D-Day Facts
Page 121 –
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Read over the facts and timeline. Please highlight the 10 bullet
points you find to be the most important.
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Page 122 –
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D-Day Narrative
Narrative (noun)- a spoken or written account of
connected events; a story.
Known as one of the largest amphibious invasions in history.
The invasion's code name was Operation Overlord.
Put yourself in the shoes of a US soldier who is about to participate or
It marked the start of the Battle of Normandy when the Allies landed
is participating in the D-Day invasion. You must write a narrative that
on the beaches of Normandy, in northern France, to start to liberate
covers the full page (every single line) of 122 in your notebook.
mainland Europe from German occupation.
Use the picture and the questions below for inspiration.
Code names for the five beaches of Normandy where the Allies
landed were Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword.
The British and Canadians overcame light opposition to capture
beaches Gold, Juno and Sword, as did the Americans at Utah Beach.
U.S. forces faced heavy resistance at Omaha Beach, where there were
over 2,000 American casualties.
The date June 5, 1944 was originally chosen for the invasion, but bad
weather forced the Allies to postpone one day.
General Dwight D. Eisenhower commanded the operation, and plans
were made to land in Normandy, west of where the German troops
and artillery were built up.
A phantom army of dummy camps, planes and tanks was constructed
in Kent and Essex in order to deceive Germans into thinking the
invasion would be at Calais.
The troops needed the light of a full moon to see to attack. For this
reason there were only a few days during a month when the Allies
could attack. This led Eisenhower to go ahead with the invasion
What are three things you notice in the picture?
despite the bad weather.
What does the weather look like?
The Allies wanted to attack during high tide as this helped the ships to
What is your character’s name?
avoid obstacles put in the water by the Germans.
How did he join the military (volunteer or drafted)?
The flat-bottomed landing craft were originally designed to rescue
flood victims on the Mississippi river in the US.
Who is your character close to?
Although June 6 is often called D-Day, D-Day is also a generic military
Where are they in the action of D-Day?
term that stands for the day, D, of any major attack.
What do they witness preparing for D-Day?
The overall military operation was called "Operation Overlord". The
Do they survive?
actual landings at Normandy were called "Operation Neptune".
Nazi leader Adolf Hitler was asleep when word of the invasion
arrived. No one dared wake him.
(flip over-more on back)
D-Day Timeline
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August 19, 1942 - A raid on the French port of Dieppe that resulted in
heavy losses convinces D-Day planners to land on the beaches, so
discussions and preparations for an Allied invasion across the English
Channel begin.
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May 1943 - The Trident Conference, a British and American strategy
meeting on the war. In Washington, DC, Winston Churchill, President
Roosevelt and their military advisers discuss, among other things,
crossing the English Channel.
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August 1943 - The Quadrant Conference, where the British and
American military chiefs of staff outline Operation Overlord.
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1944 - The Germans expect an invasion along the north coast of
France, but they do not know where. They build up their troops and
artillery near Calais, where the English Channel is the narrowest.
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June 5, 1944 - Between 11 pm and 3 am, 13,000 allied paratroopers
and gliders carrying heavy equipment leave England to begin the
invasion of France by air.
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June 6, 1944 - Overnight, a military armada and more than 156,000
troops cross the English Channel. Minesweepers go ahead to clear the
waters in preparation for the more than 2,300 landing crafts that will
be carrying men, vehicles and supplies. Between midnight and 8 am,
Allied forces of more than 11,000 aircraft, fly 14,674 sorties. 6:30 am Troops begin coming ashore on a 60-mile front.
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June 11, 1944- The beaches were fully secured and over 326,000
troops, more than 50,000 vehicles and some 100,000 tons of
equipment had landed at Normandy.
Using your highlighted facts write a juicy summary paragraph on
page 121 of your notebook describing D-Day. Be sure to include
who, what, where, when, and why.