Today marks the 76th anniversary of “D-Day”. Here are nine things to know about the battle that changed the outcome of World War II and the course of human history:
On June 6, 1944, U. S. , British, and Canadian military forces launched Operation Overlord, code-named after the largest amphibious invasion in the history of the world. That first day of the invasion? Known as D-Day?began the Battle of Normandy on five different beaches in Normandy, France.
- General Dwight Eisenhower.
- Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force at the European Theatre.
- Oversaw the planning of Operation Overlord.
- On the day of the invasion.
- Eisenhower issued an agenda that was distributed to the expeditionary force of 175.
- 000 members:.
“Soldiers, sailors and aviators of the Allied Expeditionary Force!
He’s about to embark on the Great Crusade, which we’ve led for many months. The eyes of the world are on you. The hope and prayers of those who love freedom everywhere walk with you. Together with our brave allies and brothers-in-arms on other fronts, you will destroy the German war machine, eliminate Nazi tyranny over Europe’s oppressed peoples, and provide us with security in a free world.
Your task won’t be easy. Your enemy is trained, well equipped and hardened in battle. He’ll fight savagely.
But it’s 1944! Much has happened since the Nazi triumphs of 1940-41. The United Nations inflicted great defeats on the Germans, in an open man-to-man battle. Our air offensive has severely reduced its air force and its ability to make war on the ground. Our inland fronts have given us overwhelming superiority in terms of weapons and ammunition and have made available significant reserves of trained fighters. The wind has changed!
I have full confidence in your courage, your dedication to duty and your ability to fight. We will accept nothing less than a complete victory!
And ask for the blessing of God the Almighty in this great and noble enterprise?
3. What does it mean? D?On “D-Day” military historians still do not agree with the exact meaning of this letter. Some claim that this simply means Day and that the coded designation “D-Day” was used on the day of any major military invasion or operation. However, sources claim that when someone wrote to General Eisenhower in 1964 asking for an explanation, his executive assistant, Brigadier General Robert Schultz, replied: “General Eisenhower asked me to respond to his letter. Note that any amphibious operation has an “exit date”; (departure date) therefore the abbreviated term is used?D-Day?
As Prime Minister Winston Churchill said after the invasion: “This vast operation is arguably the most complicated and difficult that has ever taken place. “Prior to D-Day, approximately 3,200 reconnaissance missions were launched to take photos of the landing. On the day of the battle, which began after midnight, more than 2,200 Allied bombers drop about 7 million pounds of bombs in what turned out to be an almost ineffective aerial bombardment of beaches and inland. This wave was followed by 10,521 other aircraft fighters and 24,000 airborne assault troops (i. e. paratroopers).
5. U. S. troops landed on the beaches of Normandy at 6:31 a. m. In the early hours of the invasion, allies landed more than 160,000 soldiers on the beaches, including 73,000 Americans. The biggest casualties occurred on Omaha Beach, where U. S. forces suffered 2,000 casualties. During the first hour, the risk of becoming a victim was one in two.
6. Although the preparation and logistics to get to the fight were an impressive feat, the outcome of the operation required relying on the men who were fighting. Historian Tony Williams notes that “regardless of the enormous logistical preparation, extensive preparation and impressive firepower of the Allies, the success of the invasion depended on each soldier. “A postwar study by the 116th Infantry Division revealed, as historian Peter Caddick-Adams explains, that the success of the invasion was largely due to the initiative and aggressiveness of the small unit chiefs who took advantage of a bad situation. Landing, in most cases, away from their targets, with significant losses of men and equipment still in the water, did they have to improvise to face the unknown fortifications to come?he adds, “it was citizen soldiers of a free society who had the right to take the initiative and discuss the best course of action, while fighting together, in small groups, in pursuit of goal. “
7) Nearly 3,000 Americans were killed or injured on Omaha Beach, most of them in the early hours of the morning (by comparison, this is nearly double the 1,833 killed in combat in Afghanistan over a 17-year period). more than 4,400 Allied soldiers lost their lives during the invasion. However, this was much less than the expected number of casualties that Allied leaders had expected. On the eve of D-Day, Churchill told his wife, “Can you imagine that when you wake up tomorrow morning, 20, 000 men may have already died?
8. After D-Day, the fight for World War II will continue for almost another year. But, as Marc LiVecche says, “D-Day was, in many ways, the first day of the end of the war in Europe. “In August 1944, Allied forces liberated northern France and began moving to Germany, where they would meet Soviet forces and end the Nazi regime.
9. On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the D-Day invasion, President Ronald Reagan gave a speech in Normandy out of the courage and faith of the soldiers:
“The men of Normandy had faith that what they were doing was right, faith that they were fighting for all humanity, faith that a just God would give them mercy on this beach or on another nearby. Was it deep knowledge? And pray . to God that we would not lose it ?, that there is a profound moral difference between the use of force for liberation and the use of force for conquest. You were here to deliver, not to win, and that is why you did not doubt your cause, like many others And you were right not to doubt.
Everyone knew that for some things it was worth dying for, it’s worth dying for your country and your democracy, because it’s the most honest form of government ever created by man. Everyone loved freedom. Everyone was willing to fight tyranny and knew that the people of their countries were with you.
Something else helped the D-Day men: their firm belief that Providence would play an important role in the events that would take place here; that God was an ally in this great cause?
By: Joe Carter. © The Gospel Coalition. Website: voltemosaoevangelho. com. Translated with permission. Source: 9 things to know about D-Day.
Original: 9 things to know about D-Day © Return to the Gospel. Website: voltemosaoevangelho. com. All rights reserved. Translation: Paulo Reiss Junior. Review: Filipe Castelo Branco.