Download - D-Day: June 6, 1944
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- 1. D-Day June 6, 1944 The turning point in WWII The largest *seaborne invasion in historyThe beginning of the end of German control over Europe Only the beginning of a bitter battle as the Alliesfinally reach Paris and eventually Germany itself
- 2.
- Prior Events
- Germany Invades Poland on September 1, 1944
- This causes Britain, France, and Canada to declare war on Germany, *commencing WWII.
- Invasion of France
- Germany invades France in June of 1941
- Pearl Harbor
- Japan, an ally to Germany (Axis Powers), attacks US naval base on
- 3.
- Introduction
- Allies decide that an invasion into France was necessary to free the rest of Europe.
- The Big Three
- 4.
- Objectives
- To land on five beaches, stretching 50 miles along the coast of
Normandy, France.
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- Beach code names:
- Utah
- 5. Omaha
- 6. Gold
- 7. Juno
- 8. Sword
- Beach code names:
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- To secure the coastline inorder tomobilize troopsto liberate France fromGerman control. Then tomake their way on toGermany itself. On toending with Hitler's ruleover Europe.
- 9.
- Objectives (cont.)
- Make Germany believe the attack would be at Pas de Calais.
- 10. To form the largest armyand naval armada theworld had ever seen.
- Plan
- Massively build up fake armiesand equipment in Kent to foolGermans into thinking Pas deCalais was the intended target.
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- Canvas and rubber tanks were assembled to confuse any German *reconnaissance aircraft.
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- 11.
- German Defense
- Despite Allied efforts, Germany suspected an Allied invasion somewhere in France.
- 12. Hitler appoints two of his *ablest generals to take charge of strengthening the French coast line from attack.
- 13. Tens of thousands of Russian POWs are put to work to
construct elaborate defenses.
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- They build approximately 15,000 *fortifications.
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- Atlantic Wall
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- To efficiently secure the coast, Hitler ordered the fortifications to cover from Norway to the south of France.
- 14. The line was, by no means, complete or evenly spread by the time of D-Day.
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- Hitler's plan was to have his German soldiers set up on the beaches with high powered machine guns and they would shoot the Allies coming out the carrier boats.
- 15.
- Operation of Normandy Landings
- British and American *paratroopers take off to Normandy to secure bridge heads, towns, and other vital locations.
- 16. Air assault lands 24,000 American, British, and Canadian troops shortly after midnight.
- 17. Bombings start at about 0500 hours.
- -Many bombers were confused by the cloud covers and bombed too late and failed targets.
- Paratrooper's main task was to capture bridges. This would eliminate the possibility if effective German counter- attack.
- 18. Three hours into attack, 5,000 Allied fighters defeated 119 enemy aircraft.
- 19.
- Operation of Normandy Landings (cont.)
- Allied soldiers arrive to the beaches in carrier boats to be dropped off.
- 20. Troops board the largest fleet of ships ever seen. (7,000)
- 21. During first few hours, commanders (including Gen. Bradley)
consider abandoning the beachhead but eventually small units of
infantry, along with naval artillery and surviving tanks
*infiltrate the coastal defenses.
- -Within these few hours, 5,000 Allied troops die and 1,200 German soldiersare wounded or dead.
- Utah Beach had the lightest casualties of any beach.
- 22. Omaha was the most heavily fortified beach.
- - Of the 16 tanks that landed upon the shores ofOmaha, only 2 survived the landing.
- 23.
- Operation Overview
- Casualties on both sides was approximately 425,000 men.
- 24. By the end of D-Day, the Allies landed 130,000 troops by land, and 29,000 men by air.
- 25. D-Day was such a risk in Eisenhower's mind that he had prepared a letter to be released to press that Operation Overlord was a failure.
- 26. The Allies were successful in part because the German defenders have been surprised, and because of their fight against the Red Army in the east.
- 27. The battles that took place on D-Day and the several days after it, are considered by some to some of the most devastating battles that ever took place in the history of mankind.
- 28. Allies then move permanently to the offensive as the armies marched through Europe to liberate the other conquered nations.
- 29. D-Day was a big step towards the ending of the Hitler Empire in Europe, and WWII.
- 30.
- Why if it all had failed?
- WWII would have lasted at least another year.
- 31. The longer the war lasted, the more Jews would have been killed, probably wiping out the last of them.
- 32. The atomic bomb, created in the summer of 1945, would have been used on Germany first instead of Japan.
- 33. Weakened Germany could have allowed the Russian army to role right through Europe, leaving Communism in their wake.