D-Day

Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery

British; one of the highest ranking in Britain; very difficult to work with because of his big ego, but also very influential

General Dwight Eisenhower

Jan 16, 1944-- supreme commander of operation; thought Americans should be in charge becuase we were fresh and new to the war; never actually went into combat on D-Day; great leader

Normandy

actual city of invasion; 70 miles from the coast of Britain; had largest invasion force in history

"The beach was not any general's business. They had no say. None whatsoever."

it made no difference who commanded the soldiers, the decisions were made by individuals in the hopes of survival relation to theme: it was the individual soldier's bravery and courage that made the difference in how successful the invasion was

General George Patton

man alone in Britain; assigned to lead a fake army in order to trick the Germans - (he didn't like this because he thought that he should have a bigger role)

Paratroopers

mission: 1. cut raillines 2. secure bridges and roads Were both successful and not Failings- weather, 3 in 4 died Success- got mission completed

Allied Air Force

objective: VERY IMPORTANT!!! 1. bomb all of Northern France (in order to not give away spot of invasion 2. destroy German raillines ( to keep Germans from moving their supplies) 3. destroy the German Air Force in order to get complete control of the sky

Field Marshall Erwin Rommel

one of the most brilliant German field marshalls; commanded, but not trusted by Hitler; in control of the French Army

Calais

the city that the Germans thought the Allies were going to attack becuase of the deception and the fact that it is the shortest distance between France and Britain

Operation Overlord

the code name for the invasion of Normandy; an all-out attack on Hitler's Nazi Empire

D-Day

turning point in the war; day of invasion of Normandy - June 6, 1944; over 9,000 soldiers died

Secrecy (Deception)

very influential to success-- 1. bombed all of Northern France (instead of just Normandy) 2. creation of fake army (led by General George Patton) 3. code name (Operation Overlord) 4. Dropped dummies before paratroopers