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Government
Views of D-Day 1944
"On 6 June 1944 the Western Allies landed in northern France, opening the long-awaited 'Second Front' against Adolf Hitler's Germany. ... Commanded by U.S. Army General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Normandy assault phase, code-named "Neptune" (the entire operation was "Overlord"), was launched when weather reports predicted satisfactory conditions on 6 June.Hundreds of amphibious ships and craft, supported by combatant warships, crossed the English Channel behind dozens of minesweepers. They arrived off the beaches before dawn. Three divisions of paratroopers (two American, one British) had already been dropped inland. Following a brief bombardment by ships' guns, Soldiers of six divisions (three American, two British and one Canadian) stormed ashore in five main landing areas, named "Utah", "Omaha", "Gold", "Juno" and "Sword." After hard fighting, especially on "Omaha" Beach, by day's end a foothold was well established."
Above taken from "Normandy Invasion - June 1944," U.S. Navy (see below under "Photographs")
Air Operations
Go to: Air OperationsThe Air Forces and Airborne Troops
"D-Day could not have happened without support from the air. The Royal Air Force, United States Army Air Force, and other Allied air force units and personnel provided protection and support as the fleet crossed the English Channel and as the troops landed on the beaches. Airborne troops landed by glider and parachute on both flanks of the beach landings, to defend against German counter-attacks."
D-Day Museum, Portsmouth, England
http://www.ddaymuseum.co.uk/memory_airforce.htmThe Air Operations in Support of the Landings
"The Allied plan for supporting the landings was divided into several specific goals. This series of attacks had begun the previous year with the steady interdiction of the transport network in northern and western France to prevent the rapid reinforcement of the beachhead area. ... Finally, in the build up to the invasion itself, two more elements of air power came into play. Fighter sweeps and standing air patrols were flown to prevent any German air activity over the channel ports and invasion area. ... The transport air forces brought both men and supplies to the beachead area in vast numbers. Transport gliders and paratroopers were flown into the area behind the beachead to disrupt the organisation of German land forces."
The Royal Air Force
http://www.raf.mod.uk/dday/Air Operations - The Invasion of Normandy
Map
New Zealanders with the Royal Air Force
Vol. II, Chapter 10
Official Histories of New Zealand in the Second World War
Victoria University's New Zealand Electronic Text Centre
http://www.nzetc.org/etexts/WH2-2RAF/WH2-2RAF284a.jpgAir Power Over the Normandy Beaches and Beyond
Richard P. Hallion, Air Force Historian
Air Force History and Museums Program
http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/AAF/AAF-H-DDay/Allied Soldiers killed in Glider Crash - Damaged Glider in Background
N.B.... This is a graphic photo
Eisenhower Presidential Library
http://www.dwightdeisenhower.com/ddayphotos/71x116.jpgCampbell Gray - 5th Battalion (Scottish) Parachute Regiment
"It was one o'clock in the morning, and I was 500ft over Normandy waiting to jump from a Stirling bomber. I was one of the vast numbers of airborne forces involved in Operation Overlord."
WII : The People's War
British Broadcasting Corporation
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/ww2/A1951490D-Day Airborne Drop Zones and Objectives
Map
Canada's Digital Collections
http://collections.ic.gc.ca/TOHarchive/Assets/MAPS/DDayMap.jpgD-Day Planes
Photograph
New Zealanders with the Royal Air Force
Vol. II, Chapter 4
Official Histories of New Zealand in the Second World War
Victoria University's New Zealand Electronic Text Centre
http://www.nzetc.org/etexts/WH2-2RAF/WH2-2RAF017b.jpgEighth Air Force Tactical Operations in Support of Allied Landings in Normandy : 2 June - 17 June 1944
Eisenhower Presidential Library
http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/dl/dday/010June_2_June17_1944BEightAirForceJune1944.pdf (PDF)German Army Headquarters in Normandy attacked by fighter-bombers of the Second Tactical Air Force
Photograph
New Zealanders with the Royal Air Force
Vol. II, Chapter 4
Official Histories of New Zealand in the Second World War
Victoria University's New Zealand Electronic Text Centre
http://www.nzetc.org/etexts/WH2-2RAF/WH2-2RAF019a.jpgGliders bring in Supplies to U.S. Army Troops fighting on Utah Beach, Les Dunes De Madeleine, France, June 6, 1944
Photograph
Eisenhower Presidential Library
http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/dl/dday/70232.pdf (PDF)Normandy
New Zealanders with the Royal Air Force
Vol. II, Chapter 10
Official Histories of New Zealand in the Second World War
Victoria University's New Zealand Electronic Text Centre
http://www.nzetc.org/etexts/WH2-2RAF/c10.htmlPre Invasion Air Attacks
Map
New Zealanders with the Royal Air Force
Vol. II, Chapter 8
Official Histories of New Zealand in the Second World War
Victoria University's New Zealand Electronic Text Centre
http://www.nzetc.org/etexts/WH2-2RAF/WH2-2RAF021a.jpgPrelude to Invasion
New Zealanders with the Royal Air Force
Vol. II, Chapter 9
Official Histories of New Zealand in the Second World War
Victoria University's New Zealand Electronic Text Centre
http://www.nzetc.org/etexts/WH2-2RAF/c9.htmlParatroopers Drop In: 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion on D-Day
Video Clip
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Television Archives
http://archives.cbc.ca/IDC-1-71-1317-7867/conflict_war/d-day/clip3Report of the 82nd Airborne Division : "Operation Neptune" at Normandy
6 June - 8 July 1944
Eisenhower Presidential Library
Cover:
http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/dl/dday/ReportonactioninNormandy6-744pga.pdf (PDF)
Page A:
http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/dl/dday/DDEreportonlandingarea61844pg3.pdf (PDF)
Section II (Narrative):
http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/dl/dday/ReportonactioninNormandy6-744pgb.pdf (PDF)
Section II - Page 2:
http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/dl/dday/ReportonactioninNormandy6-744pg2.pdf (PDF)
Section II - Page 3:
http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/dl/dday/ReportonactioninNormandy6-744pg3.pdf (PDF)
Section II - Page 4:
http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/dl/dday/ReportonactioninNormandy6-744pg4.pdf (PDF)
Section II - Page 5:
http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/dl/dday/ReportonactioninNormandy6-744pg5.pdf (PDF)
Section II - Page 6:
http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/dl/dday/ReportonactioninNormandy6-744pg6.pdf (PDF)
Section II - Page 7:
http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/dl/dday/ReportonactioninNormandy6-744pg7.pdf (PDF)Third Battalion, 325th Glider Infantry
"The Forcing of the Merderet Causeway at La Fiere, France" (9 June 1944)
S.L.A. Marshall
"These facts were developed at a battalion critique in Leicester, England, on 2-3 August, 1944, with all surviving officers and NCOs present. In the narrative, the witnesses are self-identifying."
Historical Manuscripts Collection 8-3.1 BB 4
Center of Military History, U.S. Army
http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/documents/wwii/lafiere/325-LaF.htmWWII 8th Air Force Combat Chronology : January 1944 through June 1944
"In all, 1,729 bombers drop 3,596 tons of bombs during D-Day."
Eighth Air Force Historical Society
http://www.8thafhs.org/combat1944a.htm
Go to: Table of Contents
Allied Commanders
See also: D-Day Planning - Allied Command
See also: General Eisenhower
Allied Commanders
Go to: Allied CommandersThe Allied Commanders
jpeg image of January 1944 meeting of Operation Overlord Commanders, General Eisenhower, Walter B. Smith, Omar Bradley, Arthur Tedder, Bernard Montgomery, Trafford Leigh-Mallory and Bertram Ramsay
The Eisenhower Presidential Library
http://www.dwightdeisenhower.com/spykit/images/Photo663092.jpgSenior Officers on the U.S.S. Augusta
"Senior U.S. officers watching operations from the bridge of USS Augusta (CA-31), off Normandy, 8 June 1944. They are (from left to right): Rear Admiral Alan G. Kirk, USN, Commander Western Naval Task Force; Lieutenant General Omar N. Bradley, U.S. Army, Commanding General, U.S. First Army; Rear Admiral Arthur D. Struble, USN, (with binoculars) Chief of Staff for RAdm. Kirk and Major General Hugh Keen, U.S. Army."
jpeg image, U.S. Navy Photograph
http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/images/g250000/g252940.jpgSenior U.S. Army officers on board USS Ancon (AGC-4), 5 June 1944
"Senior U.S. Army officers on board USS Ancon (AGC-4), 5 June 1944, the day before Allied forces landed on Normandy.
They are, from left to right: Major General C.J. Huebner, Commanding General, First Division; Major General L.T. Gerow, Commanding General, Fifth Corps; and Brigadier General W.M. Hoge.
Ancon was command ship for the "Omaha" Beach assault.
Official U.S. Navy Photograph
http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/images/h99000/h99216.jpgU.S. Army World War II Corps Commanders : A Composite Biography
Robert H. Berlin
Combat Studies Institute (CSI) Report
Command & General Staff College
http://cgsc.leavenworth.army.mil/carl/resources/csi/Berlin2/BERLIN2.asp (HTML)
http://cgsc.leavenworth.army.mil/carl/download/csipubs/berlin2.pdf (PDF)World War II Division Commanders
LTC Gary Wade
Combat Studies Institute (CSI) Report
Command & General Staff College
http://cgsc.leavenworth.army.mil/carl/resources/csi/wade2/wade2.asp (HTML)
http://cgsc.leavenworth.army.mil/carl/download/csipubs/worldwar.pdf (PDF)
Go to: Table of ContentsCOSSAC (Chief of Staff to Supreme Allied Commander)
Go to: Allied CommandersHistory of COSSAC (Chief of Staff to Supreme Allied Commander) 1943 - 1944
"It was agreed at Casablanca [January 1943] ... that the work of preparing for the grand assault on the fortress of Europe must go forward ... For the present it was decided to appoint a Chief of Staff to the Supreme Commander, under whom would be established a United States–British staff ... It was expected that the Supreme Commander ultimately to be appointed would be a British general and that he would have an American deputy, so the nomination of the Chief of Staff was decided on parallel lines. Lieut-General F. E. Morgan was appointed to this post, with Brig-General R. W. Barker, of the U.S. Army, (who had previously been associated with the Combined Commanders) as his deputy. To these men accordingly fell the task of building up the organization which was to plan the allied invasion of North-West Europe."
Historical Manuscripts Collection 8-3.6A CA
Center of Military History
U.S. Army
http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/documents/cossac/Cossac.htm
Go to: Table of ContentsGeneral Omar Bradley
Go to: Allied CommandersThe Allied Commanders
jpeg image of January 1944 meeting of Operation Overlord Commanders: General Eisenhower, Walter B. Smith, Omar Bradley, Arthur Tedder, Bernard Montgomery, Trafford Leigh-Mallory and Bertram Ramsay
General Bradley is on the far left
The Eisenhower Presidential Library
http://www.dwightdeisenhower.com/spykit/images/Photo663092.jpgBiography of General Omar Bradley
This biography includes a number of images/photos including several Time and Life magazine covers that featured the General and photographs of his funeral procession.
Arlington National Cemetery
http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/omarnels.htm"General Omar Bradley [and] General Dwight D. Eisenhower shaking hands with Sergeant Richard Gallager, New York, NY after presenting him with the Distinguished Service Medal. On Gallager's right is Corporal Stanley Appleby, Clarksville, NY, members of the US 1st Division."
Photograph
Eisenhower Presidential Library
http://www.dwightdeisenhower.com/ddayphotos/66x738.jpgOmar N. Bradley - Bibliography
This bibliography includes Internet Resources, Books, Documents, Periodicals and Videos
Diana Simpson
Bibliographer, Air University Library
http://www.au.af.mil/au/aul/bibs/great/brad.htmOmar Nelson Bradley
This biography of General Bradley includes a discussion of the General's participation in both the planning and execution of the Normandy Campaign.
Center of Military History
U.S. Army
http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/brochures/bradley/bradley.htmSenior Officers on the U.S.S. Augusta off Normandy - 8 June 1944
"Senior U.S. officers watching operations from the bridge of USS Augusta (CA-31), off Normandy, 8 June 1944. They are (from left to right): Rear Admiral Alan G. Kirk, USN, Commander Western Naval Task Force; Lieutenant General Omar N. Bradley, U.S. Army, Commanding General, U.S. First Army; Rear Admiral Arthur D. Struble, USN, (with binoculars) Chief of Staff for RAdm. Kirk and Major General Hugh Keen, U.S. Army."
jpeg image, U.S. Navy Photograph
http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/images/g250000/g252940.jpg
Go to: Table of ContentsGeneral J. Lawton Collins
Go to: Allied CommandersGeneral J(oseph) Lawton Collins ("Lightning Joe")
General Collins was appointed Commander of VII Corps in December 1943 and commanded VII Corps on 6 June 1944 in the Utah Beach landings. General Collins later served as U.S. Army Chief of Staff during the Korean War.
Photo and Biography
New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs
http://www.state.nj.us/military/korea/biographies/collins.htmlConversations with General J. Lawton Collins
"On 17 May 1983, student and faculty seminars were held with General J. Lawton Collins at the Command and General Staff College (CGSC), Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas. For the students and faculty of CGSC, this visit presented a unique opportunity to discuss issues with a wartime corps commander. General Omar Bradley once termed Collins the ablest of all American corps commanders during World War II."
Transcribed by Major Gary Wade
Combat Studies Institute Report No. 5
http://www-cgsc.army.mil/carl/resources/csi/wade3/wade3.asp
Go to: Table of ContentsGeneral Bernard Montgomery
Field Marshall Montgomery commanded the Allied ground forces on D-DayGo to: Allied CommandersThe Montgomery Caravans
"This three-vehicle mobile tactical headquarters was used by Field Marshal Viscount Montgomery of Alamein (1887 - 1976) throughout the campaign in North West Europe from D-Day until he took the surrender of German Forces in Holland, Denmark and north west Germany at Luneburg Heath in May 1945."
The Imperial War Museum, Duxford, England
http://www.iwm.org.uk/duxford/land7.htm
N.B....This site is no longer active, but has been kept in the bibliography for purposes of historical continuity.The Montgomery Collections
The Imperial War Museum, London, England
Page 1:
http://www.iwm.org.uk/lambeth/montyapp.htm
Page 2:
http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/docs/monty.htm
N.B....These sites are no longer active, but have been kept in the bibliography for purposes of historical continuity.Monty
The Imperial War Museum, London, England
http://duxford.iwm.org.uk/server.php?show=ConWebDoc.1185&navId=00d009NARA Photographs
The National Archives has several photographs of General Montgomery online, including images of Montgomery in 1942 in a tank in North Africa and several images of the General meeting with President Truman in the White House Rose Garden in 1946.
Search NARA's database using the phrase "General Montgomery"
http://arcweb.archives.gov/arc/basic_search.jspPortraits - Bernard Montgomery
The British Movie Tone newsreel company has put short montages of a number of well-known personalities online. The video clips are from the company's newsreel archives and run about a minute. While there is music in the background, there is no voice-over explaining the individual clips.
Choose the "Personalities" link and then choose "Bernard Montgomery."
http://www.movietone-portraits.com/Main.cfm
Go to: Table of ContentsAdmiral Sir Bertram Ramsay
See also: Naval Operations
"Our task in conjunction with the Merchant Navies of the United Nations and supported by the Allied Air Forces, is to carry the Allied Expeditionary Force to the Continent, to establish it there in a secure bridgehead and to build it up and maintain it at a rate which will outmatch that of the enemy.
Let no one underestimate the magnitude of this task.
Special Order of the Day, 31 May 1944
by Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsay KCB, KBE, MVO
Allied Naval Commander-in-Chief"
(above from "The Royal Navy and Operation Neptune")
http://www.royal-navy.mod.uk/server/show/conWebDoc.1866/changeNav/3533Go to: Allied CommandersAdmiral Sir Bertram Ramsay, 1883-1945
"As Allied Naval Commander, Expeditionary Force from October 1943, Ramsay was responsible for Operation 'Neptune', the naval contribution to invasion of Normandy, and the greatest amphibious operation in history. It was also primarily a Royal Navy effort; only 346 of the 2,468 major vessels involved on D-Day, 6 June 1944 were American."
The Royal Navy
http://www.royal-navy.mod.uk/server/show/conWebDoc.890/changeNav/3533
Go to: Table of ContentsBrigadier General Theodore Roosevelt, Jr.
Go to: Allied CommandersSagamore Hill: National Historic Site - Home of Theodore Roosevelt Jr.
The National Park Service
http://www.nps.gov/archive/sahi/oom.htmTheodore Roosevelt Jr.
The son of one President (Theodore Roosevelt) and the cousin of another (Franklin Delano Roosevelt), General Roosevelt served in both World Wars and earned every decoration available to a member of the infantry, including the Medal of Honor. At the time of the Invasion, General Roosevelt was Assistant Division Commander of the 4th Division and led his troops ashore on D-Day. He was the first General Officer to come ashore during the Invasion and earned the Medal of Honor for his courage and bravery on Utah Beach. General Roosevelt died in Normandy from a heart attack on 12 July 1944.
Photograph showing General Roosevelt sitting in his jeep which he had named "Rough Rider" after his father's well known unit in the Spanish American War.
Eisenhower Presidential Library
http://www.dwightdeisenhower.com/ddayphotos/65x329.jpg
Go to: Table of Contents
Art & D-Day
Go to: Art & D-DayIndian Code Talkers
Painting by Wayne Cooper
"Charles Chibitty is pictured doing his job as a code talker on Omaha Beach. He represents all of the Oklahoma Code Talkers of World War II."
The Oklahoma Senate
http://www.oksenate.gov/senate_artwork/indian_code_talkers.htmlOrville Fisher - Canadian War Artist
"Orville Fisher's paintings of the Second World War constitute one of the most complete records of Canada's day-to-day role in that conflict. Perhaps his chief claim to fame is that he was the only Allied war artist to land in Normandy on D-Day, 6 June 1944"
Canadian War Museum
http://search.civilization.ca/dwesearch.asp?showDoc=41306&page=1&resultsetToken=IKT000024351.1083165995&Lang=en&docType=Navy Artists & D-Day
The Invasion of Normandy
"While the invasion forces gathered throughout Great Britain, the United States Navy assigned combat artists to record the great adventure. For the young artists, the challenge was unique. During their training period, they lived with the crews of the vessels destined to take part in the invasion; they rode the ships across the channel and accompanied the troops as they landed. Their paintings, including descriptions of their work, were subject to strict censorship. Not until well after the events occurred did the Navy Art Collection receive these historic records."
Naval Art Collection
Naval Historical Center
http://www.history.navy.mil/ac/d-day/exdday/exdday.htm
Go to: Table of Contents
The Beaches
Overview
Go to: The BeachesD-Day Bagpipes
Bill Millin, "who piped British troops onto the Normandy Beaches on D-Day has donated the bagpipes to the Scottish War Museum."
The British Broadcasting Corporation
http://www.bbc.co.uk/devon/news/012001/17/dday_piper.shtmlThe Landing Beaches
Map showing the 5 landing beaches (Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword), as well as details of the activity on each beach on 6 June 1944
150th Combat Engineer Battalion of WW II
http://www.150th.com/letters/omahabch.htmNormandy Beachhead June 1944
The Warfighters Encyclopedia
U.S. Navy
https://wrc.navair-rdte.navy.mil/warfighter_enc/History/Battles/NormWWII/bechhead.htm
Go to: Table of ContentsGold Beach
Go to: Gold BeachBritish Assault Area - Naval Operation Orders
The division of the British Assault Area (Gold, Juno and Sword Beaches) including specific latitudes and longitudes and a map.
Eisenhower Presidential Library
http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/dl/dday/008May_28_1944ABritishAssaultAreaNavalOperations1944.pdf (PDF)Gold Beach - 60 Years On
"Gold Beach 60 Years On is a WW II re-enactment event that took place in June 2004 at Ver sur Mer in Normandy, France. The objectives of the event were to set up and run a WWII Living History camp in Normandy for the June 2004 commemorations and to initiate and maintain a long-term working relationship between British WWII re-enactment groups and the communities close to Gold Beach."
Because of the success of the re-enactment, a permanent "Gold Beach 60 Years On" re-enactment group has been established.
http://www.goldbeach.org.uk/Memories of Gold Beach
"50th (Northumbrian) Division and supporting units landed on Gold Beach. After heavy fighting they advanced inland. Their aim was to seize the town of Bayeux and Caen-Bayeux road (permitting east-west communications)."
D-Day Museum, Portsmouth, England
http://www.ddaymuseum.co.uk/memory_gold.htm
Go to: The Beaches
Go to: Table of ContentsJuno Beach
Go to: Juno BeachBritish Assault Area - Naval Operation Orders
The division of the British Assault Area (Gold, Juno and Sword Beaches) including specific latitudes and longitudes and a map.
Eisenhower Presidential Library
http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/dl/dday/008May_28_1944ABritishAssaultAreaNavalOperations1944.pdf (PDF)Canadian Soldiers Walk onto Juno Beach
6 June 1944
Canadian Department of Defense photo
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
http://www.cbc.ca/news/photogalleries/dday/images/04_dday.jpgD-Day
Veteran Affairs Canada
http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/general/sub.cfm?source=history/secondwar/normandy/dday (English)
http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/general_f/sub.cfm?source=history/secondwar/normandy/dday (French)Juno Beach Centre
"The Juno Beach Centre is a museum and cultural centre, which opened at Courseulles-sur-Mer [France] on June 6, 2003. The Centre presents the war effort made by all Canadians."
http://www.junobeach.org/Centre/index.html (English)
http://www.junobeach.org/Centre/index_fr.html (French)Memories of Juno Beach
"Juno was the Canadian beach. Here, the 3rd Canadian Division faced tough opposition before it was able to drive inland and link with British troops on Gold Beach, to the west."
D-Day Museum, Portsmouth, England
http://www.ddaymuseum.co.uk/memory_juno.htmMy D-Day: With the Royal Engineers on Juno
Reg A. Clarke
WW2 : People's War
British Broadcasting Corporation
http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stories/98/a1144298.shtmlOne Regiment's Story: The Regina Rifles at Juno
Video Clip
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Television Archives
http://archives.cbc.ca/IDC-1-71-1317-7873/conflict_war/d-day/clip9Royal Canadian Navy Large Infantry Landing Craft with Reinforcements at Juno Beach
Photo taken shortly after the landings on 6 June 1944
Royal Canadian Archives
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
http://www.cbc.ca/news/photogalleries/dday/images/06_dday.jpgThe Royal Corps of Signals on Juno Beach
Ronald James Carpenter
WW2 : People's War
British Broadcasting Corporation
http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stories/43/a2631043.shtmlA Tale of Six Scaffolding Poles: Juno Beach on D-Day
Tony Lowndes
WW2 : People's War
British Broadcasting Corporation
http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stories/01/a2541601.shtml
Go to: The Beaches
Go to: Table of ContentsOmaha Beach
Go to: Omaha BeachD-Day Landings on Omaha Beach
Photographs
Naval Historical Center
Part I:
http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/events/wwii-eur/normandy/nor4o.htm
Part II:
http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/events/wwii-eur/normandy/nor4o2.htm
Offshore Activities:
http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/events/wwii-eur/normandy/nor4o5.htmFirst U.S. Infantry Assault Map
Dated April 1944, this map shows the obstacles and defenses on Omaha Beach
jpeg image
Eisenhower Presidential Library
http://www.dwightdeisenhower.com/spykit/images/Document12.jpgFrench Civilians place Crosses at the Graves of American Soldiers in a Cemetery on Omaha Beach
Photograph
Eisenhower Presidential Library
http://www.dwightdeisenhower.com/ddayphotos/75x64.jpgIndian Head Division (2nd Infantry Division) on Omaha Beach
Photograph
Eisenhower Presaidential Library
http://www.dwightdeisenhower.com/ddayphotos/70x215.jpgThe Invasion of Omaha Beach, The LCI-91 & Crew
Frank Vyn
The U.S. Coast Guard
http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g-cp/history/Vyn_Article.htmlMedic on Omaha Beach
"A medic of the 3d Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment., 1st U.S. Infantry Division, moves along a narrow strip of Omaha Beach administering first aid to men wounded in the landing. The men, having gained the comparative safety offered by the chalk cliff at their backs, take a breather before moving into the interior of the continent. Collville, Sur-Mer, Normandy, France. Photographer: Taylor, 6 June 1944."
Photograph
U.S. Army Center for Military History
http://www.army.mil/cmh/reference/Normandy/Images/SC189925-S.jpgMemories of Omaha Beach
"This beach is now known as 'Bloody Omaha' because of the 2,200 casualties suffered by the American troops who landed here on D-Day. High cliffs and strong German defences made this a formidable objective. Despite heavy losses, by the end of 6 June the US 1st and 29th Divisions, and the 2nd and 5th Ranger Battalions, had gained a foothold at Omaha."
D-Day Museum, Portsmouth, England
http://www.ddaymuseum.co.uk/memory_omaha.htmNormandy Invasion - Omaha Beach
U.S. Office of War Information Newsreel Report
Audio and Video Clips
Encyclopaedia Britannica
http://search.eb.com/dday/art-40670Omaha Beach
Eisenhower Presidential Library
http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/omaha.htmOmaha Beachhead (6 June - 13 June 1944)
American Forces in Action Series
Historical Division, War Department
Facsimile Reprint, CMH Pub 100-11
Center of Military History, United States Army
http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/books/wwii/100-11/100-11.htmOrder of Battle OB [Omaha Beach] West
jpeg image
Eisenhower Presidential Library
http://www.dwightdeisenhower.com/spykit/images/map2.jpg"A Platoon of Black Troops surround a Farm House as they prepare to eliminate a German Sniper holding up an advance, on Omaha Beachhead, near Vierville Sur-Mer-France, June 10, 1944"
Photograph
Eisenhower Presidential Library
http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/dl/dday/71244.pdf (PDF)Rear Admiral John L. Hall, Jr., USN
"Rear Admiral John L. Hall, Jr., USN, Commander Task Force 124, the 'Omaha' Beach Assault Force
On board USS Ancon (AGC-4) during the Normandy invasion, June 1944."
(The Ancon was the command ship for the "Omaha' Beach Assault Force.)
Official U.S. Navy Photograph
The National Archives
http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/images/g50000/g59419.jpgRetired Yeoman Chief Petty Officer Ray Perez
"He was a yeoman on "Easy Red" sector of Omaha Beach with the 6th Beach Battalion ... Beach battalions were a new kind of unit in World War II, often described as traffic cops for the invasion."
Ensign Susan D. Henson
Navy News Service
http://www.defenselink.mil/specials/heroes/perez.htmlSoldier gazes out to Sea on Omaha Beach
Photograph
Eisenhower Presidential Library
http://www.dwightdeisenhower.com/ddayphotos/71x117.jpgTrench Warfare: German Defenses on Omaha Beach
Map
Encyclopaedia Britannica
http://search.eb.com/dday/art-40544U.S.S. Ancon
The U.S.S. Ancon was command ship for the "Omaha" Beach assault.
Official U.S. Navy Photographs
Catholic Mass on board the U.S.S. Ancon, 3 June 1944
http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/images/g230000/g231759.jpg
Protestant Church Service on board the U.S.S. Ancon, 3 June 1944
http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/images/g230000/g231758.jpg
Rear Admiral John L. Hall, Jr., USN, Commander Task Force 124, the 'Omaha' Beach Assault Force on board USS Ancon (AGC-4) during the Normandy invasion, June 1944
http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/images/g50000/g59419.jpg
Senior U.S. Army officers on board USS Ancon (AGC-4), 5 June 1944
http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/images/h99000/h99216.jpg
Go to: The Beaches
Go to: Table of ContentsSword Beach
Go to: Sword BeachBritish Assault Area - Naval Operation Orders
The division of the British Assault Area (Gold, Juno and Sword Beaches) including specific latitudes and longitudes and a map.
Eisenhower Presidential Library
http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/dl/dday/008May_28_1944ABritishAssaultAreaNavalOperations1944.pdf (PDF)Landing On Sword: Onboard LSI HMS Princess Astrid
George Henry Kirkby (AB Coxwain Combined Ops) 500th Flotilla
WW2 : The People's War
British Broadcasting Corporation
http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stories/65/a2649765.shtmlMemories of Sword Beach
"3rd British Division landed here, on the eastern-most beach. The division fought inland, but was not able to capture one of its objectives – the city of Caen. Commandos marching inland linked up with troops of 6th Airborne Division who had captured the famous Pegasus Bridge."
D-Day Museum, Portsmouth, England
http://www.ddaymuseum.co.uk/memory_sword.htmSilent Film Footage - Sword Beach Landing - D-Day
(You will neeed RealPlayer on your computer to see this 43 second film clip)
U.S. National Archives
Encyclopedia Britannica
http://search.eb.com/dday/art-40668Sword Beach : D-Day
Invasionen i Normandiet
(This site is in Danish)
http://www.mhweb.dk/d-dag/b_sword.htmSword Beach on D-Day
D-Day Museum, Portsmouth, England
http://www.ddaymuseum.co.uk/countdown_sword.htm
Go to: The Beaches
Go to: Table of ContentsUtah Beach
See also: Code Talkers
See also: Exercise Tiger
See also: General J. Lawton CollinsGo to: Utah BeachAmerican Assault Troops Move unto Utah Beach
"Invasion. Carrying a full equipment, American assault troops move onto Utah Beach on the norther coast of France. Landing craft, in the background, jams the harbor. 6 June 1944. Photographer: Wall. SC189902"
Photograph
U.S. Army Center of Military History
http://www.army.mil/cmh/reference/Normandy/Images/SC189902.JPGAmerican 8th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division moving off Utah Beach 9 June 1944
Photograph
Eisenhower Presidential Library
http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/dl/dday/71248.pdf (PDF)Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt, Jr.
The son of one President (Theodore Roosevelt) and the cousin of another (Franklin Delano Roosevelt), General Roosevelt served in both World Wars and earned every decoration available to a member of the infantry, including the Medal of Honor. At the time of the Invasion, General Roosevelt was Assistant Division Commander of the 4th Division and led his troops ashore on D-Day. He was the first General Officer to come ashore during the Invasion and earned the Medal of Honor for his courage and bravery on Utah Beach. General Roosevelt died in Normandy from a heart attack on 12 July 1944.
Photograph showing General Roosevelt sitting in his jeep which he had named "Rough Rider" after his father's well known unit in the Spanish American War.
Eisenhower Presidential Library
http://www.dwightdeisenhower.com/ddayphotos/65x329.jpgD-Day Landings on Utah Beach
"Online Library of Selected Images
Naval Historical Center
http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/events/wwii-eur/normandy/nor4u.htm4th Infantry Division : D-Day Actions
"The mission of the 4th Infantry Division in the invasion of the continent was to land at Beaches Tare (Green) and Uncle (Red) on Utah Beach at 060630 June 1944 and move inland to link up with units of the 82nd Airborne and 101st Airborne Divisions ... then, in conjunction with the follow-on divisions ... to seize the port of Cherbourg."
Pages 11-12, 4th Infantry Division - Brief History
4th Infantry Division Museum
U.S. Army
http://www.hood.army.mil/4id/museum/4IDBriefHistory.pdf (PDF)"German POWs rest in a barb-wired enclosure after being interrogated by American soldiers; on Utah Beach, June 6, 1944"
Photograph
Eisenhower Presidential Library
http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/dl/dday/75523.pdf (PDF)German Soldiers surrendering to American troops on Utah Beach
Photograph
Eisenhower Presidential Library
http://www.dwightdeisenhower.com/ddayphotos/71x114.jpgGliders bring in Supplies to U.S. Army Troops fighting on Utah Beach, Les Dunes De Madeleine, France, June 6, 1944
Photograph
Eisenhower Presidential Library
http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/dl/dday/70232.pdf (PDF)Medics on Utah Beach 6 June 1944
Photograph
Eisenhower Presidential Library
http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/dl/dday/70714.pdf (PDF)Memories of Utah Beach
"Utah was the western-most beach and the US 4th Infantry Division and supporting units landed here on D-Day. After establishing a beachhead, these troops aimed to capture the Cotentin Peninsula and the port of Cherbourg. The US 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions were landed inland to open the way for the US advance."
D-Day Museum, Portsmouth, England
http://www.ddaymuseum.co.uk/memory_utah.htmUtah Beach
Eisenhower Presidential Library
http://eisenhower.archives.gov/utah.htmUtah Beach American Memorial
"The World War II Utah Beach American Memorial is located ... approximately a mile and a half northeast of Sainte-Marie-du-Mont (Manche), France."
American Battle Monuments Commission
http://www.abmc.gov/memorials/memorials/ut.phpUtah Beach Relief Map given to the Library of Congress
Intelligence officers used rubber relief maps of the Normandy Beaches to brief troops before the Normandy invasion in 1944.
The Library of Congress
http://www.loc.gov/loc/lcib/0304/rubber-map.html
Go to: The Beaches
Go to: Table of Contents
Canada
Go to: CanadaAccount written by Sergeant Gariepy, 6 Canadian Armoured Regiment, on capturing Germans North of Falaise
Canadian Department of National Defence
Directorate of History and Heritage, 141.4A6013 (D3)
Juno Beach Centre
http://www.junobeach.org/e/2/can-eve-rod-nor-gar-e.htm (English)
http://www.junobeach.org/f/2/can-eve-rod-nor-gar-f.htm (French)The Battle for Carpiquet
"It's two minutes to five in Normandy. Sitting with a company of Western Canadian machine gunners in a stone barn, the CBC's Matthew Halton begins his countdown. At five o'clock, the Canadians will attack the German-occupied, industrial suburb of Carpiquet - a key piece of territory needed to win the Normandy invasion. It will be, Halton describes, the most enormous concentration of fire ever put down on a small object."
Audio Clip and brief descriptive text
Canadian Broadcasting System (CBC)
http://archives.cbc.ca/IDC-1-71-221-1119-10/conflict_war/carpiquet/The Campaign in North-West Europe : The Plan and the Invasion of Normandy, June 1944
Chapter IX
The Canadian Army 1939-1945
Official History of the Canadian Army
Department of National Defense
http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/UN/Canada/CA/OpSumm/OpSumm-11.htmlCanada and Normandy
Veteran Affairs Canada
http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/general/sub.cfm?source=history/secondwar/normandy/cannorm (English)
http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/general_f/sub.cfm?source=history/secondwar/normandy/cannorm(French)Canada & the Normandy Campaign
Canadian War Museum
D-Day:
http://www.civilization.ca/cwm/chrono/1931d_day_e.html
The Normandy Campaign
http://www.civilization.ca/cwm/chrono/1931normandy_e.htmlCanadian Newspapers - D-Day & the Normandy Campaign
Canadian War Museum
http://www.civilization.ca/cwm/newspapers/operations/ddaynormandy_e.htmlCanadian Soldiers Walk onto Juno Beach
6 June 1944
Canadian Department of Defense photo
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
http://www.cbc.ca/news/photogalleries/dday/images/04_dday.jpgCanadian Virtual War Memorial
Veterans Affairs Canada
http://www.virtualmemorial.gc.ca/Carpiquet and Caen
Veteran Affairs Canada
http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/general/sub.cfm?source=history/secondwar/normandy/carpiquet (English)
http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/general_f/sub.cfm?source=history/secondwar/normandy/carpiquet (French)D-Day
"On 6 June 1944, the allied invasion of Normandy, code-named Operation Overlord, began. All three Canadian services played critical roles in this initial breaching of the Atlantic Wall, which gave the allies a foothold in “Fortress Europe” and would lead to Hitler’s defeat. To enable the landing of Canadian forces at Juno beach, the Royal Canadian Navy and the RCAF bombarded the German coastal batteries. The 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion parachuted in just after midnight to secure bridges over the rivers Orne amd Dives. After storming Juno, the Canadians’ first objectives were to capture the city of Caen and to secure the road to Bayeux. But they met with ferocious resistance from German Panzer divisions and as night fell on D-day, it became apparent that the Battle for Normandy was only beginning."
Canada's Digital Collections
http://collections.ic.gc.ca/TOHarchive/Pages/DDaytext.htmlD-Day
http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/general_f/sub.cfm?source=history/secondwar/normandy/dday (French)
Veteran Affairs Canada
http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/general/sub.cfm?source=history/secondwar/normandy/dday (English)D-Day Airborne Drop Zones and Objectives
Map
Canada's Digital Collections
http://collections.ic.gc.ca/TOHarchive/Assets/MAPS/DDayMap.jpgExtending the Bridgehead, June 7th - July 4th, 1944
Canada in World War II
Juno Beach Centre
http://www.junobeach.org/e/2/can-eve-rod-nor-cam-e.htm (English)
http://www.junobeach.org/f/2/can-eve-rod-nor-cam-f.htm (French)Invasion Plans and Preparations
Veteran Affairs Canada
http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/general/sub.cfm?source=history/secondwar/normandy/invasion (English)
http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/general_f/sub.cfm?source=history/secondwar/normandy/invasion (French)Juno Beach Centre
"The Juno Beach Centre is a museum and cultural centre, which opened at Courseulles-sur-Mer [France] on June 6, 2003. The Centre presents the war effort made by all Canadians."
http://www.junobeach.org/Centre/index.html (English)
http://www.junobeach.org/Centre/index_fr.html (French)Memories of Juno Beach
"Juno was the Canadian beach. Here, the 3rd Canadian Division faced tough opposition before it was able to drive inland and link with British troops on Gold Beach, to the west."
D-Day Museum, Portsmouth, England
http://www.ddaymuseum.co.uk/memory_juno.htmNormandy 1944 : Canada Remembers
Veteran Affairs Canada
http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/general/sub.cfm?source=history/secondwar/Normandy (English)
http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/general_f/sub.cfm?source=history/secondwar/Normandy (French)One Regiment's Story: The Regina Rifles at Juno
Video Clip
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Television Archives
http://archives.cbc.ca/IDC-1-71-1317-7873/conflict_war/d-day/clip9The Opponent
Veteran Affairs Canada
http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/general/sub.cfm?source=history/secondwar/normandy/opponent (English)
http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/general_f/sub.cfm?source=history/secondwar/normandy/opponent (French)Orville Fisher - Canadian War Artist
"Orville Fisher's paintings of the Second World War constitute one of the most complete records of Canada's day-to-day role in that conflict. Perhaps his chief claim to fame is that he was the only Allied war artist to land in Normandy on D-Day, 6 June 1944"
Canadian War Museum
http://search.civilization.ca/dwesearch.asp?showDoc=41306&page=1&resultsetToken=IKT000024351.1083165995&Lang=en&docType=Paratroopers Drop In: 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion on D-Day
Video Clip
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Television Archives
http://archives.cbc.ca/IDC-1-71-1317-7867/conflict_war/d-day/clip3Royal Canadian Navy Large Infantry Landing Craft with Reinforcements at Juno Beach
Shortly after the landings on 6 June 1944
Royal Canadian Archives
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
http://www.cbc.ca/news/photogalleries/dday/images/06_dday.jpg"We Have Every Reason for Confidence"
D-Day Radio Broadcast to the Nation by Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King
Audio Clip
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
http://archives.cbc.ca/IDC-1-71-1317-7871/conflict_war/d-day/clip7Witness to D-Day
"'Today is June 6, 1944 and the campaign to liberate France and Belgium from Germany has begun.' Swimming with his pack and waterproof typewriter, CBC Radio's Matthew Halton navigates the rough, rising tides to the beach. Around him, the Allied troops swim forward and land on the shell-swept Normandy beaches. They move forward through curtains of machine gun fire."
Audio Clip and brief descriptive text
Canadian Broadcasting System (CBC)
http://archives.cbc.ca/IDCC-1-71-1317-3448/conflict_war/d-day/
Go to: Table of Contents
The Coast Guard
See also: Naval OperationsGo to: The Coast GuardCoast Guard Barge off Normandy, 6 June 1944
Photograph
Eisenhower Presidential Museum
http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/dl/dday/71244.pdfD-Day : The 60th Anniversary
U.S. Coast Guard Reservist, May 2004, Vol. LI, No. 4
The Coast Guard
The Invasion of Omaha Beach, The LCI-91 & Crew
Frank Vyn
The U.S. Coast Guard
http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g-cp/history/Vyn_Article.htmlThe U.S. Coast Guard at Normandy
Scott T. Price
Text and photos
U.S. Coast Guard
http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g-cp/history/h_normandy.html
Go to: Table of Contents
Code Talkers
Many people know of the Navajo Code Talkers who used the Navajo language to send unbreakable messages for the U.S. Forces in the Pacific during World War II, but there were also 14 Comanche Code Talkers at Utah Beach during the Normandy Invasion.
.Go to: Code TalkersIndian Code Talkers
Painting by Wayne Cooper
"Charles Chibitty is pictured doing his job as a code talker. He represents all of the Oklahoma Code Talkers of World War II."
The Oklahoma Senate
http://www.oksenate.gov/senate_artwork/indian_code_talkers.htmlComanche Code Talker Charles Chibitty
"Chibitty recounted his wartime experiences when his unit landed on the Normandy shores on 'the first or second day after D-Day.' After his unit hit Utah Beach, his first radio message was sent to another codetalker on an incoming boat. Translated into English, it said: 'Five miles to the right of the designated area and five miles inland, the fighting is fierce and we need help.'"
Armed Forces News Service
Department of Defense
http://defendamerica.mil/profiles/nov2002/pr111202a.html
Go to: Table of Contents
D-Day Plus
The initial landings on 6 June 1944 were only the beginning of the Normandy Campaign, which in itself, was only the beginning of the Allied liberation of Europe.Go to: D-Day PlusCarpiquet and Caen
Veteran Affairs Canada
http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/general/sub.cfm?source=history/secondwar/normandy/carpiquet (English)
http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/general_f/sub.cfm?source=history/secondwar/normandy/carpiquet (French)D-Day Plus 2
Russell Mack Baldwin
"Growing up in an idyllic suburb of Cleveland, Russell Baldwin had just opened practice as a licensed optometrist in October 1941 when he was drafted. The army wasn't much interested in his specialty, and he became a member of a bridge building battalion. His unit landed in the second wave after D-Day, when danger was still prevalent. Baldwin survived several close shaves only to be captured by the retreating Germans, who abandoned him after a month."
Link to photographs and an audio interview
The Veteran's History Project
Library of Congress
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cocoon/vhp-stories/loc.natlib.afc2001001.03541/D-Day Plus 4
"A Platoon of Black Troops surround a Farm House as they prepare to eliminate a German Sniper holding up an advance, on Omaha Beachhead, near Vierville Sur-Mer-France, June 10, 1944"
Photograph
Eisenhower Presidential Library
http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/dl/dday/71244.pdf (PDF)D-Day Plus 11
Glenn B. Webber
"The duties of a humble radio operator took on great significance when Glenn Webber became one of the first Americans to train in intercepting German transmissions. Working with British intelligence, Webber was able to recognize and pick up coded Luftwaffe messages regarding planned air strikes on Britain, blunting the advantage that the Germans had enjoyed in the air from the beginning of the war. He landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day Plus 11 and continued to monitor enemy transmissions, spending nine months in Paris after it was liberated."
Link to photographs and an audio interview
The Veteran's History Project
Library of Congress
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cocoon/vhp-stories/loc.natlib.afc2001001.02442/Extending the Bridgehead, June 7th - July 4th, 1944
Canada in World War II
Juno Beach Centre
http://www.junobeach.org/e/2/can-eve-rod-nor-cam-e.htm (English)
http://www.junobeach.org/f/2/can-eve-rod-nor-cam-f.htm (French)The Germans Counterattack
Veteran Affairs Canada
http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/general/sub.cfm?source=history/secondwar/normandy/counter (English)
http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/general_f/sub.cfm?source=history/secondwar/normandy/counter (French)
Go to: Table of Contents
General Eisenhower
See also: Allied CommandersGo to: General Eisenhower8 June 1944
Report by General Eisenhower of his 7 June "complete tour by destroyer of the landing areas."
Eisenhower Presidential Library
Page 1:
http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/dl/dday/DDEreportonlandingarea61844pg1.pdf (PDF)
Page 2:
http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/dl/dday/DDEreportonlandingarea61844pg2.pdf (PDF)
Page 3:
http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/dl/dday/DDEreportonlandingarea61844pg3.pdf (PDF)7 June 1944
General Eisenhower watching Allied Landing Operations from the Deck of the HMS Apollo (a mine layer) off the coast of France
Signal Corps Photograph
Eisenhower Presidential Library
http://www.dwightdeisenhower.com/ddayphotos/65x3271.jpgUndated, but after 6 June 1944
"General Omar Bradley [and] General Dwight D. Eisenhower shaking hands with Sergeant Richard Gallager, New York, NY after presenting him with the Distinguished Service Medal. On Gallager's right is Corporal Stanley Appleby, Clarksville, NY, members of the US 1st Division."
Photograph
Eisenhower Presidential Library
http://www.dwightdeisenhower.com/ddayphotos/66x738.jpg6 June 1944
General Eisenhower's Order of the Day for the Normandy Invasion
Audioclip, transcript of the text and photo
Eisenhower Presidential Library
http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/dl/dday/orderofthedayaudio.html6 June 1944
General Eisenhower's Order of the Day for the Normandy Invasion
Transcript and image
ourdocuments.gov
The National Archives
http://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=true&doc=756 June 1944
Message from General Eisenhower to General Marshall (U.S. Army Chief of Staff) re the initial stages of the Normandy Invasion
Eisenhower Presidential Library
http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/dl/dday/Incomingmsgddetomarshall6644.pdf (PDF)5 June 1944
General Eisenhower with Paratroopers before they leave for D-Day
The men are members of Company E, 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment, at the 101st Airborne Division's camp at Greenham Common, England
Photograph
The National Archives
http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/d-day-memo/images/d-day-order-thumbnail.gif5 June 1944
Note in Case of Failure
General Eisenhower prepared for both the success or failure of the Normandy Invasion. In this draft note, written in case the invasion failed, Eisenhower assumes responsibility for the invasion. This draft was written on 5 June 1944, but was mistakenly dated 5 July.
jpeg image
Eisenhower Presidential Library
http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/dl/DDay/InCaseofFailureMessage.pdf (PDF)6-7 December 1943
"Handwritten note from President Roosevelt to Marshal Stalin appointing Dwight Eisenhower to command Operation Overlord. General George Marshall added a note to Eisenhower on December 7, 1943."
Eisenhower Presidential Library
http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/dl/DDay/Dec743RoosevelttoStalin.pdf (PDF)1 October 1943
Harry Butcher's Diary Entry
Harry Butcher was General Eisenhower's Aide and part of this diary entry discusses the possibility of General Marshall being named Supreme Allied Commander. The entry says that the American Naval Secretary Frank Knox had told General Eisenhower that Harry Hopkins (long time friend of Roosevelt, member of the War Production Board and Roosevelt's Special Assistant 1942-1945) wanted General Marshall to be Supreme Commander for the Invasion even though it had been tentatively agreed between the Americans and the British that the Supreme Commander would be British, (Sir Alan Brooke, Chief of the Imperial General Staff). The British had reluctantly accepted General Marshall, but to make the situation more agreeable, Hopkins had offered the Allied Command of the Mediterranean to the British. General Eisenhower had hoped to stay in the Mediterranean, but if the post went to the British, Eisenhower would have to be reassigned, possibly as U.S. Army Chief of Staff. Butcher said in the Diary, "The job of Chief of Staff does not appeal to Ike."
Eisenhower Presidential Library
http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/dl/DDay/003Oct_1_1943ButcherDiary.pdf (PDF)Portraits - Dwight D. Eisenhower
The British Movie Tone newsreel company has put short montages of a number of well-known personalities online. The video clips are from the company's newsreel archives and run about a minute. While there is music in the background, there is no voice-over explaining the individual clips.
Choose the "Personalities" link and then choose "Dwight D. Eisenhower." http://www.movietone-portraits.com/Main.cfm
Go to: Table of Contents
German Commanders, Troops & Defenses
Go to: German Commanders, Troops & DefensesCaptured German Submarine arriving at Southampton [England] Docks to be put on Public View
Photograph
Eisenhower Presidential Library
http://www.dwightdeisenhower.com/ddayphotos/65x8012.jpgErwin Rommel
Field Marshall and Commander of Heeresgruppe (Army Group) B
In charge of the defense of the French Coastline in June 1944
image
George Washington University Electronic Archives
http://www.gwu.edu/~ww2/pics/rommel.gifGerman Chain of Command in Western Europe on 6 June 1944
Encyclopaedia Britannica
http://search.eb.com/dday/art-40541German General being brought ashore at Southampton [England]
Photograph
Eisenhower Presidential Library
http://www.dwightdeisenhower.com/ddayphotos/65x8013.jpgGerman General Rommel inspects portions of the Beach Defenses
Undated Photograph
Eisenhower Presidential Library
http://www.dwightdeisenhower.com/ddayphotos/71x152.jpgGerman Gunners at the Bay of the Seine
"German gunners defending the coast against Allied invaders in the Bay of the Seine on D-Day, June 6, 1944; from a wartime German documentary, narrated in Portuguese and translated by the U.S. Office of Strategic Services."
U.S. National Archives
Encyclopaedia Britannica
http://search.eb.com/dday/art-40653German Panzer Regiment 22
Tanks at D-Day
The Tank Museum, Bovington, England
http://www.d-daytanks.org.uk/regiments/panzer.html"German POWs rest in a barb-wired enclosure after being interrogated by American soldiers; on Utah Beach, June 6, 1944"
Photograph
Eisenhower Presidential Library
http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/dl/dday/75523.pdf (PDF)German Prisoners Arriving at Southampton [England] Docks
Photograph
Eisenhower Presidential Library
http://www.dwightdeisenhower.com/ddayphotos/65x8014.jpgGerman Soldiers surrendering to American troops on Utah Beach
Photograph
Eisenhower Presidential Library
http://www.dwightdeisenhower.com/ddayphotos/71x114.jpgThe Opponent
Veteran Affairs Canada
http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/general/sub.cfm?source=history/secondwar/normandy/opponent (English)
http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/general_f/sub.cfm?source=history/secondwar/normandy/opponent (French)Rommel's Defensive Tactics in Normandy
An examination of the German physical defenses on the Normandy beaches
PBS
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/case_dday/clues.htmlTaking of German Prisoners of War - 6 June 1944
U.S. Office of War Information newsreel reports on the taking of German prisoners of war, D-Day
Video
U.S. National Archives
Encyclopaedia Britannica
http://search.eb.com/dday/art-40407Trench Warfare: German Defenses on Omaha Beach
Map
Encyclopaedia Britannica
http://search.eb.com/dday/art-40544
Go to: Table of Contents
German View of D-Day
Go to: German View of D-DayAccount written by Sergeant Gariepy, 6 Canadian Armoured Regiment, on capturing Germans North of Falaise
Canadian Department of National Defence
Directorate of History and Heritage, 141.4A6013 (D3)
Juno Beach Centre
http://www.junobeach.org/e/2/can-eve-rod-nor-gar-e.htm (English)
http://www.junobeach.org/f/2/can-eve-rod-nor-gar-f.htm (French)Field Marshal Karl R. Gerd von Rundstedt's Report on the Allied Invasion of Normandy
In 1944 Field Marshal von Rundstedt was German Commander-in-Chief, West
This article was first called "Rundstedt's Reaction to the Invasion" and published by the Office of Naval Intelligence in The O.N.I. Weekly, 3, no. 46, pages 3692-3699
Naval Historical Center
Department of the Navy
http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq109-5.htmGerman Army Headquarters in Normandy attacked by fighter-bombers of the Second Tactical Air Force
Photograph
New Zealanders with the Royal Air Force
Vol. II, Chapter 4
Official Histories of New Zealand in the Second World War
Victoria University's New Zealand Electronic Text Centre
http://www.nzetc.org/etexts/WH2-2RAF/WH2-2RAF019a.jpgThe Germans Counterattack
Veteran Affairs Canada
http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/general/sub.cfm?source=history/secondwar/normandy/counter (English)
http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/general_f/sub.cfm?source=history/secondwar/normandy/counter (French)
Go to: Table of Contents
The Higgins Boats
On D-Day there were over 1,500 landing craft that moved soldiers from the troop transports to the beaches. These boats were known as Higgins Boats because they had been designed and built by Andrew Jackson Higgins and his Higgins Industries of New Orleans, Louisiana. Mr. Higgins also built the PT {Patrol-Torpedo) Boats that were so successful in the War in the Pacific, as well as parts of the atomic bomb. Adolf Hilter referred to Mr. Higgins as "the new Noah."Go to: Higgins BoatsMaking of the PT Boats and Landing Craft at Higgins Industries
Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation & Tourism
http://www.crt.state.la.us/tourism/lawwii/higgins/higgins_boats.htmAndrew Jackson Higgins and Higgins Industries
Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation & Tourism
http://www.crt.state.la.us/tourism/lawwii/higgins/higgins_main.htmD-Day : The Higgins Story Continues
Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation & Tourism
http://www.crt.state.la.us/tourism/lawwii/higgins/higgins_dday.htmHiggins Boats
jpeg image
The National D-Day Museum
http://www.ddaymuseum.org/nav/thumb_higgins-boat.jpgPhotographs - Higgins Boats
New Orleans Public Library
A Higgins built Patrol Torpedo (PT) Boat
http://www.nutrias.org/~nopl/monthly/june2000/june008.htm Higgins Supplied the Allies Too!
http://www.nutrias.org/~nopl/monthly/june2000/june009.htm
Patent #2,341,866, awarded to Higgins on February 15, 1944
http://www.nutrias.org/~nopl/monthly/june2000/june005.htm
On Lake Pontchartrain
http://www.nutrias.org/~nopl/monthly/june2000/june0018.htm
Andrew Jackson Higgins
http://www.nutrias.org/~nopl/monthly/june2000/june0013.htm
A Higgins Landing Boat hits the Beach
http://www.nutrias.org/~nopl/monthly/june2000/june003.htm
Go to: Table of Contents
History & Overview
Go to: History & OverviewThe Battle of Normandy
The March to Victory : A Guide to World War II Battles and Battlefields from London to the Rhine
John T. Bookman and Stephen T. Powers
The University of Colorado Press
http://www.history.rochester.edu/mtv/overview.htmCommand Dysfunction : Minding the Cognitive War
B.D. Arden
Chapter 4 (pages 44-59) of this 1996 thesis discusses the Normandy Invasion
School of Advanced Airpower Studies
http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/saas/dahl_ab.pdf (PDF)D-Day : The Normandy Invasion
Naval Historical Center
Department of the Navy
http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq109-1.htmNormandy
"A great invasion force stood off the Normandy coast of France as dawn broke on 6 June 1944: 9 battleships, 23 cruisers, 104 destroyers, and 71 large landing craft of various descriptions as well as troop transports, mine sweepers, and merchantmen — in all, nearly 5,000 ships of every type, the largest armada ever assembled."
Center of Military History, U.S. Army
http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/brochures/normandy/nor-pam.htmNormandy
New Zealanders with the Royal Air Force
Vol. II, Chapter 10
Official Histories of New Zealand in the Second World War
Victoria University's New Zealand Electronic Text Centre
http://www.nzetc.org/etexts/WH2-2RAF/c10.htmlThe Normandy Invasion : The Official Histories
Center of Military History
United States Army
http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/reference/normandy/normandy.htmNormandy 1944 : Canada Remembers
Veteran Affairs Canada
http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/general/sub.cfm?source=history/secondwar/Normandy (English)
http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/general_f/sub.cfm?source=history/secondwar/Normandy (French)Utah Beach to Cherborg (6 June - 27 June 1944)
"First printed by the Historical Division, War Department, for the American Forces in Action series, 1948"
CMH Pub 100-12
Center of Military History, United States Army
http://purl.access.gpo.gov/GPO/LPS32919
Go to: Table of Contents
King George VI
Go to: King George VIKing George VI Addresses His Subjects on D-Day
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
http://archives.cbc.ca/IDCC-1-71-1317-7880/conflict_war/d-day/
Go to: Table of Contents
Lesson Plans
Go to: Lesson PlansTeaching With Documents
D-Day Message from General Eisenhower to General Marshall
The National Archives
http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/d-day-memo/Teaching With Documents
Message Drafted by General Eisenhower in Case the D-Day Invasion Failed
The National Archives
http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/d-day-message/
Go to: Table of Contents
Maps
Go to: MapsAir Operations - The Invasion of Normandy
Map
New Zealanders with the Royal Air Force
Vol. II, Chapter 10
Official Histories of New Zealand in the Second World War
Victoria University's New Zealand Electronic Text Centre
http://www.nzetc.org/etexts/WH2-2RAF/WH2-2RAF284a.jpgAllied Assault Routes
jpeg image
Eisenhower Presidential Library
http://www.dwightdeisenhower.com/spykit/images/Map5.jpgAnimated Map of the D-Day Landings
The British Broadcasting System
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/war/wwtwo/launch_ani_d_day.shtmlBibliography of Print Map Sources - Normandy Invasion
Melinda Mosley
Air University Library
http://www.au.af.mil/au/aul/maps/ww2maps.htm
N.B....This site is no longer active, but has been kept in the bibliography for purposes of historical continuity.D-Day Airborne Drop Zones and Objectives
Map
Canada's Digital Collections
http://collections.ic.gc.ca/TOHarchive/Assets/MAPS/DDayMap.jpgFinal Overlord Plan
jpeg image
Eisenhower Presidential Library
http://www.dwightdeisenhower.com/spykit/images/Map4.jpgFirst U.S. Infantry Assault Map
Dated April 1944, this map shows the obstacles and defenses on Omaha Beach
jpeg image
Eisenhower Presidential Library
http://www.dwightdeisenhower.com/spykit/images/Document12.jpgOrder of Battle OB [Omaha Beach] West
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Eisenhower Presidential Library
http://www.dwightdeisenhower.com/spykit/images/map2.jpgOverlord Area
jpeg image
Eisenhower Presidential Library
http://www.dwightdeisenhower.com/spykit/images/map3.jpgPre Invasion Air Attacks
Map
New Zealanders with the Royal Air Force
Vol. II, Chapter 8
Official Histories of New Zealand in the Second World War
Victoria University's New Zealand Electronic Text Centre
http://www.nzetc.org/etexts/WH2-2RAF/WH2-2RAF021a.jpgSituation in Europe - 6 June 1944
jpeg image
Eisenhower Presidential Library
http://www.dwightdeisenhower.com/spykit/images/Map1.jpgTrench Warfare: German Defenses on Omaha Beach
Map
Encyclopaedia Britannica
http://search.eb.com/dday/art-40544
Go to: Table of Contents
Meaning of the Term "D-Day"
Go to: Meaning of the Term "D-Day"The Term "D-Day"
"The terms D-day and H-hour are used for the day and hour on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. They designate the day and hour of the operation when the day and hour have not yet been determined, or where secrecy is essential. The letters are derived from the words for which they stand, "D" for the day of the invasion and "H" for the hour operations actually begin."
Center of Military History, U.S. Army
http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/faq/ddaydef.htm
Go to: Table of Contents
Medal of Honor
Go to: Medal of HonorMedal of Honor Recipients - Normandy Campaign
A dozen men of varying ranks received the Medal of Honor for actions during the Normandy campaign including Theodore Roosevelt Jr., the son of President Roosevelt.
Center of Military History
U.S. Army
http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/reference/normandy/Nor-MOH.htm
Go to: Table of Contents
Mulberry Harbors
A main logistical problem that had to be overcome during the planning of the Normandy invasion was getting huge numbers of troops off a multitude of ships and onto the beaches as quickly and safely as possible. The 6th of June was only the beginning of the Normandy Campaign and once the original troops were ashore, they had to be supplied and replacement/supplemental troops landed.The solution was to construct two artificial harbors known as Mulberries, one for the British and Canadian beaches and one for the American beaches. Each Mulberry was built of concrete sections called Phoenixes which were towed across the English Channel and assembled on site. Each assembled Mulberry was about a mile long, which allowed a number of ships to simultaneously unload men and/or supplies.
Go to: Mulberry HarborsThe Emergence of Infrastructure as a Decisive Strategic Concept
Martin Blumenson
The bulk of this article discusses infrastructure in the Normandy Campaign including the concept and use of the Mulberry Harbors
Parameters, Winter 1999-2000, pp. 39-45
The U.S. Army War College Quarterly
http://carlisle-www.army.mil/usawc/Parameters/99winter/blumenso.htmThe Invasion of Normandy : Mulberry
jpeg images and text
Naval Historical Center
U.S. Department of the Navy
http://www.history.navy.mil/ac/d-day/exdday/exdday20.htmMulberry Harbour, Arromanches: Normandy Landing, June 1944
Stephen Bone
British National Maritime Museum
http://www.nmm.ac.uk/server/show/conMediaFile.2944Mulberry Harbor "B" - Arromanches
(The British Artificial Harbor)
Construction Diagram
Encyclopaedia Britannica
http://search.eb.com/dday/art-40542Mulberry Harbors
Normandie Memoire - the official French 60th Anniversary site
http://www.normandiememoire.com/NM60Anglais/2_histo2/histo2_p4_gb.htmMulberry Harbors
"Trials of several prototypes took place at Garlieston in Wigtonshire in South West Scotland. The results of these trials were the two great Mulberry Harbours, Mulberry A and Mulberry B ... Construction of the huge concrete and steel structures was carried out in several places in the UK including Henry Robb’s Shipbuilding Yard at Leith where the design of the units and the co-ordination of the work was under the supervision of Alexander Findlay & Company of Motherwell. Finishing work was done at Newhaven alongside the fish quay. A total of thirteen pierheads and sixteen large pontoons for the Mulberry Harbours were built at Leith. Other construction took place at Cairnryan on the west coast."
The Scots at War Trust
http://www.fettes.com/scotsatwar/AZindex/m/mulberryharbours.htmMulberry Harbors at the British and American Beaches
Audio and Video Clips from: "The True Glory"
(a wartime documentary from the U.S. State Department)
U.S. National Archives
Encyclopaedia Britannica
http://search.eb.com/dday/art-40657Neptune : Training, Mounting, the Artificial Ports
Lt. Clifford L. Jones
"This manuscript was prepared at the end of World War II by Lieutenant Clifford L. Jones, one of the Army historians assigned to the Historical Division of the European Theater of Operations (ETO)."
The Administrative and Logistical History of the ETO [European Theatre of Operations], Part VI
Historical Manuscripts Collection 8-3.1 AA Vol. 6
U.S. Army Center of Military History
http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/documents/wwii/beaches/bchs-fm.htmOperation Mulberry - D-Day 1944
U.S. Army Transportaton Museum
http://www.transchool.eustis.army.mil/Museum/Mulberry.htmPhoenixes, Mulberries, Whales, Lobnitzes, Corncobs and Role of Tugs at Normandy Harbor on D-Day June 6, 1944
U.S. Maritime Service Veterans
http://www.usmm.org/normandy.htmlSection of Mulberry Harbor intended for Arromanches (British/Canadian Beaches) in Southampton Harbor
Photograph
Eisenhower Presidential Library
http://www.dwightdeisenhower.com/ddayphotos/657ea91.jpgWivenhoe's "Whales"
Parts of the Mulberries were built all over Britain and the two "whales," or pier heads, were built in Wivenhoe, England
Wivenhoe Town Council
http://www.wivenhoe.gov.uk/History/mulberry_harbour.htm
Go to: Table of Contents
Museums
Go to: MuseumsThe D-Day Museum, Portsmouth, England
"The D-Day Museum was established in 1984 to tell the story of Operation Overlord from its origins in the dark days of 1940 to victory in Normandy in 1944.... The Overlord Embroidery, the centrepiece of the D-Day Museum, was commissioned by Lord Dulverton of Batsford as a tribute to the sacrifice and heroism of those who took part [in the Normandy Invasion]."
http://www.ddaymuseum.co.uk/Landing Museum - Arromanches, France
(Musée du Débarquement)
"The museum, designed by the architect Mr François Carpentier was built on the site of the artificial harbour [Mulberry]. Its vestiges can still be seen, a few hundred yards away from the shore."
http://www.arromanches360.com/htm2/index.htmMemorial Pegasus, Normandy, France
"Several swing bridges were used across the Canal from Caen to the sea from 1856. The lifting bridge of Bénouville was constructed in 1934 and was renamed Pegasus Bridge in 1944 in memory of the soldiers of the [British] 6th Airborne Division who captured it. Their emblem was Pegasus, the winged horse."
The Pegasus Bridge was the first bridge liberated in France.
http://www.normandy1944.com/pegasus_presentation_03.phpU.S. National D-Day Museum
Congress has designated the New Orleans based National D-Day Museum as "America's National World War II Museum."
http://www.ddaymuseum.org/
Go to: Table of Contents
Naval Operations
See also: Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsay
See also: Coast Guard
See also: Mulberry Harbors
See also: Underwater ArchaeologyGo to: Naval OperationsAllied Troops boarding LSTs
Photograph
Eisenhower Presidential Library
http://www.dwightdeisenhower.com/ddayphotos/71x720x4.jpgAmphibious Operations : Invasion of Northern France
Western Task Force - June 1944
Eisenhower Presidential Library
http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/dl/dday/011June1944CAmphibiousOperationsNFrance.pdf (PDF)British Assault Area - Naval Operation Orders
The division of the British Assault Area (Gold, Juno and Sword Beaches) including specific latitudes and longitudes and a map.
Eisenhower Presidential Library
http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/dl/dday/008May_28_1944ABritishAssaultAreaNavalOperations1944.pdf (PDF)Crossing the Channel
"Operation Neptune was the name given to the naval side of D-Day : moving over 130,000 troops across the Channel in 24 hours. This involved 6,939 vessels and 195,700 personnel, including the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, British Merchant Navy, US Navy, US Coast Guard, Royal Canadian Navy and other Allied forces."
The D-Day Museum, Portsmouth, England
http://www.ddaymuseum.co.uk/memory_crossing.htmD-Day Landings
Fact Sheet
The Royal Naval Museum, Portsmouth, England
http://www.royalnavalmuseum.org/library/factsheets/d_d_landings.htm
N.B....This site is no longer active, but has been kept in the bibliography for purposes of historical continuity.General Eisenhower watching Allied Landing Operations from the Deck of the HMS Apollo (a mine layer) off the coast of France
7 June 1944
Signal Corps Photograph
Eisenhower Presidential Library
http://www.dwightdeisenhower.com/ddayphotos/65x3271.jpgNaval Armed Guard Service : Merchant Ships at Normandy
Naval Historical Center
http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq104-7.htmNaval Attack
Audio Clip
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Archives
http://archives.cbc.ca/IDC-1-71-1317-7868/conflict_war/d-day/clip4Naval Combat Demolition Units of the Atlantic Theatre of Operations
Naval Historical Center
http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq109-3.htmNaval Combat Demolition Units - The Normandy Invasion
Naval Historical Center
http://www.history.navy.mil/docs/wwii/norman1.htmNaval Memories
D-Day Museum, Portsmouth, England
http://www.ddaymuseum.co.uk/memory_naval.htmNeptune : Training, Mounting, the Artificial Ports
Lt. Clifford L. Jones
"This manuscript was prepared at the end of World War II by Lieutenant Clifford L. Jones, one of the Army historians assigned to the Historical Division of the European Theater of Operations (ETO)."
The Administrative and Logistical History of the ETO [European Theatre of Operations], Part VI
Historical Manuscripts Collection 8-3.1 AA Vol. 6
Center of Military History
U.S. Army
http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/documents/wwii/beaches/bchs-fm.htmOral Histories - The Normandy Invasion
Naval Historical Center
http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq109-2.htmRear Admiral John L. Hall, Jr., USN
"Rear Admiral John L. Hall, Jr., USN, Commander Task Force 124, the 'Omaha' Beach Assault Force
On board USS Ancon (AGC-4) during the Normandy invasion, June 1944."
(The Ancon was the command ship for the "Omaha' Beach Assault Force.)
Official U.S. Navy Photograph
The National Archives
http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/images/g50000/g59419.jpgRetired Yeoman Chief Petty Officer Ray Perez
"He was a yeoman on "Easy Red" sector of Omaha Beach with the 6th Beach Battalion ... Beach battalions were a new kind of unit in World War II, often described as traffic cops for the invasion."
Ensign Susan D. Henson
Navy News Service
http://www.defenselink.mil/specials/heroes/perez.htmlThe Royal Navy and Operation Neptune
The Royal Navy
Part 1:
http://www.royal-navy.mod.uk/server/show/conWebDoc.1866/changeNav/3533
Part 2:
http://www.royal-navy.mod.uk/server/show/nav.3955Seabees [Naval Construction Regiment]
The Seabees [Naval Construction Regiment] in World War II
Site includes information about the Seabees in the Normandy Invasion
"During D-Day of the Normandy invasion, 6 June 1944, the Seabees were among the first to go ashore as members of naval combat demolition units. ... .After the invasion fleet had arrived off the coast, The approximately 10,000 Seabees of Naval Construction Regiment 25 began manhandling their pontoon causeways onto the beach. ... by July 4, only 28 days after D-day, they had helped land more than a million Allied fighting men."
Naval Historical Center
http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq67-3.htmSunk & Damaged Craft - Normandy Invasion 6-25 June 1944
Naval Historical Center
http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq109-4.htmU.S.S. Ancon
The U.S.S. Ancon was command ship for the "Omaha" Beach assault.
Official U.S. Navy Photographs
Catholic Mass on board the U.S.S. Ancon, 3 June 1944
http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/images/g230000/g231759.jpg
Protestant Church Service on board the U.S.S. Ancon, 3 June 1944
http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/images/g230000/g231758.jpg
Rear Admiral John L. Hall, Jr., USN, Commander Task Force 124, the 'Omaha' Beach Assault Force on board USS Ancon (AGC-4) during the Normandy invasion, June 1944
http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/images/g50000/g59419.jpg
Senior U.S. Army officers on board USS Ancon (AGC-4), 5 June 1944
http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/images/h99000/h99216.jpg
Go to: Table of Contents
New Zealand
Go to: New ZealandAir Operations - The Invasion of Normandy
Map
New Zealanders with the Royal Air Force
Vol. II, Chapter 10
Official Histories of New Zealand in the Second World War
Victoria University's New Zealand Electronic Text Centre
http://www.nzetc.org/etexts/WH2-2RAF/WH2-2RAF284a.jpgD-Day Planes
Photograph
New Zealanders with the Royal Air Force
Vol. II, Chapter 4
Official Histories of New Zealand in the Second World War
Victoria University's New Zealand Electronic Text Centre
http://www.nzetc.org/etexts/WH2-2RAF/WH2-2RAF017b.jpgGerman Army Headquarters in Normandy attacked by fighter-bombers of the Second Tactical Air Force
Photograph
New Zealanders with the Royal Air Force
Vol. II, Chapter 4
Official Histories of New Zealand in the Second World War
Victoria University's New Zealand Electronic Text Centre
http://www.nzetc.org/etexts/WH2-2RAF/WH2-2RAF019a.jpgNormandy
New Zealanders with the Royal Air Force
Vol. II, Chapter 10
Official Histories of New Zealand in the Second World War
Victoria University's New Zealand Electronic Text Centre
http://www.nzetc.org/etexts/WH2-2RAF/c10.htmlPre Invasion Air Attacks
Map
New Zealanders with the Royal Air Force
Vol. II, Chapter 8
Official Histories of New Zealand in the Second World War
Victoria University's New Zealand Electronic Text Centre
http://www.nzetc.org/etexts/WH2-2RAF/WH2-2RAF021a.jpgPrelude to Invasion
New Zealanders with the Royal Air Force
Vol. II, Chapter 9
Official Histories of New Zealand in the Second World War
Victoria University's New Zealand Electronic Text Centre
http://www.nzetc.org/etexts/WH2-2RAF/c9.html
Go to: Table of Contents
Newspapers & Radio
Go to: Newspapers & RadioThe Battle for Carpiquet
"It's two minutes to five in Normandy. Sitting with a company of Western Canadian machine gunners in a stone barn, the CBC's Matthew Halton begins his countdown. At five o'clock, the Canadians will attack the German-occupied, industrial suburb of Carpiquet - a key piece of territory needed to win the Normandy invasion. It will be, Halton describes, the most enormous concentration of fire ever put down on a small object."
Audio Clip and brief descriptive text
Canadian Broadcasting System (CBC)
http://archives.cbc.ca/IDC-1-71-221-1119-10/conflict_war/carpiquet/Canadian Newspapers - D-Day & the Normandy Campaign
Canadian War Museum
http://www.civilization.ca/cwm/newspapers/operations/ddaynormandy_e.htmlThe New York Times
"General Dwight D. Eisenhower did not announce the Allied landings on the coast of France until 3:30 a.m on June 6, 1944. As the last edition of the day, this 6:00 a.m. extra edition of The New York Times carried the most complete D-Day coverage of any morning newspaper world-wide, replete with text and detailed maps of Normandy. In addition to Raymond Daniel's lead story, the front page includes NBC's Wright Bryan's coverage from a U.S. Ninth Air Force plane, providing one of the first eyewitness accounts of the airborne invasion."
jpeg image of the front page of the New York Times
American Treasures of the Library of Congress
http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/images/vc68a.1.jpgWitness to D-Day
"'Today is June 6, 1944 and the campaign to liberate France and Belgium from Germany has begun.' Swimming with his pack and waterproof typewriter, CBC Radio's Matthew Halton navigates the rough, rising tides to the beach. Around him, the Allied troops swim forward and land on the shell-swept Normandy beaches. They move forward through curtains of machine gun fire."
Audio Clip and brief descriptive text
Canadian Broadcasting System (CBC)
http://archives.cbc.ca/IDCC-1-71-1317-3448/conflict_war/d-day/
Go to: Table of Contents
Operation Bodyguard - Deceiving the Enemy
"Deception on D-Day
Probably the best example of historical countermeasures taken against the enemy is D-Day, during WWII. This was a completely covert operation. The Germans thought that the Allied invasion would take place at the Calais straits of Dover because this location historically had always provided easy access to the European continent. To keep the Germans thinking this (while, in fact, planning the invasion at Normandy), the Allies conducted an elaborate deception project called Operation Bodyguard.To perpetrate the deception the Allies did many things. They placed rubber-inflated tanks and ships at strategic (and visible) locations around the departure port. Bill Blass (the future fashion designer) built fake factories and towns near Calais. They "stationed" 21 fake personnel units there with fake identification patches, placed real trucks with "jack-in-the-box" inflatable people in the car, and dropped fake paratroopers over Calais.
The FUSAG (First United States Army Group) was a dummy army built around Gen. George Patton as part of the ruse because the Germans feared him and thought he would lead the attack. Field Marshall Montgomery had a double, Clifton James (recommended by David Niven for the part), who was seen in misleading locations.
On invasion day John Ford and his film crew flew reconnaissance aircraft to take pictures of Calais, adding a final, real-time, bit of deceptive trickery. Operation Bodyguard was a phenomenal success, leading to Allied victory in Europe."
Above from "Thwarting the Enemy"
http://www.intelligence.gov/2-overyears_e.shtml
Cover Operation for Operation Overlord
"This document [dated 20 November 1943] outlined in detail the Allied plan [Operation Bodyguard] for deceiving the enemy into believing the main assault would come in the Pas De Calais area and thus was intended to divert enemy forces away from the Normandy beaches."Go to: Operation Bodyguard - Deceiving the Enemy
jpeg images, Eisenhower Presidential Library
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Go to: Table of ContentsGo to: Operation Bodyguard - Deceiving the EnemyMemorandum Outlining Operation Bodyguard
"Memorandum, Robert E. Baker for Chief of Staff (General Walter Bedell Smith was Chief of General Eisenhower's staff at Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force), February 3, 1944. This memorandum outlined Plan BODYGUARD, the overall deception plan used against Germany in conjunction with OVERLORD"
jpeg image, Eisenhower Presidential Library
http://www.dwightdeisenhower.com/spykit/images/Doc8_3Feb44.jpg
Go to: Table of ContentsGo to: Operation Bodyguard - Deceiving the EnemySecond World War Deception
Donald J. Bacon
Operation Bodyguard is discussed in this paper as well as the Soviet deception operations at Stalingrad, Kursk and White Russia and Operations Barclay [Invasion of Sicily] and Cockcade [false invasion of Western Europe in 1943].
Wright Flyer Paper No. 5
Air Command and Staff College, Air University
http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/wright/wf05.pdf (PDF)
Go to: Table of Contents
Oral/Personal Histories
See also: D-Day PlusGo to: Oral/Personal HistoriesAccount written by Sergeant Gariepy, 6 Canadian Armoured Regiment, on capturing Germans North of Falaise
Canadian Department of National Defence
Directorate of History and Heritage, 141.4A6013 (D3)
Juno Beach Centre
http://www.junobeach.org/e/2/can-eve-rod-nor-gar-e.htm (English)
http://www.junobeach.org/f/2/can-eve-rod-nor-gar-f.htm (French)Campbell Gray - 5th Battalion (Scottish) Parachute Regiment
"It was one o'clock in the morning, and I was 500ft over Normandy waiting to jump from a Stirling bomber. I was one of the vast numbers of airborne forces involved in Operation Overlord."
WII : The People's War
British Broadcasting Corporation
http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stories/90/a1951490.shtmlCrosses at Normandy - June 1944
COL Elbert E. Legg
"This narrative relates some of my personal experiences as a sergeant squad leader in the 603rd Quartermaster Graves Registration Company in the first days of the Allied invasion at Normandy, France, in June 1944."
Quartermaster Professional Bulletin - Autumn/Winter 1994
Army Quartermaster Museum
http://www.qmfound.com/crosses.htmD-Day Stories
"Experience one of the most momentous operations of World War Two through the words of British and American soldiers who led the assaults, a French Resistance fighter who spied from behind the lines and the German defender who celebrated his 18th birthday on D-Day."
Audio Files
The British Broadcasting Corporation
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/dday_audio.shtmlA FootSloggers Story: 1st Buckinhamshire Battalion in Normandy
Norman Searle
British Broadcasting Corporation
http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stories/96/a2319996.shtmlLanding On Sword : Onboard LSI HMS Princess Astrid
George Henry Kirkby (AB Coxwain Combined Ops) 500th Flotilla
WWII : The People's War
British Broadcasting Corporation
http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stories/65/a2649765.shtmlOral Histories - The Normandy Invasion
Naval Historical Center
http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq109-2.htmRetired Yeoman Chief Petty Officer Ray Perez
"He was a yeoman on "Easy Red" sector of Omaha Beach with the 6th Beach Battalion ... Beach battalions were a new kind of unit in World War II, often described as traffic cops for the invasion."
Ensign Susan D. Henson
Navy News Service
http://www.defenselink.mil/specials/heroes/perez.htmlWalter J. (Bud) Wieser
Mr. Wieser's story and the accompanying photographs are part of an effort by the State of South Dakota to preserve the experiences of South Dakotans in World War II. Mr. Wieser's story is also accompanied by a schematic of the LST landing craft (Landing Ship Tank).
State of South Dakota
http://www.state.sd.us/military/VetAffairs/sdwwiimemorial/SubPages/stories/story7.htm#wieserWWII : The People's War
"An Archive of World War II Memories"
British Broadcasting Corporation
http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/categories/c54665/
Go to: Table of Contents
Participants & Actions
See also: Air Operations
See also: Coast Guard
See also: Naval Operations
Allied Troops Involved in D-Day
Allied TroopsGo to: Participants & Actions
D-Day Museum, Portsmouth, England
http://www.ddaymuseum.co.uk/faq.htm#troops
Go to: Table of ContentsArmy (U.S.) Assault Forces - Normandy, 6-7 June 1944
Army Assault Forces
Center of Military Hi
