| June
5th |
|
|
|
| 04.00 |
Dwight
Eisenhower gave the go-ahead for the invasion. The plan drawn up
expected 132,715 troops to be landed on five beaches with 23,400 paratroopers
to be dropped further inland. 6,483 ships were involved.
In case the invasion failed,
Eisenhower prepared a statement that said:
"Our landings in the Cherbourg-Harve
area have failed to gain a satisfactory foothold and I have withdrawn
the troops. My decision to attack at this time and place was based on
the best information available. If any blame or fault attaches to this
attempt, it is mine alone." |
|
|
| 22.00 |
Five
fleets of assault ships left their English port bases.
"We slipped anchor and headed
into the Channel to overtake the grey columns of troops transports and
landing craft, which now stretched to the horizon and beyond. They
filled the scene as far as the eye could see. Overhead, the sky was
filled with an aerial armada of bombers."
John Gough, radio operator on board a
destroyer. |
|
|
| 22.56 |
Six
gliders took off from Tarrant Rushton, Dorset, for Pegasus
Bridge at the eastern end of the beaches.
"No smoking till we were
airborne; so to ease the tension we sang para songs to the tune of
'Knees Up Mother Brown', the end of the chorus going "I'll always
keep my trousers on when jumping through the hole." I wondered if
that might be true that night.
Sgt Edgar Gurney, 5th parachute
Brigade |
|
|
| June
6th |
|
|
|
| 00.16 |
Three
gliders landed just 30 meters from Pegasus Bridge. Commandos
led by Major John Howard captured the bridge.
"We were coming in at 90 mph on
touchdown. I suppose that really was the most exhilarating moment of my
life. I could see the bridge tower 50 yards from where I was standing.
Above all, the tremendous thing there was that there was no firing at
all. We had complete surprise, we had caught old Jerry with his pants
down."
Major
John Howard |
|
|
| 00.30 |
The
Café Gondreé by Pegasus Bridge is the first building to be liberated
in France. Allied troops there were given champagne by the owner.
"Inside (the café) I saw a small
French girl, ashen-faced and scared to hell. I gave her my bar of
chocolate but she still did not smile."
Albert Gregory, medic. |
|
|
| 01.00 |
American
paratroopers of 82nd and 101st Airborne make night jumps into the
Cherbourg Peninsula at the western end of the beaches. Because of the
cloud, a number missed their target and drowned in flooded swamps. |
|
|
| 02.45 |
Men
began to climb down from their ships into their landing craft.
"The landing craft was rolling in
every possible direction; the sea-sickness pills had failed. Lying still
only made one feel worse."
Eric Broadhead, Durham Light Infantry
heading for Gold Beach. |
|
|
| 04.30 |
St.
Mère-Eglise was the first French town to be liberated.
"(American) paratroopers began
jumping out by the hundreds. I saw one paratrooper land in the road but
a German killed him before he could get untangled from his parachute.
Another (paratrooper) was as killed near me. I will never forget the
sight."
Raymond Paris, resident of St.
Mère-Eglise |
|
|
| 05.30 |
Naval
bombardment of the shore began. By 06.00, aerial bombing of German
fortifications at Omaha and Utah
started.
"As we reached Omaha beach, all
40 aircraft dropped their bombs. More than 100 tons of bombs exploded in
a few seconds. This was the only mission over Europe when I felt the
concussion of our own bombs."
Henry Tarzca, on a B-17 of 8th Air
Force |
|
|
| 06.30 |
American
forces landed at Omaha and met stiff opposition. They suffered heavy
casualties. 'Swimming' tanks, on which the Americans had placed great
faith, sank out at sea due to the unexpected swell and because they were
landed too far out. |
|
|
| 06.31 |
American
forces landed at Utah. The landing craft landed a mile south as a result
of the tide, but the landings were a success. |
|
|
| 07.10 |
US
Rangers (US Army 2nd Ranger Battalion) started an assault on
Pointe du Hoc. |
|
|
| 07.25 |
British
landings began on Gold Beach. The success of the landing was aided by
'swimming tanks' (Duplex Drive Sherman
tanks) that did get ashore.
British troops landed on Sword Beach.
Commandos led by Brigadier Lord Lovatt joined up with the men at Pegasus
Bridge. |
|
|
| 07.30 |
Canadians
landed on Juno Beach, again aided by DD
Sherman tanks.
"The German machine gunners in
the dunes were stupefied to see a tank emerge from the sea. Some ran
away or just stared, mouths wide open."
Sgt Leo Gariepy |
|
|
| 09.15 |
General
Omar Bradley thought about abandoning the landing at Omaha because
extra men could not be landed as the beach and sea was crammed with dead
bodies. |
|
|
| 12.00 |
The
Americans had made successful advances up Omaha Beach aided by gunfire
from small naval vessels that sailed as close to the beach as they
could. |
|
|
| 22.07 |
A
ten-miles deep and sixty miles wide bridgehead had been established |
