Normandy Invasion

A Normandy invasion, by sea, could only take place a few days each month. Troops would need a full moon to provide enough light. They’d need a tide, three hours past its ebb, to provide just the right line-of-sight. Allied commanders believed those requirements would line-up in early June, 1944.

 But no invasion would commence in bad weather, and the weather in the English Channel had been unseasonably bad. Then, unexpectedly, a Royal Navy ship reported sustained rising pressure due south of Iceland. Since weather in that part of the North Atlantic often impacts conditions in Great Britain, commanders were encouraged. D-Day, for the Normandy invasion, would be June 5th.

Soldiers, sailors and airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force opened a second front in the battle against Hitler. For the first time, troops in Europe fought in the west as well as the east.

In this story about the Normandy invasion, and the day it began, step back in time to June of 1944. Examine the details of “Operation Overlord” and General Eisenhower’s misdated note. Learn about the tremendous build-up of men and material. Discover maps which set the stage of battle and predicted the weather. Uncover “Plan Bodyguard,” a ruse intended to deceive Hitler and his leaders.

Meet the D-Day commanders. Cross the Channel with the troops. Virtually visit the beaches assigned to Britain (“Gold” and “Sword”), Canada (“Juno”) and America (“Utah” and “Omaha”). See official photos as the convoys arrived and the men went ashore. Watch archival film footage of the battles. Hear descriptions of events from some of the men involved.

Travel with the troops as they moved inland. Learn why days and nights merged as the exhausted soldiers inched closer to Paris. Study the daunting statistics of the undertaking and learn how Operation Overlord finally ended when the Allies liberated Paris.