New Delhi: World War II was the most devastating war that the history of human civilisation has ever seen. The war led to the death of millions of people, both soldiers and civilians, disrupted the lives of millions of more people and led to the disruption of the economy and every other section of the society. In that war, the Normandy landings played a critical role in deciding the fate of the battle.
What were the Normandy landings?
The Normandy landings were the landing operations and the airborne operations related to them which took place on June 6, 1944. The operations were carried out by the Allied forces of Normandy in Operation Overlord and were given the codenames D-Day and Operation Neptune. The Normandy landings are said to be history’s largest seaborne invasion and gave France its freedom from the clutches of Nazi Germany. Also, it was a massive relief in starting the liberation of the rest of Western Europe and laid the foundations of the Allied victory on the Western Front.
How did the operations take place?
The planning for the Normandy landings started in 1943 and the Allies did extensive military deception under Operation Bodyguard to make the Germans think that they were landing on a different date and location. However, on D-Day, the operation had to be delayed by 24 hours due to bad weather. A further postponement was not possible as Hitler gave Field Marshal Erwin Rommel the command of German forces and made preparations against the invasion. The Allied forces were commanded by Major General Dwight D. Eisenhower.
On the morning of June 6, the invasion began as the Allies deployed extensive aerial and naval bombardment and also airborne attacks. Around 24,000 American, British, and Canadian airborne troops landed and faced heavy fire from guns placed on the beaches by Axis forces, particularly Hitler. They were mines, wooden stakes, and barbed wire to thwart the invading forces. The Allies could not make much breakthrough till June 12. Since then, the Allies slowly but steadily increased their domination over the coming months. It is estimated that 4,000 to 9,000 German men lost their lives on the D-Day and the Allied forces lost at least 10,000 men.
The planning for the Normandy landings started in 1943 and the Allies did extensive military deception under Operation Bodyguard to make the Germans think that they were landing on a different date and location. knowledge Knowledge News, Photos and Videos on General Knowledge
