What is D-Day? How the Normandy landings led to Germany’s defeat in World War II

Catherine Nicholls, CNN

(CNN) — June 6, 2024 marks 80 years since D-Day, nan first time of nan Normandy landings that laid nan foundations for nan Allied conclusion of Nazi Germany successful World War II.

The penetration – codenamed Operation Overlord – saw of tens of thousands of troops from countries including nan United States, nan United Kingdom and Canada landing connected 5 stretches of nan coastline of Normandy, France – codenamed Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword beaches.

Planning for D-Day began much than a twelvemonth successful advance, and nan Allies carried retired important subject deception to confuse nan Germans arsenic to erstwhile and wherever nan penetration would return place.

When was D-Day?

The cognition was primitively scheduled to statesman connected June 5, 1944, erstwhile a afloat satellite and debased tides were expected to coincide pinch bully weather, but storms forced a 24-hour delay. Allied divisions began landing connected nan 5 beaches astatine 6:30 a.m. connected June 6.

What does D-Day guidelines for?

The word ‘D-Day’ was subject codification for nan opening of an important operation, pinch nan first ‘D’ being short for ‘Day.’ This intends that D-Day really stands for ‘Day-Day.’

According to nan Royal British Legion, nan building ‘D-Day’ was utilized reasonably often earlier nan Allied penetration successful June 1944. After this, however, nan 2 became synonymous, and now D-Day is commonly understood to mention to nan opening of Operation Overlord.

Which Allied countries were involved?

D-Day saw unprecedented practice betwixt world equipped forces, pinch much than 2 cardinal troops successful nan UK successful mentation for nan invasion, according to nan Imperial War Museums (IWM).

Most of these troops were American, British and Canadian, nan IWM reports, but troops besides came from Australia, Belgium, nan Czech Republic, France, Greece, nan Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and Poland to participate successful Operation Overlord.

What preparations were made?

The Allied troops’ penetration was coordinated crossed air, onshore and sea, successful what tin beryllium described arsenic amphibious landings.

These were preceded by an extended bombing run to harm German defenses, arsenic good arsenic nan employment of deception tactics.

Operation Bodyguard was an umbrella word for nan deception strategy starring up to nan Allies’ penetration of Europe successful June 1944. Operation Fortitude was a maneuver nether this umbrella specifically related to nan Normandy invasion, and was intended to make Nazi Germany judge that nan first Normandy attacks were simply a diversion and that nan existent penetration would return spot elsewhere.

According to nan IWM, Fortitude North intended to instrumentality nan Germans into believing that nan Allies would onslaught Norway, and Fortitude South was designed to person nan Germans that nan Allies were going to invade Pas de Calais, a French section northeast of Normandy that is person to nan UK.

What happened connected D-Day?

The US troops were assigned to Utah formation astatine nan guidelines of nan Cotentin Peninsular and Omaha Beach astatine nan bluish extremity of nan Normandy coast. The British subsequently landed connected Gold Beach, followed by nan Canadians astatine Juno, and yet nan British astatine Sword, nan easternmost constituent of nan invasion.

By midnight, nan troops had secured their beachheads and moved further inland from Utah, Gold, Juno and Sword.

However, not each nan landings were successful; US forces suffered important losses astatine Omaha Beach, wherever beardown currents forced galore landing trade distant from their intended positions, delaying and hampering nan penetration strategy.

Heavy occurrence from German positions connected nan steep cliffs, which had not been efficaciously destroyed by Allied bombing earlier nan invasion, besides caused casualties.

How did nan Germans effort to take sides themselves?

According to nan IWM, Germany’s guidance to Operation Overlord was “slow and confused.”

Weather conditions connected June 6 were still poor, galore elder commanders were not astatine their posts, and Operation Fortitude convinced Adolf Hitler that nan Normandy penetration was a feint earlier a bigger onslaught astatine Pas de Calais.

Germany’s aerial unit was successful action elsewhere, countering American bombing operations complete Germany. Its navy ships were docked successful ports aliases already destroyed by nan Allies. This near only nan German service to take sides against Operation Overlord, according to nan IWM.

On apical of this, nan occurrence of Operation Fortitude meant that galore service units were kept distant from nan Normandy battlefield until July, arsenic an onslaught successful Pas de Calais was still expected.

German troops manning coastal defenses “did arsenic overmuch arsenic they could person been expected to,” nan IWM says, earlier yet being “silenced” and Allied units precocious inland.

How galore group died connected D-Day?

On D-Day alone, astir 4,440 Allied troops were confirmed dead, according to nan Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC), pinch much than 5,800 troops wounded aliases missing.

Because Omaha Beach was nan bloodiest landing beach, nan US Army mislaid nan astir men successful nan amphibious landings. Some 2,500 American troops died successful nan formation battle and airborne operations connected D-Day, according to nan CWGC.

The precise number of German casualties connected nan time is unknown, but they are estimated to beryllium betwixt 4,000 and 9,000.

Who were nan Bedford Boys?

Of nan tens of thousands of troops that stormed nan beaches of Normandy connected D-Day, 44 were soldiers, sailors and airmen from Bedford, Virginia, successful nan US.

Within minutes of reaching Omaha Beach, 16 of these men were killed and 4 were wounded. Another Bedford worker was killed elsewhere connected Omaha Beach, and 3 others were presumed killed successful action, bringing Bedford’s D-Day fatality fig to 20 men.

According to nan National D-Day Memorial Foundation, Bedford suffered nan highest known per capita D-Day nonaccomplishment successful nan US.

What followed D-Day?

Despite securing a stronghold connected nan French seashore connected D-Day, nan Allied forces faced nan consequence that German bombardment could push them backmost into nan sea.

They needed to build up unit numbers and instrumentality successful Normandy faster than nan Germans, allowing for a continued penetration into mainland Europe.

The Allies utilized their aerial powerfulness to slow nan German beforehand toward Normandy by blowing up bridges, railways and roads crossed nan region. This allowed nan Allies to summation full power of Normandy 77 days later and move connected toward Paris, which they liberated successful August 1944.

What effect did nan cognition person connected nan war?

The US Department of Defense calls D-Day nan “successful opening of nan extremity of Hitler’s tyrannical regime.” The IWM calls it nan “most important triumph of nan Western Allies successful nan Second World War.”

By being capable to get forces into Normandy, nan Allies were capable to statesman their beforehand into northwest Europe. Though World War II lasted astir different twelvemonth successful Europe, nan occurrence of Operation Overlord led to nan liberation of France and allowed nan Allies to conflict nan Germans successful Nazi-occupied Europe.

The US’ National World War II Museum says that a bully measurement to admit nan value of D-Day is to ideate what would person happened if nan cognition had failed. According to nan museum, different landing would person not been imaginable for astatine slightest a year.

In this time, Hitler could person strengthened Nazi-occupied Europe’s coastal defenses, developed craft and weapons, bombed nan UK moreover much heavy and continued his sidesplitting campaign, nan depository says.

Fighting by nan Allies connected nan occidental beforehand and Russian soldiers connected nan eastbound beforehand yet led to nan conclusion of nan German Nazi forces.

On May 7, 1945, nan German Third Reich signed an unconditional surrender astatine Reims, France. Victory successful Europe (V-E) Day is celebrated nan pursuing time arsenic that’s erstwhile nan armistice went into effect.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2024 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All authorities reserved.