In the early hours of 6 June 1944 the largest land, sea and air operation in history got under way in northern France, as more than 150,000 Allied troops began the invasion of German-occupied Western Europe. Failure was not an option. Inside we tell the remarkable story of D-Day, from the months of meticulous planning and preparation that made it possible, to the invasion itself and the fierce fighting that followed as the Allies fought to liberate France. We celebrate some of the heroes of Operation Overlord, speak to D-Day veterans as they share their experiences, and discover the Allied leaders who conceived, shaped and executed the ambitious plans. We look at the role the French Resistance played in the run-up to and during the invasions and how the German response may have helped the Allies gain a vital foothold, while also exploring the potentially devastating consequences for the world if the landings had failed.
WELCOME
History of War D-Day
ASSAULT ON FORTRESS EUROPE • After months of preparation, Allied forces assault Nazi defences on the coast of French Normandy, establishing a foothold in Western Europe
THE ROAD TO D-DAY • Thoughts of a return to France started as soon as the last British soldiers were evacuated in 1940, but it would take four years of fighting and planning before the Allies were ready
ENGINEERS IN THE FIRING LINE • Everyone’s contribution would be important on D-Day, but the engineers would play a particularly critical role
THE REHEARSALS • The Allies were desperate to gain experience of amphibious landings, but those experiences were not always positive
WHY WAS NORMANDY CHOSEN FOR D-DAY? • For Hitler’s Fortress Europe to crumble, a perfect location had to be chosen for the largest amphibious invasion in history
THE TRAGEDY OF SLAPTON SANDS
RAMPART OF THE REICH • Hitler sought to defend his European empire from Allied attack with a massive series of fortifications. The Atlantic Wall was the first line of defence for ‘Fortress Europe’
HITLER’S BUILDERS • The Organisation Todt was the Third Reich’s preeminent construction force and built Hitler’s Atlantic Wall
THE D-DAY DECEPTION • Allied efforts to deceive the Germans as to the time and place of the invasion of northern Europe, codenamed Operation Fortitude, were comprehensive and contributed heavily to the success of the Normandy invasion
D-DAY’S BODYGUARD • Protecting D-Day in a web of deceit, Fortitude was but one part of Operation Bodyguard, the overall deception effort to protect the Normandy invasion
ARCHITECTS OF VICTORY: LEADING OVERLORD • A core group of Allied military leaders conceived, shaped and executed Operation Overlord, the campaign that began the liberation of Western Europe from Nazi oppression
THE WORLD HOLDS ITS BREATH • In the early hours of 6 June 1944, an Allied invasion of Europe began that would change the course of the war, heralding the beginning of the end for Nazi Germany
A HEARSE ABOVE THE CLOUDS • Despite not having weapons or engines, gliders played a vital role in the successful Allied invasion of northern France
B-26 MARAUDER • Nicknamed the ‘Flying Torpedo’, this US Army Air Force war bird played a vital role during Operation Overlord
THE B-26 OF THE UTAH BEACH MUSEUM • Having been at the museum since 2011, the Marauder is a popular exhibition and one of only six left in existence
BOMBERS OF THE USAAF • The other aircraft that the USA used to bomb Germany and Japan into submission
THE AMERIKA BOMBER PROJECT
PERILOUS AIRBORNE INSERTION • Three Allied airborne divisions, inserted by parachute and glider, were tasked with seizing key objectives and holding until relieved in the predawn hours of D-Day
EISENHOWER VISITS THE 101ST • Troops...
