D-Day: The Beginning of the End

The first day of the Battle of Normandy June 6th, 1944

By: Lily Ayau Period. 1

D-Day was the beginning of the end of the war in Europe, and the foundation it set for the two month battle to come was a pivotal

point in the war’s history

Thesis Statement

-On June 6th, 1944,

thousands of young

soldiers landed on five

beaches along the

coastline of German-

occupied France.

-With the code name

“Operation Overload”, one

Canadian division, two

British divisions, and three

U.S divisions were sent into

battle that day

Many of the soldiers weren’t even 20

years old when they marched into

battle

There were over 13,000 planes and 5,000 ships.

-Over 13,000 paratroopers flew

behind German lines on the

morning of D-Day, and assisted

with the invasion of Utah Beach

-In addition to the

airborne assault, troops

landed at Utah Beach,

Omaha Beach, Gold

Beach, Juno Beach, and

Sword Beach.

Paratroopers encountered obstacles like bad weather and disorganization during their mission on D-Day

-The invasion at Omaha Beach

was arguably the most difficult.

The terrain allowed German

soldiers to shoot down

unprotected troops by the dozens,

while still being hidden from the

warships.

-In addition to the geography, the

Allies were unaware of the kind of

opposition they’d be facing,

believing that the 352nd division

was no less than 20 miles away

from the shore.

An estimated 4,000 brave men died on D-DayBy week’s end, the Allies had secured 50 miles of French coastline. Over the coming months, the Allies would liberate Northern France, and by spring 1945, they would end the war in Europe.

American Paratroopers Prepare to Jump into Occupied France on June 6, 1944 — D-Day. 1944. Photograph. Veterans Writing Project. Web. 9 Dec. 2012. <http://veteranswriting.org/participation/>."ARMY.MIL Features." Airborne and Beach Assault. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2012."ARMY.MIL Features." D-Day. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2012.D-Day: Cargo Vehicles. 1944. Photograph. Army.mil. Army.mil. 31 May 2007. Web. 9 Dec. 2012. <http://usarmy.vo.llnwd.net/e2/-images/2007/05/31/5352/>.D-Day: Cargo Vehicles. N.d. Photograph. Army.mil, n.p."D-Day." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2012.D-Day: Omaha Beach. 1944. Photograph. Army.mil. Army.mil. 31 May 2007. Web. 9 Dec. 2012. <http://usarmy.vo.llnwd.net/e2/-images/2007/05/31/5346/>.D-Day: Soldiers on a Landing Craft. 1944. Photograph. Army.mil. Army.mil. 31 May 2007. Web. 9 Dec. 2012. <http://usarmy.vo.llnwd.net/e2/-images/2007/05/31/5343/>.Quartermasters Hit the Beach. 1944. Photograph. Quartermasters on D-Day. Web. 9 Dec. 2012. <http://www.qmmuseum.lee.army.mil/d-day/d-day.htm>."Worrld War II - D-Day, the Allied Invasion of Normandy - National D-Day Memorial." Worrld War II - D-Day, the Allied Invasion of Normandy - National D-Day Memorial. N.p., 10 Dec. 2012. Web. 10 Dec. 2012.

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