As History.com notes, today is the 75th anniversary of the D-Day invasion.
On this day in 1944, Supreme Allied Commander General Dwight D. Eisenhower (seen in the below photo) gives the go-ahead for the largest amphibious military operation in history: Operation Overlord, code named D-Day, the Allied invasion of northern France.
By daybreak, 18,000 British and American parachutists were already on the ground. An additional 13,000 aircraft were mobilized to provide air cover and support for the invasion. At 6:30 a.m., American troops came ashore at Utah and Omaha beaches.
The British and Canadians overcame light opposition to capture Gold, Juno and Sword beaches; so did the Americans at Utah. The task was much tougher at Omaha beach, however, where the U.S. First Division battled high seas, mist, mines, burning vehicles—and German coastal batteries, including an elite infantry division, which spewed heavy fire. Many wounded Americans ultimately drowned in the high tide. British divisions, which landed at Gold, Juno, and Sword beaches, and Canadian troops also met with heavy German fire.
But by day’s end, 155,000 Allied troops–Americans, British and Canadians–had successfully stormed Normandy’s beaches and were then able to push inland. Within three months, the northern part of France would be freed and the invasion force would be preparing to enter Germany, where they would meet up with Soviet forces moving in from the east.
You can read the rest of the piece via the below link:
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/d-day?cmpid=email-hist-tdih-2019-0606-06062019&om_rid=de5e4076c942a595dbda53f758321d197499484f6d117f61b6ac5c08e0d6f0aa&om
_mid=648454229&kx_EmailCampaignID=31492&kx_EmailCampaignName=email-hist-tdih-2019-0606-06062019&kx_EmailRecipientID=de5e4076c942a595dbda53f758321d197499484f6d117f61b6ac5
c08e0d6f0aa
No comments:
Post a Comment