06/07/2023
D-Day was the name given to the June 6, 1944, invasion of the beaches at Normandy in northern France by troops from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and other countries during World War II. France at the time was occupied by the armies of N**i Germany, and the amphibious assault—codenamed Operation Overlord—landed some 156,000 Allied soldiers on the beaches of Normandy by the end of the day. Despite their success, some 4,000 Allied troops were killed by German soldiers defending the beaches. At the time, the D-Day invasion was the largest naval, air and land operation in history, and within a few days about 326,000 troops, more than 50,000 vehicles and some 100,000 tons of equipment had landed. By August 1944, all of northern France had been liberated, and in spring of 1945 the Allies had defeated the Germans. Historians often refer to D-Day as the beginning of the end of World War II.
The role of air power in the success of D-Day cannot be denied. Air power prepared the battlefield by denying the German army use of railways and airfields. Without airfields and railways, the Germans could not oppose Allied air forces or bring reinforcements into the Normandy area. The air campaign began weeks before the ground battle to liberate France and open a second front against the German army.
During the last three weeks before D-Day, Allied heavy bombers, medium bombers, and fighters struck vacant airfields throughout France.
Air superiority was evident: the Luftwaffe flew 319 sorties on D-Day, while the Allies flew 12,015.
