75th Anniversary: The Strategy of D-Day (Part One)

The Details Behind the Largest Seaborne Invasion in History! 75 Years ago, on this Day, June 6, 1944, the Normandy Landings began on the beaches of Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, Sword. Operation code-name “Overlord” began on Tuesday, June 6, 1944 and it was the largest seaborne invasion in history. It became known as D-Day-the goal to liberate German-occupied France from Nazi control and lay the foundation for an Allied Victory on the Western Front throughout Europe.

The biggest names in history were all involved in this planning– Prime Minister Winston Churchill, General Dwight David Eisenhower, Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Joseph Stalin of Russia, General Bernard Montgomery commander of British Forces. Leading the German forces was Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, The Desert Fox. Commanding Rommel was Adolf Hitler leader of the Nazi Party. Hitler rose to power to become dictator of Germany, serving as Chancellor from 1933 and Führer from 1934. During his dictatorship from 1933 to 1945, he initiated World War II in Europe by invading Poland in September 1939.

The amphibious landings on Normandy were preceded by extensive aerial and naval bombardment and an airborne assault-the landing of 24,000 US, British, and Canadian airborne troops shortly after midnight. Allied infantry and armoured divisions began landing on the coast of France at 06:30 am. Planning for the operation had begun in 1943.

Recorded on June 6, 2019

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