Operation Overlord June 6, 1944 D-Day

Who was involved in D-Day? United States VS. Britain Germany Canada

Operation Fortitude The Allies began a massive deception operation to conceal the intended landing zone. Headed up by General Patton, there was a massive build-up of fake armies and equipment used to fool the Germans into thinking Calais was the intended target. Canvas and rubber tanks were assembled to confuse any German aerial reconnaissance aircraft. Fake radio messages were transmitted.

Pictures of Allied bombing damage at Before the Invasion In the days leading up to the main invasion, Allied planes bombed the Atlantic Wall defenses all along the coast of France Pictures of Allied bombing damage at Pointe du Hoc, France

Before the Invasion The night before the invasion, Allied troops parachuted behind enemy lines in France They tried to destroy railroad lines and disrupt communication General Eisenhower speaking to airborne troops on the evening before the invasion

US troops in a Higgins landing craft approaching the coast of Normandy What Happened? On June 6, 1944 more than 150,000 Allied soldiers crossed the English Channel British, American, and Canadian troops sailed from different ports in Great Britain and attacked the Germans together on five different beaches in Normandy, France US troops in a Higgins landing craft approaching the coast of Normandy

What Happened? Soldiers faced intense opposition from the Germans when they landed

What Happened? Many men were killed or injured before they even reached the beaches US troops take shelter behind German “hedgehogs.” The obstacles were designed to prevent Allied landing craft from getting too close to the shores of France.

Why Did It Happen? The Allies wanted to free France from German control They had to first conquer the coast of France so that they could then liberate western Europe – heading towards Berlin to defeat Hitler

How Did It Affect The War? D-Day was the beginning of the end of the war in Europe The Allies were able to liberate France from German control after several months of fighting

Allies push through After their success in Normandy, the Allies quickly rush across France. Between that and the Germans destroying their own ports after abandoning them, the Allies’ supply lines were strained. The British and Canadian armies then successfully occupied and claimed Antwerp as a port city for the Allies. After being taken by the Allies, it became their major port city/supply center for their operations in Europe. The city was hit by more V-2 rockets than any other target in WWII, but the port remained intact. Antwerp was Germany’s main target during the Battle of the Bulge.

The Ardennes Offensive Taking place in December of 1944, this was the last major offensive the Germans could muster on the Western Front of World War II. Ultimately unsuccessful, it was their last ditch effort to slow or stop the Allies’ progress across Europe. Hitler believed that if the Allies could be slowed, then Germany would have time to finish work on some new weapons they were developing. He decided that if the Germans could retake or destroy Antwerp, then the Allies would be denied resources and be incapable of progress for the time being.

The First Wave The Germans’ assault began at 5:30 AM on December 16, 1944. Hitler chose this day because it was the start of a storm that he knew the Allies could not fly through. Allied forces were caught off guard, and many of their forward forces were defeated very quickly. On December 23, the weather is good enough to allow the Allied pilots to take to the skies. Their bombing raids devestate German supply lines and destroy troops moving on roads. Planes are used to drop supplies in Bastogne, as well as transport some surgeons in there to support the injured troops.