President Barack Obama USA, Prince Charles, Prime Minister Gordon Brown UK, President Sarcozi France remember D-day in Normandy on 060609.
France on 06-06-2009
It is better to elaborate what D-Day is. The term is for the day of actual landing, which was dependent on final approval. The Normandy Landings were the first operations of the Allied Invasion of Normandy, also known as Operation Neptune and Operation Overload. Operation Neptune began on D-Day (June 6, 1944) and ended on June 30, 1944. By this time, the Allies had established a firm foothold in Normandy . The landings took place along a 50-mile (80 km) stretch of the Normandy coast divided into five sectors: Utah , Omaha , Golf, Juno and Sword. The operation was the largest single-day amphibious invasion of all time, with 160,000 troops landing on June 6, 1944. Allied naval and merchant navy personnel in over 5,000 ships were involved. The assault was conducted in two phases: an air assault landing of American, British including Royal Indian Air Force. Below are some of the names of the Sikh Pilots who has Smaads in Runnymede memorial in the United Kingdom .
RAJENDER SINGH SANDHU, Pilot Officer, 2915, 53 O.T.U., Royal Indian Air Force. 10 September 1944. Age 21. Son of Hakam Singh, of Pakhopur, Amritsar , India . Panel 264.
SINGH, Flying Officer, JAGIT, Royal Indian Air Force. 13 September 1946. Age 25. Son of Sarder Bahadur Santokh Singh. Panel 286.
Canadian airborne troops landed shortly after midnight, and an amphibious landing of Allied infantry and armored divisions including many Sikh Regiments on the coast of France commencing at 6:30. There were American, Canadian Divisions also but I give you the names of British Divisions involving many Sikh Regiments and mixed Regiments of the Sikhs.
British 6th Airborne Division.
British I Corps, British 3rd Infantry Division, British 27th Armored Brigade, British XXX Corps, British 50th Infantry Division, British 8th Armored Brigade, 79 Armored Division.
Some of the Canadian Divisions participated in the operation are Canadian 3rd Infantry Division, Canadian 2nd Armored Brigade and rest were American Divisions.
The total number of troops landed on D-Day was around 160,000
- · By the end of 11 June (D + 5), 326,547 troops, 54,186 vehicles and 104,428 tons of supplies.
- · By June 30th (D+24) over 850,000 men, 148,000 vehicles, and 570,000 tons of supplies.
- · By July 4th one million men had been landed.
- · Allied land forces that saw combat in Normandy on June 6 came from Canada , the Free French Forces, the United Kingdom including the Sikhs and the United States . In the weeks following the invasion, Polish Forces also participated, as well as contingents from Belgium , Czechoslovakia , Greece , and the Netherlands . Most of the above countries also provided air and naval support, as did the Royal Australian Air Force, the Royal New Zeeland Air Force, and the Royal Norwegian navy.