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INVASION BEGINS ON NORTH FRENCH COKS First ee head Drive is Established; se SS Inland; hoding s Reported MS ow gL Havre os RCierbourd Pakare tow by sf aaa SO ‘Monty’ Leads | Allied Troops FOURTH EDITION | WELCOME In the early hours of 6 June 1944 the largest land, sea and air operation in history got under way in northern France, as more than 150,000 Allied troops began the invasion of German-occupied Western Europe. Failure was not an option. Inside we tell the remarkable story of D-Day, from the months of meticulous planning and preparation that made it possible, to the invasion itself and the fierce fighting that followed as the Allies fought to liberate France. We celebrate some of the heroes of Operation Overlord, speak to D-Day veterans as they share their experiences, and discover the Allied leaders who conceived, shaped and executed the ambitious plans. We look at the role the French Resistance played in the run-up to and during the invasions and how the German response may have helped the Allies gain a vital foothold, while also exploring the potentially devastating consequences for the world if the landings had failed. “DAY THE STORY OF THE GREATEST MILITARY OPERATION IN HISTORY Future PLC Quay House, The Ambury, Bath, BA] 1UA Bookazine Editorial Editor Dan Peel Designer Lora Barnes & Kerry Dorsey Compiled by Katharine Marsh & Phil Martin Senior Art Editor Andy Downes Head of Art & Design Greg Whitaker Editorial Director Jon White History of War Editorial Editor Tim Williamson Designer Curtis Fermor-Dunman Senior Art Editor Duncan Crook Contributors Marc DeSantis, Charlie Ginger, Jack Griffiths, Mike Haskew, David Smith, Will Lawrence Cover images Getty Images Photography All copyrights and trademarks are recognised and respected Advertising Media packs are available on request Commercial Director Clare Dove International Head of Print Licensing Rachel Shaw [email protected] wwwfuturecontenthub.com Circulation Head of Newstrade Tim Mathers Production Head of Production Mark Constance Production Project Manager Matthew Eglinton Advertising Production Manager Joanne Crosby Digital Editions Controller Jason Hudson Production Managers Keely Miller, Nola Cokely, Vivienne Calvert, Fran Twentyman Printed in the UK Distributed by Marketforce, 5 Churchill Place, Canary Wharf, London, E14 SHU www.marketforce.co.uk Tel: 0203 787 9001 Histroy of War D-Day Fourth Edition (HWB4363) © 2022 Future Publishing Limited We are committed to only using magazine paper which is derived from responsibly managed, certified forestry and chlorine-free manufacture. 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Apps and websites mentioned in this publication are not under our control. We are not responsible for their contents or any other changes or updates to them. This magazine is fully independent and not affiliated in any way with the companies mentioned herein. F U T U R = Connectors. Creators. Experience Makers. Future pic is a public Chief executive Zillah Byng-Thorne company quoted on the Non-executive chairman Richard Huntingford London Stock Exchange Chief financial officer Penny Ladkin-Brand (symbol: FUTR) www.futurepic.com Tel +44 (01225 442244 HISTORY For press freedom with responsibility = ‘ 0S (16 THE ROAD TO D-DAY . Discover the meticulous planning that made Operatior Overlord possible @ TIMELINE: Assault on Fortress Europe Discover the incredible events of the Allied invasion of Normandy Preparing for D-Day 22 Why was Normandy chosen for D-Day? A perfect location was needed for the largest amphibious invasion in history 26 The Atlantic Wall was Hitler’s first line of defence for ‘Fortress Europe’ The D-Day deception Allied efforts to deceive the Germans were vital to the success of the invasion 30 34 Meet the Allied leaders who conceived, shaped and executed Operation Overlord The Allied Wvaslon 42 46 64 66 70 72 86 88 is ol | d The world holds hraatth its breath In the early hours of 6 June 1944, the Allied invasion of Europe began B-26 Marauder This US Army Air Force war bird played a vital role during Operation Overlord Hitting the beaches Allied troops faced fierce German resistance on the Normandy beaches Anatomy of an... LCVP The Higgins boat was the small landing craft that changed the war The beachhead and beyond Consolidating their foothold in Normandy, Allied forces pushed inland , . Hobart’s Funnies These specialised tanks were vital in overcoming all terrains in France Bastogne ang aye ynd Interview with David Teacher MBE, one of the first men to land at Juno Beach Heroes of Overlord The success of the Allied operation owed much to small but crucial acts of heroism The German response La leadership from the top fatally hampered the German retaliation to D-Day ; ~ = CONTENTS Beyond the beaches 096 Villers-Bocage Allied and German forces clash in a scramble to grab strategic positions 116 Breaking out from Normandy The Allies faced a monumental task as they pushed on to Paris : F 05 Oy P12 Friendly fire off = : “Te e) { Rommanidy Sealey reveals a a er PERILOUS — The “reounne with his own countrymen is AIRBORNE Bice cae With the future of Europe hanging in the INSI SRTION balance, D-Day’s success was essential 4 \ Uiemncelerliecei-e | 134 What if D-Day | divisions tasked with had failed? _ seizing key objectives The consequences of a failure on D-Day N would have been felt for decades to come 138 Destination Normandy ©¢6) THE FRENCH mit importa netiofeldsend lander | i le » ay VIOUS VA RESISTANCE & D-DAY Discover the many contributions made by the French Resistance before and during the Normandy assault 106 bs 0 » The daring special forces . -missions of Qpeiazion Overlord A D-DAY TIMELINE ASSAULT ON FORTRESS 2 After months of preparation, Allied forces assault Nazi defences on the Za 2 ° ° > ° 2 coast of French Normandy, establishing a foothold in Western Europe oS, AM TET TTT eee Above: British soldiers fire their rifles at low-flying German aircraft while awaiting evacuation from a Dunkirk beach OPERATION DYNAMO 4 JUNE 1940 li THE FRENCH PORT CITY OF DUNKIRK Operation Dynamo, the ten-day effort to evacuate soldiers of the French Army and the British Expeditionary Force from the continent of Europe at the port city of Dunkirk, concludes with the rescue of nearly 340,000 troops from annihilation or capture by victorious German forces following their invasion of France and the Low Countries on 10 May. Dynamo involves scores of small civilian watercraft as well as military vessels and succeeds beyond expectations as planners expected to evacuate only about 30,000. The Battle of France ends in shattering defeat, and the Allies do not return to Western Europe until D-Day in 1944. ROOSEVELT RECEIVES 1, laa ROUNDUP 1 APRIL 1942 Hi WASHINGTON, DC US Army Chief of Staff General George C Marshall presents President Roosevelt with a blueprint for an invasion of Nazi-occupied Western Europe tentatively scheduled for 1943. British war planners have considered such an operation, codenamed Roundup, since 1941. However, success seems bleak until sufficient strength is amassed. Roundup is postponed at British urging in favour of peripheral efforts, including landings in North Africa and invasions of Sicily and Italy. The plan is eventually supplanted by Operation Overlord. _| TUTUTTT TTD SPOT OPOLOOTOROPOVOPPOTOTOLOMETOTOTOLUONOTOLUTONTOROTOLTUOTOROTOOTITOTOROTOORET OTE ASSAULT ON FORTRESS EUROPE Right: A German soldier stands among the bodies of dead Canadian troops on the beach at Dieppe DISASTER AT DIEPPE 19 AUGUST 1942 li FRENCH PORT OF DIEPPE ON THE ENGLISH CHANNEL In response to pressure from Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin to mount offensive operations and soon open a second front in Europe, as well as to test the strength of German forces occupying defences along the coast of France, the Allies mount Operation Jubilee, a heavy raid involving 6,000 troops, primarily Canadian, along with tanks and supporting air and naval forces. The effort is doomed from the start, and fails with more than 900 killed, 500 wounded and 1,900 captured. However, Allied planners apply lessons learned at Dieppe in the refinement of Operation Overlord, the invasion of Normandy that takes place in 1944. 5 acl ee Hee Sie Below: Canadian Prime Minister William Mackenzie King confers with President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill in Quebec Canadian prisoners captured during the abortive Dieppe raid raisestheir hands as directed by a German soldier OVERLORD ADVANCES AT QUADRANT CONFERENCE 17-24 AUGUST 1943 i QUEBEC CITY, CANADA During the first Quebec (Quadrant) Conference, the Combined Chiefs of Staff present a tentative plan, codenamed Operation Overlord, for the invasion of Nazi-occupied France. President Franklin D Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston Churchill agree in principle to continue discussions and planning for the offensive that will eventually result in the liberation of Western Europe. A proposed date for the invasion of 1 May 1944 is selected, but the massive logistical marshalling of men and materiel in Britain must first be accomplished. Left: General Marshall and others stand behind President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston Churchill during talks in August 1941 TUG CO A D-DAY TIMELINE EXERGISE TIGER 28 APRIL 1944 Ml SLAPTON SANDS, DEVON A large-scale rehearsal for the D-Day landings in Normandy, codenamed Exercise Tiger, ends in tragedy due to a series of errors and an attack by German torpedo boats off the English coast near Slapton Sands. Incorrect radio frequencies frustrate communications, while a British destroyer previously detailed to escort eight US Navy Landing Ship Tanks (LSTs) is mistakenly ordered to Plymouth for repairs. Two LSTs are torpedoed and sunk. Two others are heavily damaged, and more than 700 US Army and Navy personnel are killed. Many die due to improperly worn lifejackets and the lethally cold water, which causes hypothermia. Top left: American soldiers engage in a training exercise at Slapton Sands prior to D-Day Left: This Sherman tank, raised from waters off Slapton Sands, stands as a memorial to Exercise Tiger Image Source: Creative Commons © Amber Kincaid ma TPT! Southwick House near Portsmouth served as headquarters for the Allied Expeditionary Force in 1944 THE FINAL DECISION 5 JUNE 1944 li SOUTHWICK HOUSE NEAR PORTSMOUTH After foul weather has forced a 24-hour postponement of Operation Overlord, General Dwight Eisenhower, Allied supreme commander, convenes the seventh and final meeting of his most senior commanders at 4.15am to gauge support for launching the invasion during a window of somewhat favourable weather on 6 June. Eisenhower listens to concerns and then considers the situation. Men are already aboard ships, and the next favourable tides and other atmospheric conditions are two weeks away. He announces, “Okay, we'll go!” TUTTE 1944. DUT TTT CO eee 2 D-DAY IS SCHEDULED FOR 5 JUNE 1944 BAD WEATHER FORCES 17 May 1944 EISENHOWER TO DELAY D-DAY Southwick House 9.30pm, 3 June 1944 near Portsmouth Southwick House near Portsmouth va Allied Supreme Commander General Dwight D Eisenhower poses with his subordinates charged with directing Operation Overlord 10