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Turning Point: The Story of the D-Day Landings

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Turning Point: The Story of the D-Day Landings

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A collection of first-hand accounts of people who experienced the D-Day landings in 1944

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National Army Museum

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Second World War

D-Day, 6 June 1944, marked the start of the Allied invasion of Normandy, the greatest amphibious operation in history. Codenamed Overlord, this vast cross-Channel attack enabled the United Kingdom, the United States and their allies to land substantial forces on mainland Europe during the Second World War (1939-45).

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D-Day, 6 June 1944, marked the start of the Allied invasion of Normandy, the greatest amphibious operation in history.

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Imperial War Museum

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By 1944 Germany occupied large parts of Europe. Planning for D-Day began when Stalin called for Great Britain and the USA to open a second front in Western Europe. The Russians had been doing the majority of the fighting against Germany, in the East, and wanted the USA and Great Britain to launch an invasion in the West to ease the pressure on them.

CURRICULUM LINKS AND LEARNING OBJECTIVES

KS3/4 - Challenges for Britain, Europe and the wider world, 1901-present.

GCSE - Warfare and British society, c1250-Present.

To understand the scale of D-Day and the people and planning involved.

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What was D-Day?: WW2 - KS2 and KS3 Resource. What were the circumstances that prompted D-Day and how did allied forces prepare?. IWM Learning Resources

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Why D-Day Was So Important to Allied Victory?

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Why D-Day Was So Important to Allied Victory?

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Imperial War Museum

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As attacks inevitably bogged down, the Allies relied increasingly on their artillery and air support. For its part, the German High Command was never able to gather sufficient resources for a concentrated counter-offensive. Instead, armoured divisions were fed into the line piecemeal to shore up depleted infantry formations. It was a battle of attrition, which the Allies with their vast superiority in men and materiel were bound to win.

The Allied plan for a broad, phased advance was overtaken by events, and the final breakout was dramatic. Hitler's refusal to allow his commanders freedom to give up ground, and insistence on reinforcing failure, gave the Allies a more complete victory than they could have hoped for, as enemy units were sucked in to the maelstrom and destroyed.

Most of the divisions committed to the defence of France were either wiped out or reduced to remnants. Some 400,000 German troops were lost. Allied numbers and material support clearly had an impact, but it was significant that the fighting forces had defeated even the most fanatical German formations in the field. The battle for Normandy was an impressive feat of arms as well as an exposition of Allied logistical and industrial muscle.

The Allied advance in north-west Europe would slow dramatically that autumn as German resistance stiffened on the borders of the Reich. The war would not be over by Christmas. But D-Day had opened another major front, where the bulk of America's rapidly expanding army could at last be brought to bear. It led to the liberation of France, denying Germany any further exploitation of that country's economic and manpower resources. The U-boat ports, V-weapon sites and a large section of Germany's air defence network were captured or rendered useless. And it convinced the German High Command - other than a few ardent Nazi generals - that total defeat was now inevitable.

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Why D-Day Was So Important to Allied Victory

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The invasion of northern France in 1944 was the most significant victory of the Western Allies in the Second World War. The German Army suffered a catastrophe greater than that of Stalingrad, the defeat in North Africa or even the massive Soviet summer offensive of 1944.

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History Channel

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America the Story of Us: D-Day Invasion | History

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Imperial War Museum

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WW2 Infantry veteran, Fred Bates relives his exploits from the 6th June 1944. Fred was one of the first soldiers to land on Gold Beach in Normandy on D-Day

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WW2 Podcast - WW2 Infantry veteran, Fred Bates relives his...

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WW2 Infantry veteran, Fred Bates relives his exploits from the 6th June 1944. Fred was one of the first soldiers to land on Gold beach in Normandy on...

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Contains a lot of detailed information but is well presented and very accessible.

Looks at different aspects of life for soldiers and civilians during World War II.

Go to p257 for the D-Day Landings

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D-Day Invasion or Operation Overlord: History, Timelines and Map

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D-Day Invasion or Operation Overlord: History, Timelines and Map

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D-Day Invasion or Operation Overlord: History, Timelines and Map | Past to Future

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D-Day: What is it and why is it important? 

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D-Day: What is it and why is it important? 

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BBC Newsround

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However, troops from many other countries participated in D-Day, and the Battle of Normandy, in all the different armed services from Australia, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, France, Greece, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway and Poland.

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D-Day: What is it and why is it important?

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The D-Day landings took place on 6 June 1944 during World War Two. The landings marked the start of the campaign to free north-west Europe from the Nazis. Find out more in our guide.