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*[[What were the goals of the Axis powers and the Soviet Union during {{#dpl:category=World War Two?]]*[[How Did the German Military Develop Blitzkrieg?]]*[[Why did Operation Market Garden in 1944 fail?]]*[[D-Day: What Factors Were Considered When Planning Operation Overlord?]]*[[How did Adolf Hitler become the Fuhrer of Germany?]]*[[Why was France defeated in 1940?]]History|ordermethod=firstedit|order=descending|count=12}}
Admin moved page What Mistakes did the Allies make during Operation Overlord on D-Day? to What Mistakes did the Allies make during Operation Overlord on D-Day
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[[File:Into_the_Jaws_of_Death_23-0455M_edit for my series headline photo.jpg|left|thumbnail|300px|Jumping from a Higgins boat and storming the beach on D-Day]]
Before the amphibious landing was made, paratroopers from the U.S.101st and 82nd Airborne divisions were tasked with jumping behind enemy lines to secure roads and bridges tactically imperative to the security of Omaha and Utah Beaches. British airborne divisions conducted a similar operation to secure access to the Sword, Gold, and Juno Beaches. The British divisions achieved a greater measure of success than the Americans.
The American Airborne transported its paratroopers via C-47 transport planes, which were neither armed nor armored. These aircraft and their crews had no means by which to defend themselves once the German anti-aircraft guns began to fire. Further, since they were not armor-plated, due to weight, being hit by flak or shrapnel in an engine or fuel tank was catastrophic for the aircraft and crew. After the tight V formation of planes crossed the English Channel, German guns opened fire and immediately began to cause irreparable damage to the 101st and 82nd aircraft.<ref>Stephen Toth, "Total War and Crisis" (lecture, Arizona State University, Glendale, November 17, 2011).</ref> [[File:Paratroopers_just_before_They_Took_off_for_the_Initial_Assault_of_D-Day 101st.jpg|thumbnail|250px|left|Paratroopers aboard a C-47 waiting to take-off, June 6, 1944, 0100 hours.]]
The American C-47 pilots were relatively inexperienced in combat flying. The lack of experience, combined with the fact that the crews were ordered to fly under radio silence, compounded an already perilous situation. Some of the pilots ordered the jump too soon while others waited too long. As a result of the ill-timed jumps, scores of paratroopers were dropped at an altitude too low for success.
==== Conclusion ====
The delay by Germany afforded the Allied troops ample time to secure the beaches of Normandy on the first day of the invasion. By the end of the day, the Americans were able to get off of Omaha Beach, although the cost was great. When the fighting on June 6 was done for the night on Omaha, the U.S. suffered more than 2,000 casualties. In the entirety of the first day of attack, across all of the beaches, including the Airborne divisions, Navy, and landing troops, the Allies employed more than 150,000 men.<ref>Toth, Lecture.</ref>The Americans on Utah beach were also successful with far fewer casualties, yet the movement was equally slow. The British and Canadian forces held Gold, Juno, and Sword but went no further on the first day. The next goal for the Allies was to build-up forces on the ground and to take strategically important towns that would eventually lead to the breakout and ensuing march to Berlin.
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[[Category:Wikis]] [[Category:World War Two History]] [[Category:United States History]] [[Category:Military History]] [[Category: European History]]
