normandy :: essays research papers

A Day in June: The Invasion Of Normandy   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Green water splashes aboard the small wooden landing craft soaking the men inside with cold salt water. The nearing of exploding shells sends fright and adrenaline pumping through their veins. As the beach draws closer officers begin to bark out orders over the sound of gun fire. The landing craft stops with a jolt and the loading ramp slams down on the wet sand. Bullets come whizzing by cutting down the first three rows of soldiers. The remaining men jump over the sides and plummet into the murky water, hoping to get ashore alive. The invasion of Normandy could be the turning point of the war in favor of the Allies or it could be the rise of Nazi Germany and the beginning of a fascist era.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   June 5, 1944: the Buildup   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Around 3:30 a.m. General Dwight D. Eisenhower walked into his headquarters in a mansion on the southern coast of England. In a few short moments he would have to make one of the most influential decisions of World War II. Should the Allied forces invade Nazi occupied France at Normandy or not? He consulted with his fellow officers on the matter, and after ten minutes of pacing around the room he gave the go ahead. Within hours an armada of 5,000 Allied ships was making its way toward Normandy France. Along with this armada the 82nd and the 101st Airborne Divisions were up in the air ready to be dropped behind enemy lines. Little did they know the two divisions would loose up to seventy percent of their men and be dropped as far as ten mile away from their drop zones. As was part of the plans U.S. and British bombers were to go ahead and drop bombs on key targets, but most of the bombs missed or did little damage to the concrete block houses.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After this the two airborne divisions would go and be dropped behind German lines to help out the forces on the beach, this help never came. Then Rangers and other troops would storm ashore and take the beaches. In the invasion of Normandy some 150,000 troops landed on the beaches. The objectives of these men was to take the five Normandy beach heads. The beaches Utah, Gold, Sword, and Juneau were all taken by the British and Canadian troops. The biggest and most heavily armed beach, Omaha, was invaded by U.