Operation Overlord

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Operation Overlord
D-Day June 6, 1944
By Jacob Hartley
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Operation Overlord The tuning point of the
War During the first six months of 1944, the
United States and Great Britain concentrated
land, naval, and air forces in England to prepare
for Operation Overlord. Greatest armada ever
assembled 5,000 Ships 150,000 Soldiers Total of
nine army divisions (three airborne and six
infantry) May 1944 Operation Overlord in
preparation Gen George S. Pattons invisible
army -False notions that the allies will invade
Calais -Fake army prepared to fool Germany
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Soldiers from the United States, Britain and
Canada trained and rehearsed their roles in the
carefully choreographed operation.
Reconnaissance patrols sent out at night to
scout Normandy beaches British Royal Air Force
and U.S. Air Force targets and destroys bridges
and railroads in hopes of stopping the German
supply line and stopping reinforcements from
arriving For the invasion to work the German
Air Force had to be destroyed -Shot down over
1,300 German Planes On the morning of June 5
1944 25,000 men were to start the initial assault
on Normandy and to be followed by 125,000
more Storm Delays the operation by one day (talk
about calling off the invasion) Evening of June
5 1944 Allied air forces carried three airborne
in to France -822 Planes -13,000 Paratroopers
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Jobs were to secure bridges, exits, prevent
further German reinforcements and attack targets
throughout the invasion area before during and
after the landing of allied support forces.
Numerous factors caused the paratroopers to
miss their drop zones and become scattered across
the Norman countryside However, throughout the
night and into the day the airborne troops
accomplish their missions. Morning of June 6,
1944 more than 5,000 ships--from battleships to
landing craft--carried, escorted and landed the
assault force along the Normandy coast. Before
the force landed, naval gunfire Blanketed the
beaches. Amphibious craft landed some 150,000
troops on five beaches along the 50 miles of
Normandy coast between the Cotentin Peninsula and
the Orne River British and Canadians landed on
GOLD, JUNO and SWORD Beaches (East) Americans
landed on UTAH and OMAHA (West)
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(No Transcript)
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Omaha Beach The first wave landed the 1st and
29th Infantry divisions on OMAHA Beach at 630
a.m. The naval bombardment had not softened
German defenses Resistance was so heavy that
the assault was stopped at the water's edge for
much of the morning By mid-morning, Lt. Gen.
Omar Bradley, United States First Army commander,
considered pulling off the beach and landing
troops elsewhere along the coast. Slowly,
individuals and then groups of soldiers began to
cross the beach. Supported by Allied naval
gunfire from destroyers steaming dangerously
close to shore Finally the Americans overtook
the beach exits and drove the Germans inland
around noon
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Utah Beach The 4th Infantry Division was
assigned to take UTAH Beach. In contrast with
OMAHA Beach, the 4th Division's landing went
smoothly. The first wave landed 2,000 yards
south of the planned beach--one of the Allies'
more fortuitous opportunities on D-Day. The
original beach was heavily defended in comparison
to the light resistance and few fixed defenses
encountered on the new beach. Within hours, the
beachhead was secured and the 4th Division
started inland to contact the airborne divisions
scattered across its front.
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Normandy Invasion June 6, 1944 Infantry
Invasion Forces V Corps 1st British Corps
VII Corps 30th British Corps 1st Infantry
Division 3rd British Infantry Division 4th
Infantry Division 6th British Airborne Division
29th Infantry Division 50th British Infantry
Division 82nd Airborne Division 3rd Canadian
Infantry Division 101st Airborne Division Air
Forces U.S. Army Air Forces Royal Air Forces
Eighth Air Force 2nd Tactical Air Force Ninth
Air Force
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CASUALTY REPORT U.S. AIRBORNE 2,499 U.S. /
UTAH 197 U.S. / OMAHA 2,000 U.K. /
GOLD 413 CAN. / JUNO 1,204 U.K. /
SWORD 630 U.K. AIRBORNE 1,500 CONSERVATIVE
ESTIMATE 8,443 REASONABLE GUESS 9,000 total
KILLED OR WOUNDED
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• Topaz
• 1942-1946
• Jewel of the Desert
• Utahs 5th largest city
• Japanese concentration camp
• 1942 after pearl harbor most west cost Japanese
  people were rounded up and sent to Tan furan race
  track
• There they lived in horse stables
• Moved into Millard County Utah camp Topaz
• Prison, totally isolated, surrounded by barbed
  wire and guard towers

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• More then 4,000 Japanese
• In January 1946 closed been open for 1,146 days
• Japanese families had nowhere to go and were not
  wanted or excepted any
• where
• The End