As they reenact “D-Day” over France, British troops are instructed to display their passports.
As they reenact “D-Day” over France, British troops are instructed to display their passports.
More than 300 paratroopers from the US, Belgium, and the UK made a spectacular jump from three A400 transport carrier planes over Normandy, France, yesterday in a replica of the ‘D-Day’ landings on its 80th anniversary. American and Belgian soldiers’ passports were not examined by French Customs officers, but British paratroopers had to show theirs to them.
On June 6, 1944, the biggest air, land, and naval invasion in history began with the intention of liberating Europe from Nazi Germany. More than 1.5 million troops and officers from the US, Canada, the Netherlands, France, Greece, Norway, Poland, Australia, and New Zealand were ready to fight the Germans on the British coast.
The D-Day airdrop on Thursday paid tribute to warriors who fought in one of the most significant conflicts in human history. British citizens can no longer travel freely throughout the Union after Britain’s exit from the EU and are instead subject to stricter immigration regulations.
Belgium is a member of the European Union, but it looked unusual to only check the passports of British soldiers instead of American ones.
On the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings, also referred to as the “D-Day” landings, France organized a high-profile celebration to honor the veterans and the dead soldiers.
One of the most important historical moments occurred on June 23, 1940, when Hitler posed for a picture in front of the Eiffel Tower. The Nazi Blitzkrieg campaign swiftly took over Belgium, Poland, the Netherlands, and France after France fell to the Germans.
A minor assault was planned after approximately 338,000 French and British soldiers were evacuated from Dunkirk in 1940; however, the actual planning for “Operation Overlord” began with the Tehran Conference in late 1943.
The objectives were to relieve pressure from the Soviet Union on the Eastern Front and open a new theater for the Germans in the West. The two-pronged plan was to encircle and cut off the Nazis’ supplies. Five assault beaches—Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword—were chosen for the landings. In the 1998 Tom Hanks film “Saving Private Ryan,” men from the 2nd Ranger Battalion made their touchdown on the Omaha beach.
Just after midnight, more than 18,000 Allied troops were airdropped over the assault to provide tactical assistance to infantry divisions on the beaches. The plan was divided into two phases: an airborne assault and an amphibious operation.
Almost 11,000 aircraft and nearly 7,000 naval warships—including battleships, destroyers, minesweepers, escorts, and assault craft—participated in Operation “Neptune,” the naval component of “Overlord.” More than 132,000 men arrived in navy boats and launched a day-long assault on the Normandy bridgehead.
D-Day, or June 6, marked the end of German domination over most of Europe. Over the course of Operation Overland, which lasted for about three months, Allied soldiers marched into the occupied territory. France was released to signify the end of the operation after four years of Nazi domination.
Over 7,000 navy warships, including battleships, destroyers, minesweepers, escorts, and assault craft, and nearly 11,000 aircraft took part in Operation “Neptune,” the naval portion of “Overlord.” Arriving aboard military boats, some 132,000 troops began a day-long assault on the Normandy bridgehead.
German rule over the majority of Europe came to an end on June 6, often known as D-Day. During the roughly three-month-long Operation Overland, Allied soldiers advanced into the seized country. After four years of Nazi rule, France was freed to mark the completion of the operation.
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