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D-Day – The Normandy Beach Landings

D-Day 날짜계산기 commemorates the landing of Allied forces on the beaches of France on 6 June 1944. The invasion was the largest seaborne invasion in history. Read on to learn about the Beach landings and how Allied forces overcame German resistance. Also learn about Operation Overlord and the radio broadcast made by George Hicks.

Allied troops overcame German resistance

As the invasion of Normandy unfolded, Allied forces were faced with a number of problems. While the Germans were outnumbered by many times, they faced substantial resistance from the Allies. The Allies had superior air and naval power, which helped them to counterattack. As a result, they overcame substantial resistance, though they paid a high price for their victory. Ten percent of the two million Allied soldiers were killed by late August 1944.

The D-Day landings would not have been possible without the massive air and naval forces of the Allies. Allied forces were outnumbered by up to 9,000 Germans, but they remained a far superior force. While the German casualties are unclear, it is estimated that between 4,000 and 9,000 men were killed. In addition, Allied bombing raids killed thousands of French civilians. Nevertheless, the Allies eventually overcame German resistance on D-Day, and the war was over.

Operation Overlord

D-Day, or the D-Day landings, took place on 6 June 1944 and are considered one of the most important events in the history of warfare. They were part of Operation Overlord (codenamed Operation Neptune) and were the largest seaborne invasion in history.

The Allied forces were made up of troops from many countries, including Britain and the United States. To accomplish the mission, the Allied forces needed to overcome political, cultural, and personal tensions. The Allied forces numbered two million men. British and American troops made up the bulk of this force, with the help of Australian, Canadian, Dutch, French, Norwegian, and Polish troops.

Beach landings

During the D-Day beach landings, British and American forces faced formidable odds. The beaches were surrounded by fighter planes and German soldiers, which made it difficult for troops to land. Landing craft were also under heavy fire from German gun emplacements. As a result, many British and American troops lost their lives.

Allied forces began landing on the beaches of Normandy early in the morning of 6 June 1944. Thousands of ships carrying troops had left the United Kingdom the night before. During the day, men and women waited in landing craft until they reached the beaches. The journey across the English Channel was treacherous and many were seasick. In addition, more than 3500 gliders and over a thousand transport planes flew ahead of the fleet of ships.

George Hicks’ radio broadcast

In this D-Day radio broadcast, George Hicks, a 38-year-old broadcaster for the Blue Network (a forerunner of ABC), recaps the events of the landing in Normandy. The broadcast was made from the deck of the USS Ancon, a key communications ship. He recorded the action with an early tape-recording device called the Recordgraph, which would later be used during war crimes trials. The sounds captured in this broadcast include gunfire and enemy aircraft.

Hicks’ tape was recovered by Bruce Campbell, who donated it to the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford, Virginia. In 1994, he had bought a small cabin in Long Island and kept the tape for several years in storage. He then tracked down an audio expert in England who was able to restore the tape using a new Recordgraph machine. When the tape was restored, Campbell was astounded at the quality and clarity of the broadcast.

Cost of invasion

The Allied leaders knew from the start of the war that a major invasion of mainland Europe was crucial to their success. This was also a way to relieve pressure on the Red Army fighting the Nazis in the east. In 1943, Allied leaders planned an invasion of northwest France called Operation Sledgehammer. However, due to logistical issues, the Allied forces rescheduled this invasion to June. During the rehearsal for the invasion, German E-boats intercepted a convoy at Slapton Sands and hit three ships.

Although the Allied forces were victorious, the cost was high. By the end of the campaign, over 200,000 Allied troops and 500,000 German troops died. In addition to the invading forces, the defending German forces also suffered heavy losses. The Free French armed forces were also compelled to accept that they were firing on their own country. Despite this high human cost, France was liberated.

Casualties

Casualties of D-Day were much higher than expected by the Allied forces. According to British sources, as many as three quarters of US troops drowned during the battles on the beaches and another twenty-five percent were casualties. In addition, US planners estimated that more than a third of US troops would become casualties in the initial fighting on the beaches and another three percent would perish during the subsequent week in Normandy. The Canadians, meanwhile, suffered only slightly less than 1,000 deaths.

Although the casualty figures for D-Day are difficult to verify, it is generally accepted that the Allies suffered around 10,000 casualties. However, while the Allied forces suffered the most, defending German forces also suffered high losses. In addition, the Free French armed forces were forced to accept that they were firing on their homeland. Despite the massive human cost, France was liberated.