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Inland Operations

By the end of June 1944, Allied forces had secured the Cotentin Peninsula and reached the port at Cherbourg. These victories were hard fought, and the Allies suffered thousands of casualties in the…

Medics Treat a Fellow Wounded Medic on Utah Beach

As American soldiers fought their way off the transports and up the beaches, they suffered heavy casualties. Army medics and Navy corpsman selflessly tended to their wounded despite the heavy…

Army Rangers Rest atop Pointe du Hoc after Securing the Cliff

On D-Day, the men of the elite 2nd Ranger Battalion were on a mission to seize Pointe du Hoc, eliminate a number of 155mm guns on the cliffs above, and assault the German position firing on the west…

An LCVP with American Infantrymen Approaches Normandy

More than 1,000 Higgins boats made their way to shore on D-Day. Packed shoulder to shoulder in the boats as they approached the beach, many of the thousands of soldiers that crossed the English…

Allied Landing Craft and Other Naval Vessels Make Their Way toward the Beach

As the naval bombardment began, thousands of LCIs (Landing Craft, Infantry), LCTs (Landing Craft, Tank), and other troop transports moved toward the beaches. As the transports came within a few…

Naval Bombardment Group at Utah Beach

The naval bombardment focused on knocking out as many of the German guns and defensive positions on the beaches as possible. On Utah Beach alone, the Wehrmacht had 110 guns, ranging in size from 75mm…

An Allied C-47 Pulls a Glider across the English Channel

In addition to the paratroopers, thousands of infantry would land in Normandy in gliders, bringing with them jeeps and bulldozers to help clear the area for advancing troops.  These troops…

Glider Infantry Ready Themselves for Their Flight into France

Courtesy of The National WWII Museum  

Members of the 101st Airborne Division Loaded in a C-47 on the Evening of June 5

The paratroopers’ mission on D-Day was to capture vital causeways and villages that would allow them to hold off German reinforcements and protect the flanks of the amphibious landings. In order to…

Airborne Soldier Illustrating a Jump from a Plane during Training

Ideal conditions on D-Day were to jump at 600 feet while traveling 90 mph. However, with anti-aircraft fire forcing pilots into a scramble, paratroopers dropped anywhere from 300 feet to 2,000 feet,…

American Infantryman Board Landing Craft in England

Concerned about the potential for an aerial attack by the Luftwaffe — the German air force — Allied ships employed barrage balloons as a precaution during the crossing. The balloons were equipped…

American Troops Aboard a Transport Ship Headed to France

American infantryman destined to come ashore at Omaha and Utah beaches loaded onto troop transports for the journey across the English Channel in one of 931 ships that comprised the Western Naval…

Douglas A-20 Havocs (DB-7) Bomb Pointe du Hoc

For months, Allied commanders poured over aerial reconnaissance of the French coast, seeking the best place to land the amphibious assault. Once chosen, Allied bombing of the defenses at Normandy…

D-Day +75

D-Day — June 6, 1944 — witnessed the largest seaborne invasion in history, as Allied soldiers representing Britain, Canada, the United States, and the Free French made a surprise landing on the…

Red Cross

After World War II began, the American Red Cross started sending aid workers to Britain even before the U.S. government started sending troops. Women serving in the Red Cross had a higher percentage…

BOYS and GIRLS

At the cost of only 25¢, War Savings Stamps were designed to encourage children and the poor to contribute to the war effort.

Side By Side – Britannia!

Britannia is a quasi-mythical female personification of Britain. Born during the Roman conquest of the British Isles, she wears a centurion helmet and roman robes. Her lion is the national animal of…

We Want Books

The Library War Service not only worked to provide U.S. soldiers on land with books, but also helped to provide library materials for naval vessels. They even established a Merchant Marine Library…

Holt Oral History Program

More than 200 veterans have trusted their story to the Museum & Library.  If you are a veteran and are ready to talk about your experience, please contact us. Sponsored by the Seedlings…