Dday
...break German obstacles and destroy mines. These new ideas would be very useful in aiding Allied troops. The men themselves were trained under conditions that would be similar to the ones they would soon be fighting. These exercises were different from the ones they had known in the United States. Troops continually worked at operating as a whole with other infantries. In some cases the men were even toughened up by having sessions of hand-to-hand combat. Highly skilled Army Rangers were required to scale rugged, steep-faced cliffs. Paratroopers were also mentally and physically toughened up for their missions. The thirteen thousand plus men were said to be the greatest up to that time. They were also aided by a strong French underground that was prepared to assist the invasion by disrupting the communications systems by aiding and abetting soldiers wherever and whenever possible. The heavy air attacks on the Germans coal railroads began in April of 1944 nearly two months before the actual invasion. The three days that the Allies thought would be best for the invasion were the 5th, 6th, and 7th of June. If the weather did not meet their standard they would have to postpone the invasion. The Allies believed that if they had to postpone the invasion that the consequences would be terrible. On June 1st and 2nd, the troops left their camps and headed straight for the Forts of Embarkation. They were transferred under heavy surveillance of the military police. The invasion was scheduled for June 5th, but the weather had taken a turn for the worse, and General Eisenhower decided that the attack would have to be postponed. The weather soon cleared and the decision was made to go ahead with the act on June 6th. The first men to see action would be the paratroopers from the American 101st and 82nd Airborne Divisions, who were scheduled to drop behind enemy lines. Bad weather and other obstacles resulted in many of the paratroopers to be deployed in other than planned drop zones. To move the 175,000 troopers across shore over 4,000 ships were used. Weapons and artillery were also boarded onto ships so they could aid the troopers once they landed. At the end of June 5th the preparations for the invasion had been finished. Air fighters were used to knockout key points that were to seal off roads and highways to the shores. They were also very useful as scouts. Next, gliders were to be sent carrying soldiers and anti-tank weapons before the troops had reached the shores. There were serious loses due to the fact that the fields, where they were forced to land, were so terrible due to bad weather conditions. Sainte-Mere-Eglise was the first German town to be captured by paratroopers. The Germans who were surprised by the invasion were quick to respond, although Hitler was sleeping and could not be reached to release the Panzer tanks. The coastal defenses that they had prepared for this very moment were readied quickly. Soon Allied destroyers were used to try and fight the coastal defenses that the air force attacks did not destroy. They were basically ineffective because of German’s well-entrenched defenses. As the battle raged on the transports prepared to bring their troops onshore. After the air fighters and warships had done their jobs the fate of the mission depended on the troops. Soon the troops made it to the shores. The men were under heavy enemy fire. Three separate American divisions launched onto Utah and Omaha beaches. They fought desperately to gain position. It looked as if the battle was going to be very tough for them. Casualties on D-Day were heavy, as nearly 3,000 troops were either mis...