It’s D-Day Photo: CSU Archives / Everett Collection/Rex Features

“It was early morning on June 6 1944, Franz Gockel, a nineteen-year-old German machine gunner, looked out through the slit in his concrete pillbox in Normandy. On the horizon, in the English Channel, he saw thousands of enemy ships. His stomach churned. This was what he had been dreading. This was the largest invasion force in history. This was D-Day.” Extract from: Learning Resources for Teaching History KS3/KS4 – Imperial War Museum – Historical Notes on D-Day

What do you know about D-Day – June 6th 1944? What, when, where, why What do you know about D-Day – June 6th 1944? In pairs discuss what you know about this day. Then make a mind map of all the things you know or have heard of about D-Day.

D-Day some of the facts… D-Day had been planned since 1943 and was called “Operation Overlord.” It was the Allied invasion of Nazi occupied France by sea and air.

Sshh – it’s D-Day! The planning for D-Day was TOP SECRET. Double agents gave the Nazis false information about the Allies’ plans. As a result the Germans assumed the troops would cross from Dover to Calais – the shortest stretch of water across the Channel. Instead they targeted the beaches of Normandy.

Some two million men took part They travelled on 4,000 ships and boats 12,000 aircraft supported them flying in some 18,000 Allied paratroopers Special tanks were developed to help get the troops up the beaches It took 17 hours to reach Normandy from the English coast – many men were violently ill with sea-sickness. Conditions were cold, wet and uncomfortable.

Time for some research In teams of four look at this material from the Imperial War Museum. Read two pages each and make quickfire notes to share with eachother.

Your task Imagine you are a soldier and a war correspondent for a national newspaper. You have been asked to send by cable an eyewitness account of the D-Day landings at Sword beach. Your copy can only be 150 words max but you need to capture for the readers the feeling of what happened that day.

American troops landing on D-Day – 6th June 1944 Photo: CSU Archives / Everett/Rex Features

Utah Beach Photo: Photo: CSU Archives / Everett/Rex Features

Troops entering the countryside in Normandy. Photo: Brian Harris/Rex Features

First person accounts… You may also want to read through the first person accounts of the landings in extracts four, five and six of this document from the Imperial War Museum to help you.

Or look at some of these… Encyclopedia Britannica’s Guide to D-Day (with brilliant audio and video footage) http://www.britannica.com/dday Portsmouth’s D-Day Museum http://www.ddaymuseum.co.uk/museum.htm Caen Memorial Centre for History and Peace http://www.memorial-caen.fr/portail/index.php

Finally Share your 150 word eyewitness piece with a partner – give praise and a tip for improvement. Now – how confident are you that you could write an entire article about D-Day using your eyewitness statement as inspiration?