D-Day: the biggest wartime operation

"We cannot afford to fail". These were the words of General Eisenhower, the Supreme Commander in the run-up to D-Day.

Failure would give Hitler the opportunity to initiate an eleventh-hour attempt to save Germany and launch his new V-weapons against British cities. Success would mean the beginning of the end of the Third Reich.

Midnight had not long struck when the British and American airborne armada began its mission on 6 June 1944 in the moonlight. They landed at the edges of the invasion area on the Normandy coast to secure the western and eastern flanks of the beachheads and protect them from German attacks.

D-Day in numbers:

• Around 2 million American, British and Canadian service members were a part of Operation Overlord.
• Over 80,000 British and Canadian troops took part in the invasion on the beaches on D-Day.
• Over 150,000 men made up the Allied Invasion Force.
• 23,400 British troops landed by air.
• More than 7,000 ships and 11,000 aircraft supported the invasion off the coast.
• 21,000 British and Commonwealth men were killed during the Normandy Campaign.
• By the end of 11 June (D + 5), 326,547 troops had landed on the beaches.

Facts and figures of D-Day:

D-Day was the biggest seaborne invasion and the greatest military campaign the world has seen.

Allied troops landed in Normandy....................................................................................156.115

•   American (Omaha & Utah beaches + airborne)........................................................73.000
•   British (Gold & Sword beaches + airborne)...............................................................61.715
•   Canadian (Juno Beach).............................................................................................21.400

Airborne troops (included in figures above)......................................................................23.400

• Aircraft supporting the landings...................................................................................11.590

Sorties flown by allied aircraft.............................................................................................14.674

• Aircraft lost........................................................................................................................127

Naval vessels in Operation Neptune.....................................................................................6.939

•   Naval combat ships.....................................................................................................1.213
•   Landing ships and landing craft...................................................................................4.126
•   Ancillary craft..................................................................................................................736
•   Merchant vessels............................................................................................................864

Personnel in Operation Neptune.......................................................................................195.700

•   American....................................................................................................................52.889
•   British.......................................................................................................................112.824
•   Other allied...................................................................................................................4.988

 By the end of 11 June (D + 5), 326.547 troops, 54.186 vehicles and 104.428 tons of supplies had been landed on the beaches.

D-Day codes:

In the planning and lead up to the Allied invasion of Europe in 1944, secrecy was paramount. A huge security blanket covered every aspect of the operation, including the exact place and date.

Code names and acronyms became vital. These are just a few.

• D-Day: the date of the operation
• H-Hour: the hour of the invasion
• Bolero: the build up to D-Day in Britain
• Operation Overlord: the overall invasion plan
• Operation Neptune: the seaborne invasion
• Fortitude: A long-term operation to conceal the true location of the D-Day landings
• Mulberry: artificial harbours towed across the Channel
• Ham & Jam: the signal indicating the bridges at Benouville (Pegasus Bridge) and Ranville were secured by Allied Forces
• UTAH - Code name for most western beach between Pouppeville and La Madeleine, 3 miles long, assigned to the US 1st Army, 7th Corps. Casualties were the lightest of all the landings - out of 23,000 troops, only 197 men were killed or wounded. It was divided into zones assigned Tare Green, Uncle Red and Victor.
• OMAHA - Code name for the beach between Sainte-Honorine-des-Pertes and Vierville-sur-Mer, 6 miles long (largest). Taking Omaha was the responsibility of US 1st Army, 5th Corps, with sea transport provided by the US Navy and elements of the Royal Navy. The movie Saving Private Ryan portrays some of the events here. The 1st Infantry assault experienced the worst ordeal of the D-Day operation. The Americans suffered 2,400 casualties but 34,000 Allied troops had landed by nightfall. Divided into Charlie, Dog, Easy and Fox zones.
• GOLD - Code name for beach from Longues-sur-Mer to La Riviere, 5 miles long and includes Arromanches where the Mulberry Harbour was established. British 2nd Army, 30th Corps landed here and by nightfall, 25,000 troops had landed and pushed the Germans six miles inland. There were just 400 British casualties. Divided into How, Item, Jig and Kingzones.
• JUNO - Code name for beach spanning either side of the port of Courseulles-sur-Mer from La Riviere to Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer, 6 miles wide. Canadian 3rd Infantry Division & British 2nd Army, 1st Corps. Out of 21,400 men landed, there were 1,200 casualties. Divided into Love,Mike and Nan zones.
• SWORD - Code name for beach stretching 5 miles from Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer to Ouistreham at the mouth of the River Orne. British 2nd Army, 1st Corps with French & British commandos. It was nine miles north of the city of Caen – a major route centre of Northern France. The British landed 29,000 men and suffered just 630 casualties. Divided into Oboe,Peter, Queen and Roger zones.