Heaven and Earth

D-Day: Allies stormed Normandy’s coast, the largest amphibious invasion in military history. #OnThisDay #WWII

New York Times June 6, 1944 & June 7, 1944.

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Per Ardua ad Astra - "Through Adversity to the Stars"

Operation Overlord Normandy, France D-Day: June 6, 1944

France also gave us this land as American soil.

June 6th 1944, The 70th Anniversary of D-Day

The article “Hell in the Hedgerows: What U.S. Troops Faced in Normandy” by Tom Laemlein, published on The Armory Life, discusses the intense challenges faced by U.S. troops in the Normandy campaign during World War II. After successfully landing on the Normandy beaches, Allied forces encountered the Bocage country’s dense hedgerows, which had not been anticipated in planning. These natural and man-made escarpments created formidable defensive positions for German soldiers. German forces utilized numerous tactics, including the use of machine guns like the MG 42 and MG 34, mortars, anti-tank weapons such as the Panzerschreck and Panzerfaust, and snipers. U.S. troops had to adapt quickly, employing bulldozer tanks, hedge-cutters, and innovative tank-infantry team tactics to overcome these obstacles. This led to gradual gains that eventually opened the road to Paris, showcasing both the ingenuity and resilience of U.S. forces in their efforts to break through the German defenses.

Operation Overlord Normandy, France D-Day: June 6, 1944

The D-Day operation of June 6, 1944, brought together the land, air, and sea forces of the allied armies in what became known as the largest amphibious invasion in military history. The operation, given the codename OVERLORD, delivered five naval assault divisions to the beaches of Normandy, France. The beaches were given the code names UTAH, OMAHA, GOLD, JUNO, and SWORD. The invasion force included 7,000 ships and landing craft manned by over 195,000 naval personnel from eight allied countries. Almost 133,000 troops from the United States, the British Commonwealth, and their allies, landed on D-Day. Casualties from these countries during the landing numbered 10,300. By June 30, over 850,000 men, 148,000 vehicles, and 570,000 tons of supplies had landed on the Normandy shores. Fighting by the brave soldiers, sailors, and airmen of the allied forces western front, and Russian forces on the eastern front, led to the defeat of German Nazi forces.

(Mary Elaine LeBey)

Ranville War Cemetery, France

As a child I heard stories of Omaha , General Patton and D-Day.

Photography by Zahra Ghasedi