D-Day (June 6,1944)

 The Normandy landings was and still is the greatest seaborne invasion in history, codenamed Operation Neptune and commonly referred to as D-Day. It was the landing and associated airborne operations on the 6th of June,1944.The landings were part of  the Allied Invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during the World War 2. It was codenamed Operation Neptune which marked the start of the liberation of France (and eventually Western Europe) and created the groundwork for the Allied victory on the Western Front. 

Planning for the operation began in 1943 which was carefully thought out. In the months before the invasion, the Allies carried out a major military deception, codenamed Operation Bodyguard, to mislead the Germans about the date and location of the main Allied landings. The weather on D-Day was far from ideal and the operation had to be delayed by 24 hours; any further delay would have meant a delay of at least two weeks, as the attack planners had requirements for the phase of the moon, the tides and the time of day, which meant only a few days a month. Adolf Hitler appointed Field Marshal Erwin Rommel to lead German forces and the development of  fortifications along the Atlantic Wall in anticipation of an Allied attack. US President Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed Major General Dwight D. Eisenhower to lead the Allied Forces. Although careful planning was done by both sides, many uncertain factors(weather, bombings, mines) led to the loss of lives of countless soldiers irrespective of the side they were on.

The landings were preceded by extensive aerial and naval bombardment and air raids, landing shortly after midnight by 24,000 American, British and Canadian airmen. Allied infantry and armored divisions began landing on the French coast  at 06:30. The goal, 50 miles (80 km) along the Normandy coast, was divided into five sectors: Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword. High winds blew the landing craft to the east of their intended location, especially in Utah and Omaha. Men emerged from gun emplacements overlooking the beaches under heavy fire, and the beach was mined and covered with obstacles such as wooden stakes, metal legs and barbed wire, making the work of beach cleaning crews difficult and dangerous. Casualties were most important in Omaha and its high cliffs. Even though allied forces failed to achieve any of their goals on the first day, the landings laid the foundation for the allied forces to expand upon slowly moving towards their victory.

Into the Jaws of Death (Omaha Beach 1944)

Omaha beach was one of the most heavily defended beaches in the D-day operations. It was assigned to the 1st and 29th Infantry Division. They expected to face a single regiment but instead faced the 352nd Infantry division. The American bombers delayed releasing their cargo for fear of hitting the landing craft, so most of the Omaha Beach obstacles were undamaged when the men came ashore. Many of the landing craft ran  on sandbars and the men had to wade 50 to 100 meters under fire in neck-deep water to land. Some of the warships disabled on the beach continued their covering fire until they ran out of ammunition or  were covered by the rising tide. The death toll was about 2,000 as men were under fire from the cliffs above. Even in such impossible circumstances, the artillery fire took its toll and the Germans started to run out of ammunitions; forcing them to fall back. Thus, the Allied forces were able to clear some lanes of the beach.

The D-Day operations are so famous it has been adapted in many documentaries, movies and even video games. The D-Day / Omaha Beach June 1944 mission in Call Of Duty WW2 the game, captures a glimpse of how terrifying and brutal the actual operation was. The operation was also depicted in the famous movie " Saving Private Ryan" with fair accuracy.

The Normandy Landings or D-Day in popular terms, was the largest sea-borne invasion in history with over 150,000 soldiers crossing the English channel on D-Day. It is a significant event in the history of World War 2 which laid the foundations for Allied forces victory. It remains as a symbol of courage, sacrifice and Allied unity. The operation played a pivotal role in the liberation of Western Europe from Nazi occupation and will remain cemented in history forever as one of the most brutal sea-borne invasions in human history.

Clusters :

• The Plan
• The D-Day operation
• Omaha Beach
• Famous adaptations
• Conclusion