10 Little Known Facts about D-Day
Military scholars have studied D-Day for the past six decades, but even WWII buffs might not know some of these little-known facts about the infamous beach landing:
1. The invasion location was cloaked in secrecy and rumors. Allied leaders were constantly trying to throw off the Germans about the location and time of the planned inv
asion.
Not even the soldiers knew the exact date, time, and location of the
attack until the last minute. All training maps for troops had false
names to keep the secret intact.
2. The main reason for the secrecy was that the Germans had 55 divisions stationed in France, and the Allies could only bring in about eight divisions to attack on D-Day.
3. About two million service members were a part of Operation Overlord. This includes Americans, Canadians, and the British.
4. There were 6,939 naval ships deployed, holding 195,000 sailors.
5. Ammunition was the largest shipment from the U.S., totaling half a million tons.
6. 127 Allied aircrafts were shot down on D-Day alone, not counting the nearly 2,000 other planes that were destroyed during the summer of 1944.
7. The first two British soldiers that were killed on D-Day were Lt. Den Brotheridge of the 6th Airborne Division and Lance Corporal Fred Greehalgh. Brotheridge was shot in the neck while leading his platoon, and Greehalgh immediately drowned when he stepped out of Brotheridge’s glider.
8. The first U.S. soldier that died on D-Day was twenty-eight year old Lt. Robert Mathias of the 82nd Airborne Division. He sustained a bullet wound in the chest right before he jumped out of his aircraft. He commanded his men to follow his lead as he jumped from the plane and died mid-air.
9. The 82nd Airborne Division received heavy losses in Normandy. Up to 16 percent of the troops were killed that day. The main reason for their premature deaths? Buckled chute harnesses were difficult to remove after landing. The extra time it took to disengage from their parachutes was long enough for them to get shot and killed. After this disastrous day, the American troops started using quick-release buckles invented by the British.
10. About 8,000 Japanese people (both civilians and troops) committed suicide in the beginning of July 1944. They were afraid that the Americans would torture and kill them when Saipan was invaded. Mothers threw their children off cliffs and then followed.
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2. The main reason for the secrecy was that the Germans had 55 divisions stationed in France, and the Allies could only bring in about eight divisions to attack on D-Day.
3. About two million service members were a part of Operation Overlord. This includes Americans, Canadians, and the British.
4. There were 6,939 naval ships deployed, holding 195,000 sailors.
5. Ammunition was the largest shipment from the U.S., totaling half a million tons.
6. 127 Allied aircrafts were shot down on D-Day alone, not counting the nearly 2,000 other planes that were destroyed during the summer of 1944.
7. The first two British soldiers that were killed on D-Day were Lt. Den Brotheridge of the 6th Airborne Division and Lance Corporal Fred Greehalgh. Brotheridge was shot in the neck while leading his platoon, and Greehalgh immediately drowned when he stepped out of Brotheridge’s glider.
8. The first U.S. soldier that died on D-Day was twenty-eight year old Lt. Robert Mathias of the 82nd Airborne Division. He sustained a bullet wound in the chest right before he jumped out of his aircraft. He commanded his men to follow his lead as he jumped from the plane and died mid-air.
9. The 82nd Airborne Division received heavy losses in Normandy. Up to 16 percent of the troops were killed that day. The main reason for their premature deaths? Buckled chute harnesses were difficult to remove after landing. The extra time it took to disengage from their parachutes was long enough for them to get shot and killed. After this disastrous day, the American troops started using quick-release buckles invented by the British.
10. About 8,000 Japanese people (both civilians and troops) committed suicide in the beginning of July 1944. They were afraid that the Americans would torture and kill them when Saipan was invaded. Mothers threw their children off cliffs and then followed.
Source and read more
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