The World War II D-Day invasion of Normandy, France commenced on Tuesday, June 6, 1944. This military operation was the largest amphibious invasion in world history and was executed by land, sea, and air elements under direct British command. The operation was conducted in two phases: an airborne landing of 24,000 British, American, Canadian and Free French airborne troops shortly after midnight, and an amphibious landing of Allied infantry and armored divisions on the coast of France starting at 6:30 am. The landings took place along a 50-mile stretch of heavily-fortified Normandy coastline.
D-Day – June 6, 1944 – the United States Army – The U.S. Army remembers June 6, 1944.
American Experience D-Day – Participants describe the planning and execution of the Normandy invasion during World War II, and the battle for the French beaches. Includes a map, timeline, and a teacher’s guide. (I can’t find an online version of this to watch, but the material on the website can be used by itself.)
The National D-Day Memorial – Located in Bedford, Virginia, the town suffering the highest per capita D-Day losses in the nation, this memorial honors the Allied forces that participated in the invasion of Normandy. Includes educational resources.
Victory at Sea, a 26-episode series on World War II, was one of the most ambitious documentary undertakings of early network television. Each half-hour installment of Victory at Sea deals with some aspect of World War II naval warfare such as the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Atlantic convoys and U-boat “Wolfpacks,” the Alaska campaign, the North Atlantic, the South Atlantic, the Far East, the Pacific War, D-Day, and the fall of Japan. Read my complete review at Knowledge House.
