On Tuesday, June 6, 1944 D Day began the Allies invasion on the 5 beaches of Normandy, France. The weather was marginal but the cost of delaying the invasion was too high so the invasion began.

            So much planning had been done to make the invasion as successful as possible. Various signs had been given to deceive the Germans into believing that the invasion would be somewhere else. That had worked. Certain German tank divisions were located miles away so they were not a problem with the original landing. German commander Erwin Rommel felt the weather was too bad for a landing and took a holiday away from Normandy.

            U.S. Army Division Big Red One would land on Omaha Beach of Normandy. Just about everything that could have gone wrong went wrong. The weather was bad and many soldiers were sick from the ride across the channel. The forward observer plane that was supposed to help with the artillery bombardment from the ships was shot down by the American troops. The overcast sky kept the bombers from dropping bombs on the German pillboxes and artillery. So not a single shot was fired against the Germans until the landing was begun.

            The amphibious American tanks mostly sunk in the rough waters. The soldiers loaded down with 70 pound backpacks and weapons were dropped too deep in the water and many drowned. Other dropped on sandbars and had to wade through neck deep water and then walk unprotected through 200 yards of open beach under heavy fire. They were unable to run with all the weight of their loads. It was a slaughter of American troops on Omaha beach.

            The Germans had anticipated a landing in this area so they had fortified it. Every area of beach was covered by fire from the Germans.

            But the Germans expected a high tide landing due to less exposure to fire over the long beaches the landing troops would be exposed to under low tide. The Allies planned a low tide approach so that the mines and barbed-wire defenses would be exposed.

            The thing that saved many lives during the landing was that the Germans ran out of bullets. The numbers of Americans killed during D-day has been revised to about 2500 that day. Over 425,000 German or Allied were killed, missing, or wounded during the Battle of Normandy.

            Our battle with the enemy is more difficult to measure because we can’t see the true enemy and we can’t actually kill him. Injuries and victories are more difficult to recognize. But we can learn how to fight and be victorious as Christians in the battle against the enemy.

We need to put on the full armor of the Lord. (Ephesians 6:10-20) With God’s help we can defeat the enemy even though we can’t see him. Praise God as you allow God to help you in your adventure living for Christ.