D-day
they ensured the troops were well supplied once they had landed because
they had floating harbors called Mulberries which were constructed- an underwater pipeline nicknamed PLUTO was created to ensure a rapid supply of oil
two events slowed down the allied advance to Germany and meant that Soviet troops reached Berlin first
Arnhem operation and the Battle of the Bulge
the d-day landings were a success because (4)
German defences in Normandy area were not strong because they had such a long coastline (whole of Northern France to protect)
the d-day landings were a success because (2)
Germans were slow to react to the landings and send reinforcements because they were convinced it was a decoy and the real landings would take place in Calais
British General Montgomery used
paratroopers behind German lines to secure the Rhine bridges whilst ground troops rapidly advanced to the river
At Bastogne
reinforcements secured the area as German advances short of fuel ground to a halt
The allies recaptured the areas initially lost to the Germans in
several weeks and by March 1945 they were closing in on Berlin but Soviet troops in April who reached the German capital first
the d-day landings were important because (1)
the allies were given a much needed foothold on the continent- mulberries were quickly erected as makeshift harbors until the allies captured Cherbourg on 25th June which meant they had a deep water port
at Omaha
1. the Americans came up against a top division of the German army 2. the German army were on a training exercise 3. the beach was eventually secured at a cost of 3,000 troops
The Germans suffered
100,000 casualties and had used up their final reserves of troops, planes, tanks and were now defeated
The attack was launched on
16th December and took the American troops completely by surprise and were surrounded in the Bastogne area
The Arnhem Operation began on
17th September with early successes however British troops failed to take the key bridge at Arnhem whilst advancing allied troops were held up by bad weather and the presence of strong German troops
the allies initially prepared for the invasion as
Britain and America had been preparing for 2 years, taking countless aerial photographs before deciding on the most suitable 5 beaches to land on
The battle of the Bulge began on
December 1944 when Hitler decided on one last final attempt to defeat the allies, choosing the Ardennes (the area of success for Blitzkrieg in 1940)
the troops carried in the 7,000 naval vessels landed
on five beaches as early as 6.30 am, British and Canadian troops landed on Gold, Juno and Sword beach, american troops landed on Utah and Omaha
Arnhem Operation was in
September 1944- attempt by the allies to achieve a rapid advance through Holland to end the war by Christmas
by the end of day the allies had
landed 156,000 troops with supporting mechanized vehicles
the d-day landings were important because (4)
after Falaise the allies made rapid advances through Northern France, liberating Paris on 25th August
involved in the largest amphibious landing in Northern France were
all three armed forces: army, navy and air force
the d-day landings were a success because (1)
allied bombing of the Calais area in months beforehand foooeld Germans into believing this was where the allies wanted to land
Eisenhower had never been keen on the plan
and reverted to a slow, careful advance on a broad front
thousands of Us and British troops in the build up to d-day
arrived in Britain and were trained in landing on defended beaches
the d-day landings were important because (3)
at Falaise the allies surrounded the German seventh army and fifth panzer army, in the space of 8 days the Germans lost more than 10,000 men whilst 50,000 were taken prisoner
the allies ensured they had air superiority by
attacking Luftwaffe bases and the German aircraft Industry
the d-day landings were important because (2)
further advances were made in Normandy in July with the capture of Caen, St. Lo and Avranches
paratroopers and soldiers on the night of the 5-6th June
glided into Normandy to destroy communications and secure vital bridges
the d-day landings were a success because (3)
invasion was well planned and overall commander-in-chief Eisenhower welded the allies troops into an effective team