# Normandy landings By [Normandy Landings](https://paragraph.com/@normandy-landings) · 2023-05-21 --- The **Normandy landings** were the [landing operations](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landing_operation) and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the [Allied](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allies_of_World_War_II) invasion of Normandy in [Operation Overlord](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Overlord) during [World War II](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II). Codenamed **Operation Neptune** and often referred to as [**D-Day**](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D-Day_\(military_term\)), it was the largest seaborne invasion in history. The operation began the [liberation of France](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberation_of_France) (and later Western Europe) and laid the foundations of the Allied victory on the [Western Front](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Front_\(World_War_II\)). Planning for the operation began in 1943. In the months leading up to the invasion, the Allies conducted a substantial [military deception](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_deception), codenamed [Operation Bodyguard](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Bodyguard), to mislead the Germans as to the date and location of the main Allied landings. The weather on D-Day was far from ideal, and the operation had to be delayed 24 hours; a further postponement would have meant a delay of at least two weeks, as the invasion planners had requirements for the phase of the moon, the tides, and the time of day that meant only a few days each month were deemed suitable. [Adolf Hitler](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Hitler) placed [Field Marshal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generalfeldmarschall) [Erwin Rommel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erwin_Rommel) in command of German forces and of developing fortifications along the [Atlantic Wall](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantic_Wall) in anticipation of an Allied invasion. U.S. President [Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franklin_D._Roosevelt) placed Major General [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dwight_D._Eisenhower) in command of Allied forces. The [amphibious landings](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amphibious_warfare) were preceded by extensive aerial and naval bombardment and an [airborne assault](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airborne_forces)—the [landing of 24,000 American](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_airborne_landings_in_Normandy), [British, and Canadian airborne troops shortly after midnight](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Tonga). Allied [infantry](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infantry) and [armoured](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armoured_warfare) [divisions](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Division_\(military\)) began landing on the coast of France at 06:30. The target 50-mile (80 km) stretch of the [Normandy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normandy) coast was divided into five sectors: [Utah](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utah_Beach), [Omaha](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omaha_Beach), [Gold](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold_Beach), [Juno](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juno_Beach), and [Sword](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sword_Beach). Strong winds blew the landing craft east of their intended positions, particularly at Utah and Omaha. The men landed under heavy fire from [gun emplacements](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coastal_artillery) overlooking the beaches, and the shore was [mined](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_mine) and covered with obstacles such as wooden stakes, [metal tripods](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czech_hedgehog), and barbed wire, making the work of the beach-clearing teams difficult and dangerous. Casualties were heaviest at Omaha, with its high cliffs. At Gold, Juno, and Sword, several fortified towns were cleared in [house-to-house fighting](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_warfare), and two major gun emplacements at Gold were disabled using specialised tanks. The Allies failed to achieve any of their goals on the first day. [Carentan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carentan), [Saint-Lô](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint-L%C3%B4), and [Bayeux](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayeux) remained in German hands, and [Caen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caen), a major objective, was not captured until 21 July. Only two of the beaches (Juno and Gold) were linked on the first day, and all five [beachheads](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beachhead) were not connected until 12 June; however, the operation gained a foothold that the Allies gradually expanded over the coming months. German casualties on D-Day have been estimated at 4,000 to 9,000 men. Allied casualties were documented for at least 10,000, with 4,414 confirmed dead. Background ---------- After the [German Army](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_Army_\(1935%E2%80%931945\)) [invaded the Soviet Union](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Barbarossa) in June 1941, the [Soviet](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_Union) leader [Joseph Stalin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Stalin) began pressing his new allies for the creation of a [second front](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Front_\(World_War_II\)#1944%E2%80%9345:_The_Second_Front) in western Europe.[\[17\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normandy_landings#cite_note-FOOTNOTEFordZaloga20098%E2%80%939-19) In late May 1942, the [Soviet Union](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_Union_in_World_War_II) and the [United States](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_history_of_the_United_States_during_World_War_II) made a joint announcement that a "... full understanding was reached with regard to the urgent tasks of creating a second front in Europe in 1942."[\[18\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normandy_landings#cite_note-FOOTNOTEFolliard1942-20) However, British Prime Minister [Winston Churchill](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winston_Churchill) persuaded U.S. President [Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franklin_D._Roosevelt) to postpone the promised invasion as, even with U.S. help, the Allies did not have adequate forces for such an activity.[\[19\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normandy_landings#cite_note-FOOTNOTEFordZaloga200910-21) Instead of an immediate return to France, the western Allies staged offensives in the [Mediterranean Theatre of Operations](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediterranean_and_Middle_East_theatre_of_World_War_II), where [British troops](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Army) were already stationed. By mid-1943, the [campaign in North Africa](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunisian_campaign) had been won. The Allies then launched the [invasion of Sicily](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allied_invasion_of_Sicily) in July 1943 and subsequently [invaded the Italian mainland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allied_invasion_of_Italy) in September the same year. By then, Soviet forces were on the offensive and had won a major victory at the [Battle of Stalingrad](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Stalingrad). The decision to undertake a cross-channel invasion within the next year was taken at the [Trident Conference](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Conference_\(1943\)) in Washington in May 1943.[\[20\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normandy_landings#cite_note-FOOTNOTEFordZaloga200910%E2%80%9311-22) Initial planning was constrained by the number of available landing craft, most of which were already committed in the Mediterranean and [Pacific](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_War).[\[21\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normandy_landings#cite_note-FOOTNOTEWilmot1997177%E2%80%93178,_chart_p._180-23) At the [Tehran Conference](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tehran_Conference) in November 1943, Roosevelt and Churchill promised Stalin that they would open the long-delayed second front in May 1944.[\[22\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normandy_landings#cite_note-FOOTNOTEChurchill1951404-24) Meeting of the [Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supreme_Headquarters_Allied_Expeditionary_Force) (SHAEF), 1 February 1944. Front row: [Air Chief Marshal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_chief_marshal) [Sir Arthur Tedder](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Tedder,_1st_Baron_Tedder); [General](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_\(United_States\)) [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dwight_D._Eisenhower); [General](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_\(United_Kingdom\)) [Sir Bernard Montgomery](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_Montgomery,_1st_Viscount_Montgomery_of_Alamein). Back row: [Lieutenant General](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lieutenant_general_\(United_States\)) [Omar Bradley](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omar_Bradley); [Admiral](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Admiral_\(Royal_Navy\)) [Sir Bertram Ramsay](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bertram_Ramsay); Air Chief Marshal [Sir Trafford Leigh-Mallory](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trafford_Leigh-Mallory); Lieutenant General [Walter Bedell Smith](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Bedell_Smith). The Allies considered four sites for the landings: [Brittany](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brittany), the [Cotentin Peninsula](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cotentin_Peninsula), Normandy, and the [Pas-de-Calais](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pas-de-Calais). As Brittany and Cotentin are peninsulas, it would have been possible for the Germans to cut off the Allied advance at a relatively narrow isthmus, so these sites were rejected.[\[23\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normandy_landings#cite_note-FOOTNOTEFordZaloga200913%E2%80%9314-25) With the Pas-de-Calais being the closest point in [continental Europe](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continental_Europe) to Britain, the Germans considered it to be the most likely initial landing zone, so it was the most heavily fortified region.[\[24\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normandy_landings#cite_note-FOOTNOTEBeevor200933%E2%80%9334-26) But it offered few opportunities for expansion, as the area is bounded by numerous rivers and canals,[\[25\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normandy_landings#cite_note-FOOTNOTEWilmot1997170-27) whereas, landings on a broad front in Normandy would permit simultaneous threats against the port of [Cherbourg](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherbourg-Octeville), coastal ports further west in Brittany, and an overland attack towards [Paris](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris) and eventually into Germany. Normandy was hence chosen as the landing site.[\[26\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normandy_landings#cite_note-FOOTNOTEAmbrose199473%E2%80%9374-28) The most serious drawback of the Normandy coast—the lack of port facilities—would be overcome through the development of artificial [Mulberry harbours](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mulberry_harbour).[\[27\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normandy_landings#cite_note-FOOTNOTEFordZaloga200914-29) A series of modified tanks, nicknamed [Hobart's Funnies](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hobart%27s_Funnies), dealt with specific requirements expected for the Normandy Campaign such as mine clearing, demolishing bunkers, and mobile bridging.[\[28\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normandy_landings#cite_note-FOOTNOTEWilmot1997182-30) The Allies planned to launch the invasion on 1 May 1944.[\[25\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normandy_landings#cite_note-FOOTNOTEWilmot1997170-27) The initial draft of the plan was accepted at the [Quebec Conference](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Quebec_Conference) in August 1943. General Dwight D. Eisenhower was appointed commander of [Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supreme_Headquarters_Allied_Expeditionary_Force).[\[29\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normandy_landings#cite_note-FOOTNOTEGilbert1989491-31) General [Bernard Montgomery](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_Montgomery) was named commander of the [21st Army Group](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/21st_Army_Group), which comprised all land forces involved in the invasion.[\[30\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normandy_landings#cite_note-FOOTNOTEWhitmarsh200912%E2%80%9313-32) On 31 December 1943, Eisenhower and Montgomery first saw the plan, which proposed amphibious landings by three divisions with two more divisions in support. The two generals insisted that the scale of the initial invasion be expanded to five divisions, with airborne descents by three additional divisions, to allow operations on a wider front and to hasten the capture of Cherbourg.[\[31\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normandy_landings#cite_note-FOOTNOTEWhitmarsh200913-33) The need to acquire or produce extra landing craft for the expanded operation meant that the invasion had to be delayed to June.[\[31\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normandy_landings#cite_note-FOOTNOTEWhitmarsh200913-33) Eventually, thirty-nine Allied divisions would be committed to the Battle of Normandy: twenty-two U.S., twelve British, three Canadian, one Polish, and one French, totalling over a million troops.[\[32\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normandy_landings#cite_note-FOOTNOTEWeinberg1995684-34) Operations ---------- [Operation Overlord](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Overlord) was the name assigned to the establishment of a large-scale [lodgement](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lodgement) on the continent. The first phase, the amphibious invasion and establishment of a secure foothold, was codenamed Operation Neptune.[\[27\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normandy_landings#cite_note-FOOTNOTEFordZaloga200914-29) To gain the air superiority needed to ensure a successful invasion, the Allies undertook a bombing campaign (codenamed [Operation Pointblank](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pointblank_directive)) that targeted German aircraft production, fuel supplies, and airfields.[\[27\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normandy_landings#cite_note-FOOTNOTEFordZaloga200914-29) Elaborate deceptions, codenamed [Operation Bodyguard](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Bodyguard), were undertaken in the months leading up to the invasion to prevent the Germans from learning the timing and location of the invasion.[\[33\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normandy_landings#cite_note-FOOTNOTEBeevor20093-35) The landings were to be preceded by airborne operations near Caen on the eastern flank to secure the [Orne River](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orne_\(river\)) bridges and north of Carentan on the western flank. The Americans, assigned to land at Utah Beach and Omaha Beach, were to attempt to capture Carentan and Saint-Lô the first day, then cut off the Cotentin Peninsula and eventually capture the port facilities at [Cherbourg](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherbourg-en-Cotentin). The British at [Sword](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sword_Beach) and [Gold Beaches](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold_Beach) and Canadians at [Juno Beach](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juno_Beach) would protect the U.S. flank and attempt to establish airfields near Caen on the first day.[\[34\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normandy_landings#cite_note-FOOTNOTEChurchill1951592%E2%80%93593-36)[\[35\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normandy_landings#cite_note-FOOTNOTEBeevor2009Map,_inside_front_cover-37) (A sixth beach, code-named "Band", was considered to the east of the Orne.[\[36\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normandy_landings#cite_note-FOOTNOTECaddick-Adams2019136-38)) A secure lodgement would be established with all invading forces linked together, with an attempt to hold all territory north of the [Avranches](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avranches)\-[Falaise](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falaise,_Calvados) line within the first three weeks.[\[34\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normandy_landings#cite_note-FOOTNOTEChurchill1951592%E2%80%93593-36)[\[35\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normandy_landings#cite_note-FOOTNOTEBeevor2009Map,_inside_front_cover-37) Montgomery envisaged a ninety-day battle, lasting until all Allied forces reached the River [Seine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seine).[\[37\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normandy_landings#cite_note-FOOTNOTEWeinberg1995698-39) --- *Originally published on [Normandy Landings](https://paragraph.com/@normandy-landings/normandy-landings)*