00:10 - The first american pathfinders jump over the Cotentin, in order to mark out the drop zones for the C-47 pilots who arrive in the minutes which follow. 00:16 - The first of the 3 british sailplanes reaches the bridge of Bénouville, Pegasus Bridge, 50 meters away from it. - The Merville German battery is attacked by 5 bombers Avro Lancasters of the 7th Squadron, Royal Air Force. 00:35 - Capture of the Pegasus Bridge in Bénouville by the English parachutists led by Major John Howard. - 2 British sailplanes reach the bridge of Ranville, Horsa Bridge. The 3rd sailplane planned for the operation is missing. 00:45 - German reports sent by the 3rd battalion of the 919th infantry regiment led by Lieutenant Colonel Hoffmann indicate the presence of enemy parachutists. 01:00 - Radars of the German Navy (or German Kriegsmarine) announce an important fleet opposite to the Pas-de-Calais. - Sergeant Ludwig Förster discovers the allied fleet from his Wn 62 strongpoint, Omaha Beach sector. 01:10 - 36 Free France parachutists, within 4 teams, jump over Brittany, in the Duault forest close to Plumelec. - Setting in alert of all the German troops belonging to the 84th corps, from the Orne river to Saint-Malo. 01:11 - The 716th german infantry regiment warns the general Marcks of the 84th army corps located in Saint-Lô of the presence of enemy airborne units in the Cotentin peninsula. 01:21 - Pathfinders of the 82nd Airborne division jump over the Cotentin peninsula to mark out 3 drop zones for the rest of the division (Drop Zones N, O and T). 01:30 - Corporal Emile Bouëtard, parachutists of the 4th battalion, Free France airborne, is killed at the Moulin de Plumelec, in Brittany. - General Dollman orders the general alert of the 7th german army. - The sirens of the battery of the Pointe du Hoc are in action to announce the appearance of allied bombers. 01:45 - General Marcks of the 84th army corps receives new information concerning the enemy parachutists, located between the villages of Sainte-Marie-du-Mont and Sainte-Mère-Eglise. 01:50 - At Paris, close to the Bois de Boulogne, the Western Naval Group chief of operations, Admiral Hoffman, convened the HQ to status the accumulation from the alarming reports.He sends the following message to Germany: “Announce to the Führer HQ that it is the invasion”. 01:55 - Takeoff in England of the 8th US Air Force bombers. 1,198 aircrafts are deployed on the whole. 02:00 - Marshal von Rundstedt is informed of the settings of alerts following the discovery of parachutists. 02:15 - The 352nd German infantry division signals the end of the alert for all its units. 02:29 - The ships of the U Force arrive at broad from Utah Beach and drop the anchors 24 kilometers away from the shore. 02:30 - Serious combat start in the locality of Ranville between the airborne troops of the 6th british Airborne and the 716th infantry and 21st Panzer divisions. 02:35 - Two aircrafts towing gliders are identified by the Feldpostamt of the 352nd ID. 02:40 - Marshal von Rundstedt transmits to the 7th german army that he does not believe in a great scale landing. 02:45 - The 914th regiment of grenadiers (352nd infantry division) reports that 50 to 60 parachutists were dropped south of the Carentan Grand Canal. - Transmitters “Bag Pipe” and “Chatter” in England enter in action and scramble the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe (german air force) communications. 02:51 - The ships of the O Force arrive at broad from Omaha Beach and drop the anchors 23 kilometers away from the shore. 03:00 - Some S-Boote of the german Kriegsmarine start patrolling in the English Channel, following the arrival of allied parachutists. But the first patrols do not meet any target. - American soldiers of the O Force (Omaha) start embarking in the landing crafts. - The American soldiers of the U Force (Utah) start embarking in the landing crafts. - Sergeant Ludwig Förster fires three white rockets from the Wn 62 strongpoint located close to Colleville-sur-Mer (Omaha Beach) to ask the ships to identified themselves. The other defense points in the area do the same. No response from the ships. - The Royal Air Force bombards objectives at Caen. - The 914th regiment of grenadiers (352nd ID) said that new groups of paratroopers were spotted south of Brevands. Other parachuted units are located near Cardonville. 03:10 - Report sent from the Pointe du Hoc to the HQ of the 352nd division of the German infantry: “Landing of enemy parachutists on both sides of the Vire river”. 03:13 - The 84th German army corps HQ ss informed that all sectors are quiet except south of Brévands where the equivalent of a battalion was dropped and near Cardonville where isolated units are identified. 03:14 - The commander of the troops on the coast wis informed that naval units were located at 11 km off Grandcamp. 03:25 - The lieutenant-colonel Terence Otway, who could gather only 170 British parachutists out of the 635 envisaged, passes to the attack of the battery of Merville. 03:35 - 55 Waco sailplanes containing the reinforcements of the 6th British Airborne Division land in the area of Ranville. - Report sent to the headquarters of the 352nd Infantry Division in Germany: Very heavy bombings on Le Guay, Pointe du Hoc and Grandcamp. - Paratroopers are reported at Amfraville, Herouvillette and Gonneville. 03:54 - 52 Horsa American gliders containing intended reinforcements for the 101st airborne division land within the framework of the Operation Strait, North of Hiesville. 03:55 - The 914th regiment of grenadiers of the 352nd ID reported that two paratroopers were trapped near Cardonville while about 70 paratroopers had jumped near Isigny. 04:00 - Liberation of Sainte-Mère-Eglise by the American soldiers of the 3rd Battalion of the 505th Regiment of Infantry Parachutist. The spangled banner is hoisted at the toWn hall. - 52 American Horsa gliders land within the framework of the Operation Strait in the North-West of Sainte-Mère-Eglise. - Marshal von Rundstedt asks the supreme command in Berlin the authorization to send two divisions towards the coast. - Violent air raid on the Wn strongpoints 44, 47 and 48. 04:08 - Death of General Pratt, second in command of the 101st Airborne Division, in the brutal landing of its glider close to Hiesville. 04:13 - The HQ of the 352nd ID order the departure of the 915th regiment of grenadiers spearheaded by Lieutenant Meyer towards Montmartin-Deville, through the bridge to the west of Neuilly, moving in columns and small groups. 04:25 - The HQ of the 352nd ID order the 914th regiment of grenadiers to attack the paratroopers south of Carentan. 04:30 - 132 American soldiers belonging to the 2nd and 4th Cavalry squadrons, lieutenant-colonel led by Dunn, land on the (mined) beaches of the Saint-Marcouf islands. 04:35 - The 916th German Pomegranates regiment captures an American officer who confirms the existence of the fake parachutists with explosives. - Air raids on Le Guay, the Pointe du Hoc, Grandcamp and Maisy. 04:45 - Pocket submarines (X20 and X 23) charged to mark out the allied road of Armada arrive at nearly one kilometer of the shore. - Lieutenant-colonel Terence Otway fires a yellow rocket towards the sky, located by the cruiser Arethusa. It is the signal that the paratroopers control the German battery of Merville. 70 British officers, warrant officers and soldiers were killed during the attack. 04:53 - The 352nd ID points to the 84th army corps that it is no longer able to locate the warships. 05:01 - Several bombers towing gliders over Houlgate and Cabourg are reported, so are air drops at Morsalines, Saint-Côme and Sainte-Mere-lEglise. Three paratroopers with maps of the Vire river have been captured. 05:07 - The 716th German infantry division reports that the number of gliders in the area of the Orne river is increasing. The landing. The allied ships and bombers bombard coastal defenses, and the landing of the allied troops begins. 05:10 - First shootings of the naval artillery guns against the German coastal positions by the Orion cruiser with broad of Gold Beach, then by the cruisers Ajax, Argonaut, Emerald, by the dutch warship Flora and 13 destroyers. - 18 Marauder bombers of the Royal Air Force attack the German battery of the Canisy Mount. - The Free France warships Montcalm and Georges-Leygues bombard the German battery of Longues-sur-Mer, which opens fire on the U.S. Arkansas. 05:20 - Report sent by the 352nd artillery regiment to the HQ of the 352nd German infantry division: “Forward observers of the 2nd and 4th artillery groups report noises, probably from naval units moving in direction of the estuary of the Vire river. Moreover, near Le Guay-Pointe du Hoc, 29 ships are observed including 4 important warships (destroyers or cruisers), at a distance from 6 to 10 km. 3 or 4 aircrafts have crushed at Formigny, 1 (Polish) pilot is made captive. The number of landing craft in front of Port-en-Bessin reaches approximately 50”. 05:30 - The Norwegian destroyer Svenner is sunk at Sword Beach by a German fast patrol boat S-Boote, causing the death of 30 sailors and soldiers. 18 torpedes were shot by 3 S-Boote from the 5th flotilla, based in Le Havre. - The soldiers of the first assault wafe of the S Force (Sword Beach) embark in landing crafts. - For the first time of the day an allied fighter attacks ground targets close to Falaise. 05:31 - The ships of Naval Eastern Task force, according the orders of the Rear-admiral Phillip Vian, open fire on the British and Canadian beaches of Gold, Juno and Sword. 05:32 - The ships of the type LSI intended to unload men on Juno Beach drop anchor. 05:34 - The HQ of the 352nd ID receives the information that no ship is in sight off Carentan. 05:35 - The 32 American amphibious tanks of the 741st Tank Battalion are launched 6 km off Omaha Beach. 05:37 - The guns of the German battery of Longue-sur-Mer open fire in direction of the destroyer USS Emmons and the cruiser USS Arkansas. 05:45 - Bombardment by the naval artillery of the Houlgate, Mount Canisy and Villerville batteries. 05:50 - the USS Texas opens fire for the first time (on the American sector of Omaha). 05:52 - USS Arkansas opens fire. 05:55 - 329 British Liberator bombard the German coastal installations. - A ship charged to guide the landing crafts towards the beach of Utah, the PC 1261, enters a zone polluted by mines and is hit by one of them. Other ships sink a few minutes after the PC 1261 for the same reason. 05:58 - Sun rise. The weather is gray, the swell is very important, the clouds cover the sky and the rain falls sometimes. The wind is of force 3 to 4. 06:00 - 270 American Marauder bombers drop 4,404 bombs of 110 kg each. 06:02 - The 352nd ID reports that a first group of ships together with four smaller convoys start moving, and small ships gather in front of Grandcamp. 06:06 - Important air raids are reported on the Arromanches, Sainte-Honorine and Colleville strongpoints. - The 726th regiment of grenadiers informs its headquarters that the crew of a shot bomber was located north of Sully. 06:15 - The landing crafts in front of the Anglo-Canadian beaches, located at approximately 7 km of the shore, start to move in direction of the beaches. - The 709th Infantry Division reported that Saint-Mère-lEglise is occupied by paratroopers. 06:20 - The 352nd Infantry Division reports that between 6 to 10 kilometers off Le Guay-Pointe du Hoc, 29 warships are located, including 4 large units. Off Port-en-Bessin, that number rises to 50. - 4 allied aircrafts are destroyed near Formigny, a Polish pilote is prisoner. 06:25 - Omaha Beach, Dog Green and Dog White sectors: landing of 32 amphibious tanks (C and B companies of the 743rd Cavalry Battalion). - The 726th regiment of grenadiers reports that 30 ships move at slow speed 10 kilometers off the coast of Port-en-Bessin. The German Longues-sur-Mer battery is able to destroy them. 06:27 - Omaha Beach: end of the bombardment of the coast (except Satterlee and Talybont warships). 06:30 - Omaha Beach: the American warships (of which the USS Texas) open fire on the German battery of the Pointe du Hoc. - General Feuchtinger, chief of 21st Panzer German Division, gives the order to attack the beachhead of the soldiers of the 6th British Airborne Division beyond the Orne river. 06:31 - Utah Beach, sector Uncle Red: landing of the 2nd Battalion, 8th Regiment of the 4th US Infantry Division. 06:35 - Omaha Beach: landing of the first assault wave of the 116th Regiment of the 29th Infantry Division. - The 84th German Army Corps reports that 12 enemy soldiers were captured while three warships are getting closer to the coastline, surrounded by many landing crafts. 06:36 - Omaha Beach: landing of the second assault wave of the 116th Regiment of the 29th Infantry Division. 06:40 - General Dwight Eisenhower awakes after a short nap. He receives an optimistic call of the Admiral Ramsey who reassures him. dday-overlord/eng/dday_minutes
Posted on: Tue, 21 Oct 2014 18:03:28 +0000
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