The Invasion of Normandy
Introduction The invasion of Normandy, also known as Operation Overlord or D-Day, was perhaps one of the most important battles in the human history. The invasion took place on June 4, 1944, at the Coast of Normandy in France. Troops from over twelve countries, including Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America participated in the fight against Germany. Although the battles were enduring and hard-fought, the Allies achieved the final victory; the Allies were finally able to set their feet on the European soil again. The Allied invasion of Normandy was a major turning point of the war that led to the ultimate liberation of Europe from the Nazi forces.
An Overview of the Invasion
Preparations
Ever since the Nazi’s invasion and occupation of France in 1940, Great Britain had “vowed to invade France and liberate it from Nazi Germany” (Wikipedia-Operation Overlord). However, the goal could not be reached until the United States joined the war in 1941. By late 1942, under the Soviet’s pressure to establish a second battle front in Europe, Winston Churchill finally agreed to an invasion plan; the trainings and preparations started in mid 1943 (David Pietruza -The invasion of Normandy). Learning from the failure in the Dieppe Raid, the Allied forces were well prepared this time. Over 3 million troops were trained and several equipped full-scale rehearsals were held, and about 7000 vessels and 12000 aircrafts were mobilized (statistics taken from Wikipedia-the Normandy Invasion). Statistics ranging from as large as the landscape of Normandy to as small as the height of a tide were studied carefully and thoroughly by the Allied scientists. The Allied commanders even devised Operation Fortitude with the “aim to misleading the German high command as to the location of the imminent invasion” (Wikipedia-Operation Fortitude). Everything was ready.
The Invasion Hours before the invasion, bombers bombed all of the major German defence
An Overview of the Invasion
Preparations
Ever since the Nazi’s invasion and occupation of France in 1940, Great Britain had “vowed to invade France and liberate it from Nazi Germany” (Wikipedia-Operation Overlord). However, the goal could not be reached until the United States joined the war in 1941. By late 1942, under the Soviet’s pressure to establish a second battle front in Europe, Winston Churchill finally agreed to an invasion plan; the trainings and preparations started in mid 1943 (David Pietruza -The invasion of Normandy). Learning from the failure in the Dieppe Raid, the Allied forces were well prepared this time. Over 3 million troops were trained and several equipped full-scale rehearsals were held, and about 7000 vessels and 12000 aircrafts were mobilized (statistics taken from Wikipedia-the Normandy Invasion). Statistics ranging from as large as the landscape of Normandy to as small as the height of a tide were studied carefully and thoroughly by the Allied scientists. The Allied commanders even devised Operation Fortitude with the “aim to misleading the German high command as to the location of the imminent invasion” (Wikipedia-Operation Fortitude). Everything was ready.
The Invasion Hours before the invasion, bombers bombed all of the major German defence