Normandy Invasion

June 6th, 1944
D-Day: A Brief History

The Allied forces had wanted to attempt a large-scale invasion of the Northern French coast since 1942, but had no means to do so. In August of 1942, a raid of the town of Dieppe was executed by the (mostly Canadian) Allied troops. This raid ended in disaster, with more than half the troops injured, killed or taken prisoner. Once the faults of the Dieppe operation were realized, planning began for an invasion of the French coast, this time further West, on the beaches of Normandy.

Operation Overlord, as the invasion was known, was not as easy as it may have seemed. The Germans had essentially made the coastline into something like a fortress, with guns, mines, wire, and other beach obstacles. This coast was extraordinarily important for the Germans, as any breach of it by the Allies would fundamentally change the course of the remainder of the war.

Beginning before dawn on 6 June 1944, the
Normandy invasion was a full-frontal attack on the German stronghold. Through the night, there was bombardment from the air of key targets. Once dawn broke, the allied troops ran aground and began their assault on the coastline. The Americans landed at “Omaha” and “Utah” beaches, while the British, including the Canadians, landed at “Juno”, “Gold”, and “Sword” beaches. Part of the Allied invading force was the 1^st Canadian Parachute Battalion, which destroyed its targets, even though it had suffered many casualties and some of the landings were not exactly precise.

Besides the paratroopers, the Allied troops were incredibly successful over the course of the initial landing. Beachheads were established on Omaha beach; Canadian forces had moved within miles of their targets, and there was a breach in the so-called “Atlantic Wall”. Because of the success of the Allies on 6 June, more troops could come ashore on 7 June, helping to secure a strong Allied presence in northern Europe again.

The map displays the movements of the Allied troops from 6 June 1944 to 21 August 1944, as they captured more of the French countryside, and worked to drive the Germans out.