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7 am
The Allies deploy amphibious tanks on the beaches of Normandy to support the group troops and sweep for defensive mines. -
12 pm
British prime minister Winston Churchhill informs U.K. Parliament that incision is underway and it's going well. -
12 am
Allied aircraft arrive in Normandy and begin to bomb the coastline. At the same time, personnel carriers fly inland to drop off squads of paratroopers, who attack bridges and seize several key points to cut off the Nazi supply lines. -
1 am
German navy detects Allied ships off Pas-de-Calais. The ships are part of the feint to distract from the Allies' target in Normandy.
Allied warships drop anchor off the coast of Normandy to wait for dawn and provide cover for the landing ships -
2 am
The Allies continued to drop paratroopers into France, with more than 13,00 deployed by morning. an additional 4,000 troops fly in on gliders. -
3 am
Approximately 450 members of the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion are among the paratrooper force
Some of the paratroopers die in crash-landings or drawn in flooded fields. -
4 am
The Germans notice the paratrooper's invasion and begin to scramble a response, although they don't yet fully grasp the scope of the invasion. (I'm just putting random Pictures for each hour because I don't know what to do.) -
5 am
Allied battleships begin firing on the Nazi defenses while the first landing ships head ashore. -
6 am
Allied battleships stop firing as their landing boats approach the shore at 6:30 a.m., and the German forces pepper the landing boats with gunfire, killing scores of Allied troops before they can reach the beach. -
8 am
American troops face heavy machine-gun fire on Omaha Beach, the most heavily fortified landing point of the invasion. Approximately 2,500 U.S. soldiers are killed on the beach in the bloodiest fight of the day. -
9 am
Eisenhower announced that the invasion had begun in a communique with soldiers. -
10 am
US troops land at Omaha Beach, silencing German strongpoints, and British Commandos reach Ouistreham. Generals Marcks and Feuchtinger ordered counter-attacks with the 21st Panzer Division and direct tank movements against British forces in response. -
11 am
American troops turn the tide of battle at the Amaha landing point, with warships backing them up at sea. -
1 pm
Allied forces secured key positions on Omaha and Sword beaches while facing German counterattacks and resistance. Aerial bombardment targets Caen as troops advance inland despite ongoing battles. -
2 pm
By 2:00 PM on D-Day, Allied forces had secured more ground on Omaha and Utah beaches while British and Canadian troops faced German counterattacks near Caen. U.S. Rangers at Pointe du Hoc held their position despite being isolated and low on supplies. -
3 pm
American destroyers supported troops on Omaha Beach, repelling a German counterattack, while British forces secured Ouistreham and stormed the Sole strongpoint on Sword Beach. Meanwhile, the Gestapo executed about 80 French resistance fighters in Caen, and the 21st Panzer Division was ordered to launch a critical counterattack. -
4 pm
American paratroopers defended La Fière bridge from a German counterattack, while the first U.S. Sherman tank on Omaha Beach was destroyed by enemy fire. British forces secured key positions on Gold and Sword Beaches, as German armored divisions launched counterattacks near Périers-sur-le-Dan and Caen was heavily bombed. -
5 pm
U.S. forces secured Omaha’s westernmost strong and took Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer while American naval artillery destroyed a German sniper position in the church bell tower. Meanwhile, General de Gaulle’s speech aired on the BBC, and German armored units counterattacked near Biéville against Canadian troops. -
6 pm
the Free French warship Georges-Leygues silenced the Longues-sur-Mer battery, German forces at Juno Beach surrendered, and British troops stormed a fortified position at Ouistreham. Meanwhile, U.S. reinforcements landed on Omaha Beach as German forces attempted a counterattack at Colleville-sur-Mer and Pointe du Hoc, while the USS Harding bombarded Vierville-sur-Mer’s church steeple. -
7 pm
Destroyer USS Harding is bombarding once again the bell tower of the church of Vierville-sur-mer for 2 minutes as well as the area near the church. -
8 pm
German tanks observed Allied landing operations at Lion-sur-Mer before retreating, while British troops attacked the Hillman strongpoint and French commandos reached Le Hauger. The last elements of the 6th Airborne Division landed with gliders in the Ranville area, and air landing operations began in the Hinesville sector, deploying numerous gliders to support the Allied advance. -
9 pm
Allied reinforcements from Britain arrive in Normandy. Ground troops link up with the paratroopers further inland and press toward Caen. -
10 pm
Aerial bombardment of the city of Caen.
The men of the 1st Royal Hampshire Battalion liberate the locality of Arromanches. -
11 pm
a German counterattack involving 40 soldiers from the 914th Regiment targeted the Rangers at Pointe du Hoc, while Major Tegtmeyer reported a lack of evacuation resources for wounded soldiers on Omaha Beach. By 11:30 PM, General Kraiss updated General Marcks on the ongoing counterattack by the 914th Grenadier Regiment.