Louisiana Remembers D-Day from 79 Years Ago

We pause today to remember what happened 79 years ago on the shores of France. D-Day, as it is most commonly known as, was a costly day in WWII. There will be lots of special events happening at the WWII Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana.

More than 160,000 Allied troops landed along a 50-mile stretch of heavily-fortified French coastline, to fight Nazi Germany on the beaches of Normandy, France. Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower called the operation a crusade in which, “we will accept nothing less than full victory.” More than 5,000 Ships and 13,000 aircraft supported the D-Day invasion, and by day’s end, the Allies gained a foot-hold in Continental Europe.

How Many Lives Were Lost During this Operation?

More than 9,000 allied soldiers were killed or wounded, but their sacrifice allowed more than 100,000 soldiers to begin the slow push across Europe to take down the Germans.

General Eisenhower sent a message to the troops.

What Was Involved in the Normandy invasion?

D-Day Casualties:

• The First U.S. Army, accounting for the first twenty-four hours in Normandy, tabulated 1,465 killed, 1,928 missing, and 6,603 wounded. The after-action report of U.S. VII Corps (ending 1 July) showed 22,119 casualties including 2,811 killed, 5,665 missing, 79 prisoners, and 13,564 wounded, including paratroopers.
• German sources vary between four thousand and nine thousand D-Day casualties on 6 June—a range of 125 percent.

Click here to see all of the military members from Louisiana killed during WWII.

Most of the men who fought in WWII are now gone and many of the children of that generation are beginning to look for any news about what happened during this war. You can click here to find out information about military members service during WWII.