This year marks the 80th anniversaries of momentous battles of the Second World War. The roads to freedom were opened with hard-fought battles from the beaches of Normandy to the forests and hills of India, in a conflict where the Allied nations came together in unprecedented collaboration. D-Day, required unprecedented cooperation between international armed forces. The Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF) was an international coalition and although the Allies were united against Germany, the military leadership responsible for 'Overlord' had to overcome political, cultural and personal tensions.
On D-Day, 6 June 1944, Allied forces launched a combined naval, air and land assault on Nazi-occupied France. The 'D' in D-Day stands simply for 'day' and the term was used to describe the first day of any large military operation.
Early on 6 June, Allied airborne forces parachuted into drop zones across northern France. Ground troops then landed across five assault beaches - Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword. By the end of the day, the Allies had established a foothold along the coast and could begin their advance into France.
This was the case with the D-Day landings of 6th June – the largest seaborne invasion in history and, along with the associated airborne operations, it marked the beginning of the liberation of France. An Allied force from no less than 13 countries established a foothold, but at great human cost. The ensuing Battle of Normandy was to cost tens of thousands of lives as it repulsed the occupying German forces eastwards.
At the same time as final preparations for D-Day were being made, the Italian Campaign was halted at the major German defensive ‘Gustav Line’. The ensuing assaults of the Battle of Monte Cassino were the bloodiest of the Italian Campaign in which a multi-country Allied force distinguished themselves. The final breakthrough enabled the advance north to liberate Rome on 5th June 1944. By 1944, over 2 million troops from over 12 countries were in Britain in preparation for the invasion. On D-Day, Allied forces consisted primarily of American, British and Canadian troops but also included Australian, Belgian, Czech, Dutch, French, Greek, New Zealand, Norwegian, Rhodesian and Polish naval, air or ground support.
While battle raged across Europe, on the other side of the world Japanese forces invaded India and pushed back the British 14th Army. Outnumbered British and Indian forces withstood weeks of siege and brutal fighting, frequently hand-to-hand, at the Battles of Kohima and Imphal. Their defeat of Japanese forces was a turning point in the war in the east and the springboard for the later Allied liberation of Burma. The 14th Army was a true multinational force, with many of its troops from pre-partition India.
Later in the year Operation Market Garden was a daring attempt to secure bridges over the River Rhine and the courage and tenacity of its troops has made this a famous battle of the war. 18 May 2024 80th anniversary of the end of the Battle of Monte Cassino, 6 June 2024 80th anniversary of D-Day and the start of the Battle of Normandy, 22 June 2024 80th anniversary of the end of the Battle of Kohima, 18 July 2024 80th anniversary of the end of the Battle of Imphal, 25 September 2024 80th anniversary of the end of Operation Market Garden, 8 November 2024 80th anniversary of the end of the Battle of the Scheldt. The Canadian-led Battle of the Scheldt also involved Royal Marines and Scottish Division units in a bitter campaign to open a secure passage to the port of Antwerp.
Each of these battles was a significant turning point in the War, and each was hard-fought and at a significant cost in casualties. Eight decades later we remember the service and sacrifice.
