Could You Survive D-DAY?
161,494
Published 2024-06-05
Whether you know it or not, this day would almost certainly be the most demanding of your entire existence - when the horrors, complexities and triumphs of life would be laid bare and courage and heroism would come to the fore…
What all of your senses were exposed to on D-Day, would stay with you forever…
Since the desperate evacuation of Allied Forces from the northern French port of Dunkerque four years ago, plans of retaliation were made and slowly put in motion… From 1942 onwards, as the tide of the war was showing signs of turning, hundreds of thousands of allied soldiers, many from across the Atlantic, began to arrive in Britain to undertake training for a full scale land, air and seaborne invasion of Europe - the largest of its kind in the history of warfare.
With the fate of the world hinged on this moment, nothing could be left to chance. Whatever your name, age, rank or occupation - every man had a specific role to play in this great endeavour. But as is the nature of warfare, despite the years of meticulous research, organisation and preparation, not all would go to plan…
In this episode, Luke Tomes heads across the channel by sea as an Allied infantryman - ready to storm the beaches of Normandy. As part of an assault division, the first wave of troops to land across the numerous allocated sectors of coastline, Luke would find out how Allied soldiers prepared for this monumental operation, what they faced when they landed on the beaches and the sacrifices made to overcome and breach Hitler’s infamous Atlantic Wall.
The question is, could you survive as an Allied soldier on D-Day?
*DISCLAIMER*: The unit Richard refers to is the 135th Airborne Division: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Army_deception…
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00:00:00 Introduction
00:03:38 Failed Invasions of Europe
00:05:45 Why Normandy?
00:08:49 Hitler's Atlantic Wall
00:10:38 Preparations: Operation Fortitude
00:13:41 Mulberry Harbours
00:15:25 D-Day Beaches
00:16:26 Pre-D-Day Assault
00:17:46 Weapons and Equipment
00:26:51 Training
00:28:07 Preparation and Postponement
00:32:55 Disembarkation
00:43:55 Airborne Landings and Naval Bombardment
00:46:25 Landing Craft Assault
00:56:42 Consolidating the Beachhead (Hedgerow Fighting)
01:05:06 German Counterattack
01:09:47 D-Day and Beyond
All Comments (21)
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We really hope you enjoyed this episode of Could You Survive. Please don't forget to like, subscribe and comment what you'd like to see Luke do next in the series!
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My FATHER survived the D-Day Landing; but he could NOT tell me HOW. “Men were dropping all around me like fucking RAIN-drops … “ —it took him over forty YEARS before spoke of it …
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This series is amazing. I am able to watch this video in comfort and peace only because of the sacrifices made 80 years ago and is more than a chapter in a history book. This is not lost on me.
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In remembrance of my Dad who, at the age of 14, sailed in support of the Allied troops ferrying mulberry harbours across the Channel during the D Day landings. He went on to serve in the RAF and saw action during the Suez Crisis. He never spoke of the heartbreak of war until his twilight years. He was a hard but kind man who rarely cried...but when speaking of friends he made and lost during those conflicts, tears always followed. Love you, Dad...
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I was lucky enough to meet a D-Day veteran as a kid. He was part of the doomed 2nd wave on Omaha. He said somehow, by some divine fortune, he made it behind a small bluff with a handful of other guys, half of them injured. Their only hope was to stay low and still enough not to attract enemy fire. He said the wait for the 3rd wave to come in was agonizing. I hope the rest of his years went well.
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Rest in Peace for the soldiers who died in this ferocious battle😢. Everyone allied soldier in D-Day(died and survived) will be remembered for generations. Hope for those who have died have a great afterlife.
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My Uncle Tony Ratola was a Medic and was shot twice on D- Day. My Grandparents didn't know where he was for months, and he was presumably KIA. When he finally came home, his sisters hid him out in a closet to surprise my Grandpa when he came home from work. He was sure he'd never see his son again.
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1:13:19 "In memory of all those who died and whose memory we are duty bound to keep, that future generations may never forget at what cost our freedom came" - well said mate, well said. Love from Australia.
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The battle of Caen was the key battle which no one talks about. The Brits and Canadians were fighting all of Germanys best troops on the western front there. 8 Panzer divisions, 3 heavy tank battalions, and 7 infantry divisions at Caen alone. Most were SS. Then more heavy fighting to the North.
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Watching right now, I knew you guys would made something special about this!
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Thank-you for making this. One of my grandfathers (1913-2003) the son of a British First World War Infantryman who lost a leg in action. Was a British RASC driver (PTE), attached to the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division. He drove ashore at Bernières-sur-Mer (Juno) and then dug in on D-Day 6 June 1944. Thence served with the Canadians, who he held in high regard, till Germany's surrender in May 1945. He shared a lot of interesting stories of his experiences (which weren't uncommon), including of being on the receiving end of German artillery fire, German PWs, French and Dutch people on and on etc . Yet he also shared after I had given him Alexander McKee's book Caen Anvil of Victory to read, that it brought back the memory of the terrible smell of death both human and livestock in Normandy that summer during 1944.
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My great uncle landed with the North Nova Scotia Highlanders of Canada and made it home, I'll be going there in October to walk the same beach where he landed.
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Thank you all British, Canadians, Aussie, Kiwis and Yanks that saved the world from the evils of the nazis.
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I can't watch something about D-Day and just think of the end of Saving Private Ryan. "Earn this". This video brought tears to my eyes, not just because of what was sacrificed, but honestly, how little it is remembered and respected now.
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Thank you HistoryHit for honoring the brave soldiers of the allied forces who were forever affected by the events of D-Day.
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My father used to tell us about D Day when we were kids. The 6th of June was one of those days like Christmas that you just knew what it was. We always got a sterile version of it. As he got older, it was something that my father went back to. It was only after his death, that the horror and the bravery of it really sunk in. Thinking ofyou all.
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In remembrance of Dad a young Coastie, who manned a landing craft - the horrors he saw are stories I will never forget😢❤
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Thank you for making this excellent tribute. I have heard the stories, read books, but there is always something new to learn about the D-day invasion. We must always remember the sacrifices made by the generation that fought the war. It was their hope that future generations would live in peace and not have to endure the same hardships. Looking forward to your next video.
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Brilliant. No other description required.............. Thank you.
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Oh I already know this episode is going to be amazing. Thank you!
