D-DAY JUNE 6 June 4, 1944, 21.30: “OK, let’s go.” Following several days of bad weather, the Met Office predicts 24 hours of better conditions from late on June 5. Supreme Allied Commander, Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, decides the time is right to move Night of June 5-6: 1,056 RAF and USAF heavy bombers drop more than 5,000 tonnes of bombs on enemy strongpoints June 5: Task force sets sail Minesweepers clear channels to Piccadilly Circus. Invasion force includes 7,000 ships and landing craft manned by about 195,700 naval personnel from eight allied nations Assault areas 1 – Utah 2 – Omaha 3 – Gold 4 – Juno 5 – Sword Dartmouth Exeter Weymouth Poole Southampton Portsmouth Newhaven Piccadilly Circus Assembly point ENGLISH CHANNEL Guernsey Alderney Jersey Cherbourg Isigny Villers NORMANDY 1 2 3 4 5 June 6, 00.20, Airborne assault: More than 19,000 U.S. and British paratroops drop into Normandy to secure western and eastern edges of battlefield U.S. 1st Army Lieutenant General Omar N. Bradley 05.30, Drenching fire: Heaviest bombardment of war begins at dawn. 7 battleships, 23 cruisers and 103 destroyers pound German shore batteries to protect assault craft British 2nd Army Lieutenant General Sir Miles Dempsey St Mère Eglise Cotentin Peninsula UTAH Carentan Pouppeville Isigny Pointe du Hoq St Laurent Colleville Colombières OMAHA Port en Bessin Blay Forêt de Cerisy Bayeux GOLD Arromanches St Leger Tilly sur Seulles JUNO Carpiquet Airfield SWORD Periers Bieville Caen Ouistreham Merville Pegasus Bridge Ranville U.S. 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions: 12,800 troops to secure routes from Utah beach through flooded areas. U.S. Airborne suffers loss of 7,500 lives German 7th Army Generaloberst Friedrich Dollman Douglas C-47 Dakota: Over 900 C-47s – many pulling British and U.S. gliders – transport 82nd and 101st divisions from England to Cotentin Peninsula. Allied aircraft marked with black and white stripes for easy “friend or foe” recognition Waco CG-4A glider: Carries 13 troops plus equipment or either jeep, small truck, or 75mm howitzer Spitfire: RAF flies 55 squadrons of Spitfire fighters. Total of 11,590 aircraft deployed to support landings – 127 planes lost Airspeed Horsa Mk II glider: Carries up to 30 troops, vehicles or artillery. 867 British and U.S. gliders used on D-Day German 15th Army Generaloberst Hans von Salmuth British 6th Airborne Division: 6,250 paratroops to secure eastern edge of battlefield, destroy four bridges over River Dives to cut off German counter- attack from east, silence shore batteries at Merville – which threaten Sword Beach with big guns – and capture intact two strategic bridges across River Orne and Caen Canal (Pegasus Bridge) to secure exit routes from beachheads. 6th Airborne suffers 650 casualties KEY: Planned extent of advance by midnight Actual extent of advance by midnight German positions at midnight 06.30, American beaches: Utah – U.S. 4th Infantry Division meets light enemy opposition. 23,250 troops with support vehicles landed. Casualties estimated at 197 Omaha – U.S.1st Army lands 34,250 infantry. Objectives: Take villages of Vierville, St Laurent, Colleville; attack west toward Pointe du Hoc; and east to Port en Bessin to link up with British. Heavy German resistance turns Omaha into killing zone – Americans sustain 2,000 casualties. 25,000 extra troops land during course of D-Day 07.30, British beaches: Gold – 50th Division of British 2nd Army lands 24,970 troops. Objectives: Cut Caen-Bayeux road, take Arromanches, move to Port en Bessin and join Americans; link up with Canadians to east. British suffer 413 casualties while securing Gold Sword – British 3rd Division lands 28,845 troops. Objectives: Take Ouistreham; capture Caen and strategic Carpiquet airfield; push to bridges over Orne River and Caen Canal; link up with 6th Airborne. Casualties: 630 07.55, Canadian beach: Juno – Canadian 3rd Infantry Division lands 21,400 troops. Objectives: Cut Caen-Bayeux road, seize Carpiquet airport and form link between Gold and Sword beaches. Casualties: 1,204 Midnight: End of day one Allies have landed over 176,000 men in Normandy, supported by over 10,000 tanks, support vehicles and artillery. By end of day one allies have suffered over 12,500 casualties – German losses on D-Day are estimated at 6,000 5km 3 miles Railways Pont l’Abbé Beuzeville la Bastille Flooded areas – part of German defences St Mère Eglise Les Forges Douve Vierville St Côme du Mont Le Port Toret de Ravenoville St Martin de Varaville UTAH BEACH Tare Green Uncle Red Victor Pointe du Hoc Pointe et Raz de la Percée Charlie Dog Green Dog White Dog Red Easy Green Easy Red Fox Green Fox Red OMAHA BEACH 5km 3 miles 10km 6 miles To Isigny Le Carrefour-Got Aure La Cambe Vierville Longueville Formigny Rubercy St Laurent Mosles Colleville Port en Bessin To Bayeux Aure GOLD How Item Jig King JUNO Love Mike Nan SWORD Oboe Peter Queen Roger Longues Bayeux Aure Sommervieu Seulles Arromanches Crépon Bretteville Orgueilleuse Carpiquet Caen Luc-sur-mer Lion-sur-mer Benouville Caen Canal Orne ENGLISH CHANNEL Ouistreham Merville Cabourg Dives 5km 3 miles Sources: Imperial War Museum, D-Day Museum, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Official History of the Canadian Army by Col. C.P. Stacey, Encyclopedia of Military History by R.E. and T.N. Dupuy © GRAPHIC NEWS