Page 7 - Cause & Effect: World War II

Battle of Normandy: Allied Beach Landings

English Channel

Valognes

Utah
Airborne
Division Omaha
Pointe Gold
du Hoc Juno
Sword
Cabourg
Carentan
Bayeux Dives
Airborne
NORMANDY Division
D-Day
Caen
Saint-Lô Caen
Objective

Paris
FRANCE

week of June. On the night of June 3, Eisenhower convened a meet-
ing of military chiefs. Nearby, 150,000 troops had already boarded
vessels in British harbors and were awaiting orders to make the over-
night journey to the French coast. Moreover, 10,500 military planes
stationed at British air bases awaited orders to take off . All plans had
now been fi nalized, awaiting Eisenhower’s order to commence the in-
vasion. But as Eisenhower learned at the June 3 meeting, the weather
was not cooperating.
Storms had swept through the region. Th e cloud cover over the
Normandy coastline was too dense, meaning the bombers would not
be able to fi nd their targets below. Without suffi cient air cover, Eisen-
hower feared the beach assault would fail. If the storms persisted for

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