Allied Operation Overlord: the Battle of Normandy, Die Schlacht um die Normandie, La bataille de Normandie (June 6 1944 – August (25) 1944)

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress Group of USAAF over the English channel

USAAF aerial bombing of Lower Normandy

American forces arriving on Omaha Beach

Tiger n°133 of s.SS-Pz.Abt.101 en route to the Normandy Front

Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation that launched the invasion of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. The operation was launched on June 6 1944 with the Normandy landings (Operation Neptune, commonly known as D-Day). The total troops, vehicles and supplies landed over the period of the invasion were: By the end of June 11 1944, 326,547 troops, 54,186 vehicles and 104,428 tons of supplies. By June 30 1944 over 850,000 men, 148,000 vehicles, and 570,000 tons of supplies. By July 4 1944 one million men had been landed. Credit: Wikipedia. The Bombing of Normandy during the Normandy invasion was meant to destroy the German communication lines in the Norman cities and towns. However, very few Germans occupied these municipalities. German troops were mostly located outside these areas. It is estimated that the bombings in Normandy before and after D-Day caused over 50,000 civilian deaths. There was not a single Tiger formation on the scene in the beginning of the Allied invasion of Normandy. Only one formation was on its approach march, and it was still far away, in fact, east of Paris. It was the schwere SS-Panzer-Abteilung 101. Nearly a week was needed for the nearly 250 kilometers. The second Tiger formation, schwere SS-Panzer-Abteilung 102, reached the greater area of Paris a week later. The third formation was the schwere Panzer-Abteilung 503. It did not reach its area of operations east of Caen until July 7 1944. Credit: Tigers in Normandy by Wolfgang Schneider. Top image: a formation of Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses from the 379th Bombardment Group (H) of the U.S. 8th Air Force over the English Channel. The aircraft in the immediate foreground with tail number 337677 flew around 75 missions with the 379th between June 1944 and April 1945. Credit: Nathan Howland. USAFHRA. FU. Second image from top: an Douglas A-20 G Havoc light bomber of U.S. 9th Air Force with D-Day 'invasion stripes' painted on wings. According to various sources, it bombs the surroundings of the village Le Molay-Littry in Lower Normandy on June 7 1944. U.S. NARA. Third image from top: American landing ships putting cargo ashore on Omaha Beach at low tide during the first days of the operation in June 1944. Among identifiable ships present are LST-532, USS LST-262, USS LST-310, USS LST-533 and USS LST-524. Note barrage balloons overhead and Army half-track convoy forming up on the beach. Credit: Jordan J. Lloyd. U.S. NARA. Bottom image: Panzer Tiger n°133 of schwere SS-Panzerabteilung 101 at Rue André Charpentier in Morgny when en route to the Normandy Front on June 8 1944. The elite battalion arrived on June 12 1944. It lost 15 of its 45 Tigers by July 5 1944. Tiger n°133 was commanded by SS-Oberscharführer Fritz Zahner. He survived Normandy and continued to see heavy action with the schwere SS-Panzerabteilung 503. By the Battle of the Bulge, Fritz Zahner commanded a Tiger II better known as Königstiger. Photo by Kriegsberichter Hans Scheck. Credit: Royston Leonard. Commons: Bundesarchiv.