WWII+D-Day+Invasion

D-Day Normandy Invasion

The D-Day invasion was an Allied storming of the beach in Normandy, France on June 6th, 1944. There were two phases to the battle, an air assualt where 24000 troops landed behind enemy lines, and an amphibious assault led by allied infantry and armored divisions. It was the largest amphibious invasion of all time. The Germans had built large bunkers armed with heavy machine guns. They had also built the [|Atlantic Wall], a huge wall fortified with tank top turrets and barbed wire.

Sword Beach

Sword Beach was the British point of attack along the Normandy coast. After aerial bombardment of German defenses along the beach, British infantry came ashore with light casualties. They managed to advance 8 kilometers inland

Omaha Beach

Omaha beach was the main point of attack by the Americans. The main purpose of the attack was to secure a beachhead 5 miles inland. Very little went according to plan during the attack. America suffered many casualties due to heavy German resistance. Eventually they managed to push through the German line and secure footholds inland where they could link up with the rest of the allied forces.

Juno Beach

Juno Beach was the landing point for the Canadian forces at Normandy. They suffered 1000 casualties as they cleared the seawall which was their destination point. They managed to advance the furthest of any of the Allied troops, pushing 10 kilometers inland. At the end of the first day, they linked up with British troops from Sword Beach and resumed their invasion of France.

Aftermath

There were over 425,000 Allied and German troops that were killed, wounded, or reported missing in the invasion. The invasion was a success as the Allies occupied Normandy and continued to push the Germans back, bringing the war to their western front. It allowed them to establish a crucial foothold on the European front.