Preparing for D-Day The Allied leaders began planning to take back "Fortress Europe" while the Allied troops were still fighting in Italy. With Britain being the Allies' base, the leaders planned to send a massive force of troops across the English Channel in order to gain an advantage in northern France. It was then planned that the Allied armies would recapture German-held territory by advancing their way through Europe.
From their past experience with Dieppe, the Allies realized that the element of surprise was an essential in overpowering the opposition. Although the Germans were aware that they were going to be invaded, they did not know from which side of Normandy they were going to be attacked from. To fool the Germans, the Allies devised a plan that made the Germans believe that the invasion would take place in Calais (located on the opposite side of the planned invasion spot). To do this, the Allies created fake installations, air bases, landing crafts, and tanks to make it look like the invasion was going to take place in Calais. |
D-Day: June 6, 1944 D-Day, also known as Operation Overlord, was originally planned to be launched on June 5, 1944. Due to bad weather and rough conditions at sea, the invasion was pushed back until the next day. Early in the morning of June 6, 1944, large naval vessels and ships carrying 150 000 American, British, and Canadian troops were carried to Normandy through the channel. Americans landed on the western end of the beach while the British and Canadian Forces were dropped off at the eastern end of the beach. With improvements after Dieppe, the Allied troops were able to provide soldiers with effective air and naval support, allowing the troops to advance easier and quicker inland. In response to the invasion, the Germans were caught off guard, giving the Allied troops an edge.
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Juno Beach: A Canadian Success The eight-kilometer Normandy beach code named "Juno," was assigned to 14 000 Canadians. When Canadian troops arrived at the beach, they were faced with a strong line of German defences. The Canadian Forces had to navigate their way through barbed-wire barriers, landmines, and massive anti-tank defences. Canadians were able to overcome this obstacle with the use of heavy shelling and deadly machine gun fire. D-Day turned out to be a success for the Canadians, who took pride in being the country that advanced furthest inland out of any other Allied forces. Although Canadians did suffer about 340 losses, the victory on Juno Beach boosted Canadian morale and patriotism.
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