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Operation Overlord

Operation Overlord. The Day of Days. Allied Invasion. June 6 th , 1944 Soldiers had been training in Britain from as early as 1938 and although they knew the time was coming they did not know the details.

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Operation Overlord

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  1. Operation Overlord The Day of Days

  2. Allied Invasion • June 6th, 1944 • Soldiers had been training in Britain from as early as 1938 and although they knew the time was coming they did not know the details. • British, American, French, Polish, Norwegian, Australian, New Zealand,and Dutch troops will launch one of the biggest ground invasions in history. • Totals: • 160,000 Soldiers • 24,000 Paratroopers • 5000 Ships • 50,000 Vehicles • 11,000 Aircraft

  3. The Plan • The 25,000 paratroopers were to be dropped behind enemy lines with orders to capture key crossroads and disable artillery guns. • Air attacks were launched against the coastal defenses shortly after midnight on the 6th. • The Allied navy fired their weapons at the beach as well, in hopes of softening German defenses. • Amphibious invasion began shortly after 5 AM. • Timing was of the utmost importance • A beachhead would be established to supply the Western front and get a VITAL foothold on the European continent.

  4. The Landings Entire invasion would take place over an area no larger than 80 KM on a flat, sandy beach along the Normandy coast.

  5. Canada at Juno Beach • Soldiers hit the beach and rushed the escarpments and hills to disable German pillboxes and batteries. • Canadian soldiers continued to advance inland through French towns and villages • Eventually reached the French town of Caen • A primary objective for British and Canadian troops on D-Day

  6. Battle of Caen • Of vital strategic importance as it was both a road hub as well as a ideal location for an Allied airfield. • The battle lasted for two months, into August, as Allied troops attempted to take and hold the town. • Several operations would be launched to attempt to take the city with Canadians at the forefront of most offensives. • With the Hitler youth as the primary defenders. • The eventual frustration of the Allied forces with their inability to capture Caen led to a severe bombardment in early July with extensive civilian casualties. • Remains one of the fiercest battles of the war with almost exclusively Canadian casualties.

  7. Results • Turning point of the war • Hitler in steady decline • Established foothold in Europe for supplies, command and communication posts. • Showed Allied forces that Germany could be defeated. • Canada was responsible for a beach separate from Britain and the United States • Demonstrated the bravery and strategic ingenuity of the Canadian forces.

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