D-DayClay Jones

2A

Purpose for Invasion Even after the Battle of Stalingrad and the

Russian counteroffensives that pushed back Hitler’s perimeters of territory of eastern Europe, he still controlled a huge portion of western Europe except neutral Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, and Sweden.

Without direct intervention by the U.S. Hitler’s power and military dominance would be prolonged for years.

The Invasion June 6, 1944- Normandy, France, General Eisenhower made

the decision to invade the beaches of France.-Over 160,000 Allied troops and 30,000 vehicles are landed along a 50-mile stretch of fortified French coastline and begin fighting on the beaches of Normandy.

Three months before D-Day, a strategic air campaign was inaugurated, this prepared for the invasion by restricting the enemy from shifting their reserves.

Strategy There were five beaches that were invaded:-Omaha-Utah-Sword-Gold-Juno There were also five units; 2 U.S., 2 British, and 1 Canadian.

Aftermath The invasion was a huge piece of the plan to end

the Nazi Reich.

By the end of August 1944, all of northern France was liberated.

Facts Invasion also known as “Operation Overlord” Band of Brothers: the paratroopers in the movie were just

like the ones that actually landed in Normandy on D- day. The “Bedford Boys”

-Nineteen boys from one small American town — Bedford, Virginia — died in the first minutes of D-Day. In the new book "The Bedford Boys," Alex Kershaw tells the story that inspired the movie "Saving Private Ryan."

The scheduled date to invade was pushed back a day to June 6, 1944 because of bad weather that threatened the landing of the troops.

Cont.

Works Cited "American Experience . D-Day . Maps | PBS." PBS: Public Broadcasting

Service. Web. 06 Apr. 2011. <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/dday/maps/index.html>.

"D-Day Fact Sheet, 6 June 1944 Normandy, France: Ike:General Dwight D. Eisenhower Center: Operation Overlord, Omaha Beach, Invasion of Europe." Kansas Heritage Group | Established 1993 | Kansas (KS) History, Old WestKS, Cities, Museums, Art, Racing, Cowboy Cooking, Laughead Web | Www.kansasheritage.org. Web. 06 Apr. 2011. <http://www.kansasheritage.org/abilene/ikedday.html>.

"D-Day." World War II History Info. Web. 06 Apr. 2011. <http://worldwar2history.info/D-Day/>.

“Encyclopædia Britannica's Guide to Normandy 1944." Encyclopedia - Britannica Online Encyclopedia. Web. 06 Apr. 2011. <http://www.britannica.com/dday>.