Sgt Eagle
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June 6 1944 -D-DAY
D-DAY HISTORY
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In 1943 General Sir F.E. Morgan was entrusted with preparing a European Invasion plan .He did a remarkable job in 1943 along with his team by gathering information and bringing together the equipement necessary for the "Overlord " mission.On D-DAY the plan provided for the landing of three infantry divisions and two Airborne brigades on th Calvados coast defended by the 7th German Army.The planned date was May 1st 1944.At the teheran conference on November 28th General Dwight D.Eisenhower was named Commander-in-Chief in Europe and Commander-in-Chief of all forces in North Westen Europe.Field Marshal Sir Bernard Law Montgomery was named to command the 21st Army group.The operation was postponed,for technical reasons,until the first week of June and total forces were increased by two divisions for the first wave of assault and backed up by 14 regiments,commandos and special service troops.The landing front was widened by 40 kilometers.The two airborne brigades that were to be released on each flank of the invasionn front were increased by three full divisions.In the evening of june 5th,the tremendous armada that included 4266 landing ships and crafts,not including hundreds of war ships,left the ports of Southern great Britain and headed for Normandy.Shortly after midnight,to the west of the Vire river,two American Airborne divisions,the 82nd and 101st,flew over the Contentin peninsula .The 101st division had two objectives:to sieze the 4 outlets to Utah Beach and to protect the South flank of the bridgehead.The 82nd division was to sieze the two banks of the Merderet River from Ste-Mère-Eglise and extend its territories to the West if possible.On the left flank between the Orne and Vire Rivers,the British 6th Airborne division was to destroy 4 bridges on the Dives River and one bridge on the Divette river at Varaville,capture the Benouville-Ranville bridges (since known as Pegasus bridge)and Neutralize the Merville battery.
The 1st American Army commanded by General Omar Bradley, consisting of the VIIth and Vth army corps,was to land between Ste-Honorine des Pertes and St-Martin-de-Varreville on the beaches code named "OMAHA"for the 1st and 29th infantry divisions and "UTAH"for the 4th infantry division.
The 2nd British Army commanded by General Dempsey,consisting of the 1st and 30th Army Corps,was entrusted with the mission of landing on the west coast of Calvados,between Collevill"e and Le Hamel on the beaches code-named "GOLD"for the 50th Northumbrian infantry division,"JUNO"for the 3rd Canadian infantry division and "SWORD"for the the 3rd British infantry division.
The objective of these two armies was to maintain a solid bridgehead on the night of June 6th,including the towns of Carentan,Bayeux and Caen.
On the night of June 6th, allied forces broke truogh te "ATLANTIC WALL"over a 60 kilometers front and accomplished the first phase of the Overlord plan at a price of 3881 killed,wounded or missing soldiers.The second phase of the operation,wich is now refered to as the Battle of Normandy lasted 78 days and putted 2 million allied soldiers against 740000 German soldiers.The battle would end with the taken of the Falaise Pocket.This long and hard war cost the Allies 206703 men and cost the Germans 240000 as well as 210000 prisoners who left 80%of their equipement on the battle field .The civilian population was also in mourning .In tnhe departements of Calvados and La Manche, ther were 45000 victims recorded including 10000 dead.Such was the price paid for the Battle of Normandy,wich paved the way to a quick French campaign and the overthrowing of Nazi Germany on May 8th 1945.
Sgt Eagle
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From this day till the ending of the world we in it shall be remembered ,we Band Of Brothers Henry V-W.Shakespear
Eendracht maakt Macht !
GO Belgium
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4/29/2004, 11:09 am
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Sgt Eagle
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Re: June 6 1944 -D-DAY
This was what D-Day was like for the US soldiers on Omaha Beach .
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From this day till the ending of the world we in it shall be remembered ,we Band Of Brothers Henry V-W.Shakespear
Eendracht maakt Macht !
GO Belgium
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5/29/2004, 2:04 pm
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