Battle of Normandy
analytical Essay
1572 words
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.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the battle of normandy was the turning point of world war ii, incurred heavy casualties on each side, and the greatest amphibious landing in history.
- Explains that the events leading up to the battle of normandy are perhaps just as important as the battle itself.
- Describes how the first u.s. paratroopers were dropped by an armada of c-47s behind german lines before dawn to seize bridges, disrupt communications, and prevent german soldiers from reinforcing the normandy beaches.
- Describes the battle of normandy as the storming of the beaches along the cotentin peninsula.
- Explains how the battle of normandy was a success for the allied troops, but the wreckage that permeated the beaches had to be cleared.
- Analyzes how the success of d-day for allied forces had greatly lowered german morale and resources available to german soldiers to reinforce themselves.
- Describes how the germans surrendered on august 21, 1944, ending the battle of normandy. hitler lost the war in europe less than a year after d-day.
- Cites albrecht, brian, and jensen, elizabeth. "remembering d-day: part 1 - the allies plan and prepare for invasion."
Related
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- Invasion of Normandyanalytical essayInvasion of Normandy Invasion of Normandy, also known as D-Day or Operation Overlord, was a cross channel attack planned by the allies that took place over the English channel. Not only was D-Day the largest amphibious assault the world had seen, it was a critical point in World War II. (Locke, Alain, ed. Pg 203) The Invasion of Normandy is when the allies decided that they must take an offense and invade Germany on their home land if Hitler was to be stopped. The allies put all of their power together, for failure was not an option.
In this essay, the author
- Explains how german intelligence never knew if it was the big invasion or just another little deception by the allies to throw them off.
- Analyzes how the germans' focus changed from the balkans and norway to the pas de calais. enormous allied air superiority over northern france made it extremely difficult for rommel, who was in german command on the scene, to move his limited reserves.
- Explains that d-day was the largest amphibious assault the world had seen and was a critical point in world war ii.
- Explains that hitler was aware that the allies would eventually mount a cross-channel invasion, but he accepted that it could no longer be ignored.
- Explains how the germans saw the air attack on normandy as nothing more than a raid or at best, it had to be defeated. the american 1st division at omaha beach fought with light opposition.
2136 wordsRead More - D-Day, the Normandy Landingsanalytical essay“Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force! You are about to embark upon a great crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you… I have full confidence in your courage, devotion to duty and skill in battle. We will accept nothing less than full victory!”
In this essay, the author
- Opines that they have full confidence in their courage, devotion to duty, and skill in battle.
- Analyzes eisenhower's message sent just prior to the invasion, which was what you would've heard if you were an american soldier preparing for what would later be called d-day.
- Explains how the allies used trickery to keep the germans on their toes, so they never knew where the blow would come from.
- Explains general eisenhower's message sent just prior to the invasion.
645 wordsRead More - The Second World Waranalytical essayNormandy, the landing on the five beaches in France, is one of the biggest turning points in World War II because of the strategies used by the Allied Forces. “Following several successful military campaigns in Africa and Italy, Allied commanders decided to open a second front against German ...
In this essay, the author
- Explains that world war ii was a grueling period for both america and europe at home and on the battleground. the soldiers' stories helped us understand what happened during their time overseas.
- Explains that history books don't give you the first-hand accounts of the soldiers. they came together at camp toccoa and were trained to jump into the fight.
- Explains that normandy, the landing on the five beaches in france, is one of the biggest turning points in world war ii due to the strategies used by the allied forces
- Analyzes how band of brothers follows the history of easy company from basic training to d-day, the battle of the bulge, and finally the occupation of berchtesgaden and austria.
- Opines that the stories of the surviving veterans have left an enormous impact on our history and culture.
- Explains that the impact of world war ii on the countries of the world changed not only the people but sometimes and in some countries it changed the culture.
- Analyzes how band of brothers by stephen e. ambrose is a great representation of how grueling it was to be in world war ii, by the soldiers stories, book reviews over it, and the influence the book had on people.
- Cites ambrose, stephen e. band of brothers: e company, 506th regiment, 101st airborne from normandy
- Explains that kerr, philip, and lisa allardice. "band of brothers." new statesman 132.4663 (2003): 44. literary reference center.
926 wordsRead More - The History of D-Dayexplanatory essayThe History of D-Day June 6, 1944 will be remembered for many reasons. Some may think of it as a success and some as a failure. The pages following this could be used to prove either one. The only sure thing that I can tell you about D-Day is this: D-Day, June 6, 1944 was the focal point of the greatest and most planned out invasion of all time. The allied invasion of France was long awaited and tactfully thought out.
In this essay, the author
- Explains eisenhower set a date for june 6, 1944, which was to be the day with the h-hour.
- Opines that d-day was the beginning and the key.
- Narrates how the world began work on preparing the plan in 1944. the plan was finalized in the spring of 1944
- Explains that men had to be recruited and trained, as well as equipment.
- Explains that allied forces liberated and held them so that they wouldn't be pushed back into allied forces.
- Opines that 4400 bombs on the targets were missed and nearly a third fell onto.
- Opines that the poor accuracy of the aircraft was costly and would turn out to be costly.
- Explains that after the first wave came the 32 amphibious tanks.
- Opines that if the soldiers managed to make it to shore they were still faced with germans.
- Narrates how divisions made it on the beach and secured it.
- Opines that the wrong beach decided "to start the war from right here."
- Opines that the order to cut them off from escape and so that they could be attacked from two vantage points.
- Explains that the large number was partly due to the fact that beginning in april of the same year.
- Explains that the second band were large posts and logs dug into to get in the way.
- Opines that once most of the craft had managed to make it to the beach, the soldiers still fought.
- Explains the sea wall and other obstacles by machine gun fire ahead of them and the raising.
- Narrates how they came in as close as eight hundred yards in order to fire at enemy.
- Explains that this would prove to be one of the few missions that were completed that day.
- Explains that the advance up the heavily defended bluffs was taken but the plan was changed.
- Explains that by the end of d-day on omaha beach the advance had gone barely one and a half years.
- Explains that a hole in the german line about two and half kilometers long was made.
- Explains that because of this factor the gold beach was postponed almost an hour after most of the beach.
- Opines that this adverse condition would soon show to have its pro's.
- Opines that tactic left the tanks as sitting ducks and all but one of them were wiped out.
- Explains that landed on the beach were unable to advance and were without any tanks to bail.
- Describes the key points of the german defenses to secure the area.
- Describes the reasons for taking the city and americans who were supposed to help in the fight inland.
- Explains that the 50th division's joining of teams went according to plans.
- Explains the objective of the taking of bayeux. the only two groups to succeed in their d-
- Describes the 56th regiments who aided in the push inland and the clearing of the beaches.
- Explains that col. hollis of the 6th company was awarded the entire day of june 6, 1944.
- Opines that few of his officers were sent in to investigate and "when they were twenty yards"
- Narrates how a german grenade-wielding sten gun shot into the door, killing two germans.
- Explains that they wanted to wait until the tide had gone in to make it safer for the landing craft.
- Explains that the canadian 7th was wide enough to land two brigades side by side.
- Explains that tanks were in on the landing craft but like on all the other beaches, this caused a lot of damage.
- Opines that heavy seas and tanks coming in on the landing craft meant that people were worried.
- Narrates how they chose a position at sea which was only limited by the setup of their landing.
- Opines that they were very welcoming and greeted us heartily in midst of the ruins of their home.
- Opines that it would be the area of the only german beach.
- Opines that those who made it off the beach in time were quite successful in reaching their goal.
- Describes caen's plans to take on the southward allies and the other half to head right up.
- Opines that a lot of the success was due to the joint effort at caen.
- Explains that d-day was not only a day of troops landing on the beaches of normandy and moving.
- Opines that overlord could not have gone as planned. as early as the spring of 1944 planes crashed.
- Explains that by the eve of d-day, the allies had 2,800 heavy bombers, 1,500 light bomber, and a large number of light-bombers.
- Suggests ducks for any german u-boats that would have gotten into the area.
- Opines that one of the most important things done by the fighters was to fly.
- Narrates how 1944 was one of the most complicated and coordinated wars of all time.
- Narrates how omaha's troops had recovered and were ready to move inland.
- Explains that the forces had averaged a push inland of six miles.
- Opines that d-day was the beginning of the end for the germans in europe.
- Opines that d-day, june 6, 1944, was the focal point of the greatest and most planned out invasion.
- Explains that the four waves of troops were ready to go and the german radar had not spotted any buildup of ships.
- Narrates how the 8th and 4th infantry missed the correct beach and landed 2,000 yards away on what turned out to be a less populated beach.
- Opines that amphibious tanks were unable to make the trek on the rough seas and sank.
- Opines that the only infantry that made it to its d-day objective was the 8th that had landed on the wrong beach.
- Explains that the planned attack time (h hour) was 06:30. many would think that this would be when the death toll would rise.
- Explains that the 29th division brought their tanks in on the landing craft. 8 of the 16 tanks made it to the beach.
- Describes how soldiers who were too injured to walk drowned as the tide sped up on them. with soldiers pinned down and not enough vehicles being able to get off the beach other craft were unable to land
- Narrates how the 116th brigade met the fate of many battalions as they landed on the battlefield.
- Quotes h. taylor, of the 16th regiment, saying two kinds of people are staying on this beach, the dead and those about to die, not let's get the hell out of here.
- Explains that gold beach was the second largest of the beaches of normandy and was also the middle beach.
- Describes the con's of raf bombers and naval guns, including the fact that with rising tides, men landing on the beach would face the fate of their fate.
- Explains that gold beach operations went array, but some great things did occur. csm stanley hollis carried out a few of them.
- Narrates how hollis ran at the germans with his gun firing allowing the men to escape.
- Opines that the british 3rd division from sword beach was planned to meet up with the canadians in order.
- Explains that although all the dd tanks made it to the beach, the tide was turning the already small beach into one with only ten yards from the seafront.
- Explains that strongpoints like the one at la breche were taken as early as 10:00.
- Opines that german machine gun fire in order to clear the way for others to take the glory is what i call guts.
- Opines that without the use of air firepower as used on d-day, june 6, 1944 would be remembered as a day of complete commemoration.
- Opines that d-day was on paper, with no errors, and that it was a complete disaster.
4958 wordsRead More - D-Day: The Turning Point Of WWIIexplanatory essayThe Allied invasion at Normandy was one of the most powerful invasions in history. After WWII began, Germany invaded and occupied northwestern France beginning in May 1940. The Americans entered the war in 1941 and by 1942 they and the British were considering the possibility of a major Allied invasion across the English channel. Before the invasion, air and sea components played major roles. Five thousand ships and landing craft were used along with fifty thousand vehicles and eleven thousand planes went to fight. Planning for the operation began in the summer of 1942. The D in D-Day stands for day since the date of the final invasion was unknown. From January 1942 to June 1944, the United States shipped 17 million tons of cargo to the United Kingdom. Detailed planning for D-Day started in 1943 after the meeting in Tehran between the allied leaders Winston Churchill, F D Roosevelt and Joseph Stalin. By late 1943, significant forces and material had been gathered in Britain.
In this essay, the author
- Opines that the great crusade will bring about the destruction of the german war machine, the elimination of nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of europe, and security for us in a free world.
- Explains that the allied forces accomplished what hitler thought couldn't be done. d-day was the beginning of the end for hitler and germany.
- Explains that the invasion was not without casualties. the united states and germany had the highest number of people killed, wounded, missing or captured.
- Opines that if not for the invasion at normandy, germany could have occupied most of europe. wwii solidified the united states as one of the world’s super powers for years to come.
- Explains that the allied invasion of normandy was one of the most powerful invasions in history.
- Explains that the british and canadians landed on gold, juno, and sword beaches, while the americans were on utah and omaha.
1302 wordsRead More - The Battle of the Bulgeanalytical essay“Yesterday, December 7, 1941 - a date which will live in infamy - the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.” - President Franklin D. Roosevelt. December 7th 1941 marked an event in history that everyone in the world looks back to. On that date the Imperial Japanese Navy surprised attacked the American port of Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Hawaii. This marked the beginning of World War II for America. World War II was the bloodiest war in history with over 60 million deaths. World War II started in Europe when an Nazi controlled Germany invaded Poland on September 1st, 1939. Great Britain entered the war soon after along with the rest of her (Great Britain's) allies starting World War II. Fast forward to June 6th, 1944, American, British and Canadian forces have began Operation Overlord (Invasion of Normandy). Now with a beachhead on Northern France the allied forces from the west can push into occupied France and Belgium. It would not be a easy task though. In between the two forces stands Germany ready to fight back both fronts with whatever forces Germany has. After the liberation of France on August 16th the pressure was on to beat the Russians to Berlin. In December of 1944 the Germans were losing the war on both fronts with lots of casualties. Germany had to do one last push on the Allies in the West to try and get a peace agreement. If the push failed then Germany is lost. on December 16th, 1944, the last German offensive has started. This battle was the Battle of the Bulge also known as the Battle of Bastogne or the Battle of the Ardennes. The Battle of the Bulge was the last German assault that failed greatly and lead to the Germans losing important forc...
In this essay, the author
- Explains that december 7th 1941 marked the beginning of world war ii for america. it was the bloodiest war in history with over 60 million deaths.
- Explains that the battle of the bulge was the last german assault that failed greatly and led to the germans losing important forces.
- Analyzes how general patton started the fastest movement of armored vehicles in warfare to hit the side of the bulge and try and enter bastogne.
- Explains that the battle of the bulge was the last german assault that failed greatly and allowed the allies to invade germany.
788 wordsRead More - The Great Leader: Dwight D. Eisenhowerexplanatory essayWhen Hitler’s panzer divisions pushed towards Stalingrad, Stalin claimed that an invasion across the English Channel would force Hitler to distract troops from the Soviet front (Murray). Churchill and Roosevelt did not think the Allies had enough troops to engage in an attack on European soil. Instead, they launched Operati...
In this essay, the author
- Describes dwight d. eisenhower as a bright man who achieved many goals that would be impossible for any ordinary person. world war ii gave him the chance to use his talent for organization to lead the united states to victory.
- Narrates how eisenhower outshined many classmates in school and received an invitation to attend west point, a prominent military academy in new york. he was quickly promoted because of his hard work and dedication.
- Explains how churchill and roosevelt didn't think the allies had enough troops to engage in an attack on european soil. they launched operation torch, an invasion of north africa, commanded by dwight d. eisenhower.
- Explains eisenhower's biggest feat was the invasion of nazi-occupied western europe, better known as d-day. he only had a window of four days to launch the attack.
- Explains that dwight d. eisenhower was a man full of brains, and always used his communication skills to help his country during world war ii.
- Describes the works citedamerican decades. vol. 5: 1940-1949. detroit: gale, 2001.
- Describes the eisenhower presidential library and museum, and nikoletta koves' "d-day." operation overlord. beyond band of brothers.
551 wordsRead More - Operation Overload: Both a Win and a Lossexplanatory essayNews, CBC. "D-Day: The allied invasion of Normandy." Canada 1 (2009). http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2009/06/02/f-dday-history.html (accessed June 24, 2011).
In this essay, the author
- Opines that despite great accomplishments, canada had indeed paid a price due to poorly made decisions. jan de vries of the 1st canadian parachute battalion describes the mistake his battalion made.
- Opines that despite the valiant efforts of the soldiers, poor decisions were made causing unnecessary bloodshed.
- Describes graves, donald e., christopher johnson, and ron volstad's century of service: the history of the south alberta light horse.
- Cites news, cbc. "d-day: the allied invasion of normandy." canada 1 (2009). http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2009/06/02/f-dday-history
- Explains that canada's strong contributions to operation overload played an essential role in the success of the war.
- Explains that "carpiquet and caen - veterans affairs canada." discovery channel international. "focus on world war ii: d-day – juno beach."
1212 wordsRead More - D-Day: Events that lead to the Invasion and Outcomesexplanatory essayBarrett, John , and Brian Williams. "D-Day, Normandy, France June 6, 1944." Military History Online. MilitaryHistoryOnline.com, 2000. Web. 14 Apr. 2014. http://www.militaryhistoryonline.com/wwii/dday/
In this essay, the author
- Describes the events that led to hitler's invasion of poland in september of 1939. he was convicted of high treason and sentenced to landsberg prison for five years.
- Explains that britain and france declared war on germany after the invasion of poland. the united states claimed to be neutral during these events, but supplied britain with the essentials needed during the war.
- Explains that the winter war between finland and russia ended in march, shortly after germany invaded denmark and norway.
- Explains that winston churchill led britain through world war ii and opposed the foreign policy of his leader neville chamberlin.
- Explains how germany's advancement with weaponry led others to give birth to new ideas concerning defensive and offense.
- Explains that the british expeditionary force in europe was commanded by general lord gort. the wehrmacht was the unified armed forces of germany from 1935 to 1945.
- Describes the pearl harbor attack as a preventative to keep the united states pacific fleet from causing problems with japan's militaristic strategies.
- Explains that eisenhower was assigned to the united states militaristic forces to be a general that planned strategic assaults on the axis powers.
- Explains that utah beach was the first beachfront in normandy that the american's invaded. due to the weather conditions that day, the tides actually washed the platoon to a different location.
- Explains that omaha beach was one of the most well known beachfront assaults that the american's invaded, taking in a devasting casualty rate of 3,000 american soldiers and over 1,000 wounded.
- Describes how the d-day invasion was known as a successful attack after the juno, sword, and gold beaches were invaded by allied troops.
- Explains that barrett, john, and brian williams, "d-day, normandy, france june 6, 1944." military history online.
- Cites ambrose, steven, balkoski, joseph, and penrose. the d-day companion.
1119 wordsRead More - Analysis Of Saving Private Ryananalytical essayWith World War II lasting six years, there were many battles that had taken place. Three major events that are famous from this war are D-day, Pearl Harbor and Battle of Iwo Jima. D-day, which is where Saving Private Ryan begins, is known as the largest amphibious attack in history. Before the attack could take place though there was a lot of planning done. In months before the attack, General Dwight Eisenhower led allies in an operation to make Germany believe that their main target of invasion was Pas-de-Calais, along with a few other locations. The operation that led Germany to believe this was carried out by fake equipment, a phantom army located in England, counterfeit radio transmissions, and double agents. Once Eisenhower knew Germany was mislead, he led the troops into battle. This attack began with British, American, and Canadian forces landing on five different beaches all along the coast of Normandy on June 6, 1944. By the end of the first day approximately 156,000 al...
In this essay, the author
- Explains that private ryan's story begins on june 6, 1944, which marks the beginning of the invasion of normandy, in world war ii.
- Explains that d-day, pearl harbor, and battle of iwo jima are famous events from world war ii.
- Explains that japan launched a surprise attack on the us at pearl harbor, on december 7, 1941, because they had previously attacked and occupied parts of china, korea, and south east asia.
- Explains the us invasion of iwo jima during world war ii, which stemmed from japan's need for a base close to the japanese coast.
- Analyzes how in saving private ryan, general marshall sets up a rescue mission to find james ryan and take him home immediately.
- Analyzes how each rescue mission in war has its own goal and plan in order to successfully complete the mission.
- Explains that world war ii's great raid, which took place in january 1945, was the most complex and heroic mission of the war.
- Explains that the "forgotten 500" rescue mission was the largest air rescue of americans in enemy territory, in any war in history.
- Explains that the us military had many rescue missions that were planned, and executed throughout world war ii, but who was behind them?
- Explains that the us military during world war ii had over 16 million americans serving their country. 290,000 were killed in action and 670,000 were wounded.
- Analyzes the heroic actions of the us military and their families in saving private ryan.
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