NORMANDY LANDING- 1944

Operation OVERLORD

Dec 21, 2015

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THE TEAM
Guide:
CDR H Bose
Syndicate :
Lt Harshit K Singh
Lt KKR Rathnayake
A/C Gurpreet Singh
SLt Arvind Juglan
SLt Gajanan Sorage
SLt Chandan Gautam
SLt Santosh N
Dec 21, 2015

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REFERENCES
Overlord: D-Day and
the Battle for
Normandy 1944 by
Max Hastings (Michael
Joseph, London 1984)
Normandy to the
Baltic by Field Marshal
V Montgomery
US Naval History
Journal June 2009
edition
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SCOPE
INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND
PREPARATIONS FOR
ATTACK
THE D-DAY
OUTCOME
CONCLUSION

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INTRODUCTION
June 6, 1944, 156,000 Allied troops landed along a 50-mile
stretch of heavily-fortified French coastline
More than 5,000 Ships and 13,000 aircraft supported the D-Day
invasion
Supreme Commander Allied Forces General D D Eisenhower
More than 9,000 Allied Soldiers were killed or wounded
100,000 Soldiers began the march across Europe to defeat Hitler.

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HITLERS EMPIRE IN 1942

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BACKGROUND
1939:
Germany invades Poland
Britain and France declare war on Germany

1940:
June: Germany captures Paris; France surrenders
to Hitler
July: The Battle of Britain begins, a three month
battle fought in the skies over Britain
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BACKGROUND
1941:
Japan attacks
American naval fleet
at Pearl Harbor
U.S. declares war on
Japan
Three days later,
Germany and Italy
declare war on U.S.
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Pearl Harbor during Japanese attack

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BACKGROUND
1942:
U.S. troops arrive in Europe
Russian forces hold off Germanys attempt to capture
Stalingrad.
1943:
U.S. and British troops defeat Germany in North Africa
Allied forces capture Sicily, and parts of Southern Italy.
1944:
More than 600 U.S. bombers begin an assault on Berlin
Allied forces capture Rome, Italy
Invasion of Normandy set for June 5, 1944
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WHY OVERLORD?
Americans wanted concentrated effort for their
Germany first policy
British wanted to delay due to fear of major
formations of German army in France
German losses in Russia encouraged to take up
the operation
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WHY NORMANDY?
Easy to get to; short distance
Not heavily fortified
Plenty of ports close
Suitable land for airstrips
Suitable beaches for
amphibious landings
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Dec 21, 2015

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CHOOSING D-DAY
Overlord target date 1st May, 1944
Postponed to June due to lack of full forces
In June 6 days of low tide and 3 days of
moonless nights (4th,5th and 6th June).
On 4th and 5th storm in the channel.

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PREPARATIONS FOR D-DAY

Technical Level
Construction of Amphibious
trucks and Landing crafts

Tactical level
Limited bombardment
involving large casualties
among German divisions.
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PREPARATIONS FOR D-DAY

Strategic Level
Game of betrayal
through German
spies.
Showing possibility of
invasion in Norway.
Operation
FORTITUDE.
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OPERATION FORTITUDE
Under Gen. George S Patton deception
plans to make Germans believe attack along
Pas de Calais
Concentration of fantasy invasion force for
Pas de Calais
Dummy landing crafts, vehicles, camps and
wireless communication
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Fortitude an inflatable
rubber tank

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D-DAY OBJECTIVES
Land on 5 beaches,
stretching 50 miles along
coast of Normandy,
France.
Beach codenames: Utah,
Omaha, Gold, Juno, and
Sword
Secure the coastline in
order to mobilize troops
to liberate France from
German control
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Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower

briefing American troops
before invading Normandy

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THE D-DAY

The Dday 0630, 6th June 1944

82nd & 101 US and British 6th Airborne
Divisions used
Landings on five beaches
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

US 7th Corps
US 5th Corps
British 30th Corps
Canadian 3rd Div
British 1st Corps

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UTAH
OMAHA
GOLD
JUNO
SWORD

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ALLIED ARMADA

9 Battleships
23 Cruisers
104 Destroyers
71 Large Landing
Crafts
Minesweepers
100,000 fighting
men swept ashore

In all, 5000 ships of all types largest Armada

ever assembled
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THE ATTACK BEGINS

OPERATION NEPTUNE
Began from the air

Attack from the sea

Paratroopers main task

was to capture bridges.
Capturing bridges would
eliminate possibility of
effective German
counter-attack.
3 hours into attack, 5000
Allied fighters defeated
119 enemy aircrafts.
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3,000 landing crafts,

2,500 other ships, and
500 naval vessels arrived
off the coast 4 hours into
the battle.
7 battleships and 18
cruisers attacked enemy
defenses along the 5
beaches.

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Welcome to Hell

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D-day and the breakout from Normandy

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TAKING THE BEACHES

American troops storm Utah
and Omaha
Canadian troops storm Juno
British troops storm Gold
and Sword
Utah, Juno, Gold, and Sword
captured without many
casualties, or much German
resistance
American forces at Omaha
face strong German
resistance; become pinned
back against water, with
increasing casualties.
Dec 21, 2015

US infantrymen storm Omaha

beach

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British troops landing at Sword

Beach

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D-DAY WINDS DOWN

British infantry advancing
inland met heavy German
resistance, but were able to
defeat enemy forces.
Hitler withdraws reserve
troops, and leaves only one
division of troops to fight off
British infantry.
All 5 beaches are eventually
secured once American troops
receive support from British
and Canadian Forces
Allied forces begin to move
inland, meeting only limited
German resistance.
Dec 21, 2015

German troops surrender on

the beaches of Normandy,
France.

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OUTCOME
Heavy casualties on both the sides
50,000 German soldiers killed ,2 lakh taken
as prisoners
Germans lost most of armors and vehicles
in France
Lost Cherbourg, Caen, St. Lo
German defeat clear at end of July 1944
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IMPACT OF NORMANDY
LANDING ON WWII
By landing in Normandy, the Allies
made an opening where they could
strike at the heart of Nazi
Germany
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CONCLUSION-SHORTCOMINGS
OF GERMANS
Over confidence of Hitler
Fell for the Deception by
the Allies
Did not anticipate an
attack during that period of
year
Half of the troops were on
leave including the Generals
Absence of FM Erwin
Rommel
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CONCLUSION-STRENGTH OF
ALLIES
Able leadership of Gen. D.D.
Eisenhower
Well planned and executed
operations
Successful use of PoW of Surprise
Highly motivated troop
Foresight and vision of Sir Winston
Churchill in planning the entire
attack on Normandy
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PHOTO GALLERY

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PHOTO GALLERY

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PHOTO GALLERY

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PHOTO GALLERY

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French civilians place flowers at a US cemetery in

Normandy

PHOTO GALLERY

Dec 21, 2015

Normandy was finally liberated on 9 May

1945
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 And when he goes to Heaven

To Saint Peter he will tell :
One more soldier reporting sir
Ive served my term in Hell .

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THANK YOU

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