Compare And Contrast The D-Day And The Normandy Campaign

D-day and the Normandy Campaign

By Neil Mackinnon

Canadian History 11

Introduction Operation Overlord(also known as the Normandy landings), was a pivotal operation launched by the Allies in the summer of 1944 that turned the tides of the second world war against the Germans and threatened the stability of their hold on Western Europe. This operation was an event in which Canadian forces played a major role, showing off our nation's strength, skill and dedication to the war efforts.

Background information Prior to Operation Overlord, the second world war was in full effect. The Germans, who were led by Adolf hitler, had dominated the second world war to a large extent up until about 1944. However, 1944 was a year of changes, and the

The Atlantic wall consisted of over 2000 miles of heavily fortified beaches that overlooked and stood upon the coasts of western france. This wall was set up to satisfy the means of not letting anyone into the seemingly impenetrable fortress that was German territory. The Atlantic wall contained many levels of defense such as concrete bunkers lined with machine guns and german soldiers, as well as traps to keep out tanks and barbed wire to slow down soldiers. However due to the sheer size of it, the wall in certain places was weaker, due to incomplete defenses and lack of manpower in less important areas. The allies knew what they were going up against, and that it definitely wouldn’t be easy therefore a strategy was needed. The Allies made the decision to use the element of surprise as the key tactic in their invasion. The Allies had their strategy, but for it to work they would need to find the perfect location to invade. The Germans were aware that there would likely be an invasion in the near future, but it would be impossible to tell when or where it would be coming from. Northern France (specifically the Pas-de-Calais) seemed to be the most likely site of invasion, because of the short efficient route into Germany it provided that allies . However Northern France was expected to be invaded, and was under high alert and heavily defended, so it was ruled out. The Allies instead Decided on the coasts of Normandy, which are found further west. In an effort to deceive the Germans, the Allies set up distractions in southeast England, to try and convince the Germans that the attack would happen on the Pas de Calais, in Northern france. They also made efforts to lead Germany into believing that the attack would come from other countries all together. They set up things like wooden and paper mache tanks and trucks. They also stationed armies in England directly across from the pas de