The Normandy Landings

The invasion of France had been a recurring problem in Allied diplomacy. Soviet forces were bearing the main burden of the land war against Germany, and Stalin pressed Britain and the United States to open a large front in the west. At Tehran in late 1943, Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin agreed on coordinated offensives: the Western Allies would cross the Channel, and the Soviet Union would attack in the east to draw away German forces. [1]

Bad weather postponed the invasion of Normandy from 5 to 6 June 1944. With a temporary improvement forecast, General Dwight Eisenhower ordered the operation to proceed, but also prepared a statement announcing a withdrawal if the landings failed. He would accept the blame alone. [4] [3]

The landings were meant to open a major front in western Europe while Soviet armies fought Germany in the east. After years of debate and postponement, the Allies had gathered troops, ships, and supplies in southern England for an invasion across the Channel. [5]

Before dawn, Allied airborne troops landed behind the coast to secure the flanks and beach exits. Forces arriving by sea followed onto five beaches, with Americans at Utah and Omaha and British and Canadian troops farther east. Men and equipment came ashore under fire from German artillery and machine guns, with mines and barbed wire obstructing the approaches. [2] [6] [5]

In a morning cable to General George Marshall, Eisenhower still lacked official confirmation that the leading ground troops had landed. By nightfall, the Allies had established a foothold in France. Thousands of Allied troops were dead, wounded, or missing; French civilians had also been killed in the invasion. [4] [6] [5]

Related Diplomats

1. Henri Hoppenot [7]

Related Reading

• France and the United States