Order of the day 6th June 1944 - General D. Eisenhower Supreme Headquarters of the Allied Expeditionary Force
"Soldiers, Sailors, and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force!
You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many
months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hope and prayers of
liberty-loving people everywhere march with you. In company with our brave
Allies and brothers-in-arms on other Fronts, you will bring about the
destruction of the German war machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the
oppressed peoples of Europe, and security for ourselves in a free
world.
Your task will not be an easy one. Your enemy is will trained,
well equipped and battle-hardened. He will fight savagely.
But this is the year 1944! Much has happened since the Nazi triumphs of 1940-41. The United
Nations have inflicted upon the Germans great defeats, in open battle,
man-to-man. Our air offensive has seriously reduced their strength in the air
and their capacity to wage war on the ground. Our Home Fronts have given us an
overwhelming superiority in weapons and munitions of war, and placed at our
disposal great reserves of trained fighting men. The tide has turned! The free
men of the world are marching together to Victory!
I have full confidence in your courage, devotion to duty and skill in battle. We will
accept nothing less than full Victory!
Good luck! And let us beseech the blessing of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking."
"Soldiers, Sailors, and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force!
You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many
months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hope and prayers of
liberty-loving people everywhere march with you. In company with our brave
Allies and brothers-in-arms on other Fronts, you will bring about the
destruction of the German war machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the
oppressed peoples of Europe, and security for ourselves in a free
world.
Your task will not be an easy one. Your enemy is will trained,
well equipped and battle-hardened. He will fight savagely.
But this is the year 1944! Much has happened since the Nazi triumphs of 1940-41. The United
Nations have inflicted upon the Germans great defeats, in open battle,
man-to-man. Our air offensive has seriously reduced their strength in the air
and their capacity to wage war on the ground. Our Home Fronts have given us an
overwhelming superiority in weapons and munitions of war, and placed at our
disposal great reserves of trained fighting men. The tide has turned! The free
men of the world are marching together to Victory!
I have full confidence in your courage, devotion to duty and skill in battle. We will
accept nothing less than full Victory!
Good luck! And let us beseech the blessing of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking."
Pegasus BridgeD-Day began at 12.16 am on 6th June 1944 as three British Horsa gliders swooped out of the sky and landed next to the Benouville Bridge over the Caen Canal (later renamed Pegasus Bridge). In these gliders were D Company, 2nd Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, commanded by Major John Howard. The British troops advanced towards the bridge, faces blackened and took the German soldiers on sentry duty completely by surprise. Despite this, Lieutenant Den Brotheridge leading the troops accross the bridge was killed by German machine-gun fire. Within three minutes, the bridge was in British hands and all demolition charges had been removed from the bridge itself. The seizure of this bridge was vital to the left flank of the amphibious invasion force which was due to come ashore at dawn and would have to hold until relieved by the 1st Special Service Brigade commanded by Brigadier the Lord Lovat. They could do nothing, but wait for the link-up to come to them.
'OK, let's go' - the decision is made.The assualt on Fortress Europe was initially meant to be carried out on 5th June 1944, however, the poor visibility and heavy rain in the English Channel meant that the invasion was delayed for 24 hours. At Southwick House, outside Portsmouth, Eisenhower (Allied Commander in Chief) gathered his commanders together with the meteorologist RAF Group Captain James Stagg to discuss the possibility of going on 6th June. Captain Stagg offered a glimmer of hope stating that a brief period of clear weather would begin early on 6th June. Although Marshal Sir Arthur Tedder, the commander of the air forces was unenthusiastic, both navy and army commanders were in favour of ordering the assualt. Eventually Eisenhower made his decision 'OK, let's go' he said.
Crossing the English ChannelA vast armada of 5,000 ships set sail from the ports along the South Coast of England. Battleships to gunboats, troops transports to landing craft started to move out into the Channel. Each small vessel was flying its own barrage balloon. Aboard the transports, men were given final orders, the assualt area was a 60 mile stretch of the Normandy coast. Lt General Omar Bradley's US First Army would attack beaches in the west, while the Anglo-Canadian troops of the British Second Army under Lt General Miles Dempsey would land on the beaches farther east. As the invasion fleet steamed towards Normandy, naval launches headed accross the Channel towards Calais and Boulonge. Each of these launches towed balloons with special reflectors that produced radar echoes similar to those of large troop ships. Overhead, Lancaster bombers dropped streams of 'window' - strips of aluminium foil which also created false radar images. This deception worked as German radar operators reported vast air and sea fleets approaching the Pas-de-Calais which in turn ensured the safety of the Allied fleet as it crossed the English Channel.
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