Verne Hill
D-Day Invasion relied on weather forecasting?
Thursday (June 6) is the 80th anniversary of D-Day, the Allied invasion of Normandy, France. An important event that helped turn the tide of WWII.
One of the biggest factors in the ultimate success of the D-Day invasion…the weather forecast.
Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of Normandy in northern France, took place on June 6, 1944. D-Day was the largest amphibious military assault the world has ever seen. This mission would be a major turning point in World War II – literally helping to end the war one year later in Europe.
In order for the Allied D-Day invasion to be successful, weather had to be well ideal – a full moon, low tide, low cloud cover, light winds and calm seas.
But this was 1944, British meteorologists were forecasting without the use of modern technology like satellites, computer models or weather radar. According to the Royal Meteorological Society, they instead used observations, such as temperature, wind speed and direction etc., from military and civilian weather observers (like today’s weather spotters) in Britain and Western Europe.
Supreme Allied commander Dwight Eisenhower had originally set the day for the D-Day invasion for early morning on June 5. But, the weather forecast for northern France on June 5 was not ideal for an invasion. At the last minute, following the persistent forecasting of meteorologists, Eisenhower postponed the invasion for 24 hours.
So, on Tuesday, June 6, 1944, under barely tolerable conditions, the largest amphibious landing force ever assembled landed on the beaches of Normandy. More than 150,000 Allied forces would lead the charge to liberate France from the Nazi control in Europe.
Nearly 2,500 American soldiers lost their lives in one of the bloodiest days of the war.
Remember, victory usually comes at a ‘high cost’.
Read more on the News Blog at wbfj.fm
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/d-day
