Staff Writer
Thursday, June 6, marks the 75th anniversary of the Operation Overlord or Normandy Landings during World War II.
This operation was the largest amphibious landing in history. It saw the combined effort of U.S., English and Canadian Troops who would all rush the beaches of Normandy, which were named Utah, Omaha, Juno, Gold, and Sword. 4,000 Allied troops lost their lives during the landings and the 156,000 survivors would go on to retake France and push into the German heartland.
The most well known of these beaches was Omaha. Many of the troops died before even touching French soil. When the doors dropped on their landing craft, many were killed instantly. Some jumped overboard and drowned because of the weight of their equipment. Soldiers would have to make it past 300 yards of beach, only to reach large cliffs where German pillboxes rained down a hail of bullets. Companies were completely separated during the chaos of the battle when many soldiers would stay near the tank traps and logs that were meant to be obstacles. Omaha was a grueling and hard-fought battle and was only won thanks to the bravery of each and every American soldier.
The beach landings were not the only way troops made it to the shores of France. Hours beforehand under the cover of darkness, a large group of elite paratroopers were dropped behind Germany’s Atlantic Wall at Normandy Beach. The job of these brave men was to drop behind the shores into fields and such, to destroy anti-air guns and artillery pieces as well as slow down any possible German reinforcements that should arrive. Many of the soldiers would not reach the ground alive. Soldiers would have to roam around the countryside and hope that the figures they saw in the dark were Allies and not German. The night operation saw many casualties and would not have been completed if not for the intense and rigorous training of the paratroopers as well as the command of men like Dick Winters and the renowned Easy Company of the 101st Airborne.
D-Day has been ingrained into American culture as a sign of the bravery and grit of the Greatest Generation. It’s seen as a symbol of freedom taking a foothold in order to destroy the evil empire that was Nazi Germany.
