Results: June 6 Is The 75th Anniversary Of D-Day
Published on 06/06/2019
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1.
1.
On June 6, 1944, British, US and Canadian forces invaded the coast of Normandy in northern France. The landings were the first stage of Operation Overlord - the invasion of Nazi-occupied Europe - and aimed to bring an end to World War Two. By night-time, around 156,000 Allied troops had arrived in Normandy, despite challenging weather and fierce German defences. At the end of D-Day, the Allies had established a foothold in France and within 11 months Nazi Germany was defeated and the war was over. Do you know anyone who fought in WW2 and if so, were they part of this particular operation?
No
54%
1172 votes
I know someone who fought in WW2, but not part of this operation
32%
699 votes
I know someone who fought in WW2, and they were part of this operation
13%
285 votes
I fought in WW2, but not part of this operation
1%
19 votes
I fought in WW2, and was part of this operation
1%
27 votes
2.
2.
Were you aware of these D-Day facts (source: BBC News)?
As early as 1942, the BBC launched a bogus appeal for photographs and postcards from the coast of Europe, from Norway to the Pyrenees. It was actually a way of gathering intelligence on suitable landing beaches and Normandy was settled on. Millions of photos ended up being sent to the War Office and, with the help of the French Resistance and air reconnaissance, military bosses were able to target the best landing spots for D-Day.
10%
208 votes
The Allies put a lot of effort into trying to convince the Germans that the invasion was going to be near Calais, not Normandy. The Germans took the bait so much that even after D-Day they held many of their best troops in the Calais area expecting a second invasion.
23%
484 votes
By 1944 more than two million troops from more than 12 countries were in Britain preparing for the invasion. On D-Day, Allied forces consisted primarily of US, British and Canadian troops but also included Australian, Belgian, Czech, Dutch, French, Greek, New Zealand, Norwegian, Rhodesian [present-day Zimbabwe] and Polish naval, air and ground support.
17%
376 votes
The officers organising the operation were very particular about the timing of D-Day. They wanted a full moon with a spring tide so they could land at dawn when the tide was about half way in - but those kind of conditions meant there were only a few days that could work. They chose to invade on 5 June, but ended up delaying by 24 hours because of bad weather.
17%
361 votes
In fact, the forecast was so bad that the German commander in Normandy, Erwin Rommel, felt so sure there wouldn't be an invasion he went home to give his wife a pair of shoes for her 50th birthday. He was in Germany when the news came of the invasion.
11%
242 votes
When the D-Day forces landed, Nazi leader Adolf Hitler was asleep.
11%
240 votes
While America formed the biggest national contingent, the combined force of Commonwealth service personnel - mostly British and Canadian - was greater. Of the 156,000 men who landed in France on 6 June, 73,000 were American, and 83,000 British or Canadian. The Commonwealth naval contingent was twice that of the Americans.
11%
236 votes
There were five beaches that were chosen for the operation, codenamed, from east to west, Sword, Juno, Gold, Omaha, Utah. Casualties varied widely - on "Bloody Omaha", where around 4,000 men were killed or wounded, one US unit landing in the first wave lost 90% of its men. On Gold Beach, by contrast, casualty rates were around 80% lower.
15%
322 votes
Knew all of these
11%
232 votes
None
53%
1146 votes
3.
3.
Although many think the "D" in D-Day stands for deployment, designated or any number of words, the D simply stands for "day." The designation was traditionally used for the date of any important military operation or invasion, according to the National World War II Museum. Thus, the day before June 6, 1944, was known as D-1 and the days after were D+1, D+2, D+ and so on. Were you aware of this?
Yes
22%
473 votes
No
78%
1678 votes
4.
4.
One of the greatest days in military history has long been one of the greatest inspirations for movies. Here's a partial list of D-Day inspired movies -- which ones on this list have you seen?
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
54%
1166 votes
The Longest Day (1962)
29%
615 votes
Overlord (1975)
5%
117 votes
Breakthrough (1950)
4%
94 votes
Screaming Eagles (1956)
9%
188 votes
The Big Red One (1980)
12%
263 votes
Band Of Brothers (2001 -- mini series, but special mention)
24%
509 votes
Where Eagles Dare (1968)
18%
385 votes
Storming Juno (2014)
5%
113 votes
Patton (1970)
32%
696 votes
None
30%
644 votes
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