AMAZING D DAY FACTS

June 6th 1944, referred to as D Day, is marked as a turning point in World War II. This is the day when invasion of Normandy, France took

place.The facts about the D-Day continue to

fascinate people, even more than 50 years after the D-Day invasion took place. So here

is a list of few facts that you should know about this sad day of history.

D-Day Wasn’t the First D-Day 'D-Day' is a general term for the start date of any military

operation - the 'D' stands for 'day'. It is often used when the exact date is either secret or not yet known.

Actual D-Day Could Have Been a Day Earlier

  June 5, 1944 was selected as the date for the invasion. However, bad weather on the days leading the

operation to be delayed by 24 hours. It then took place on 6th of June.

D-Day Is Also Known as the Normandy Landings

The D-Day invasion took place in a coastal area of France, known as Normandy. Despite the region’s rich history, it is now most famously remembered as the scene of this

bloody invasion

Operation Neptune Was The Codename of D-Day

The codename for the Normandy Landings was Operation Neptune.  Considering the fact that the

invasion was to be launched from the sea, this operation was named Neptune, Greek god of sea.

Germany Had a Strong Hold of Normandy and Nearby Islands

Germany tried to defend the northern coast of France with a series of fortifications known as the 'Atlantic

Wall'. However, German defences were often incomplete and insufficiently manned and was

weakened through sabotage. The Allies Created Fake Operations to

Hide The D-Day Invasion PlanIn order to deceive the Germans, the Allies created a

fake operation, Operation Bodyguard

 Multiple fake operations were designed to deceive the Germans.

Under the overall umbrella of Operation Bodyguard, the Allies conducted several subsidiary operations designed to

mislead the Germans as to the date and location of the Allied landings.

Before the War , Normandy Was a Tourist Attraction

Normandy was a tourist attractions and people often came to this place for its pristine beaches. There are still many beautiful towns and resorts on the Normandy coast.

 The Moon Played a Role in the Normandy Landings

 The Allies wanted to schedule the landings for shortly before dawn, midway between low and high tide, with the tide coming in. This would

improve the visibility of obstacles on the beach, while minimising the amount of time the men had

to spend exposed in the open

 D-Day Was a Joint Military OperationThe Allied forces invading Normandy included troops

from the United States, Britain, Canada, Poland, France, and more countries.

The Allied Forces Were Younger than the Germans

The German forces, due to heavy losses on the Eastern Front, no longer had a large population of young men

to enlist. German soldiers were, on average, more than 5 years older than their Allied counterparts.

The Allied Forces Crossed the English Channel to Land at Normandy

The Normandy landings were conducted from across the English Channel, with troops first gathering on British soil before launching the attack on that fateful day in

June 1944.

D Day was the first step of the plan to capture back Europe.

Operation Overlord was the name assigned to the large-scale plan, and Operation Neptune was the first phase

of the plan.

D Day Plan was Drafted in 1943The initial draft of the plan was accepted at the Quebec

Conference in August 1943.

British General Bernard Montgomery Helped Eisenhower Plan D-Day

On 31 December 1943, Eisenhower and Montgomery first saw the plan, which proposed amphibious

landings by three divisions with two more divisions in support

D Day Saw Invasion By Sea As wellThe D Day saw the largest seaborne invasion in history.

Overall plan was to capture the ports and capture Europe.

Allies Acquired 150,000 troops for D DayThe target was Normandy coast spread over 50miles.

For this 150,000 soldiers were called in.

More Than 300,000 Troops Landed To Capture Europe

After seven days of D day, 300,000 troops, 50,000 vehicles and over 100,000 tons of equipment had

been brought through the beaches of Normandy! By the end of June 1944, the Allies had brought over

850,000 troops through the beaches of Normandy and ports

 Normandy coast was divided into sectors

 Normandy coast was divided into five sectors: Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword Beach.

Weather was not on side of alliesDespite delaying the D day by one day, weather was not

helping at all. weather blew the boats of the Allies east of their planned landing targets.

The Terrain of Omaha Beach Caused the High Number of Casualties

The geography of the area played a role in the high number of casualties at Omaha Beach. High cliffs that

lined the beach characterized the geography of the Omaha Beach landing target. Many American forces

lost their lives because the Germans had gun positions on these high cliffs.

More than 4000 soldiers were killed on D Day

Due to the position of the German forces and the defences they had built, the Allies suffered over

10,000 casualties, with over 4,000 people confirmed dead.

 Over 2,400 Soldiers Were Killed on Omaha Beach

Germans positioned themselves on high grounds killing over 2400 American soldiers alone on Omaha Beach. Other factors like weather, lack of artillery providing

reinforcements were equally responsible for this mass killing.

Due to their Positions, Germans Had Less Casualties

Due to their positions, the Germans suffered fewer casualties than the invading Allied troops at

Normandy.