D-Day

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Operation "Overload" or better known as D-Day was on June 6, 1944. This invasion was a result of four years of planning. Many people helped plan this invasion, which was the largest amphibian invasion in history. The men who planned this assault on the beach of France knew there would be great losses but would be worth it to help end Hitler's rein of terror. It was forecasted to have about 10,000 soldier's dead. To help reduce this number D-Day was planned for June 4th so that low tide and first light would coincide.

Germany knew that the Allies would try something and would probably attack the coast, but was not sure on exactly where the attack would occur. Hitler decided to use the help of retired Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt and made him Commander and Chief. Field Marshal Rundstedt who had not lost a campaign during the war, and directed the blitzkrieg that crushed France, Holland, and Belgium. He was given the task to protect the coast from the German boarder in the north all the way to the Italian frontier, which was about 3,000 miles.

To do this heavy defenses were placed along the coastline, and sixty divisions of soldiers of poor health and Soviet prisoners of war (who were glade to fight against Marshal Stalin but did not care about fighting the Americans or British armies). These defenses started strengthening the "Atlantic Wall" as soon as 1942. Which was a line of fortifications, which the German army was believed to be invulnerable behind. Some of the obstacles were miles and miles of barbed wire, mines, Belgian Gates, teller mines, ramps, hedgehogs, pillboxes, and concrete bunkers.

Mines were placed in the water and on land. On land mines and barbed wire were crisscrossed along the beaches and paths leading off the beaches. Belgian gates were 10 foot-high steel framed structures set parallel to the beach, with antitank mines attached to the top. Teller mines were on posts angled seaward, covered at high tide and placed 200 yards from the shore. Ramps were mine-tipped logs driven into the sand facing the shore. Hedgehogs were 6 foot high obstacles constructed of steel rails with mine-tipped ends, out together to rip out the bottom of landing crafts at high tide, Pill boxes were on the sea wall, these concrete bunkers shielded machine gun nests and antitank guns. « mai multe referate din Engleza