D-Day
The greatest seaborne invasion in history.
Operation Overlord began on June 6, 1944
More than 150 000 US, British, & Canadian soldiers crossed the English Channel to invade Normandy on the coast of France
Two phases were planned
1. Air Assault – Canadian, US and British paratroopers (12 midnight)
2. Amphibious Assault – Canadian, US and British armored divisions on the coast of France (6:30am)
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Allied Invasion Plan
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The Beaches:
United States – Utah
and Omaha Beaches
Great Britain – Sword
and Gold Beaches
Canada – Juno Beach
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Paratroopers
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Amphibious Landings:
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The attack began when allied planes and warships bombed German positions along France’s coast.
6,000 ships joined the attack. They were
supported by over 11,000 planes. The naval force crossed the channel overnight.
At 6:30am troops started to land on the beaches
of Normandy. By the end of D-Day the allies had put 156,000
troops ashore in Normandy
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Juno Beach
The 3rd Canadian Infantry Division landed on Juno Beach.
14 000 Canadians landed.
340 died on the beach
574 wounded
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Omaha Beach 3000 US troops died on the first day
of the invasion.
“We will accept nothing less than full
victory.”
-Dwight Eisenhower
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Two hours after the attack at Juno Beach, Canada had established the beachhead at Juno.
“The Longest Day” was a success for the Canadians.
By end of July, allies had
1 000 000 men in Europe marching towards Germany.
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