D-Day Up Close -Dozens of Photos Show the Allies Normandy Invasion

The opening of a Second Front in Europe during WWII was one of the main questions during the Tehran Conference in 1943 when Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin met as representatives of the three major powers confronting Hitler.

During the conference, a number of issues were addressed, but what became the most relevant was the historic decision for the Allies to land in northern France, in Normandy, as part of what was to become the famous Operation Overlord.

The largest seaborne operation in the history of warfare took months to prepare, but in order to succeed, it needed to be done in maximum secrecy. Codenames were constantly changed and thousands of inflatable tanks and other deceptive equipment were distributed in various locations  ― all in the purpose of confusing German intelligence, which watched closely the developing situation on the British Isles.

Joseph Stalin, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Winston Churchill at The Tehran Conference

On the other side of the La Manche Channel was the so-called Atlantic Wall ― a network of bunkers, fortifications, and coastal batteries. Pillboxes with machine-guns held the overwatch above sandy beaches laced with barbwires, mines, and anti-tank obstacles.

To make matters worse, Hitler had appointed one of his star generals ― Erwin Romell ― in charge of the coastal defenses.

Erwin Rommel 1942. By Bundesarchiv / CC-BY-SA 3.0

Even though the initial date was set to the 5th of June, due to weather conditions, the entire large-scale operation was postponed for 24 hours.

The day after, the weather was still unfavorable, but the Allied leadership had to cope with it ― another postponement would mean that the landings would be conducted in July with only several days per month providing the needed conditions in terms of the tide, moon phase, and other factors.

British troops on Sword Beach, 2 Battalion, Middlesex Regiment of 3 British Division, D-Day 1944

Just after midnight, on June 6th, 1944, 24,000 British, American and Canadian paratroopers swarmed the area, providing the vanguard for the main landing force which involved 132,000 Allied soldiers. At 6:30 AM, beaches designated as Omaha, Utah, Juno, Gold, and Sword were stormed and taken in a bloody battle which left more than 20,000 men on both sides killed, wounded or captured.

Despite the fact that not everything went smoothly concerning the prime objectives like the taking of Caen and other strategic towns near the coast, or the linking of the beaches, the D-Day landings were a major success. Allies successfully managed to land and to gain a vital foothold which became a symbol of liberation for France.

D-day – British Forces during the Invasion of Normandy 6 June 1944 Troops wading ashore from an LCI(L) on Queen beach, Sword area, 6 June 1944.

For the Germans, it was indeed the beginning of the end. With the Soviets pushing towards Berlin, and the Allies coming in from the west, the largest conflict in modern history was entering its terminal stage. Still, over a year of fierce combat awaited the men who landed in France ― and a bloody year it was.

A convoy of LCTs and barrage balloons preparing for the D-Day Invasion

 

USS LCI(L)-85 just before sinking off Omaha Beach on D Day

 

US Army vehicles move inland on Omaha Beach during the early days of the invasion

 

Barrage balloons overhead as US Medics dig in on D-Day beach

 

3d Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division on Omaha Beach D-Day

 

Scene on Utah Beach with troops marching up the road 9 June 1944

 

D-Day Allied Men and equipment approach French coast

 

The scene on Omaha Beach soon after the D-Day landings

 

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Aerial View of US D-Day landing on Normandy’s Utah Beach

 

Spud Pier Section of Mulberry B Harbor Arrives at Arromanches Normandy

 

US assault troops landing on Utah Beach on D-Day

 

troops coming ashore on Mulberry A on D-Days Omaha Beach at Saint Laurent Sur Mer

 

USS LCI(L)-490 and USS LCI(L)-496 approach Omaha Beach

 

Canadian bicycle Troops land at Juno s Nan White Beach on D-Day

 

The wreckage of Jeeps and Armored Vehicles on D-Day Beachhead 1944

 

Beach organization clearing vehicles British Sector D-Day Beach

 

Flamethrower training in England before D-Day 1944

 

East Yorkshire Regiment Land at Queen Red Sector, Sword Beach D-Day

 

Troops load LSTs at Brixham England for D-Day Invasion 1944

 

Troops land from USS LCI(L)-412 during the D-Day assault on Omaha Beach, 6 June 1944

 

Scene on Omaha Beach on the afternoon of D-Day, June 7, 1944

 

A scene on one of the invasion beaches during force buildup operations in June 1944

 

US Army trucks move inland from Omaha Beach

 

LCT-555 stuck on the beach Normandy Invasion

 

LCI Convoy and barrage balloons en route to the D-Day Invasion

 

Mulberry harbor A off D-Day Omaha Beach in the background at Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer

 

Rows of US Tanks And Halftracks In England Before D-Day Invasion 1944

Read another story from us: D-Day – A Look at All 5 Beaches with Original Footage and Photos

British Troops with Bicycles Land on Normandy Beach D-Day 1944
Nikola Budanovic:
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