15 Things You May Not Know About D-Day
Early June 1944, the beginning of the final phase of World War II in Europe. Most of the continent is held in the grip of Adolf Hitler’s occupying forces. German garrisons dot the French coast facing the English Channel. On the other side, a massive Allied buildup of men and machines of war has swollen in southern England. As a break in bad weather is finally forecast, the order is given to go on June 6. D-Day, the invasion of Normandy, has begun.
On June 6, 1944, the Allies invaded occupied France. Some 175,000 British, American, Canadian, French, Polish, Norwegian and other nationalities participated in the first 24 hours of the Normandy invasion. Here are 15 things, compiled by Don Sweeney for the Sacramento Bee, you may not know about D-Day:
1. The “D” in D-Day doesn’t stand for anything - it’s just a designation for whichever day a military operation begins.
2. D-Day planners used holiday postcards of Normandy to help fill in details.
3. Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower gave the go-ahead for D-Day with the words, “OK, let’s go.”
4. British Lt. Den Britherage, shot shortly after midnight while storming a machine-gun nest on Pegasus Bridge, was the first allied soldier killed by enemy fire on D-Day.
5. 100 of 355 glider pilots ferrying British troops to Normandy before the beach landings were killed or wounded.
6. A dog used to listen for enemy movements required rescue when its parachute snagged on a tree.
7. Midget subs, which surfaced near the coast to flash colored lights as beacons, guided the invasion fleet to Normandy.
8. D-Day involved 4,126 landing craft.
9. British and Canadian troops used tanks fitted with revolving flails to clear beach minefields.
10. German Gen. Erwin Rommel was the first to describe D-Day as “the longest day of the century.”
11. A Bible in the breast pocket saved the life of U.S. Staff Sgt. Lou Havard when it stopped a bullet.
12. All but 2 of the 29 amphibious tanks deployed by U.S. forces on D-Day sank.
13. Hollywood director John Ford led a camera crew on Omaha Beach filming newsreel footage.
14. More than 156,000 Allied troops landed at Normandy on D-Day. Total Allied casualties are estimated at 10,000 for the day, with 2500 dead. Total German casualties are not known, but estimates range from 4,000 to 9,000.
15. 27 war cemeteries hold the remains of more than 110,000 dead from both sides during the Battle of Normandy that followed D-Day.
Be sure to check out the other Patriotic Journeyers… JimK, Scott, Larry, Drumwaster, and Cosmicbabe.
Doug
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Reader Comments (4)
I thought I knew a lot about D-Day, but I didn't know many of these facts. Very interesting. It was an epic though costly day in history. An ugly job but everyone knew it had to be done. Our guys knew that many of them would die, yet they hit the beach and did their jobs for God and country. We can never repay the enormous debt we owe them, but we can, at the least, remember and honor them this day.
Did you see "Saving Private Ryan"? The first 20 minutes of the film give a pretty decent depiction of what it must have been like going ashore from the landing crafts and digging in under heavy fire. Some have called it hell. It certainly was "the longest day".
Not a very good record for the tanks, eh?
We are learning so much from reading your posts! We even flew our flag today! Thank you!
Ted says thank you too.
Honey wants to eat.