Operation Overlord and D-Day: Key Points

Introduction to D-Day

• Date: June 6, 1944
• Largest naval, air, and land operation in warfare history.
• Codename: Operation Overlord.
• Objective: Liberate Europe from Nazi domination.

Early Operations

• Airborne Forces: Deployed early on June 6 to secure flanks of landing zones.
• Troop Landings: Began at 6:30 am on five beaches: Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword.
• Outcome: By the end of the day, Allies had a foothold along the coast.

Planning and Preparation

• Initial invasion planning post-Dunkirk in 1940.
• Detailed planning for Overlord began in late 1943.
• Command led by American General Dwight D. Eisenhower (December 1943).
• Deception Campaigns: Fake radio traffic, inflatable tanks, dummy equipment to mislead Germans.

Resource and Troop Mobilization

• Supplies: 9 million tons of supplies were shipped from North America to Britain by mid-1944.
• Troop Assembly:
  • Canadian forces assembling since 1939.
  • 1.4 million American servicemen arrived in 1943-1944.
  • Over 2 million troops from 12 countries in Britain by 1944.

Allied Forces Composition

• Main nationalities: American, British, Canadian.
• Other nations involved: Australian, Belgian, Czech, Dutch, French, Greek, New Zealand, Norwegian, Rhodesian, Polish.

Naval Operations (Operation Neptune)

• Nearly 7,000 naval vessels participated.
• Tasks:
  • Escorting and landing 132,000 ground troops.
  • Bombarding German coastal defenses.
  • Providing artillery support.
• HMS Belfast: Led the bombardment for the British and Canadian assaults at Juno and Gold beaches.

Aftermath of D-Day

• D-Day marked the beginning of the end of Nazi occupation in Europe.
• By August 1944, Germans were retreating from France.
• Battle of the Bulge: German counter-offensive in December 1944.
• Post-Battle of the Bulge: Allies resumed advancement into Germany.