keywords: war, combat, world war two, wwII, europe, normandy, d-day, utah, omaha, sword, juno, gold
Synopsis: The motion picture camera can see just as much as the human eye and therefore only fragments of the magnitude and scope of an operation like the Normandy Invasion can be shown in a film. This film covers the period from January 1944 (training for invasion) through the actual D-Day invasion on June 6, 1944. The Invasion of Normandy, code name OVERLORD is considered the decisive battle of the war in Western Europe... (read more)
After the successful invasion of France and the expansion of the initial beachheads, the Allied Armies moved over to the offensive. OVERLORD proved a psychological and physical blow to German military fortunes from which they would never recover.
The naval component of the operation, code named Operation NEPTUNE, comprised large numbers of warships, auxiliaries and landing craft. In all, Britain, Canada, and the United States, as well as the navies-in-exile of France, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland and Greece, supplied 1,213 warships for the invasion. The same navies also provided 4,126 amphibious craft.
These amphibious craft would provide the crucial troop-carrying capacity to land the thousands of men, vehicles, and artillery along the 50-mile wide target area in the Bay of the Seine. The initial assault from landing ships and craft was on a five-division front between the Orne River and the Cotentin Peninsula. The region was divided into five landing beaches, code named (from west to east) Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword.
On 5 June 1944, the thousands of ships and craft taking part in Operation NEPTUNE put to sea and began gathering in assembly areas southeast of the Isle of Wight. From there, many passed through the channel, swept through the German defensive minefields, and moved into their respective waiting areas before dawn on 6 June 1944. Between 0530 and 0550, the Allied gunfire support task groups began bombarding prearranged targets along the beaches.
After overrunning the German beach defenses, the Allies rapidly expanded the individual beachheads, and the workhorse amphibious craft quickly reinforced the lodgment with new troops, munitions and supplies. Superior Allied naval and shore-based artillery then helped defeat the initial German counter-attacks at the same time that Allied dominance of the air hindered the transportation of German reinforcements to the region. By July 25 the Allies were strong enough to launch Operation COBRA and begin the liberation of France.
Assigned combat operation sectors:
American sector - Utah and Omaha beaches. U.S. 1st, 4th, and 29th Divisions.
British sectors - Sword, Juno, and Gold beaches. British 3rd and 50th Divisions, Canadians 3rd Division.