WWII D-DAY EVENTS

By kbelese99

  • June 5th 1944 ; 4:00 A.M

    Dwight Eisenhower approved the invasion. The invasion was expected to involve 132,715 troops to be landed on five beaches. 23,400 Paratroopers would be dropped further inland. 6,483 ships were used.

  • June 5th 1944 ; 10:00 P.M

    Five assault ships left the english port bases.

  • June 5th 1944 ; 10:56 P.M

    Six gliders took off to go to Pegasus Bridge at the eastern end of the beaches.

  • June 6th 1944 ; 12:16 A.M

    Three of the six gliders landed 30 meters away from Pegasus Bridge. The commandos, led by Major John Howard, captured the bridge.

  • June 6th 1944 ; 12:30 A.M

    The Café Gondreé close to Pegasus Bridge was the first building to be set free in France. The owner gave the Allied troops there champagne.

  • June 6th 1944 ; 2:45 A.M

    Men started their climb down from their ships to get into their landing craft.

  • June 6th 1944 ; 4:30 A.M

    St. Mère-Eglise was the first French town that was set free

  • June 6th 1944 ; 5:30 A.M

    Naval bombardment of the shore started. By 6:00 A.M bombing of German defense at Omaha and Utah started.

  • June 6th 1944 ; 6:30 A.M

    American forces landed at Omaha and met some tough resistance. They faced huge loss. “Swimming” tanks, which Americans had great faith in, sank out at sea because of the unexpected swell and they were landed too far out.

  • June 6th 1944 ; 6:31 A.M

    American forces landed at Utah. The landing craft landed a mile south because of the tides. The landings were a success.

  • June 6th 1944 ; 7:10 A.M

    US Rangers started an assault on Pointe du Hoc.

  • June 6th 1944 ; 7:25 A.M

    British landings started on Gold Beach. The success of the landing was supported by 'swimming tanks' that did get ashore. British troops landed on Sword Beach. Commandos led by Brigadier Lord Lovatt met up with men at Pegasus Bridge.

  • June 6th 1944 ; 7:30 A.M

    Canadians landed on Juno Beach, again supported by 'swimming tanks'.

  • June 6th 1944 ; 9:15 A.M

    General Omar Bradley thought about not doing the landing at Omaha because extra men could not be landed because the beach and sea was full with dead bodies.

  • June 6th 1944 ; 12:00 P.M

    The Americans had made it successfully up Omaha Beach supported by gunfire from small naval vessels that sailed as close to the beach as they could.

  • June 6th 1944 ; :10:07 P.M

    A ten-miles deep and sixty miles wide bridgehead had been set up.

  • June 6th 1944 ; 1:00 A.M

    The American troopers of 82nd and 101st airborne make night jumps into the Cherbourg Peninsula at the western end of the beaches. Because of how cloudy it was, some of the troops missed their targets and landed in flooded swamps and drowned.