It’s 07:00 AM, 6 June 1944, and you’re one of the 150,000 troops embarking on a mission that would define the twentieth century. Whether you know it or not, this day would almost certainly be the most demanding of your entire existence - when the horrors, complexities and triumphs of life would be laid bare and courage and heroism would come to the fore… What all of your senses were exposed to on D-Day, would stay with you forever… Since the desperate evacuation of Allied Forces from the northern French port of Dunkerque four years ago, plans of retaliation were made and slowly put in motion… From 1942 onwards, as the tide of the war was showing signs of turning, hundreds of thousands of allied soldiers, many from across the Atlantic, began to arrive in Britain to undertake training for a full scale land, air and seaborne invasion of Europe - the largest of its kind in the history of warfare. With the fate of the world hinged on this moment, nothing could be left to chance. Whatever your name, age, rank or occupation - every man had a specific role to play in this great endeavour. But as is the nature of warfare, despite the years of meticulous research, organisation and preparation, not all would go to plan… In this episode, Luke Tomes heads across the channel by sea as an Allied infantryman - ready to storm the beaches of Normandy. As part of an assault division, the first wave of troops to land across the numerous allocated sectors of coastline, Luke would find out how Allied soldiers prepared for this monumental operation, what they faced when they landed on the beaches and the sacrifices made to overcome and breach Hitler’s infamous Atlantic Wall. The question is, could you survive as an Allied soldier on D-Day? *DISCLAIMER*: The unit Richard refers to is the 135th Airborne Division: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Army_deception_formations_of_World_War_II Discover the past on History Hit with ad-free exclusive podcasts and documentaries released weekly presented by world renowned historians Dan Snow, Suzannah Lipscomb, Lucy Worsely, Mary Beard and more. Watch, listen and read history wherever you are, whenever you want it. Available on all devices: Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, Android TV, Samsung Smart TV, Roku, Xbox, Chromecast, and iOs & Android. We're offering a special discount to History Hit for our subscribers, get 50% off your first 3 months with code YOUTUBE: https://www.historyhit.com/subscription/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=YouTube2024 #historyhit #dday #dday80 00:00:00 Introduction 00:03:38 Failed Invasions of Europe 00:05:45 Why Normandy? 00:08:49 Hitler's Atlantic Wall 00:10:38 Preparations: Operation Fortitude 00:13:41 Mulberry Harbours 00:15:25 D-Day Beaches 00:16:26 Pre-D-Day Assault 00:17:46 Weapons and Equipment 00:26:51 Training 00:28:07 Preparation and Postponement 00:32:55 Disembarkation 00:43:55 Airborne Landings and Naval Bombardment 00:46:25 Landing Craft Assault 00:56:42 Consolidating the Beachhead (Hedgerow Fighting) 01:05:06 German Counterattack 01:09:47 D-Day and Beyond