1. D-Day and Liberation

2. D-Day
• June 6, 1944- “D-day”
“Operation Overlord” launched
– Invasion of Europe well planned and rehearsed
• Five landing points along Normandy’s beaches
1) Sword
2) Juno
3) Gold
4) Omaha
5) Utah

3. Canadians land at Juno

6. D-Day
• First- massive air attacks
• Second- paratroopers behind German lines
• Third- Amphibious landing

7. D-day
TWO ADVANTAGES:
1) Massive air and naval support
– Land more than 1 million troops in 2-3 weeks
2) Attack details kept secret
– Stormy weather, meteorologist predicted that
Allies would not attempt

8. D-day
• Weeks of constant fighting to get inland
• 11 month advance through France and
Belgium, towards Germany
• Exhausting, brutal, dangerous
BUT- rewarding when liberating

9. Canada Liberates Netherlands- April
1945
Canadians given the task of liberating the
Netherlands
• Dutch food and fuel supplieshad beencut-off
– Starving people eating bulbs and horse meat
– Canadian food drops
• German troops in the Netherlands were surrounded by
May 4
• 6,300 Canadians killed in liberation

11. Final Days
• Allies invade Germany from west
• Soviet Union attacked from east
Germany surrendered May 7, 1945
Hitler and hispartnerEva Braun committed
suicide in Berlin bunker.