno, and Sword Beaches. After overcoming
initial resistance, they were able to move inland, though only the Canadians
were able to reach their D-Day objectives. Though Montgomery had ambitiously
hoped to take the city of Caen on D-Day, it would not fall to British forces
for several weeks.
On the American beaches to the
west, the situation was very different. At Omaha Beach, US troops quickly
became pinned down by heavy fire from the veteran German 352nd Infantry
Division as the pre-invasion bombing had fallen inland and failed to destroy
the German fortifications. Initial efforts by the US 1st and 29th Infantry
Divisions were unable penetrate the German defenses and troops became trapped
on the beach. After suffering 2,400 casualties, the most of any beach on D-Day,
small groups of US soldiers were able to break through the defenses opening the
way for successive waves.
To the west, the 2nd Ranger
Battalion succeeded in scaling and capturing Pointe du Hoc but took significant
losses due to German counterattacks. On Utah Beach, US troops suffered only 197
casualties, the lightest of any beach, when they were accidentally landed in
the wrong spot due to strong currents. Though out of position, the first senior
officer ashore, Brigadier Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., stated that they would
"start the war from right here" and directed subsequent landings to
occur at the new location. Quickly moving inland, they linked up with elements
of the 101st Airborne and began moving towards their objectives.
Aftermath
By nightfall on June 6, Allied
forces had established themselves in Normandy though their position remained
precarious. Casualties on D-Day numbered around 10,400 while the Germans
incurred approximately 4,000-9,000. Over the next several days, Allied troops
continued to press inland, while the Germans moved to contain the beachhead.
These efforts were frustrated by Berlin's reluctance to release reserve panzer
divisions in France for fear that Allies would still attack at Pas de Calais.
Continuing on, Allied forces
pressed north to take the port of Cherbourg and south towards the city of Caen.
As American troops fought their way north, they were hampered by the bocage
(hedgerows) that crisscrossed the landscape. Ideal for defensive warfare, the
bocage greatly slowed the American advance. Around Caen, British forces were
engaged in a battle of attrition with the Germans. The situation did not change
radically until the US First Army broke through the German lines at St. Lo on
July 25 as part of Operation Cobra.
https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/daily/wwii/d-day-by-the-numbers/
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