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- The buildup for an eventual cross-Channel action had begun in 1942, but a lack of resources and strategic shifts in the European theater moved the Allied invasion of the continent to 1944.
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In May 1944, the Western Allies were finally prepared to deliver their greatest blow of the war, the long-delayed, cross-channel invasion of northern France, code-named Overlord. General Dwight D. Eisenhower was supreme commander of the operation that ultimately involved the coordinated efforts of 12 nations.
- Overview
- The decision to go
- The landings
- The German response
- The lodgment area established
- Fighting in the bocage
- Crisis in the German command
May 1944 had been chosen at the conference in Washington in May 1943 as the time for the invasion. Difficulties in assembling landing craft forced a postponement until June, but June 5 was fixed as the unalterable date by Eisenhower on May 17. As the day approached and troops began to embark for the crossing, bad weather set in, threatening dangero...
May 1944 had been chosen at the conference in Washington in May 1943 as the time for the invasion. Difficulties in assembling landing craft forced a postponement until June, but June 5 was fixed as the unalterable date by Eisenhower on May 17. As the day approached and troops began to embark for the crossing, bad weather set in, threatening dangero...
The airborne troops were the vanguard, and their landings were a heartening success. The American 82nd and 101st airborne divisions, dropping into a deliberately inundated zone at the base of the Cotentin Peninsula, suffered many casualties by drowning but nevertheless secured their objective. The British 6th Airborne Division seized its unflooded ...
Meanwhile, the German high command—in the absence of Rommel, who was home on leave—began to respond. Hitler was initially unwilling to release the armoured divisions for a counterattack. When he relented after midday, elements of the 21st Panzer Division drove into the gap between the British 3rd and Canadian 3rd divisions at Sword Beach and Juno B...
On June 7 the beachhead consisted of three separate sectors: that of the British and Canadians, between Caen (not taken) and Bayeux; that of the U.S. V Corps, between Port-en-Bessin and Saint-Pierre-du-Mont; and that of the U.S. VII Corps, west of the Vire River behind Utah Beach. The narrow gap between Gold and Omaha at Port-en-Bessin was quickly closed, but it was not until June 12 that the American corps were able to join hands after a bitter battle to capture Carentan. The beachhead then formed a continuous zone, its deepest point being southwest of Bayeux, where the V Corps had driven nearly 15 miles (25 km) inland.
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Meanwhile, work had been proceeding pell-mell to complete two artificial harbours, known by their code name, Mulberry, that were intended to off-load vehicles and supplies until the port of Cherbourg was secured. An outer breakwater of sunken ships for each harbour was in place by June 11. Floating piers, designed to rise and fall with the tides, were half-finished by June 19, when a heavy storm destroyed much of the material. The Americans then decided to abandon their Mulberry, while the British harbour was not in use until July. Most supplies meanwhile had to be beach-landed by assorted landing craft, landing ships, and amphibious trucks (DUKWs).
Fighting inshore, the Allies also encountered difficulty in the dense hedgerow country known to the French as the bocage. Thanks to the success of the airborne landings, the flanks of the beachhead were firmly held, but efforts to break out of the centre were frustrated by fierce German resistance and counterattacks, particularly around Caen in the British-Canadian sector. A British armoured thrust at Villers-Bocage was defeated on June 13. A large-scale infantry offensive west of Caen, called Operation Epsom, was also defeated on June 25–29. There was gloom at SHAEF; it seemed that stalemate was descending. The gloom was deepened by Montgomery’s strategy. His plan was to draw German armour toward the British front and win a battle of attrition between tank forces. The successful German defense, however, led the Americans to doubt the plan’s viability.
In fact, the Germans were also depressed, for their bitter defense was using up men and equipment that could not be replaced. Moreover, the Americans were now able to profit from the deployment of most of the enemy’s armour against the British and break into the base of the Cotentin Peninsula and advance on Cherbourg. The last bastion in the heavily fortified city fell on June 28, and clearance of the port began at once.
The setbacks brought about a crisis in the German high command, which in any case now suffered unforeseeable casualties. Dollmann, commander of the Seventh Army, died suddenly on June 28, just after the surrender of the main garrison in Cherbourg; his death was blamed on a heart attack, though it is quite likely he committed suicide. Rommel was severely injured when his car was strafed by a British fighter on July 17. Worst of all, Rundstedt confessed defeatism to Hitler, urged him to make peace, and was dismissed on July 2 along with Geyr, the commander of Panzer Group West. Geyr was replaced by the capable veteran Heinrich Eberbach. Rundstedt himself was replaced by Günther von Kluge, who soon came round to sharing Rundstedt’s doubts. On July 20 a conspiracy of officers (including former army chief of staff Ludwig Beck and reserve army chief of staff Claus, Count Schenk von Stauffenberg) who believed the only hope of securing a peace lay in Hitler’s removal made an attempt on his life at his East Prussian headquarters, Rastenburg. The failure of the July Plot led to Hitler’s taking draconian powers over the army and exacting terrible revenge on those suspected of complicity. Rommel was forced to commit suicide in October, and Kluge did so on August 18.
The German defense of Normandy had by then taken a turn for the worse. Though a large British armoured offensive west of Caen, Operation Goodwood, failed on July 18–19, the U.S. First Army conducted a bitter battle of attrition around Saint-Lô in the second and third weeks of July. Its success was to lay the basis for the long-awaited breakout.
- Dave Roos
- D-Day Meaning: The 'D' in D-Day doesn’t actually stand for anything. Unlike V-E Day (“Victory in Europe”) or V-J Day (“Victory over Japan”), the “D” in D-Day isn’t short for “departure” or “decision.”
- The D-Day invasion took years of planning. Allied leaders Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill knew from the start of the war that a massive invasion of mainland Europe would be critical to relieve pressure from the Soviet army fighting the Nazis in the east.
- D-Day was the largest amphibious invasion in military history. According to the D-Day Center, the invasion, officially called "Operation Overlord," combined the forces of 156,115 U.S., British and Canadian troops, 6,939 ships and landing vessels, and 2,395 aircraft and 867 gliders that delivered airborne troops.
- Allied forces carried out a massive deception campaign in advance of D-Day. The idea behind the ruse was to trick the Nazis into thinking that the invasion would occur at Pas-de-Calais, the closest French coastline to England.
3 days ago · June 6, 1944 - July 9, 1944. Location: France. Normandy. Participants: Allied powers. Context: Vichy France. World War II. Major Events: Omaha Beach. Sword Beach. Utah Beach. Juno Beach. Gold Beach. On the Web: The National WWII Museum - D-Day: The Allies Invade Europe (Apr. 15, 2024) Recent News. Apr. 24, 2024, 2:07 PM ET (AP)
To safeguard southern France, the Germans enacted Case Anton and occupied Vichy France. In June 1944, the Western Allies launched Operation Overlord, followed by the Operation Dragoon on the French Mediterranean coast on 15 August.
The Allied Invasion of France. Page 1 Page 2 Page 3. Previous Next. Events. June 6, 1944. D-Day invasion begins. July 20. Attempt on Hitler’s life nearly succeeds. Late July. Allied forces make first significant inland progress. August 15. Allied forces land on Mediterranean coast of France. Mid-August. Hitler orders evacuation of southern France.
