It would appear so with the number of people involved
2007-08-26 13:57:47 · 12 answers · asked by Anonymous in Politics & Government ➔ Military
Stars please
2007-08-26 16:00:45 · update #1
Base on all the news reels (dvd's) that I've collected and the years of training I endure while serving in the U.S.M.C. there is without a doubt one of the greatest feats of Courage, Honor and Commitment of those americans who gave their life to triumph and victory of WWII. I respect with all my heart those who gave their lives to defend the freedom of an entire world and those who are now still living to tell the complete history of D day.
2007-08-26 16:14:31 · answer #1 · answered by Meecho 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes, think about how much detail went into planning this operation. Planning started a year before the first soldier hit the beach. The had British special forces check out what was there before even attempted. The special Sherman tanks to take out objects in the way of the troops. The one thing that made this the greatest operation is that great lose of men and the allied men never giving up. There may have problems like paratroopers landing in the wrong place or the strong defense of Omaha beach, but those brave man never gave up for to reasons. One they knew that they wanted this war to end some time soon and two if they stayed on the beach they were a nice target for Hitlers buzzsaws.
2007-08-26 22:11:31 · answer #2 · answered by coyote cody 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The invasion was the largest and most ambitious of its type ever tried - an amphibious landing intended to take and hold the enemy in the territory - and it succeeded. Given the capability of the ferocious German army, the D-Day success was almost miraculous.
Therefore, I think that, yes, it was the greatest military event ever staged. The fate of the entire world hung in the balance. Fail in Normandy, and there was a serious possibility that the Allied Forces would never have been able to annihilate Hitler and the Nazis. Doing so was an absolute necessity.
From dawn until about 9:30 a.m. on D-Day the actions at Omaha Beach at were the key to the success of the total landing, which was being made at several other locations along the Normandy coast. US soldiers were being slaughtered en masse - a 90% casualty rate, which was completely overwhelming, and caused General Omar Bradley to lose hope. He decided to cancel the invasion.
Before he could give the order, the captain of a US Navy destroyer spotted the trouble with the landing: German gun emplacements were firing down from a bluff onto the landing troops, and there was no return fire upon them.
The destroyer moved into position in the waters of the bay leading to the beach, turned broadside, and emptied the entire magazine of ammo from its guns onto German pillboxes and other sites. They inflicted enormous damage.
A succession of other US Naval destroyers moved in, turned broadside to the beach, and emptied their ammo onto the Germans. The last of the destroyers was from the British Royal Navy.
During this fusillade, US troops rallied on the sands below the bluffs at Omaha Beach, and went on the offensive. The German entrenchments had been badly crippled by the Naval bombardment, and the Army infantry managed to climb the bluffs and win the battle.
Meanwhile, General Bradley was informed of the turnaround, and he cancelled his plans to stop the landing.
President Clinton said in a D-Day speech at the Normandy Memorial that the soldiers who fought their way to victory on Omaha Beach "saved the world."
He was right.
(Battle description condensed from Stephen Ambrose's D-Day history book.)
2007-08-26 21:42:29 · answer #3 · answered by Bob 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Greatest is such a relative term. I'd like to believe that the 300 Spartans had the greatest military event ever staged. Considering how many generations of soldiers it's inspired, it is probably the undisputed greatest.
2007-08-26 21:48:41 · answer #4 · answered by Steppie 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you look at sheer numbers, the German invasion of Russia was probably a bigger event. However, when one considers the logistical difficulties involved in D-Day, and the fact that it was an amphibous invasion of an enemy's occupied coastline, D-Day easily falls into the category of the greatest military event ever staged.
2007-08-26 21:06:47 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Probably - it was certainly the greatest seaborne invasion
Yes Rob don't mention the other four beaches or the British, Canadians, Poles and French who also took part in the invasion . It might give people the impression that other nations were involved.
2007-08-27 01:39:42 · answer #6 · answered by brainstorm 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would think Washington's crossing the Delaware River and subsequent military victory in Trenton would be more significant in terms of staging given the available resources.
2007-08-26 21:07:30 · answer #7 · answered by Christmas Light Guy 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It was the bloodiest, but not the greatest. The atomic bomb would have to be strategically more important because it showed how an entire nation could be beaten with a weapon against which they had no defense, with no loss of life to the attackers.
2007-08-26 21:06:06 · answer #8 · answered by old lady 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the number was much smaller than the single day size of the force with which Hitler's Germany invaded Russia in 1941.
Thus, I'd have to say 'no'.
2007-08-26 21:03:03 · answer #9 · answered by Spock (rhp) 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yes. from the numbers of people to the success to all the ships. it was the greatest naval battle in history as well.
2007-08-26 21:40:55 · answer #10 · answered by trouble 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋