D-Day and Liberation

D-Day

• June 6, 1944- “D-day” “Operation Overlord” launched– Invasion of Europe well planned and rehearsed

• Five landing points along Normandy’s beaches1) Sword2) Juno3) Gold4) Omaha5) Utah

Canadians land at Juno

D-Day

• First- massive air attacks• Second- paratroopers behind German lines• Third- Amphibious landing

D-dayTWO ADVANTAGES: 1) Massive air and naval support– Land more than 1 million troops in 2-3 weeks

2) Attack details kept secret– Stormy weather, meteorologist predicted that

Allies would not attempt

D-day

• Weeks of constant fighting to get inland• 11 month advance through France and

Belgium, towards Germany• Exhausting, brutal, dangerousBUT- rewarding when liberating

Canada Liberates Netherlands- April 1945

Canadians given the task of liberating the Netherlands

• Dutch food and fuel supplies had been cut-off– Starving people eating bulbs and horse meat– Canadian food drops

• German troops in the Netherlands were surrounded by May 4

• 6,300 Canadians killed in liberation

Final Days

• Allies invade Germany from west• Soviet Union attacked from eastGermany surrendered May 7, 1945

Hitler and his partner Eva Braun committed suicide in Berlin bunker.