When the US entered the war, an invasion of France from Britain was discussed but the European allies were wary. World War I had only ended 24 years prior and the horrors from that war and the difficulty the Allied forces had attacking the Germans was still fresh in their minds. So, Operation Overlord, an invasion of France, was pushed back for three years.
Ultimately, this delay was beneficial to the Allies. In the years leading up to the invasion, the Allied forces engaged in battles that taught them lessons which would shape the famous invasion. In August 1942, Allied forces tested Hitler's Atlantic Wall in the battle of Anzio. This was a series of fortifications along the Atlantic coast that Hitler had French labor construct between 1942 and 1944. This attack was meant to boost morale, gather intelligence and damage the German defenses. It was a failure, since there was not enough air support and once the beaches had been taken, forces did not move fast enough to overtake the defenses.
In Italy in early 1944, the Allied forces mounted an invasion of Anzio, which was an amphibious invasion that required the element of surprise and a follow-up push inland. The attack was a complete surprise but the follow-up did not materialize and resulted in heavy fighting for weeks with the Allied forces trapped on the beach.
Finally, it was time to invade Nazi Europe and attempt to liberate the continent. General Dwight D. Eisenhower was in charge of Operation Overlord. There were two locations where the Allied forces could attack: the beaches of Normandy or Pas de Calais, which is the closest point on the continent to the British Isles. Calais made the most sense so Hitler heavily fortified it in preparation of an invasion. For this reason, and the fact that Normandy provided the Allies with more options of pushing further inland, Normandy was selected as the invasion site.
The invasion was a magnificent undertaking that included air support, artillery support and the determination of the soldiers landing on the beaches to keep going. They knew that success at Normandy would help to bring about the end of the war and liberate those living under Nazi rule and save the people who were targeted by the Nazis, like the Jewish population.
While it was a success, it also resulted in high casualties. Over 4,000 Allied forces died during D-Day and 10,000 were wounded. Additionally, nearly 20,000 civilians are estimated to have been killed during the invasion. War is not a pretty thing and victory came at a heavy price.
Today, we remember D-Day as a romantic success. The Allied forces faced great challenges but pushed onward and succeeded so that they could put an end to the Nazis. The men who fought were brave and heroic but let's not romanticize war. What those men saw on those beaches was horrifying. They watched their friends get slaughtered yet they survived and had to keep fighting. Let's remember the day but let us also take the time to consider all that was lost on that day and all the days before it under Hitler's regime.
As General Eisenhower said in his D-Day message:
"You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you. In company with our brave Allies and brothers-in-arms on other Fronts, you will bring about the destruction of the German war machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of Europe, and security for ourselves in a free world.
Your task will not be an easy one. Your enemy is well trained, well equipped and battle hardened. He will fight savagely.
...I have full confidence in your courage and devotion to duty and skill in battle. We will accept nothing less than full Victory!"
No comments:
Post a Comment