Airborne operation in Normandy. Landing in Normandy briefly

During World War II (1939-1945), from June 1944 to August 1944, the Battle of Normandy took place, which liberated the Allies of Western Europe from the control of Nazi Germany. The operation was codenamed "Overlord". It began on June 6, 1944 (the day was called D-Day), when about 156,000 American, British and Canadian forces landed on five beaches stretching 50 miles of the fortified coast of the French region of Normandy.

It was one of the largest military operations in the world and required extensive planning. Prior to D-Day, the Allies conducted a large-scale enemy disinformation operation designed to mislead the Germans about the intended purpose of the invasion. By the end of August 1944, all of northern France was liberated, and by the following spring the Allies had defeated the Germans. The Normandy landings are considered the beginning of the end of the war in Europe.

Preparing for D-Day

After the outbreak of World War II, from May 1940, Germany occupied northwestern France. The Americans entered the war in December 1941, and by 1942, along with the British (who had been evacuated from the beaches of Dunkirk in May 1940 when the Germans cut them off during the Battle of France), were considering a major Allied invasion of the English Channel. The following year, Allied plans for a cross-invasion began to ramp up.

In November 1943, who knew about the threat of an invasion of the northern coast of France, he put (1891-1944) in charge of defensive operations in the region, although the Germans did not know exactly where the Allies would strike. Hitler blamed Rommel for the loss of the Atlantic Wall, a 2,400-kilometer line of bunker fortifications, landmines, and beach and water obstacles.

In January 1944, General Dwight Eisenhower (1890-1969) was placed in command of Operation Overlord. In the weeks leading up to D-Day, the Allies conducted a major deception operation designed to make the Germans think that the main target of the invasion was the Pas de Calais (the narrowest point between Britain and France) and not Normandy. In addition, they led the Germans to believe that Norway and several other places were also potential targets for invasion.

This false operation was carried out using mock guns, a phantom army under the command of George Patton and supposedly based in England, opposite the Pas de Calais, double agents and radio messages with false information.

Delayed landing in Normandy due to weather

June 5, 1944 was appointed the day of the invasion, but nature made its own adjustments to Eisenhower's plans, the offensive was postponed for a day. In the early morning of June 5, the staff meteorologist of the Allied forces reported an improvement in weather conditions, this news became decisive and Eisenhower gave the green light to Operation Overlord. He told the troops: “You are going on the Great Crusade, which we have all been preparing for many months. The eyes of the whole world are on you."

Later that day, more than 5,000 ships and landing craft carrying troops and guns left England across the Channel for France, and more than 11,000 aircraft flew in to cover and support the invasion from the air.

Landing on D-Day

At dawn on June 6, tens of thousands of paratroopers and paratroopers were thrown into the enemy rear, blocking bridges and exits. The landing party landed at 6:30 am. The British and Canadians in three groups easily overcame the sections of the beaches "Gold", "Juno", "Sord", the Americans - the section "Utah".

The US Army and the Allies faced fierce resistance from German soldiers in the Omaha sector, where they lost more than 2 thousand people. Despite this, by the end of the day, 156 thousand allied troops successfully stormed the beaches of Normandy. According to some estimates, more than 4,000 Allied soldiers died on D-Day, and about a thousand were wounded or missing.

The Nazis desperately resisted, but on June 11, the beaches completely came under the control of the US Army, and soldiers of the American Army poured into Normandy in huge streams of 326 thousand people, 50 thousand cars and about 100 thousand tons of equipment.

Confusion reigned in the German ranks - General Rommel was on vacation. Hitler assumed this was a clever maneuver by which Eisenhower wanted to distract Germany from an attack north of the Seine and refused to send nearby divisions to counterattack. The reinforcements were too far away, which would have caused a delay.

He also hesitated whether to bring up the panzer divisions to help. Effective air support for the Allied offensive kept the Germans from raising their heads, and the blowing up of key bridges forced the Germans to make a detour of several hundred kilometers. Huge assistance was provided by naval artillery, which incessantly ironed the shore.

In the following days and weeks, the allied army fought their way through the Gulf of Normandy, the Nazis already understood the deplorable state of their situation, so they resisted incredibly desperately. By the end of June, the Allies captured the vital port of Cherbourg, which allowed them to move troops freely, an additional 850,000 people and 150,000 vehicles arrived in Normandy. The army was ready to continue its victorious march.

Victory in Normandy

By the end of August 1944, the Allies approached the Seine River, Paris was liberated, and the Germans were driven out of northwestern France - the Battle of Normandy was effectively over. The road to Berlin opened before the troops, where they were supposed to meet with the troops of the USSR.

The Normandy invasion was a major event in the war against the Nazis. The US attack allowed the Soviet troops on the eastern front to breathe more freely, Hitler was psychologically broken. The following spring, on May 8, 1945, the Allies formally accepted the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany. A week earlier, on April 30, Hitler had committed suicide.

The Normandy operation, or Operation Overlord, was an Allied strategic landing operation in France that began early in the morning of June 6, 1944 and ended on August 31, 1944, after which the Allies crossed the Seine River, liberated Paris and continued their offensive towards the French-German border.

The operation opened the Western (or so-called "second") front in Europe in World War II. It is still the largest amphibious operation in history - it involved more than 3 million people who crossed the English Channel from England to Normandy.
The Normandy operation was carried out in two stages:

• Operation Neptune - the code name for the initial phase of Operation Overlord - began on June 6, 1944 (also known as "D-Day") and ended on July 1, 1944. Its goal was to conquer a foothold on the continent, which lasted until July 25;
• Operation "Cobra" - a breakthrough and offensive through the territory of France was carried out by the Allies immediately after the completion of the first phase

British military with an inflatable model of the American M4 Sherman tank in the south of England.

A platoon of black American soldiers in the city of Vierville-sur-Mer (Vierville-sur-Mer) is preparing to search for a sniper who has settled nearby.
The sergeant and the soldier on the left are armed with M1 carbines, the soldier in the center is armed with the M1 Garand rifle.

Calculation of an anti-aircraft gun on a transport of the US Coast Guard during the landing in Normandy.
In the photo on the left - sailor 3rd class John R. Smith (John R. Smith), on the right - Daniel Kashorovski (Daniel J. Kaczorowski).
John Smith participated in the landings in Africa, Sicily and Italy.

Teachings-rehearsal of the Allied landings in Normandy. Held at Slapton Sands on the UK coast.

US Coast Guard border guard ship USCG-20 washed ashore by a storm during the Allied landings in Normandy. The ship received a hole in the bottom. It was later transported to the UK and repaired.

US Coast Guard border patrol ship USCG-21 during the Allied landings in Normandy
This ship belonged to the US Navy Rescue Flotilla and was involved in rescuing soldiers from sunken or damaged landing craft.

US Coast Guard Border Patrol Ship USCG-1 docks with Landing Craft #549 on the day of the Allied landings in Normandy near Omaha Beach.

American soldiers head to the landing craft before landing in Normandy in a British port.

An American soldier with his comrade, who was wounded during the landing on Omaha Beach.

View of Omaha Beach. Allied troops land on the captured bridgehead.

Soldiers of the 16th Regiment of the 1st Infantry Division of the United States are selected to the beach "Omaha" under fire.
Life magazine photojournalist Robert Capa went ashore on the Omaha along with the first paratroopers who landed here under the hurricane fire of the German coastal defenses. Caught under fire, Capa was forced to dive under the water with the camera, so as not to fall into the sight of German machine gunners. It's a miracle he didn't die. Of the 100-odd frames shot in the most difficult conditions, only eight were obtained - the rest were ruined by the magazine's laboratory assistant, who was in a hurry to develop the film for the new issue as soon as possible. But these eight blurry shots of paratroopers getting out of the water ashore under fire became famous all over the world. Fifty years later, director Steven Spielberg, making his film Saving Private Ryan, not only reproduced these frames on the screen, but also tried to convey the effect of image blur by shooting some scenes with a shaking camera and removing the protective film from the lenses from splashes.

Soldiers of the 16th Regiment, US 1st Infantry Division take cover behind anti-tank hedgehogs on Omaha Beach.

An American soldier in the water on Omaha Beach under fire.

Disabled by German artillery fire, the USS LCI(L)-93 landing craft is stranded on Omaha Beach. The ship was damaged by German artillery fire after the troops disembarked from it.

British tank "Cromwell" (Cromwell Mk IV) commander of the 1st Polish Panzer Division Stanislaw Maczek (Stanis? aw Maczek) in Scarborough, England. The division was landed in Normandy in July 1944 and incorporated into the 2nd Corps of the 1st Canadian Army.

British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force in Europe Dwight Eisenhower inspect the 506th Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division.

Gen. Dwight Eisenhower talks to members of E Company, 502nd, 101st Airborne Division before they are boarded on the eve of the airborne assault in Normandy. Airfield Greenham Room, Berkshire, England (Greenham Common Airfield, Berkshire, England).

General Dwight Eisenhower talks to the commander of the 502nd Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, Lieutenant Colonel Robert Cole. Behind Eisenhower is his naval assistant, Harry Butcher. The photo was taken before the paratroopers were loaded onto the planes on the eve of D-Day at the airfield Greenham Room (Berkshire, England) (Greenham Common Airfield, Berkshire, England).

Subsequently, Lieutenant Colonel Cole was awarded the Medal of Honor for a bayonet attack on the Purple Heart Lane near Carentan, Normandy. He was unable to receive the award as he was killed during Operation Market Garden on September 18, 1944.
The photo is partially damaged by censorship (the stripes on the shoulders of the lieutenant colonel and the soldier to his right are smeared).

A rehearsal for the landing on the sandy beaches of a battalion of M10 tank destroyers and several companies of infantry in Slapton Sands (Slapton Sands) in England.

In the foreground on the sand are rolls of Sommerfeld Tracking, which were used to strengthen weak and viscous soils.

In the center of the frame is an American M10 tank destroyer named "Bessie", equipped with special boxes that protect the engine from water ingress. Behind the Bessie, a Caterpillar bulldozer is visible, which was used by the Allies during the landing to clear beaches and make passages for people and equipment.

The photograph shows two LCT-class landing craft, numbered 27 and 53. A little further on, a large landing craft, LST-325, is landing, which subsequently participated in the delivery of troops to Omaha Beach. After the war, he was sold to Greece and served in the fleet of that country until 1999. In 2000, it was purchased by the United States and now serves as a memorial to ships of this class in Evansville, Indiana.

Medics from the US 4th Infantry Division treat the wounded on Utah Beach.

German paratroopers from the 6th Airborne Regiment on the ruins of the city of Sainte Mere Eglise in Normandy.

Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, commander of the German Army Group B, inspects the fortifications of the Atlantic Wall near the French city of Sangatte at Cape Blanc Nez on the coast of the Pas de Calais. Obliquely dug logs are visible, designed to damage the bottoms of amphibious transports in the event of an amphibious landing during high tide.

American soldiers at the captured German bunker on Omaha Beach. In the foreground is a fighter with a Browning M1919 machine gun.

German prisoners of war who surrendered during the American landing in Normandy carry their wounded to the American field hospital. At the top right, the Dukwi amphibious truck. Saint Laurent-sur-Mer beach.

American Rangers on a landing ship in an English port awaiting a signal to sail for the coast of Normandy.
One fighter is armed with a Bazooka M1 rocket-propelled grenade launcher, the rest with M1 Garand self-loading rifles. A mortar can be seen on the left.

Far left - First Sergeant Sandy Martin (1sg Sandy Martin) (will be killed during the landing), in front of him is Private First Class Frank Lockwood (PFC Frank E. Lockwood), in the center is Joseph Markovich (Joseph J. Markowitz), far right - Corporal John Loshiavo (Cpl. John B. Loshiavo).

Defeated positions and a German bunker destroyed by the Allies during the landing in Normandy.

The capture of German soldiers by the Americans at Pointe du Hoc, about 6.5 km west of the Omaha coast. Some prisoners are dressed in civilian clothes.

American LCI(L) landing ships cross the English Channel on their way to Normandy, to the Utah sector. The nearest ones in the left column are LCI(L)-96 and LCI(L)-325, in the right column - LCI(L)-4. Each ship has a barrage balloon to protect against attacks by German aircraft.

German POWs on Omaha Beach waiting to be sent to England.

British Prime Minister Whiston Churchill aboard the destroyer HMS Kelvin heads for the coast of Normandy.

At first, Churchill intended to land in Normandy with the Allied forces on the day the second front opened on June 6, 1944. He told Allied commander Dwight Eisenhower that he was going to oversee the landings from a ship off the coast of Normandy. To all Eisenhower's objections, the prime minister replied that he could appoint himself a member of the ship's crew and the general would not stop him. Churchill was dissuaded from such a dangerous step only thanks to the intervention of King George VI: the king said that if the prime minister considers it necessary to go to the scene, then he, the king, also believes that it is his duty to take part in the war and stand at the head their troops. Nevertheless, the British Prime Minister still achieved his goal. On June 12, the sixth day after the so-called "D-Day", Churchill crossed the English Channel on the destroyer "Kelvin" and landed on the coast of Normandy in the town of Courcelles-sur-Mer at 11 o'clock in the afternoon.

Americans on the captured Pointe du Hoc in Normandy. In the background are German prisoners of war being escorted.

A medic from the 3rd Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, US Army walks through the surf and directs care for wounded comrades hidden behind rocks.

American reinforcements are moving towards Omaha Beach. From the landing craft, you can clearly see how people and equipment from the captured shore are already climbing the hill.
The photo was taken on June 6, 1944 at exactly noon.

Soldiers of the 16th Infantry Regiment (1st Infantry Division) next to their wounded comrades, one of whom is receiving a plasma transfusion. Omaha Beach.

American paratroopers in the landing craft LCVP on June 6, 1944, before landing in Normandy.

Medics from the American 4th Infantry Division treat the wounded of the 8th Infantry Regiment on Utah Beach. The arcs on the helmets (blue in the original) on the two fighters behind indicate that they belong to the 1st Special Engineer Brigade (Engineer Special Brigade). The fact that they are here probably means that the wounded are being prepared for evacuation to the ships.

On June 6, 1944, at 08:30, while en route to the landing site at Omaha Beach, the landing craft LCI(L)-85 hit a mine and was severely damaged. 15 people on board were killed and 30 people were injured, a fire broke out on the ship.
Around 12:00, an ARA-26 Samuel Chase transport approached him, which removed the wounded and survivors from the LCI (L) -85. The evacuation was completed at 13:30, and at 14:30 the boat sank (location unknown). The photo was taken around 14.00 after the completion of the evacuation of people.
According to other sources, the boat was damaged by German artillery and was able to approach the transport itself to transfer the surviving people.

The bodies of German paratroopers from the 6th Airborne Regiment, killed in combat with American paratroopers from the 82nd Division.
Battle for the city of Sainte Mere Eglise.

Tanks PzKpfw V "Panther" of the 130th regiment of the tank training division of the Wehrmacht in Normandy. In the foreground is the muzzle brake of the gun of one of the Panthers.

Soldiers of the 352nd Infantry Division of the Wehrmacht, who defended Omaha Beach in Normandy, train shortly before D-Day - the landing of Allied troops in Normandy on June 6, 1944. In the foreground is a machine gunner with an MG-42 light machine gun.

Canadian soldiers on Juno Beach in Normandy, the landing site for Canadian troops during the Normandy landing operation.

A Canadian soldier next to two German prisoners captured by Canadian troops on Juno Beach during the landings. The prisoners are sitting at the anti-tank wall.

Canadian soldiers on Juno Beach during the landings in Normandy.

Canadian paratroopers from the Stormont, Dundas & Glengarry Highlanders Regiment, part of the 9th Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, land in the Nan White sector of Juno Beach near the town of Bernier-sur- Mer. In the foreground is the large landing ship of His Majesty's fleet LCI (L) -299, transferred by the United States to Great Britain under Lend-Lease.

Preparing for Operation Overlord. In the foreground are three American soldiers in an M3A1 armored personnel carrier equipped with an M2 50-caliber machine gun. Early June 1944.

A young German soldier surrenders to the Americans. Normandy, France.

Wounded American soldiers from the 1st Infantry Division. Fox Green area east of Colleville-sur-Mer, Omaha Beach sector.

Allied forces set up camp on the Normandy coast recaptured from the Germans.

English LCA (landing craft, assault) landing craft, including Nos. 521, 1377, deliver troops to the landing craft in preparation for the Normandy landings. South coast of England, near the port of Weymouth.
The boats are assigned to the military transport "Prince Baudouin" ("Prince Baudouin"). On board the boats are servicemen of the 5th Ranger Battalion of the 5th Corps of the 1st US Army, which will land in the Omaha sector, on the Dog Green site.

American Rangers aboard British LCA (landing craft, assault) landing craft in the port of Weymouth. Next are the LCI (L) (landing craft, infantry (large)) type infantry landing ships No. 497, 84 and the heavy landing craft LCH (landing craft, heavy) No. -87.

US Rangers pass through the Logistics Officers' Control Tent, where they receive hot coffee and donuts before being loaded onto ships. Port Weymouth (Weymouth), England.
The loading of the Rangers on the ships began five days before the start of Operation Overlord on June 01, 1944 for reasons of secrecy.

American paratroopers climb out of the water onto Omaha Beach.

An LCVP landing craft with a group of Vanguard soldiers from the 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, US Army, approaches the Omaha landing zone.

Panoramic view of Omaha Beach. Allied troops are unloading equipment and cargo to the captured and already "equipped" bridgehead. The American 2nd Armored Division lands, the first armored division to land in Normandy.

The dead paratroopers from the 325th Glider Infantry Regiment (82nd Airborne Division) next to the British-made Horsa glider that crashed during landing on the evening of July 6, 1944.

US paratroopers disembark from landing craft on Utah Beach in Normandy.

The landing of Allied troops from landing craft on the beach "Omaha" under fierce machine-gun fire from the Germans. The picture shows the beginning of the landing of elements of Company E, 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, US Army. These paratroopers were disembarked from the transport vessel USS Samuel Chase (APA-26) via LCVP landing craft.Photo credit: The Jaws of Death.

Omaha Beach today

In preparing the material, the following sites were actively used:

70 years ago, on June 6, 1944, thousands of soldiers and officers were preparing to take part in the operation that marked the end of World War II. The landing of the allies in Normandy, in which more than 130 thousand military personnel were involved, was planned for more than a year. By the evening of that "longest day" more than 10 thousand people were killed, injured and taken prisoner. This operation was the largest naval battle in world history.

You can get acquainted with the most iconic and, in particular, little-known facts of that operation and see rare photographs.

1. D-Day death rehearsal

On July 28, 1944, eight ships carrying American infantry and equipment left the shores of British Devon and began rehearsals for the planned Normandy landings. However, not everything went smoothly. The ships used radio frequencies that were intercepted by German intelligence officers. Due to the poorly established communications system, the ships became an easy target for the submarines of the Nazi army. As a result, about 800 people died.

Worried about the leakage of classified information, the command of the armies of the allied states froze all data archives. Consequently, some families have never been able to find out how their loved ones died.

2. Temptation

Jonathan Mayo's D-Day recounts an unusual ordeal that Lieutenant Colonel Terence Otway gave his military unit. He wanted to make sure the soldiers didn't spill the beans before landing. To test the soldiers "for strength", Otway asked the most beautiful girls from the air squadron to go to a pub, seduce the military who were resting there, and find out the secret. None of the soldiers fell into the trap.

3. What was Churchill thinking about on the eve of the operation?

Winston Churchill, a brilliant orator known for his ability to convince any audience, on the eve of "D-Day" did not feel too confident. He shared his fears with his wife: “Do you understand that tomorrow morning, when you wake up, 20,000 soldiers will never wake up? ' asked the British prime minister.

4. D-Day Code Names

A number of code names were used in preparation for the operation. "Utah", "Omaha", "Gold" and "Sordo" denoted the beaches on the coast of Normandy. "Neptune" is the name of the
landings, and "Overlord" - the entire operation to liberate Normandy from the Nazis. ‘Bigo’ is the code name for those who had clearance at the highest level.

This secret data was hidden behind seven locks. How scared the command was when, shortly before the start of the operation, the Daily Telegraph printed a crossword puzzle containing as many as five code names, including “Utah”, “Omaha” and “Neptune”. British intelligence sounded the alarm, suspecting that in this way someone was trying to pass secret information to the enemy. However, searches in the house of the author of the crossword puzzle yielded nothing.

5. Disinformation campaign

When developing the invasion plan, the allies largely relied on the belief that the enemy did not know two important details - the place and time of Operation Overlord.
To ensure the secrecy and surprise of the landing, the largest disinformation operation in history (Operation Fortitude) was developed and successfully carried out.

To misinform the enemy, the allied armies developed false codes and plans for the operation.

Troops of drummers in military uniform landed in Normandy and the Pas de Calais early on the morning of June 6. They had special noise equipment that imitated the sound of gunfire and air raids. This episode went down in history under the name "Titanic". Its main purpose was to divert the attention of the enemy from the main Allied forces that had landed a little to the west of this place.

6. What does the “D” mean in the term “D-Day”?

Over the years, people have wondered what the “D” in the name “D-Day”, by which the Normandy operation is known, stands for.

“D-Day” is a term generally accepted in military affairs, which denotes the day the military operation begins. It was used both before and after the Allied landings in France.

The military terms "day D" and "hour H" denote the time of the beginning of any operation, the real term of which cannot be unambiguously determined and where the regime of strict secrecy is observed.

As a rule, "D" and "H" are generally unknown in advance. The start time of the action is reported on the day of the attack. In military operation planning documents, time is calculated approximately as follows: the preparation time for the operation is “H” minus XX hours XX minutes, and all subsequent actions are “H” plus XX hours XX minutes.

7. Letter from General Eisenhower in case of defeat

US General Eisenhower wrote a letter that should have been published in the event of a defeat.
“The landing of our troops in the Cherbourg-Havre zone did not bring successful results and I withdrew our troops. My decision to strike at the moment is based on reliable information. Our naval and air forces demonstrated unprecedented courage. If someone is to blame for their defeat, then only I myself, ”said the letter, which the general accidentally signed on July 5, and not June 5.

8. The weather was on the side of the allies

The landing in Normandy was originally planned for June 5, but bad weather forced General Eisenhower to postpone the operation for a day. According to the documents of the US Naval Library, the German command expected the Allied invasion at the end of May, when there was a full moon, high tide and light wind. a little wind. When the weather worsened in early June, the Germans relaxed and let their guard down. At this point, the Allied weather service gave a favorable forecast, and the operation began.

9. Crack the Enigma Code

Enigma has been used in Germany since 1920. The unique machine created the possibilities for more than two hundred trillion letter combinations and was considered indestructible. However, shortly before the landing in Normandy, the Allies managed to unravel the code of the device, and Berlin did not know about it. The decoded data revealed the coordinates of the location of the Nazi troops in Normandy and confirmed that the Germans bought into disinformation about fake landing plans.

10. “The Man Who Won the War”

General Dwight Eisenhower once said, "Andrew Higgins is the man who won the war for us."
So who is Andrew Higgins?

Higgins is a self-taught small craft design genius who designed and built the amphibious landing craft that used the Allied forces to cross the English Channel. “If Higgins had not created these ships, we would never have been able to land on the open beach. The strategy of the whole war would have been very different.”

Author Vladimir Veselov.
"Many battles claim to be the main battle of the Second World War. Someone believes that this is the battle near Moscow, in which the fascist troops suffered their first defeat. Others believe that the Battle of Stalingrad should be considered as such, the third one thinks that the main battle was the Battle of Kursk In America (and more recently in Western Europe) no one doubts that the main battle was the Normandy landing operation and the battles that followed it.It seems to me that Western historians are right, although not in everything.

Let's think about what would happen if the Western allies once again hesitated and did not land troops in 1944? It is clear that Germany would have been defeated anyway, only the Red Army would have ended the war not near Berlin and on the Oder, but in Paris and on the banks of the Loire. It is clear that it would not have been General de Gaulle, who arrived in the train of the Allies, who would have come to power in France, but one of the leaders of the Comintern. Similar figures could be found for Belgium, Holland, Denmark, and all other large and small countries of Western Europe (as they were found for the countries of Eastern Europe). Naturally, Germany would not have been divided into four occupation zones, therefore, a single German state would have been formed not in the 90s, but in the 40s, and it would not be called the FRG, but the GDR. In this hypothetical world, there would be no place for NATO (who would enter it except the USA and England?), but the Warsaw Pact would unite all of Europe. Ultimately, the Cold War, if it had ever taken place, would have had a very different character, and would have had a very different outcome. However, I am not at all going to prove that everything would have been exactly this way and not otherwise. But there is no doubt that the results of World War II would have been different. Well, the battle, which largely determined the course of post-war development, should rightfully be considered the main battle of the war. That's just a battle to call it a stretch.

atlantic wall
This was the name of the German defense system in the west. According to films and computer games, this shaft appears to be something very powerful - rows of anti-tank hedgehogs, followed by concrete pillboxes with machine guns and guns, bunkers for manpower, etc. However, remember, have you ever seen a photograph somewhere in which all this could be seen? The NDO's best-known and widely replicated photograph shows landing barges and American soldiers plodding waist-deep in water, taken from the shore. We were able to track down the photos of the landing sites you see here. Soldiers land on a completely empty shore, where, apart from a few anti-tank hedgehogs, there are no defensive structures. So what was the Atlantic Wall anyway?
For the first time this name sounded in the autumn of 1940, when four long-range batteries were built on the Pas de Calais coast in a short time. True, they were intended not to repulse the landing, but to disrupt navigation in the strait. Only in 1942, after the unsuccessful landing of the Canadian Rangers near Dieppe, the construction of defensive structures began, mainly all in the same place, on the English Channel coast (it was assumed that this was where the Allies would land), while for the rest of the sections, labor and materials were allocated according to the residual principle. There was not so much left, especially after the intensification of allied air raids on Germany (it was necessary to build bomb shelters for the population and industrial enterprises). As a result, the construction of the Atlantic Wall was completed in general by 50 percent, and even less directly in Normandy. The only sector more or less ready for defense was the one that later received the name of the Omaha bridgehead. However, he did not look at all like it is depicted in a game well known to you.

Think for yourself, what is the point of placing concrete fortifications on the very shore? Of course, the guns installed there can fire on landing craft, and machine-gun fire can hit enemy soldiers as they trudge waist-deep in water. But the bunkers standing right on the shore are perfectly visible to the enemy, so that he can easily suppress them with naval artillery. Therefore, only passive defensive structures are created directly at the water's edge (minefields, concrete gouges, anti-tank hedgehogs). Behind them, preferably along the crests of dunes or hills, trenches are torn off, and dugouts and other shelters are built on the reverse slopes of the hills, where the infantry can wait out the artillery attack or bombardment. Well, even further, sometimes a few kilometers from the coast, closed artillery positions are created (this is where you can see the powerful concrete casemates that we love to show in the movies).

Approximately according to this plan, the defense in Normandy was built, but, I repeat, its main part was created only on paper. For example, about three million mines were put up, but according to the most conservative estimates, at least sixty million were needed. The artillery positions were mostly ready, but the guns were far from being installed everywhere. I'll tell you this story: long before the start of the invasion, the French resistance movement reported that the Germans had installed four 155-mm naval guns on the Merville battery. The firing range of these guns could reach 22 km, so that there was a danger of shelling warships, so it was decided to destroy the battery at any cost. This task was entrusted to the 9th Battalion of the 6th Parachute Division, which had been preparing for it for almost three months. A very accurate model of the battery was built, and the battalion fighters attacked it from all sides day after day. Finally, D-day came, with great noise and din, the battalion captured the battery and found there ... four French 75-mm cannons on iron wheels (from the First World War). Positions were indeed made for 155-mm guns, but the Germans themselves did not have guns, so they put what was at hand.

It must be said that the arsenal of the Atlantic Wall generally consisted mainly of captured cannons. For four years, the Germans methodically dragged there everything that they got from the defeated armies. There were Czech, Polish, French and even Soviet guns, and many of them had a very limited supply of shells. The situation was approximately the same with small arms, either captured or decommissioned on the Eastern Front got into Normandy. In total, the 37th Army (namely, it accounted for the brunt of the battle) used 252 types of ammunition, and 47 of them were long out of production.

Personnel
Now let's talk about who exactly had to repel the invasion of the Anglo-Americans. Let's start with the command staff. Surely you remember the one-armed and one-eyed Colonel Staufenberg, who made an unsuccessful attempt on Hitler. Have you ever wondered why such a disabled person was not fired outright, but continued to serve, albeit in the reserve army? Yes, because by the 44th year, the requirements for fitness in Germany were significantly reduced, in particular, the loss of an eye, a hand, severe concussion, etc. were no longer grounds for dismissal from the service of senior and middle officers. Of course, there would be little use for such monsters on the Eastern Front, but it was possible to plug holes with them in the units stationed on the Atlantic Wall. So about 50% of the command staff there belonged to the category of "limited fit."

The Fuhrer did not bypass his attention and the rank and file. Take, for example, the 70th Infantry Division, better known as the "White Bread Division". It consisted entirely of soldiers suffering from various kinds of stomach diseases, because of which they had to constantly be on a diet (naturally, with the start of the invasion, it became difficult to follow a diet, so this division disappeared by itself). In other units, there were entire battalions of soldiers suffering from flat feet, kidney disease, diabetes, and so on. In a relatively calm environment, they could carry out rear service, but their combat value was close to zero.

However, not all soldiers on the Atlantic Wall were sick or crippled, there were quite a few quite healthy ones there, only they were over 40 years old (and the fifty-year-olds served in the artillery at all).

Well, the last, most amazing fact - there were only about 50% of native Germans in infantry divisions, while the rest was all trash from all over Europe and Asia. It is a shame to admit it, but there were many of our compatriots there, for example, the 162nd Infantry Division consisted entirely of the so-called "Eastern legions" (Turkmen, Uzbek, Azerbaijani, etc.). The Vlasovites were also on the Atlantic Wall, although the Germans themselves were not sure that they would be of any use. For example, the commander of the Cherbourg garrison, General Schlieben, said: "It is very doubtful that we will be able to persuade these Russians to fight for Germany in France against the Americans and the British." He was right, most of the eastern troops surrendered to the Allies without a fight.

Bloody Omaha Beach
American troops landed on two sites, "Utah" and "Omaha". On the first of them, the battle did not work out - in this sector there were only two strong points, each of which was defended by a reinforced platoon. Naturally, they could not offer any resistance to the 4th American division, especially since both were practically destroyed by naval artillery fire even before the landing began.

By the way, there was an interesting incident that perfectly characterizes the fighting spirit of the allies. A few hours before the start of the invasion, airborne assault forces were landed in the depths of the German defenses. Due to pilot error, about three dozen paratroopers were dropped on the very shore near the W-5 bunker. The Germans destroyed some of them, while others were taken prisoner. And at 4.00 these prisoners began to beg the commander of the bunker to immediately send them to the rear. When the Germans asked what was so impatient for them, the brave warriors immediately reported that in an hour artillery preparation from the ships would begin, followed by a landing. It is a pity that history has not preserved the names of these "fighters for freedom and democracy" who gave the hour for the beginning of the invasion in order to save their own skins.

Let us return, however, to the Omaha bridgehead. There is only one landing area in this area, 6.5 km long (steep cliffs stretch for many kilometers to the east and west of it). Naturally, the Germans were able to prepare it well for defense; on the flanks of the site there were two powerful bunkers with guns and machine guns. However, the cannons from them could only fire at the beach and a small strip of water along it (from the side of the sea, the bunkers were covered with rocks and a six-meter layer of concrete). Behind a relatively narrow strip of the beach, hills began, up to 45 meters high, along the crest of which trenches were dug. This whole system of defense was well known to the Allies, but they hoped to suppress it before the landings began. Fire on the bridgehead was to be carried out by two battleships, three cruisers and six destroyers. In addition, field artillery was supposed to fire from the landing craft, and eight landing barges were converted into rocket launchers. In just thirty minutes, more than 15 thousand shells of various calibers (up to 355 mm) were to be fired. And they were released ... into the world like a pretty penny. Subsequently, the allies came up with many excuses for the low effectiveness of shooting, here there was heavy seas, and predawn fog, and something else, but one way or another, neither the bunkers, nor even the trenches were damaged by shelling.

Allied aviation acted even worse. An armada of Liberator bombers dropped several hundred tons of bombs, but none of them hit not only the enemy fortifications, but even the beach (and some bombs exploded five kilometers from the coast).

Thus, the infantry had to overcome a completely undamaged enemy defense line. However, the troubles for the ground units began even before they were on the shore. For example, out of 32 amphibious tanks (DD Sherman), 27 sank almost immediately after launching (two tanks reached the beach under their own power, three more were unloaded directly onto the shore). The commanders of some landing barges, not wanting to enter the sector shelled by German guns (the Americans in general have a much better sense of duty, and indeed all other feelings, have a much better instinct for self-preservation), threw back the ramps and proceeded to unload at depths of about two meters, where most of the paratroopers successfully drowned .

Finally, at the very least, the first wave of troops was landed. It included the 146th sapper battalion, whose fighters were supposed, first of all, to destroy concrete gouges so that they could start landing tanks. But it wasn’t there, behind every gouge lay two or three brave American infantrymen, who, to put it mildly, objected to the destruction of such a reliable shelter. The sappers had to lay explosives from the side facing the enemy (naturally, many of them died in the process, out of 272 sappers 111 were killed). To help the sappers in the first wave, 16 armored bulldozers were attached. Only three reached the shore, and only two of them were able to use the sappers - paratroopers hid behind the third and, threatening the driver with weapons, forced him to stay in place. It seems that there are quite enough examples of "mass heroism".

Well, then we begin solid riddles. In any source devoted to the events at the Omaha bridgehead, there are necessarily references to two "fire-breathing bunkers on the flanks", but none of them say who, when and how suppressed the fire of these bunkers. It seems that the Germans fired, fired, and then stopped (perhaps this was the case, remember what I wrote above about ammunition). Even more interesting is the situation with machine guns firing at the front. When the American sappers smoked out their comrades because of the concrete gouges, they had to seek refuge in the dead zone at the foot of the hills (in some ways this can be considered an offensive). One of the squads hiding there discovered a narrow path leading to the summit.

Cautiously advancing along this path, the foot soldiers reached the crest of the hill, and found completely empty trenches there! Where did the Germans defending them go? But they were not there, in this area the defense was occupied by one of the companies of the 1st battalion of the 726th grenadier regiment, which consisted mainly of Czechs, forcibly drafted into the Wehrmacht. Naturally, they dreamed of surrendering to the Americans as soon as possible, but you must admit, throwing out a white flag even before the enemy attacks you is somehow undignified even for the descendants of the good soldier Schweik. The Czechs lay in their trenches, from time to time firing a line or two towards the Americans. But after a while, they realized that even such formal resistance was holding back the enemy’s offensive, so they collected their belongings and retreated to the rear. There they were finally taken prisoner to the general pleasure.

In short, having shoveled through a pile of materials devoted to the NDO, I managed to find one single story about a military clash at the Omaha bridgehead, I quote it verbatim. "E Company, which landed in front of Colleville, after a two-hour battle, captured a German bunker on a hilltop and took 21 people prisoner." Everything!

The main battle of World War II
In this brief review, I have only covered the first hours of the Normandy landing operation. In the days that followed, the Anglo-Americans had to face many difficulties. There is also a storm that practically destroyed one of the two artificial ports; and supply confusion (field hairdressers were delivered to the beachhead very late); and the inconsistency of the actions of the allies (the British launched an offensive two weeks earlier than planned, obviously, they were less dependent on the presence of field hairdressers than the Americans). However, the opposition of the enemy among these difficulties is in the very last place. So should this be called a "battle"?"

The landing of Anglo-American troops in Normandy was the largest amphibious operation in history, in which about 7,000 ships took part. It owes much of its success to careful preparation.

The decision to open a Second Front - a large-scale invasion of Western France - was taken by US President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. In January 1943, at a conference in Casablanca, the leaders of the two countries of the Anti-Hitler Coalition discussed current problems along with members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the United States and Great Britain. In pursuance of the decision, the General Staffs of both countries formed a working group headed by British General Frederick Morgan, which began to develop a plan for a future operation.

OPERATION OVERLORD

The preparation of the operation, called "Overlord" (Overlord), was carried out by the Anglo-American command carefully and on a large scale. The production of landing and anti-submarine weapons, special equipment and weapons necessary for the landing was sharply expanded, extremely expensive collapsible artificial harbors "Mulberry" were developed and built, which were then planned to be assembled on the French coast. In England, special access roads for equipment were brought to the places of intended loading. At the end of May 1944, the troops were concentrated in the assembly areas, after which emergency measures were taken to ensure secrecy. At first it was planned to start the operation in May, but then Bernard Montgomery insisted on landing also on the Cotentin Peninsula (the future Utah site), so D-Day, the landing date, had to be slightly shifted. The Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe, American General Dwight Eisenhower, on May 8, 1944, set the final date - June 5. But on June 4, the weather suddenly deteriorated and the landing was canceled. The next day, the weather service reported to Eisenhower that the weather would improve slightly on June 6. The general ordered to prepare for the landing.

D-DAY

The operation in Normandy, called "Neptune" (Neptune), was an integral part of the larger-scale operation "Overlord", which provided for the clearance of German troops from all of Northwestern France. During Operation Neptune, 156,000 British and American troops were to land on the Channel Coast. Previously, in the first hour of the night, 24,000 paratroopers were thrown behind enemy lines, who were supposed to cause panic in the ranks of the enemy and capture strategically important objects.

The main stage of the operation - the very landing of British and American troops from the ships - began at 6:30 in the morning. For landing, the Allied command, after much thought and discussion, chose the 80-kilometer section of the Normandy coast from the mouth of the Orne River to the commune of Ozville (Montbourg canton, Cherbourg-Octeville district, Manche department). In total, the landing was carried out at five sites: on three - "Gold" (Gold), "Juno" (Juno) and "Sword" (Sword) - the troops of the 2nd British Army landed, on two - "Utah" (Utah) and " Omaha "(Omaha) - 1st US Army.

LANDING OF THE BRITISH TROOPS

83,115 people landed on British sites (including 61,715 British, the rest Canadians). In the "Gold" sector, the British troops managed with relatively small losses to suppress the German units defending here and break through the line of their fortifications.

The fact that the British troops in this area managed to successfully break through into the depths of French territory was largely made possible thanks to the use of special equipment - Sherman tanks, equipped with Hobbart trawls for clearing minefields. In the Juno sector, the brunt of the fighting fell on the shoulders of the Canadians, who faced fierce resistance from the German 716th Infantry Division. Nevertheless, after a heavy battle, the Canadians still managed to gain a foothold in the coastal bridgehead, and then push the enemy back and establish contact with British troops landing in neighboring areas.

Despite the fact that the Canadians failed to fully complete the task, they managed to gain a foothold in their positions and did not jeopardize the further course of the operation. At the Sword sector, the British troops quickly crushed the enemy's weak parts on the coast, but then went to the 2nd, stronger, line of defense, where their advance stalled. Then they were counterattacked by motorized units of the 21st German Panzer Division. Although the losses of the British were generally small, they could not complete the main task - to take the French city of Caen - they could not reach it only six kilometers.

By the end of D-Day, despite occasional setbacks, it could be stated that the landing of the British troops had taken place, and the losses for such a complex operation were quite low.

D-Day: American Sectors

The landing of American troops on June 6, 1944 took place in difficult conditions, and at some point the American command even considered canceling the operation and withdrawing the troops that had already landed.

In the American sector of the Channel Coast, units of the 1st US Army landed - a total of 73 thousand soldiers, including 15,600 paratroopers. During the first stage of Operation Neptune, an airborne assault was carried out, which made up parts of the 82nd and 101st American airborne divisions. The landing zone is behind the Utah site on the Cotentin Peninsula, north of the city of Carentan.

UTAH PLOT

The task of the American paratroopers was to capture the dams through the meadows and bridges flooded by the Germans in the area of ​​​​the cities of Saint-Mer-Eglise and Carentan. They were successful: the Germans did not expect a landing here and did not prepare for a serious rebuff. As a result, the paratroopers reached their intended targets, pinning down the enemy at Sainte-Mer-Eglise. This town became the first French settlement liberated during the Normandy campaign.

The amphibious landing on the Utah sector was carried out almost perfectly. First, shells from the main caliber of American warships hit the positions of the weak 709th German stationary division. They were followed by an armada of medium bombers, completely undermining the will to resist the already not very reliable enemy units. Exactly at 6:30, as planned, elements of the 4th American Infantry Division began to land. They approached a few kilometers south of the planned area, which played into their hands - the coastal fortifications here turned out to be much weaker. One after another, waves of landing troops landed on the shore, crushing the demoralized German units.

The losses of American troops in the Utah sector amounted to only 197 people killed; even the losses of the US fleet were greater - a destroyer, two infantry landing boats and three small tank landing ships were blown up and sunk by mines. At the same time, all the goals set for the troops were achieved: more than 21 thousand soldiers and officers, 1,700 pieces of equipment landed on the shore, a 10 x 10 km bridgehead was created and contacts were established with American paratroopers and troops in neighboring areas.

OMAHA PLOT

Whereas on the Utah section events unfolded according to plan, on the eight-kilometer Omaha section, stretching from Saint-Honorine-de-Perthe to Vierville-sur-Mer, the situation was completely different. Although here the German troops (352nd Infantry Division) consisted largely of inexperienced and poorly trained soldiers, they occupied fairly well-trained positions along the coast. The operation went wrong from the start.

Because of the fog, naval artillery and bomber aircraft, which were supposed to suppress the enemy's defenses, could not find targets and did not inflict any damage on the German positions. Following them, difficulties began for the crews of the landing ships, who also could not bring them to the planned targets. When the American soldiers began to get ashore, they came under heavy fire from the Germans who occupied convenient positions. Losses began to grow rapidly, and panic began to develop in the ranks of the landing troops. It was at this moment that the commander of the 1st American Army, General Omar Bradley, came to the conclusion that the operation had failed and was going to stop the landing, and evacuate the troops that had already landed on Omaha from the Normandy coast. It was only by a miracle that Operation Neptune did not fail. With great efforts, American sappers managed to break through several passages in the defenses and minefields of the enemy, but traffic jams immediately formed at these narrow passages. Pandemonium on the coastal line did not allow new troops to land.