D-Day
On D-Day-June 6, 1944-Allied armies landed in Normandy on the northwestern coast of France, possibly the most critical event of World War II unfolded; for upon the outcome of the invasion hung the fate of Europe. If the invasion failed, the United States might turn its full attention to the enemy in the Pacific-Japan, leaving Britain to fend for itself. That would enable Nazi Germany to muster all its strength against the Soviet Union. By the time American forces returned to Europe-if indeed, they ever returned-Germany might be master of the entire continent, and possibly the Eastern Hemisphere. American General Dwight D. Eisenhower was named supreme commander for the allies in Europe. British General, Sir Frederick Morgan, established a combined American-British headquarters known as COSSAC, for Chief of Staff to the Supreme Allied Commander. COSSAC developed a number of plans for the Allies most notable was that of Operation Overlord, a full scale invasion of France across the English Channel. Eisenhower felt that COSSAC's plan was a sound operation. After reviewing the disastrous hit-and-run raid in 1942 in Dieppe, planners decided that the strength of German defenses required not a number of separate assaults by relativel
On the other hand, the landings at Omaha were a disaster. They also were involved in skirmishes behind their own lines. These diversions, accompanied with the shelling of beaches far from Normandy set the Germans into a state of confusion, as they now had no idea if Normandy was the real invasion, or just another diversion. The invasion site would have to be close to at least one major port and airbase to allow for efficient supply lines. Failure at Normandy would have meant the failure of the allied cause. Their only cover was the wooden and steel obstacles that were placed by the Germans to prevent a landing. Inflatable tanks, ships, and artillery were set up, along with thousands of tents, to give the impression of a functional army base preparing for an invasion. Many of them had been stationed in France since 1940. Even with these visual aids, many inexperienced American pilots dropped their paratroopers far from their designated landing sites. At first light, the Germans found themselves facing thousands of ships that had appeared to materialize out of the night. The assault was plagued with bad luck from the beginning. Many units lost many of their men and equipment even before the battle began. The invasion from the sea, while not as mixed up as the airborne landings, had it's own problems.
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Acceptance Essays
