Marking 75 years since D-Day, explore the planning, heroism, and legacy of the Allied invasion of Normandy.
THE ALLIED LANDINGS 6 JUNE 1944
Welcome
RISKING IT ALL • As the first wave of troops landed on the beaches of Normandy on 6 June 1944, the prospect off reeing western Europe from years of Nazi occupation finally became a reality. But as the largest seaborne invasion in history got underway, victory for the Allies was still far from certain
ROAD TO D-DAY • The wartime tensions, tactics and training in the months leading up to the invasion
TIMELINE • The dramatic chain of wartime events that led to the launch of Operation Overlord in 1944
THE MASTER PLAN • Landing successfully in Normandy and conquering Europe would require more than brute force. If the Allies stood any chance of success on D-Day, it would also take the combined efforts of scientists, military tacticians and the French Resistance to plot the route to victory – long before any bullets could be fired
Guillaume Mercader: THE FRENCH CYCLIST SPY
George Lane: THE UNDERCOVER AGENT
GETTING READY FOR ACTION • As their plans to liberate Europe gathered pace the Allies knew that every stage of the invasion would have carried out with razor-like precision. Soon, thousands of troops were being put through rigorous training exercises — some of which turned out to be as deadly as the real thing
HOUR BY HOUR • How the dramatic events of 6 June 1944 unfolded across Normandy
D-Day: Hour by Hour NIGHT 00:00 – 06:00 • Long before the first signs of daylight, the ambitious opening stages of Operation Overlord are underway on both sides of the Channel. As paratroopers drop behind enemy lines in Normandy, thousands of Allied soldiers are departing the shores of southern England, ready to make the fateful crossing…
Julian Rice: THE US AIRMAN WITH A CRUCIAL TASK
Malcolm Brannen: THE PARATROOPER WHO KILLED A GENERAL
Howard Vander Beek: A LEADER OF THE SEABORNE INVASION
D-Day: Hour by Hour MORNING 06:00 - 12:00 • As dawn breaks, the first waves of Allied troops emerge from their landing craft and onto the five beaches earmarked for the seaborne invasion. Although the sight of the armada takes the German ranks by surprise, progressing past the mines and machine gun fire will not come without heavy losses…
Leonard Schroeder: THE FIRST SOLDIER ON UTAH BEACH
Wally Blanchard: A DARING BRITISH FROGMAN
Jack Ellery: HERO OF OMAHA
Leonard Lomell: A RANGER ON POINTE DU HOC
Karl Wegner: A GERMAN CONSCRIPT ON OMAHA BEACH
D-DAY IN NUMBERS
D-Day: Hour by Hour AFTERNOON 12:00 - 17:00 • With large numbers of men now on the ground, the Allies continue their push inland and attempt to seize Caen. The Germans advance with their tanks in a bid to resist the attacks, but they are losing more territory by the minute…
Colonel Hermann von Oppeln-Bronikowski: A BRILLIANT SS TANK COMMANDER
D-D: Hour by Hour EVENING 17:00–00:00 • As the ‘Longest Day’ draws to a close, the Allies consolidate their positions in northern France, establishing’ a beachhead that allows them to deliver vital reinforcements. Meanwhile, the rest of the world begins to realise the magnitude of the situation…
Bill McCormick: LEADING THE BOLD THRUST INLAND
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AFTER-MATH & LEGACY • How D-Day and the campaign that followed led to the war’s conclusion, and why the events of 1944 still matter today
THE BATTLE FOR NORMANDY • By the time D-Day had drawn to a close, the Allies had secured a hard-won foothold in northern France. But the fight was far from over. The battle to liberate France raged on as Allied forces were tested to their limits by fierce German...