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09:05: Hitler is now finally awake. Informed of the situation, he is relieved that finally something has happened. But the real invasion, he believes, is coming for Calais.
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06:35: At the Pointe du Hoc, bizarre scenes unfurl as Rangers are climbing to the top to take the cliffs. But German gunners are throwing grenades and stones like it is a castle siege.
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04:45: As paradrops continue, local German officers speculate that this is, in fact, a diversion - the drops are too chaotic and dispersed. Indeed, some are - General Marcks is confused by dummies dropped nearby.
John Steele, a paratrooper, is recovering after playing dead for two hours whilst suspended from the church spire in Sainte-Mère-Église.
British troops are massacred taking the Merville Battery (above). They are nonetheless successful.
02:40: Field Marshall von Rundstedt (centre) is awake and surveying the intelligence filtering back to him. The Kriegsmarine is reporting that their radars are swarmed. Von Rundstedt suggests this might be a flock of seagulls. He does not think it worth bothering Rommel yet.
General Marcks, meanwhile, orders that all units under his command be informed of the invasion.
01:30 : General Friedrich Dollman, awoken, orders the alert of the 7th Army. He is caught unprepared; intelligence about a possible invasion has not been passed back to him and many of his forces are exercising in Rennes.
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01:00 : Kriegsmarine radars begin to notice the invasion armada which has assembled off the coast. It is, in fact, the largest armada of its kind in history; though nobody comprehends this yet.
Lieutenant Commander Heinrich Hoffmann is informed whilst he is in the cabin of his E-boat. One of the most respected E-boat commanders, he convenes a meeting as he is convinced this is the invasion. He is nervous; his wife asked him several hours earlier "Heinrich, I’m restless tonight. Is there anything afoot?’"
00:21 : Major John Howard (pictured) and his men capture Pegasus Bridge.
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Private Helmut Romer witnesses a sentry being shot after firing a warning flare; likely the first casualty of D-Day.
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00:16 : British gliders land around the river Orne and Caen canal bridges, capturing them quickly. They are essential to the coming operations, and are expected to be destroyed by the Nazis if the attack is too slow. "Ham and Jam" is broadcast back to HQ, indicating success.
Meanwhile, in London, SOE typist Elizabeth Small delivers one of the first messages to agents in France that the invasion is starting.
What follows will be real time updates of the day as I did for a previous anniversary.
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6th of June is the 80th anniversary of D-Day, 1944. This important invasion of Normandy by Allied troops opened a second front against Nazi Germany, immensely hastening the collapse of the German armed forces. It took years of preparation and collaboration.
Pictured is General Eisenhower speaking with American troops at Greenham Common (Berkshire), 5th June 1944.
It has now been largely confirmed that a lost branch of the Nile River, called the Ahramat Branch, flowed very close to where the ancient Egyptian pyramids were built. This would imply the river was seen as much more symbolically significant to the pyramids than has been previously assumed, although building materials were also transported by boat.
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https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O708345/labours-may-day-cartoon-walter-crane/
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It is apparent something is very wrong at Omaha Beach. Many men are up to a mile away from where they should be and are lost. The dead and dying are scattered everywhere, whilst the wounded are slowly drowned by the rising tide.
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06:00: A broadcast from Eisenhower to the French civilians -
"The lives of many of you depend on the speed with which you obey. Leave your towns at once – stay off the roads – go on foot and take nothing with you that is difficult to carry. Do not gather in groups which may be mistaken for enemy troops."
04:30: Von Rundstedt has quickly realised the gravity of the situation and ordered a mobilisation. But that requires the approval of Hitler, who is asleep.
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02:11: General Marcks is discussing his upcoming wargame when a phone call interrupts the conversation. The commander of the 716th Division in Caen is on the line, reporting parachute drops nearby. He is aware this could be the start of something.
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About 01:00: General Erich Marcks of the 84th Corps celebrates his birthday and is preparing to travel from Saint-Lô to Rennes, where, he is to play a wargame centred on an Allied invasion.
(Second photo is from The Longest Day)
00:30 : Oberleutnant Brandenburger calls his regimental command post that he is witnessing an airborne operation. The scale of this is not yet apparent.
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00:20 - British and American paratroop landings start. The crucial town of Sainte-Mère-Église is on fire and the flames light up the night sky, revealing the paratroopers to the German troops. The air currents created by the flames mean some are sucked towards the fire. The landings are unhelpfully dispersed.
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00:17 : some of the first contact between Allied and German soldiers occurs when Oliver Boland crash lands his glider over a trench. The German soldiers surrender immediately.
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About midnight: bombing of Normandy begins.
There are rumours and hints within German military intelligence that an invasion is about to begin. Notably, a poem read over the radio a few hours earlier sparks suspicions. It is indeed a coded message to the French resistance to begin sabotage operations. But already confused by conflicting and often wrong hints, the German military takes little heed of the warnings.
Linked is the UK and French page for commemorations, but the event is obviously an international one. For most veterans it will be their last event.
https://dday80.campaign.gov.uk/
https://80e-normandie.fr/en/celebrating-80th-anniversary
Crane did several illustrations for May Day, many of which focused on pastoralism and the pagan roots of the festival combined with the modern socialist celebration.
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