Normandy Invasion
D-Day, June 6, 1944 > The German response
German gunners defending the coast against Allied invaders in the Bay of the Seine on D-Day, June …
National Archives, Washington, D.C.
British airborne troops are taken prisoner following their glider assault behind the beaches on …
National Archives, Washington, D.C.
Meanwhile, the German high command—in the absence of Rommel, who was home on leave—began to respond. Hitler was initially unwilling to release the armoured divisions for a counterattack. When he relented after midday, elements of the 21st Panzer Division drove into the gap between the British 3rd and Canadian 3rd divisions at Sword Beach and Juno Beach and almost reached the sea. Had they done so, the landings might have failed. Fierce resistance by British antitank gunners at Périers-sur-le-Dan turned the tide in late evening.
Contents of this article:
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·Introduction
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·Planning, 1941–43
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·Buildup, 1943–44
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·D-Day, June 6, 1944
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·Stalemate, June–July 1944
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·Breakout, August 1944
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·Additional Reading
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·Overviews
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·Official histories
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·Video
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