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Operation Overlord. June 6 th 1944. The Players. Eisenhower. Rommel. Montgomery. Von Rundstedt. The Allies spent 18 months planning and training for D-Day. Most troops green. New Technology. Paratroopers were used for the 1 st time. Higgins boats Temporary harbors.
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Operation Overlord June 6th 1944
. The Players Eisenhower Rommel Montgomery Von Rundstedt
The Allies spent 18 months planning and training for D-Day. • Most troops green.
New Technology • Paratroopers were used for the 1st time. • Higgins boats • Temporary harbors
Normandy • The Allies planned to land the invasion force on the beaches of Normandy, France.
The Atlantic Wall • Under Rommel’s command the Nazi’s built the Atlantic Wall to stop an Allied invasion
Belgian Gates, Teller mines and ramps were built along the beach to keep the Allies from invading.
Hedgehogs and barbed wire provided more layers of defense. ½ million obstacles in all.
2 rows of heavy artillery were protected by 13 foot steel reinforced concrete walls.
The Beaches • US: Utah/Omaha • GB: Gold/Sword • Canada: Juno
Breaking through the Atlantic Wall • The night before 20,000 Paratroopers landed behind enemy lines to secure bridges and roads
D-Day June 6th • Pre dawn bombardment of Nazi guns to “soften of the Wall”
But, • Paratroopers did not land in the desired locations. • Heavy clouds prevented aerial bombardment to “soften up” the shore
The Armada • The Allies hit the shores with: • 150,000 men (11 divisions) • 1500 tanks • 5300 ships • 12,000 planes • 355 gliders • Causalities predicted: 10%
The Germans were caught off guard. • Rommel had returned to Germany to see his wife. • None of the German officers wanted to call the High Command with news of the attack. • The High command did not learn of the attack until 11am.
Within 24 hours, the Allies were on the beaches. It took Hitler 4 years to build the Atlantic Wall.
Within in 7 days the Allies controlled 80 miles of the coast.
4,900 American soldiers were killed on D-Day • 2000 at Omaha Beach • Colville sur Mer 9,386 graves
August 25, 1944 Paris Liberated • 4 years of occupation were over
1.2 million American GI’s took part in the D-day invasion and liberation of France. 126, 000 Causalities 25,000 dead 95,000 wounded Success, but at what price
UK loses: • 83,000 causalities • 16,000 killed • 58,000 wounded • 9,000 MIA • German • 6 cemeteries • 77,936 graves