In the ensuing weeks, the Allies fought their way across the Normandy countryside in the face of determined German resistance, as well as a dense landscape of marshes and hedgerows. Moreover, the Germans were hampered by effective Allied air support, which took out many key bridges and forced the Germans to take long detours, as well as efficient Allied naval support, which helped protect advancing Allied troops. He also hesitated in calling for armored divisions to help in the defense. Reinforcements had to be called from further afield, causing delays. At first, Hitler, believing the invasion was a feint designed to distract the Germans from a coming attack north of the Seine River, refused to release nearby divisions to join the counterattack. Less than a week later, on June 11, the beaches were fully secured and over 326,000 troops, more than 50,000 vehicles and some 100,000 tons of equipment had landed at Normandy.įor their part, the Germans suffered from confusion in the ranks and the absence of celebrated commander Rommel, who was away on leave. ![]() Later that day, more than 5,000 ships and landing craft carrying troops and supplies left England for the trip across the Channel to France, while more than 11,000 aircraft were mobilized to provide air cover and support for the invasion. He told the troops: “You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. On the morning of June 5, after his meteorologist predicted improved conditions for the following day, Eisenhower gave the go-ahead for Operation Overlord. A Weather Delay: June 5, 1944Įisenhower selected June 5, 1944, as the date for the invasion however, bad weather on the days leading up to the operation caused it to be delayed for 24 hours. ![]() Many tactics were used to carry out the deception, including fake equipment a phantom army commanded by George Patton and supposedly based in England, across from Pas-de-Calais double agents and fraudulent radio transmissions. In addition, they led the Germans to believe that Norway and other locations were also potential invasion targets. In the months and weeks before D-Day, the Allies carried out a massive deception operation intended to make the Germans think the main invasion target was Pas-de-Calais (the narrowest point between Britain and France) rather than Normandy. In January 1944, General Dwight Eisenhower (1890-1969) was appointed commander of Operation Overlord.
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