Essay On Operation Overlord

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Tuesday June 6, 1944, the fate of the allied forces rest upon this one date in time, this one date in history. For those who supported the allied cause, June 6 is not just a date; it is the beginning of the end, the beginning of a new world and the end of an evil dictator. This date signifies a plan four years in the making, and an invasion to infiltrate the pulse of the German Reich to strike a crushing blow to the axis powers.
This date in history has now been termed D-Day. Codenamed Operation Overlord, the campaign to take Western Europe back from German hands was as Winston Churchill stated “undoubtedly the most complicated and difficult’ ever undertaken.” After many hard fought years of fighting Hitler and his axis powers, the military leaders of the allied forces with the accommodation of the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF) planned an assault on the Western front of Europe through France to create a two front war, and gain a quick route into Germany. Operation Overlord was to be conducted in two phases: Operation Pointblank, an airborne assault to infiltrate German lines and meet up with the troops from Operation Neptune, the amphibious assault on the beaches of Normandy. Hitler knew of a possible invasion, but German intelligence had the assault coming from the Pas de Calais to the north. This mission had no backup plan; four years of fighting all came down to one day. 5,000 boats carrying 150,000 Americans, Brits and Canadians into the teeth of German occupied Normandy beach. There was no alternative, no looking back it was win or die.
Operation Overlord was the offensive of all offensives. It was the largest amphibious invasion in world history, which totaled over 160,000 American, British and C...

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...e. The terrain of Omaha was a disadvantage for the Americans with heavily fortified German bunkers on top rugged cliffs overlooking the beach. The rough waters pushed boats off point and some were overtaken by the waves. For those who did make it to the beach, were met with heavy fire, and a lot of beach to cover. With help from naval fire, the Americans were able to eventually push the Germans back taking the beach. Casualties were the heaviest at Omaha with over 3,000 dead and wounded.
The foothold on mainland Europe had been gained, but not all goals were reached. “Hitler and his senior intelligence advisors remained convinced that Normandy was a diversion and that a further Western assault was imminent.” (Gilbert 171) With this being said, Hitler focused on what could happen rather than what already happened. He saw the attacks as a sideshow to a great attack.

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