The invasion on Normandy was successful because the Allies controlled the air, the Germans were caught by surprise, and the first few hours were vital to the ultimate victory that day. The extract, published in 1945, created from first hand descriptions of the beach that day, highlights some of the factors on June 6, 1945:
- The amphibious landing crafts made a landing in sandbars about 50 to 100 yards from shore, and in some cases the water was neck deep
- The heaviest casualties were met just after landing. Some men dove under water or went over the side to escape the beaten zone of machine guns.
- Most men, after wading through tough and tiring waters, still had to make it 200 yards on dry land for any sort of shelter. Surprisingly, troops who stopped to organize, rest, or take shelter behind obstacles merely prolonged their difficulties and suffered heavier losses
- As a result of mislandings, many companies were so scattered that they could not be organized as tactical units
- Morale was low among all Allied troops because of such heavy losses of men
- 8:00 am – At three or four places on the four-mile beachfront, U.S. troops were already breaking through the shallow curst of enemy defenses
- The only great factor about the first two hours is that the Allies were not pinned down behind the sea wall and embankment
- A decisive factor was leadership. Wherever an advance was made, it depended on the presence of some few individuals, officers and noncommissioned officers, who inspired, encouraged, or bullied their men the first forward moves.
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