1) On June 6, 1944, the Allied forces launched Operation Overlord and invaded Normandy, France on 5 beaches - Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword - in an attempt to liberate France from German occupation. 2) Over 150,000 Allied troops stormed the beaches and faced intense German resistance from fortified positions like bunkers and machine gun nests. Heavy casualties were incurred on D-Day among both Allied and German forces. 3) The Normandy invasion marked a turning point in World War 2, as it helped lead to the eventual defeat of Germany and liberation of Western Europe from Nazi control.

1. D-Day Invasion June 6, 1944 By: Hank DeBell

2. Letter From D-Day Paratrooper Belgium, November 19, 1944 I hardly know how to begin after such a long time and I really have been sweating it out. But speaking of sweating things out, in the past two weeks there was a few mornings that really called for a good deal of sweating out. It used to be fairly peaceful to lay in our foxholes but these particular mornings there was plenty of big stuff falling nearby. I never was too scared of the stuff until then. We happened to be about eight miles inside of Reich and the artillery was coming from all directions. Every time a shell started to whistle in, I was beginning another prayer. As one of the 'doughfeet' put it, "I may not get the Purple Heart for being wounded but if they give them out for being scared as hell I certainly rate one," and that's no kiddin'... Respectfully, Carl Schluter

3. Background Beginning of World War II, Germany invades Poland. France, Britain, and Canada declare war on Germany. Germany invades France in 1940 defended by France and Britain. After the Attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States joined with the Allied Forces.

4. Allied forces decide to recapture France from Germany by landing a huge army at Normandy, France, which is on the North West coast of France. The code name for the landing would be “Operation Overload.” Plan was lead by General Dwight D. Eisenhower. Based in Britain where Winston Churchill was prime minister, thousands of allied soldiers were dropped into Normandy from planes before the beach invasion.

5. The allies landed on five beaches in the Normandy area. The code names for these beaches were Utah Beach, Omaha Beach, Gold Beach, Juno Beach, and Sword Beach. 156,000 American, British, and Canadian troops met the German forces that were defending the area. They pushed the Germans inland and secured a safe place for the allies to land reinforcements. The battles of Normandy were the turning point in World War II. D-Day was the beginning of the fall of Germany’s control over Europe.

6. Carrier Boat The soldiers traveled to the beaches of Normandy in these boats where they would be dropped off.

7. These logs were set up on the beaches to block the boats from getting up close to the shore and to keep other vehicles from getting to the shore.

8. The Germans would be set up on the beaches with high powered machine guns and they would shoot the Allies coming off of the carrier boats.

9. The Germans had snipers and powerful machine guns in these bunkers facing the coast.

10. Map of Invasion Beaches

11. Injured and Killed on the Beaches There were 150,000 troops that stormed the beaches of Normandy on June 6, killed. 3,600 Germans killed. 1944. 2,500 GI’s killed. 2,600 paratroopers

12. Total killed on D-Day The total number of Allied and German troops killed on D-Day will never be known, but by the end of the Normandy campaign, there were nearly 425,000 Germans and Allied troops killed.

13. The battles that took place on D-Day and the several days after it are considered to be some of the most devastating battles that have ever taken place in the history of mankind.

14. Arial Picture of Normandy Landing Area

15. American Cemetery at Normandy

16. American Cemetery and Memorial at Normandy. Graves of Jewish-American soldiers’ are marked with the Star of David instead of a cross.

17. 1939- Germany invades Poland causing Britain, France, and Canada to declare war on Germany. June 1941- Germany invades France, defended by France and Britain. December 7, 1941- The attack on Pearl Harbor occurs causing America to join with the allied forces the following day. June 6, 1944- Allies begin the recapture of France from Germany, landing on the beaches of Normandy, France. One of the most devastating days in the history of mankind.

18. Bibliography Rymer, Eric. “Picture of D-Day.” Landing on the Beaches. 12/02/07. http://historylink101.com/wwII_b-w/d-day/beaches2/index.html Wiki Answers. “When did the US enter WWII.” 12/02/07. http://wiki.answers.com/Q/When_did_the_US_enter_World_War_2 Roger A. Lee. "The History Guy: World War 2: The Invasion of Normandy (1944) " http://www.historyguy.com/normandy_links.html Reader’s Digest. The Eventful 20 th Century: The World at War:1939-45. Pleasantville, NY: The Reader’s Digest Association, Inc, 1999. Edward R. Murrow and the Broadcasts That Riveted a Nation. World War II on the Air. Naperville, Illinois: Sourcebooks, Inc. 2003

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