The definition of D-Day is a term used for a secret date on which a military event is to begin. The most common use for it was during World War II. This report will be about June 6, 1944: a major turning point for World War II.
To understand why D-Day occurred, the reader must first understand why France had to be taken back. On May 10, 1940, Germany, led by Adolf Hitler, began the invasion of France. They destroyed large numbers of Allied planes and air bases. The French and British were caught unaware of the invasion, and most of their troops were sent to Belgium. By June 12, 1940, the Germans were even closer to their goal of conquering Paris. The British told the French to resist the invasion. The French army had already been reduced by almost half. The leaders decided that surrender was the only way to preserve their country. The Germans were still a little bitter over being forced to surrender to France (called the Treaty of Versailles). On June 22, 1940, France signed a treaty with Germany. Hitler wanted and got it to be signed in the same train car that Germany had signed the treaty of surrender with France at the end of World War I.
D-Day was to originally take place in May 1944. There were unfavorable weather conditions, so the operation was postponed for June 5-7. The current president of the United States, President Eisenhower, learned that there were favorable weather conditions, and June 6, 1944 was named D-day.
Lieutenant General J.C.H. Lee provided 6,500 ships and landing crafts that landed 200,000 land vehicles and 600,000 tons of supplies in Britain. The British and Americans had trained for the battle for one year.
The Allies had more than 13,000 fighter, bomber and transport aircraft to help the land operation, while the German air force, often referred as the Luftwaffe, only deployed fewer than 400 (statistics taken from History Spark Notes: World War II 1939-1945). The American and British air forces utilized 11,000 aircraft, flew more than 200,000 sorties, and dropped 195,000 tons of bombs on French rail centers and roads, German airfields, radars, army bases, and coastal artillery batteries.
On June 5, 1944, 3,000 craft for landing 2,500 other ships were sent out. Five hundred escorts and bombardment ships began to leave ports in England. The night of June 5, 1944, 822 aircraft full of parachutists and towing gliders went to Normandy landing zones.
Some of the Americans from the 82 and 101 airborne divisions drowned trying to land on Omaha Beach. The ships began to land at 6:30 AM on June 6. The landing at Omaha Beach threatened to fail, but dedicated leadership got the troops inland. The landings of the British could also have failed, but they were able to get through. The Canadians came to help them in their time of need. There were more than 2,000 deaths between the British and American soldiers. One hundred fifty thousand soldiers were put onto five different beaches. Hitler did not want to respond to the counterattack with another attack. His council finally persuaded him to go in after midday.
Many people were opposed to the American and British counterattack. One such Frenchman commented, “We are dying for no reason. Americans can't even shoot straight. I never thought I'd say this, but life was better under Adolph Hitler.” Other people were worried, and somewhat mad, about the environment. Christine Moanmore said, “This is just another example of how the military destroys the environment without a second thought, and it's all about corporate greed.” Pierre LeWimp, a member of the French government-in-exile, commented about President Roosevelt, “Everyone knows that President Roosevelt has ties to "big beer". Once the German beer industry is conquered, Roosevelt's beer cronies will control the world market and make a fortune.” Some people claimed that the Americans only went in on reports by Albert Einstein that the Germans were making an atomic bomb. The reports stated that Hitler denied this, and inspectors took two weekends to look for them and they were not found. They also claimed that Americans mistreated their German prisoners, and that concentration camps were unproven.
Marie-Louise Osmont lived in a house with her husband near the beaches of Normandy. When the Germans invaded, they took her house, but let them live in a few of the rooms. During the night of D-Day, airplanes and bombs disturbed her sleep. She got dressed and crossed the garden. She went to the trench before the shells started falling. Three Germans were with her and a neighbor in the trench. They were all afraid each time a shell exploded.
