Astonishing Facts About D-Day That You Didn’t Know

1. Astonishing Facts About D-Day That You Didn’t Know June 6th commemorates D-Day, the date that marked the start of the Normandy Landings, paving the way for the end of the Second World War. The D-Day anniversary serves as a gentle reminder to everyone about the horrors of war and the need for peaceful coexistence. It also serves to remember the thousands of lives laid down in Omaha Beach- the center stage of the most intensely fought battle in the Second World War. Here are some astonishing facts that you probably didn’t know about D-Day: The actual location of the D-Day landings were kept a secret until the very last minute: The fact that Normandy was the place of invasion was the most heavily guarded secret. Not even the actual units involved in the assault knew the location of the landings. They managed to hoodwink German forces by planning an elaborate scheme that leaked information reinforcing their own ideas about D-Day. Secrecy was crucial because the Allied Forces could manage to send only 8 divisions to combat the 55 German divisions stationed in France. Eisenhower visited Normandy only once and never publicly celebrated the D-Day Anniversary: General Dwight Eisenhower, the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in the Second World War, and the person behind the D-Day landings victory visited Normandy only once. And when he did, he hoped that the sacrifice of soldiers who were “cut off in their prime” would never go in vain. His modesty is perhaps typical of his generation – people who shunned self-celebration, instead focusing on the sacrifices of others. The son of a US President was among the thousands of soldiers landing at Omaha Beach: Theodore Roosevelt Jr., the son of US President Teddy Roosevelt was the oldest man and the only general to participate in the Normandy Landings. He was also the only father to serve along with his son, Quentin Roosevelt II who landed at Omaha Beach. If General Eisenhower had gone ahead with the initially planned date, D-Day may not have been a success: We all know that the D-Day landings were initially scheduled for June 5. But bad weather forced Eisenhower to move it to the next day, i.e. June 6. This was based on the recommendations of Capt Stagg, who stood alone in his prediction that the earlier decided date would not be conducive for assault. And he was right, because, the weather conditions on the 6thweren’t ideal, but favorable and largely responsible for D-Day success.

2. The Author: The Author loves writing about war history, especially those related to the Second World War. He was written extensively about D-Day landings and the Omaha Beachassault.