D-Day final

Operation overlord: code name for allied invasion of northwest europe to free them from nazi rule

Operation neptune: code name for allied assault on normandy to establish a beachhead 

When did allied planners think it would be a good time to land: at low tide 

Dieppe raid: 1942, canadian raid on the atlantic wall, caused 34,000 casualties 

General Dwight D. Eisenhower: american commander of SHAEF, was the commanding general of Allied operations in the European Theater of Operation, including D-Day

General Bernard Montgomery: commanded allied ground forces under Eisenhower

General Omar Bradley: commanded U.S ground forces under Eisenhower

Key objective of 82nd airborne: capture of the crossroads and communications center of Ste-Mere-Eglise

French resistance: behind the scenes support from the allies that sabotaged german transportation and communication on the eve of the invasion 

Allied landing beaches: Juno, Sword, Gold, Utah and Omaha 

U.S beaches: Utah (4th Infantry Division, with some troops from the U.S. 90th Infantry Division, most successful landing) and Omaha (5 miles long and the largest, U.S. 1st Infantry Division and the U.S. 29th Infantry Division, most deadly)

Canadian beaches: Juno, smallest beach also named jellyfish 

British beaches: Gold and Sword

What was required amount of support from the allies for D-day: 156,000 troops, 13,000 aircraft, 5,000 warships

Western Task Force (US) and the Eastern Task Force (UK): The allied naval fleet that bombarded the landing sites 

heavy cruiser USS Augusta: flagship headquarters for allied landings

Ghost army- operation fortitude: huge Allied army of 1,000 men who used inflatable tanks, trucks and artillery pieces and other ruses to make German high command believe the Allied invasion was planned for Pas-de-Calais and not the real site in Normandy. Ghost army was “commanded” by Gen. George Patton.

USAAF: united states army air force

8th US Air Force and 9th U.S. Air Force: Principal U.S. Army Air Force units responsible for bombing Germany targets prior to D-Day

First town liberated in france: Ste-Mere-Eglise

Privates John Steele and Ken Russell: two paratroopers who were left hanging on the church during the Ste-Mere-Eglise raid.

German air force: Luftwaffe

Know that by D-Day Allied naval and air forces: severely reduced the German navy and its ability to defend the Atlantic Wall with surface ships or submarines.

OST troops: former German prisoners of war from Russia and Eastern Europe – who were less motivated that most German troops.

the role of the Allied airborne forces: to capture and hold key crossroads, bridges and transportation centers for the main landing forces. and to create havoc in the German rear lines

British 6th Airborne Division, the US. 82nd Airborne Division and the US 101st Airborne Division: Allied airborne operation sent three division of airborne troops into Normandy in the early morning darkness of D-Day

Allied airborne assault during the early hours of D-Day was hampered: C-47 transport pilots dropped most paratroopers far off course

Assault at Brecourt Manor: 101st Airborne Division’s Easy Company under Major Richard Winters successfully destroyed an important German artillery battery near Utah Beach.

La Fiere Bridge over the Merderet River near Ste-Mere-Eglise: 82nd Airborne fought and finally won a fierce battle

Cherbourg and Caen: two major ports that were Allied objectives in Normandy

Hedgerows: ancient natural fences or barriers

German failures on D-Day: (1) Deceived by the “Ghost Army” and surprised by the invasion occurring in Normandy (2) the Atlantic Wall (“Fortress Europe”) was less effective than German propaganda depicted it (3) German troops defending some Allied landing sites were substandard (4) Slow response in counter attacking Allied landings with reserve Panzer forces.

Allied problems on D-Day: (1) C-47 aircraft pilots dropped airborne troops off-course (2) Allied naval and aerial bombardments were not fully successful in some places (3) Allied intelligence failed to learn or convey accurate strength of German troops on Omaha Beach (4) flotation devices on the Allied D-D tanks failed on some beaches (5) Allied intelligence did not realize the Germans had flooded fields where glider troops and paratroopers would land (6) Allied expectations for the advance from the beaches on D-Day was unrealistic.

Allied successes on D-Day: (1) the intelligence advantage provided by the Ultra project, which broke the German military code used on their Enigma machines (2) selection of Normandy as invasion site proved to be good choice (3) Correct Allied weather forecast for D-Day (4) Successful assembly and deployment by Eisenhower of a massive invasion force (5) Allied air superiority over German Luftwaffe in Normandy (6) Allied naval superiority (7) Effective use of “Mulberry” artificial harbors to unload troops and supplies.

Casualties on D-Day (estimates): 10,000 Allied casualties with 4,400 Allied dead (including 2,500 U.S. dead.) German casualties: 9,000-plus, dead, wounded and captured

Baie-de-Seine: where the D-Day landing beaches were 

Parachute dummies: allied decoys dropped to confuse german forces on where actual drop zones were

Operation mulberry: critically important artificial harbors at Omaha and Gold Beaches that enabled Allied forces to land troops and vehicles

How did Germans defend the Atlantic wall: sea mines, submerged land mines, beach obstacles and machine gun, mortar and artillery emplacements.

German commanding general for Western Europe:  Gen. Gerd von Rundstedt

German commander for Normandy: Gen. Erwin Rommel.

German Panzer tanks reserves: Hitler decided to divide the German tank force three ways – with only a third held near the beaches.

Andrew Higgins: created the higgins boat (LVCP) which was used to bring troops directly to shore on D-Day

Utah Beach: captured mainly by troops from the U.S. 4th Infantry Division, with some troops from the U.S. 90th Infantry Division. first wave of US troops headed went off course when its pilot boat was lost, and landed in the wrong place—which proved to be an advantage for the U.S. because German defenses were weaker at that point. Only 600 casualties and was the most successful landing

German defensive obstacles: land mines, tobruks, Czech hedgehogs, sea mines and widerstandnests (WNs)

Gen. Theodore Roosevelt Jr.: directed all U.S. troops to continue landing at the “wrong place” on Utah Beach by famously stating, “We’ll start the war from here” – and posthumously won the Medal of Honor for doing so.

Battery Azeville and Battery Crisbercq: delayed the Allied advance from Utah Beach until both were captured.

US destroyer USS Corry: only american destroyer sunk , which was sunk by fire from Battery Azeville.

Pointe-du-Hoc: between Utah Beach and Omaha Beach and that the U.S. Rangers suffered heavy casualties capturing it – only to learn that the fearsome German artillery guns had not been installed there. But later, two Rangers found the guns and destroyed them with grenades.

Bedford Boys: National Guard troops from a small town in Virginia and that they suffered 19 killed on Omaha Beach on D-Day

D-D tanks: (fitted with flotation devices so they could be launched offshore) sank with great loss of life, but did help destroy the German defenses on Omaha Beach.

Operation Pluto: successfully connected an undersea fuel line across the English Channel from Britain to Normandy to supply fuel to Allied vehicles.

Stick: planeload of U.S. paratroopers

The initial German response to D-Day was delayed: because Hitler believed the Allied attack would be at Pas-de-Calais and was sleeping late on D-Day, while Gen. Erwin Rommel had left Normandy to visit his wife and meet with Hitler.

The Allied force successfully secured all five beachheads on D-Day, but plans were overly ambitious and most were not secured on D-Day including capturing the key cities of: Caen, Carentan, and Cherbourg.

LVCPs: principal landing craft that brought most troops ashore on the two U.S. beaches were called “Landing Craft, Vehicle, Personnel”

Almost total destruction of Caen: by an Allied bombing campaign.

Operation Dragoon: to support “Operation Overlord,” the Allies made another little-known invasion of southern France code-named

Normandy Breakout: Allied forces drove the Germans out of Normandy in late July, led by Gen. George Patton and his U.S. 3rd Army

August 25, 1944: Allied forces liberated Paris and drove the Germans across the Seine River toward Germany, ending Operation Overlord.

Gentlemen, we are being killed on the beaches. Let us go inland and be killed: Gen. Norman Cota

Pathfinders: the first US paratroopers sent to mark the drop zones for the Airborne troops – and that most were unsuccessful because they were dropped off course

the ONLY beach where aerial bombing was successful: Utah Beach

there was a single German Panzer counterattack on D-Day: it was repulsed with heavy losses by Allied naval and air forces.

British forces from Sword Beach successfully linked with the British glider troops: at Pegasus Bridge -- but failed in their major objective to take the port city of Caen on D-Day.

Why did paratroopers get dropped off key by C-47 Dakota transport aircraft: thick cloud cover, heavy German anti-aircraft fire, inexperienced pilots
General Wilhelm Falley: German commander of the German 91st Air Landing Division, killed when his staff car tried to drive through a squad of 82nd Airborne paratroopers, first German general killed in Operation Overlord and that his loss caused confusion within the German ranks.

First combat on D-Day: just after midnight at Pegasus Bridge, when the British 6th Airborne Division under Major John Howard landed in gliders and captured key bridges over the Orne River & Caen Canal, which they held until relieved by troops from Sword Beach.

Flying coffins: British-made Horsa gliders and in American-made Waco gliders that were nicknamed

Gen. Eisenhower postponed D-Day from: June 5th to June 6, 1944

Remember that the Allied naval bombardment was conducted mainly by: the U.S. and British navies.

Know that U.S. Army & Navy commanders argued about the length of the naval bombardment: the army commanders wanted it briefer so troops could quickly move on shore. The navy finally agreed – but it caused greater casualties.

Remember that the U.S. Rangers scaled Pointe-du-Hoc with: ropes and grappling hooks and some ladders.

Ox and Bucks: British airborne troops that captured Pegasus Bridge in D-Day’s first Allied victory were nicknamed

in less than a year after D-Day: U.S., British and Canadian forces coming from the west and Russian forces coming from the East had defeated Nazi Germany