Battle of Normandy

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One of the most significant encounters of World War II was the Battle of Normandy (the first day of which is commonly referred to as D-Day). Nearly three million soldiers were deployed for the invasion. Those deployed consisted mainly of American and British soldiers, however Canadian, French, Polish, Belgian, and Czech forces were represented as well (Jensen). The battle was fought in an effort to gain European ground and to reduce the German potential for overrunning Russia (Lucas). The Battle of Normandy was significant in that it was the turning point of World War II, incurred heavy casualties on each side, and was the greatest amphibious landing in history (Cohen). The events leading up to the Battle of Normandy are perhaps just as important as the battle itself. The hold that Hitler had across Europe was one that had to be broken. The decision was made to invade Europe across the English Channel between May fifteenth and twenty-fifth 1943, when Winston Churchill (Britain’s wartime leader and Prime Minister) met with United States President Theodore Roosevelt at the Trident Conference in Washington D.C. (Newark 144). After this meeting, planning to invade began immediately and May 1944 was originally selected as the time for the attack. United States forces were then transported to Britain in order to begin intensive training (Newark 144). A campaign was created for the sole purpose of confusing German intelligence. This was called Operation Bodyguard and included the construction of dummy installations and shipping in addition to misinformation (Newark 144-145). Preparing to cross the wall that Hitler had erected across the Atlantic was a huge obstacle for invading forces to overcome. The wall stretched 2,600... ... middle of paper ... ...): 38-42. Academic Search Complete. Web. 18 Nov. 2011. Jensen, Elizabeth. "Remembering D-Day: Part 1 - The Allies Plan and Prepare for Invasion, Page 4 of 5 - Associated Content from Yahoo! - associatedcontent.com." Associated Content from Yahoo! - associatedcontent.com. N.p., 21 May 2007. Web. 12 Nov. 2011. . "June 6, 1944: The Greatest Seaborne Invasion Ever." European (London, England). June 3-9 1994: Mag. Sec. 8. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 16 Nov 2011. Lucas, Susan. "Why We Remember D-Day." Welcome to The Royal Canadian Legion Branch 122. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2011. . Newark, Timothy. Turning the tide of war: 50 battles that changed the course of modern history. London: Hamlyn, 2001. Print.

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