Operation Overlord: The Invasion Of Normandy

Words: 646
Pages: 3

Operation Overlord occurred when allied forces landed on the beaches of Normandy on June 6, 1944. This then signaled the start to the ending of World War 2 and a step towards the defeat of Nazi Germany. With the command of General Eisenhower and support from strong air forces they allowed allied naval forces to begin landing on the northern coast of France. This was a complex operation that involved land, sea and air forces. They began planning for this in 1943 and appointed General Eisenhower as Supreme Commander of the operation. They chose Normandy because it had open beaches that were not defended well and it was in range of fighter aircraft based in England. In the last months Allied air forces destroyed the railways and bridges of …show more content…
Their first issue was where they were going to land in France because the area was well defended. So they then decided to land in Normandy on the beaches even though the risk were higher, it was more suitable for a mass landing. Just before midnight on June 5, Allied planes dropped paratroopers behind enemy lines. Then at dawn there were 156,000 American, British and Canadian forces that landed on five beaches along a 50-mile stretch. A huge fighting force had been assembled, including 1,200 fighting ships, 10,000 planes, 4,126 landing craft, 804 transport ships, and hundreds of amphibious and other special tanks. The Allies landed over 2 million men in Northern France and the cost of the Normandy campaign was high for both sides. In early August, a massive armored division under American General George S. Patton helped the joint British and American forces break through German defenses and advance toward Paris. Meanwhile, other Allied forces sailed from Italy to land in southern France. In Paris, French resistance forces rose up against the occupying Germans. Under pressure from all sides, the Germans retreated. On August 25, the Allies entered Paris and within a month, all of France was