D-Day: The Invasion of Normandy
On June 6, 1944, known as D-Day, 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 Initial Assault
Soldiers from 12 different countries began landing on five beaches along a 50km stretch of coast at 6:30 in the morning. In addition to these forces, 24,000 airborne troops had already been parachuted behind the beaches after midnight.
By the end of the day, the Allied forces had incurred over 10,000 casualties, while the German forces had around 9,000 casualties. It took an additional 5 days to completely secure all five beachheads.
The Campaign and Aftermath
The invasion of Normandy concluded with an Allied victory on August 30, 1944. The nearly three-month-long campaign resulted in an additional 216,386 Allied and 400,000 German casualties, on top of those suffered on D-Day.
The Germans also lost 2,127 planes and 2,000 tanks during this period. Allied losses were substantial as well, with 4,100 planes and 4,000 tanks lost.
The Human Cost
Over 35,000 French civilians lost their lives during the campaign, including 15,000 during the initial Allied bombing and shelling campaign in the days and hours that preceded the landings.
Lest we forget.
– RBM
