D-Day: The Allied Invasion of Normandy
On June 6, 1944, a monumental event in World War II known as D-Day took place. A total of 156,000 allied soldiers, supported by 7,774 bombers and fighters and 1,213 navy ships, faced off against 51,000 Axis soldiers. The Axis defenses included 179 coastal artillery guns, dozens of bunkers, and 4,000,000 mines.
The Landings and Immediate Casualties
Soldiers from 12 different countries started landing on five beaches along a 50km stretch of coast at 6:30 in the morning. Meanwhile, 24,000 airborne troops had already been parachuted behind the beaches after midnight.
By the end of the day, over 10,000 allied and 9,000 German casualties had been incurred. It took an additional 5 days to completely secure all five beachheads.
The Prolonged Campaign and Overall Casualties
The invasion of Normandy culminated in an Allied victory on August 30, 1944. The nearly three-month-long campaign inflicted an additional 216,386 Allied and 400,000 German casualties, beyond the initial D-Day casualties.
During this period, the Germans also lost 2,127 planes and 2,000 tanks. Allied losses included 4,100 planes and 4,000 tanks.
Civilian Impact and Final Thoughts
Tragically, over 35,000 French civilians lost their lives during the campaign. This figure includes 15,000 civilians who died during the initial Allied bombing and shelling campaign in the days and hours preceding the landings.
Lest we forget.
—RBM
