~Koschei~
Operation Overlord, 1944
"You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you. In company with our brave Allies and brothers-in-arms on other Fronts, you will bring about the destruction of the German war machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of Europe, and security for ourselves in a free world."- Supreme Allied Commander Dwight D. Eisenhower.
80 years ago today, the largest land, air, and sea invasion in the history of the world took place. After years of careful planning and deception, the Allied powers began the invasion of Nazi occupied Europe. In the early morning hours of June 6th, 1944, American and British paratroopers descended from their planes into the towns of Normandy to secure strategic towns and bridges, while the Allied navy was transporting the ground forces across the English Channel. The Americans would land at Omaha and Utah beaches, while the British and Canadians would land at Gold, Sword, and Juno beaches. They were also accompanied by free French, Dutch, Greek, Norwegian, Polish, Czech and others from occupied nations. A total of 156,000 of allied troops would take part in the invasion.
Upon landing, the Allies would encounter fierce German resistance, and the defenses of the Atlantic Wall. Despite suffering heavy casualties, the landings were successful. The Germans did not expect landings at such a scale to take place in Normandy, and instead prepared for landings at Calais. Within months, much of France would be liberated, with few remaining German holdouts. By the end of the invasion, a total of 1.4 million allied troops would be in France, with more on the way. The success of the invasion would pave the way for the eventual end of the war against Nazi Germany.
Operation Overlord, 1944
"You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you. In company with our brave Allies and brothers-in-arms on other Fronts, you will bring about the destruction of the German war machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of Europe, and security for ourselves in a free world."- Supreme Allied Commander Dwight D. Eisenhower.
80 years ago today, the largest land, air, and sea invasion in the history of the world took place. After years of careful planning and deception, the Allied powers began the invasion of Nazi occupied Europe. In the early morning hours of June 6th, 1944, American and British paratroopers descended from their planes into the towns of Normandy to secure strategic towns and bridges, while the Allied navy was transporting the ground forces across the English Channel. The Americans would land at Omaha and Utah beaches, while the British and Canadians would land at Gold, Sword, and Juno beaches. They were also accompanied by free French, Dutch, Greek, Norwegian, Polish, Czech and others from occupied nations. A total of 156,000 of allied troops would take part in the invasion.
Upon landing, the Allies would encounter fierce German resistance, and the defenses of the Atlantic Wall. Despite suffering heavy casualties, the landings were successful. The Germans did not expect landings at such a scale to take place in Normandy, and instead prepared for landings at Calais. Within months, much of France would be liberated, with few remaining German holdouts. By the end of the invasion, a total of 1.4 million allied troops would be in France, with more on the way. The success of the invasion would pave the way for the eventual end of the war against Nazi Germany.