June 6, 1944. This Saturday marked 82 years since the beginning of the D-Day landing on the beaches of Normandy, in France, during the Second World War — a turning point that allowed the Allies to free Europe from the rule of Nazi Germany.
There was a before and an after D dayon June 6, 1944, an important turning point during the Second World War — which is, still today, the largest amphibious invasion in history.
Even 82 years after the battle, the landing on the beaches of Normandy in northwestern France continues to be remembered as an exceptional display of courage, resistance and logistical capacity.
Considered a factor fundamental in the defeat of Hitler and its forces during World War II, the D-Day operation against Nazi Germany was a combined effort, which included support from the UK, USA and Canada.
Planning for the D-Day landings began several months in advance. The amphibious operation was codenamed Operation Neptuneand was integrated into the wider Operation Overlordthe Allied campaign to liberate northwestern Europe.
Since the beginning of 1942, American military planners had advocated an invasion of northern France, but the British considered that the Allies did not yet have sufficient resources for such a risky operation.
Os Americans insisted on an invasion of northwestern Europe practically since the entry into the conflict in 1941. According to , there was also great pressure from the Soviet Unionwho was desperate for her allies to ease the pressure on the Eastern Front.
But the British felt that the Allies did not have the resources necessary for a successful invasion. A small raid on Dieppe in 1942, involving mostly Canadian troops, had ended in disaster.
However, by 1943, the Allies had made considerable progress in the Mediterranean campaign. In November of that year, Roosevelt and Churchill promised Stalin that would open a new front the following springto expel the Germans from France and the Netherlands.
The Allies then began planning the invasion with an unprecedented military concentration. In the first half of 1944, about 9 million tons of supplies and equipment crossed the Atlantic from North America to Great Britain. In 1944, two million troops from a dozen countries were stationed in the United Kingdom.
Allied military strategists had to decide where on the coast French landings would take place. They had to make sure the beaches could support the weight of armored vehiclesso they sent divers to collect sand samples.
June 6, 1944, D-Day – Allied landings in Normandy
To analyze the coastline, collected holiday postcards and photos of people who had been in France before the War.
Calais seemed too obvious a target, That’s why they decided on Normandy, which offered great opportunities for further attacks on German-controlled ports.
To prevent the Germans from discovering the meaning of all this activity, British forces resorted to distraction maneuvers to deceive the German army about the date and location of the operation, so that the landing could have some element of surprise.
In what is considered “the most ambitious disinformation operation of the history of the war”, Allied military personnel aided by the French resistance and double agents created a vast network of disinformation to deceive the Germans into thinking that were planning an invasion in Pas-de-Calaishundreds of kilometers from Normandy, as well as an attack on Norway.
They were so successful that, a month after D-Day, the Germans were still convinced that an attack on Calais was being prepared.
As distraction maneuvers continued until the early hours of D-Day itself, when, far north of the actual invasion point, Royal Air Force planes dropped metal bars (which German radars mistook for a naval convoy) and dummy paratroopers to simulate the start of an invasion.
On June 6, the real invasion began.
According to , more than 150,000 Allied soldiers were landed on the five beaches of Normandy with the support of more than 5,000 ships and landing craft.
Even by World War II standards, the invasion of Normandy was a massive operation: it involved more than 2 million troops, 13,000 planes and 7,000 ships from a dozen nations.
Six infantry divisions — three Americans, two British and one Canadian — would arrive at the beach simultaneously, while three airborne divisions — two Americans and one British — would land in the German rear.
The coastline invaded by Allied troops extended for more than 80 km and was heavily fortified by the Nazi forces who, at the time, had occupied France.
The invasion began before dawn on the 6th. The operation began with a intense aerial and naval bombardment against German defenses along the coast and the dropping of paratroopers, who landed in the coastal area to secure bridges and roads for Allied forces.
At 6:30 am, more than 5,000 ships landed ground troops on five beaches codenamed Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword.
More than 73 thousand soldiers were victims of fighting against Nazi Germany forces in northern France. Total Allied casualties on 6 June 1944 were around the 10 thousand dead, injured, missing or captured.
The exact number of German casualties is unknown, but historians estimate that between four thousand and nine thousand soldiers died that day. In total, more than 21 thousand Germans are buried in cemeteries of Normandy.
More than 20 thousand French civilians died during the Allied bombings and in the fighting in the days that followed, although some historians mention that the number of victims among the population was higher.
The success of D-Day was crucial to the Allied advance into Western Europe and contributed significantly to the weakening of the Nazi regime, paving the way for the eventual liberation of France and the advance towards Germany.
