On June 6, 1944, 160,000 Allied Forces took part in the D-Day invasion that would change the course of WWII. Though most Americans know the basic story of D-Day, here are some facts about the invasion some may not know. * The boats used to deliver troops to the battlefield were the creation of Andrew Jackson Higgins. He adapted the shallow-water boats he designed for the oil industry in Louisiana to fit the needs of the military, according to the National WWII Museum in New Orleans. * The Allies created a ruse to convince the Germans that the invasion would take place at Pas de Calais instead of the Cotentin Peninsula. According to the U.S. Army, a dummy base was constructed out of plywood, and inflatable tanks were placed to create the illusion of a massive army division. * D-Day, originally codenamed Operation Overlord, almost took place on June 5. Bad weather delayed the invasion, and a meteorologist informed General Dwight D. Eisenhower that morning that the weather on the following day would be more favorable, according to the History Channel. * The weather on June 6 turned out to be as miserable as the previous day. German General Erwin Rommels troops at Normandy initially took no action to prepare for the invasion because they did not believe it was possible given the dreadful conditions. * Rommel was nowhere near France on June 6. He was celebrating his wifes birthday in Germany during the invasion. * The Royal Air Force dropped aluminum over Pas de Calais early in the morning on June 6, according to the BBC. The aluminum simulated a massive invasion fleet on enemy radar while troops got in place at the real invasion point. * General Theodore Roosevelt Jr. served in both WWI and WWII. The son of the former president landed with the first wave of troops on D-Day. He was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his efforts in WWII. * Field Marshal Karl Rudolf Gerd von Rundsted had ordered two German armored tank divisions to be moved from Pas de Clais, but his superiors chose to wait until Hitler was awake to get his approval for the move, since he hated being woken up. * British Prime Minister Winston Churchill was nervous about the invasion. On the night before, he told his wife, according to the BBC, Do you realize that by the time you wake up in the morning twenty thousand men may have been killed? * The Allies anticipated many wounded soldiers and casualties. The Army spent two years planning for the medical treatment of the wounded. 30,000 stretchers and 60,000 blankets were ordered to be on hand at the onset of the invasion.
Posted on: Fri, 06 Jun 2014 04:20:25 +0000
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