D-Day

On the day of D-Day the troops sailed with the war ships to try and liberate France. The big warships started shooting at the beach to make big holes for the solders to take cover while shooting at the bunkers.  The plan did not succeed because the ships were too far out and the bombs landed in the water.

The RAF planes dropped their bombs on the beaches to make it easier but it only worked on Sword, Juno and Gold.  On the other beaches they did not drop enough bombs. This is why more American troops got killed.

The troops were squashed into the ships.  Most of them got sea sick because it was a very choppy sea that day.  When they got near to France the Germans had machine gun posts and were shooting at them.  When they were running up the beach the Germans were shooting at them and could shoot at a whole ship of troops.  It must have been very scary to see the man next to you die but not you.  You were lucky to just get out of the carrier, let alone survive the beach. 

The Germans had planted mines, traps, barbed wire and obstacles on the beaches.  They planned for the obstacles to be hidden by the tide but in fact the Allies landed at low tide and the obstacles were good hiding places for them.  The mines were a problem – although when they blew up a man they made a crater for other men to hide.

There were different kinds of special tank.  One was disguised as a boat. One had chains on the front to explode mines in its way.  It also could cut through barbed wire and make a path for the Allies.

Read the witness statements to find out what it was like.