Posted on 06/06/2023 7:08:17 AM PDT by Red Badger
(Last Updated On: June 5, 2023)
D-Day
D-Day is June 6 on the National Day Calendar and we are honoring those who fought on the beaches of Normandy, France. This historical day is a reminder of the day troops of Allied forces staged one of the most pivotal attacks against Germany during World War II.
#DDay
The Battle of Normandy was executed under the codename Operation Overlord and became known as the beginning of the end of World War II. The Battle of Normandy was along a 50 mile stretch of beaches, including Utah and Omaha Beach. While many explanations exist for the name, one reason may be due to the military countdown. The countdown designated the day and hour of the assault. D represented Day and H represented Hour in the military.
The battle liberated Northern France. Britain, the United States, and Canada sent more than 160,000 Allied troops under the leadership of General Dwight Eisenhower. The troops manned more than 5,000 ships and 13,000 aircraft the day of the initial landing. The invasion is considered one of the largest amphibious military assaults in history. An amphibious military operation requires the use of naval ships to project ground and air power at a designated landing beach. Due to the sheer numbers of troops, ships, and aircraft involved, Operation Overlord required extensive planning.
Message to the troops of Normandy: “You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you.”
Dwight Eisenhower, Supreme Allied Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force, 1944
6 Interesting D-Day Facts
About 150,000 Allied troops successfully carried out their mission to storm the beaches of Normandy. Unfortunately, nearly 10,000 lives were lost on that day.
The Normandy invasion a vital turn in the war began to turn the tide in the war against the Nazis and was a huge blow to Hitler.
The Normandy Invasion is one of the most significant events of WWII.
Allied forces consisted of troops from Australia, Belgium, Netherlands, France, Greece, New Zealand, Norway, and Poland.
Over 18,000 Allied paratroopers were dropped into the invasion area.
A few months before D-Day, General Eisenhower threatened to quit due to being at odds with Winston Churchill over a controversial plan.
HOW TO OBSERVE D-Day
On June 6th, World War II museums, memorials, and ceremonies honor the Allied forces who landed along the 50 mile stretch of beaches in 1944.
Learn more about the Battle of Normandy by exploring World War II museums.
Visit the National D-Day Memorial to attend the D-Day Commemoration at the WWII Memorial.
Fly the American flag.
Visit with a combat veteran and learn about their experiences.
Watch Band of Brothers, which is a true story of U.S. Army’s Easy Company, 506th Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division.
Read books about the Battle of Normandy or listen to a podcast such as:
D-Day Girls: The Spies Who Armed the Resistance, Sabotaged the Nazis, and Helped Win World War II by Sarah Rose.
The Longest Day by Cornelius Ryan.
Normandy ’44: D-Day and the Battle for France by James Holland.
Pegasus Bridge by Stephen E. Ambrose.
The Bedford Boys by Alex Kershaw.
History Extra Podcast.
Share your family stories and photos on social media and tag #DDay.
D-DAY HISTORY
The landing of troops on the beaches of Normandy on June 6, 1944, is known around the world as D-Day and was given the name Operation Overlord. Leading up to the attack, plans of deception were carried out to mislead Germany about the intended invasion target. They led the Germans to believe that the invasion target would be at Pas-de-Calais. This was the narrowest point between Britain and France. In addition, they also led the Germans to believe that others areas, such as Norway, would be invaded. Phantom armies, fake equipment, double agents, and fraudulent radio transmissions were all used to carry out the deceptive tactics of the Allies.
June 6th Celebrated History
1844 – A twenty-two-year-old George Williams founded the Young Men’s Christian Association in London, England.
1933 – Richard M. Hollingshead Jr. of Camden, New Jersey created the first drive-in theater.
1944 – Allied forces land on the beaches of Normandy, France during World War II.
2004 – Phylicia Rashad’s performance in Loraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun earned her the Tony Award for Best Actress. She was the first African American to win the Best Actress category.
June 6th Celebrated Birthdays
Nathan Hale (1755 – 1776) – In 1776, at the age of 21, Captain Nathan Hale volunteered to carry out a mission ordered by General George Washington. Hale was charged with gathering information on the British troops. When the British revealed the Patriot’s identity, they swiftly placed a noose around Hale’s neck. According to legend, Hale declared before being hung, “I regret that I have but one life to give for my country.”
Sarah Parker Remond (1826 – 1894) was born into freedom and became an African-American abolitionist and suffragist spoke to audiences around the world. In 1853, a theatre owner denied Remond and two of her two companions entry to the Opera, and the police responded. Remond brought charges against Henry Palmer, the theatre operator, and C.P. Philbrick, the officer who responded. Judge Russell found for the plaintiff, ordering the theatre to “stand by their contract, and give to every ticket holder of whatever nation, color or condition, the place which he has brought.”
David Scott (1932 – ) is an American astronaut who flew several missions during the space race, including a 1971 Moon landing. During the mission on July 31, 1971, Scott drove the Lunar Roving Vehicle, becoming the first person to drive on the Moon.
Phillip A. Sharp (1944) In 1993, American molecular biologist Phillip Sharpe and Richard J. Roberts shared the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine. Their study of DNA and split genes inspired new research into mRNA and evolutionary biology.
It is now very chic to disparage and lay hate on the Russians for Putin’s catastrophic and disastrous decision to invade Ukraine. Yet wonder what would have happened on D Day if the Russians did not fight like demons from 1941-1944 and inflicted over 2.5 million casualties on the German army. If the German army had been intact in June 1944 could America have liberated Europe in 10 months with relatively few casualties? How many Americans would not exist today because their grandfathers and fathers would have been killed or mutilated? America, like it or not, owes the Russian people a great debt.
"Exactamundo!" ~ Arthur Fonzarelli
D-Day Fact #7:
Happy Days... created by a man named Marshall... Garry, George...
(Time for a mighty rescue.)
GOD BLESS AMERICA!
Unfortunately, Russia cut an evil deal with Hitler to divide up Poland. Only when Hitler betrayed Russia, did the Soviets/Russians fight the bad guys.
Then, the price for that fight, was tens of millions of East Europeans enslaved by the Russians for 45 years.
Indeed.
Not true. Stalingrad decisively turned the tide.
Even before D-Day, Hitler had already lost the war. Italy was gone, and the Russian tide was inexorably on the march.
I once read that D-Day was launched primarily to prevent Russia from taking most of Europe.
Stalin was of the opinion that Russia had done most of the fighting, and suffered most of the casualties, whereupon the Allies came in at the last moment to steal the prize.
Stalin had wanted the Allies to enter much earlier. Instead, from his point of view, the Allies waited until their entry was no longer needed.
If the Nazis had defeated the Soviets there wouldn’t have been an Allied invasion of France. Most likely thousands of American lives saved in exchange for a Nazi Europe.
Not technically correct. OVERLORD contained no operational details - in particular, any mention of the target area or the date was specifically excluded. As an additional layer of security, that info was in NEPTUNE (amongst other plans).
Looking at OVERLORD as the strategic plan and NEPTUNE as the tactical plan might be a useful (if imperfect) way to think of it.
Wasn't alive that day, but I still honor and remember!
From this Air Force retiree:
My namesake Uncle was killed in France right after D-Day.................
The Russians didn’t fight in North Africa, Italy and didn’t posses a strategic air force that pounded the Reich nor did they do any of the heavy fighting in the Pacific.
America poured billions of aid into the USSR and the Russians never paid a dime for any of it.
I’m sick and tired of hearing that Russia won WW2.
Well, Stalin was a psycho, so I wouldn't give too much thought to his ramblings.
A. Stalin conspired with Hitler to invade Poland and thus start WWII.
B. Stalin was an accomplished mass-murderer before Hitler got warmed up.
C. Stalin materially supported the nazis in their war effort against the Allies right up until 1941.
D. Stalin's hope was that the Allies and the Nazis would wipe each other out and then the bolsheviks would march in for all the marbles. His buddy Hitler ruined that plan.
E. Human wave tactics, with unarmed conscripts tend to lead to high casualties.
F. "From October 1, 1941, to May 31, 1945, the United States delivered to the Soviet Union 427,284 trucks, 13,303 combat vehicles, 35,170 motorcycles, 2,328 ordnance service vehicles, 2,670,371 tons of petroleum products (gasoline and oil) or 57.8 percent of the aviation fuel including nearly 90 percent of high-octane fuel used,[35] 4,478,116 tons of foodstuffs (canned meats, sugar, flour, salt, etc.), 1,911 steam locomotives, 66 diesel locomotives, 9,920 flat cars, 1,000 dump cars, 120 tank cars, and 35 heavy machinery cars. Ordnance goods (ammunition, artillery shells, mines, assorted explosives) provided amounted to 53 percent of total domestic consumption.[35] One item typical of many was a tire plant that was lifted bodily from the Ford Company's River Rouge Plant and transferred to the USSR."
G. While the German army remained heavily dependent on horses throughout the war, America's contributions to the Soviets turned their army into a mechanized juggernaut.
H. While the United States fought a second war with Imperial Japan, the Soviets didn't lift a finger to assist in that effort. In fact, Stalin signed a non-aggression pact with the Japanese and did nothing against them until the very end of the war.
I. The Allies round-the-clock bombing forced Hitler to transfer aircraft, pilots and thousands of 88 mm anti-aircraft guns. Those guns were also highly effective against armor, so their removal was extremely beneficial to the Soviets.
J. "Allies came in at the last moment to steal the prize" - What "prize"? Ohhhh, Western Europe. Yeah, we did do that.
K. Patton was right.
The Soviet Union didn't win squat without the Allies, and more specifically, the United States.
My adoptive Dad was an EOD GI on D-Day on Omaha beach de-mining and clearing explosives. He was wounded demining an airfield and lived thru it. Wouldn't talk about it other than say the death he saw in just hours that day was more than he saw in 2 years of WW2 in Italy and France.
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