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Home , 1st Army (France), August 1944, Battle, Beachhead, Cotentin Peninsula, Gold Beach

D-Day: The Beaches.

he armed forces used code- D-Day by the Numbers names to refer to planning and execution of specific mili- Total Allied troops who landed in T : 156,115 tary operations to prepare for D-Day. was the code- name for the Allied of north- Total Allied airborne troops west . The assault phase of (included in figures above): 23,400 Operation Overlord was known as American: 73,000 Operation Neptune. This operation, (Omaha and Utah beaches + airborne) which began on 6, 1944, and ended on , 1944, involved landing troops British: 61,715 on beaches and all other associated sup- (Gold and Sword beaches + airborne) porting operations required to establish a . This beach ranged from Canadian: 21,400 in . By June 30th, the Longues-sur-Mer to La Rivière, five miles () Allies had established a firm foothold in long and included Arromanches where Mul- Normandy — 850,279 men, 148,803 vehi- berry Harbor was established. British 2nd Total Allied that cles and 570,505 tons of supplies had been , 30th Corps landed here and by - supported landings: 11,590 landed. Operation Overlord also began on fall, 25,000 troops had landed and pushed the D-Day, and continued until Allied forces Germans six Naval ships: 1,213 crossed the River on 19th. miles inland. Landing ships / craft: 4,126 The of Normandy is the name given The Brits had Ancillary craft: 736 to the fighting in Normandy between D- just 400 casual- Day and the end of . Allied ties. Divided Merchant vessels: 864 code names for the beaches along the 50- into How, mile stretch of Normandy targeted Item, Jig and Total naval vessels in Operation for landing were Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno King zones. Neptune: 6,939 and Sword. Juno Beach. Juno spanned either side of (Of the 6,939 ships involved in D-Day, . Utah was the most western the port of Courseulles-sur-Mer from La 80 percent were British; 16.5 percent, beach between Pouppeville and La Madeleine, Rivière to Saint- U.S.; and the rest from France, Holland, three miles long, assigned to the U.S. , Aubin-sur-Mer, and .) 7th Corps. Casualties were the lightest of all six miles wide. landings – out of 23,000 troops, only 197 men Out of the 21,400 Soldiers’ home nations: were killed or men from the , Britain, , wounded. It was Canadian 3rd Belgium, Norway, Poland, Luxem- divided into zones assigned Tare and British 2nd bourg, Greece, Czechoslovakia, New Green, Uncle , 1st Corps Zealand and and Victor. who landed, 1,200 were injured. Divided into (+177 French commandos) Love, Mike and Nan zones. . Omaha was between Involved Allied army divisions: Sainte-Honorine-des-Pertes and Vierville-sur- . Sword stretched five miles Mer, six miles long (largest). Taking Omaha from Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer to at 3rd British Infantry – Sword Beach was the U.S. 1st Army, 5th Corps’ responsibil- the mouth of the River . Nine miles 3rd Canadian Infantry – Juno Beach ity, with from the U.S. and north of , it 4th Infantry – Utah Beach elements of the . The movie Saving was a major route Private Ryan portrays some events here. The hub of Northern 1st & 29th Infantry – Omaha Beach 1st Infantry assault France. With help 50th British Infantry – Gold Beach experienced the from French and 6th Airborne – Dropped on east worst ordeal of D- British comman- Day operations. dos, the Brits bank of the Orne River The Americans landed 29,000 82nd & 101st Airborne – suffered 2,400 men from its 2nd Night drop on casualties, but Army, 1st Corps behind Utah Beach 34,000 Allied and suffered just 630 casualties. Divided into 2nd Ranger – troops landed by nightfall. Divided into Oboe, Peter, Queen and zones. Charlie, Dog, Easy and Fox zones.

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