Qualla: D-Day: The Longest Day https://qualla.com/d-day-beaches en-us © 2026 Bendyline Mon, 20 Jul 2026 10:21:07 GMT Qualla serial false Qualla support@bendyline.com yes https://qualla.com/_m/tpc/d-/da/y-/be/d-day-beaches/rangers-pointe-du-hoc.jpg Qualla: D-Day: The Longest Day https://qualla.com/d-day-beaches D-Day: The Longest Day: Introduction https://qualla.com/d-day-beaches/ Photo credit Peter K Burian, CC BY-SA 4.0. June 6, 1944 - D-Day - was the largest amphibious invasion in history. At dawn, 156,000 American, British, and Canadian soldiers stormed five beaches on the Normandy coast of France: Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword. Overhead, 11,000 aircraft supported the assault. Offshore, nearly 7,000 vessels waited. By nightfall, the Allies had a foothold in Nazi-occupied Europe - purchased with approximately 10,000 casualties, including 4,414 confirmed dead. The beaches of Normandy became sacred ground, the place where the liberation of Europe began and thousands of young men breathed their last.

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Image: Peter K Burian | CC BY-SA 4.0

]]> Thu, 15 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/g/b/z/b/d-day-beaches-wk/gbzb-d-day-the-longest-day-intro.mp3 0:06 1 full D-Day: The Longest Day: The Plan https://qualla.com/d-day-beaches/ Photo credit Public domain. Operation Overlord was years in planning. The Allies had to cross the English Channel, land on defended beaches, and establish a beachhead against the German army. Deception operations convinced Hitler the invasion would strike Pas-de-Calais, not Normandy. Paratroopers would secu...

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Image: Public domain

]]> Thu, 15 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/g/b/z/b/d-day-beaches-wk/gbzb-d-day-the-longest-day-the-plan.mp3 0:06 2 full D-Day: The Longest Day: The Beaches https://qualla.com/d-day-beaches/ Photo credit Unknown author, Public domain. The five beaches stretched 50 miles along the Normandy coast. Utah and Omaha were American; Gold was British; Juno was Canadian; Sword was British. Each beach presented different challenges - German defenses, obstacles, terrain. Utah was relatively easy - light opposition, accur...

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Image: Unknown author | Public domain

]]> Thu, 15 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/g/b/z/b/d-day-beaches-wk/gbzb-d-day-the-longest-day-the-beaches.mp3 0:06 3 full D-Day: The Longest Day: The Slaughter https://qualla.com/d-day-beaches/ Photo credit Zeete, CC BY-SA 4.0. Omaha Beach became the bloodiest of the five. Soldiers of the 1st and 29th Infantry Divisions faced entrenched German positions with clear fields of fire. The first waves were cut down in the surf. Surviving soldiers huddled behind obstacles, unable to advance. Individual acts o...

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Image: Zeete | CC BY-SA 4.0

]]> Thu, 15 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/g/b/z/b/d-day-beaches-wk/gbzb-d-day-the-longest-day-the-slaughter.mp3 0:06 4 full D-Day: The Longest Day: The Airborne https://qualla.com/d-day-beaches/ Photo credit Archangel12, CC BY 2.0. Before dawn, 23,000 paratroopers dropped behind German lines. The 101st and 82nd Airborne Divisions landed across Normandy, scattered by wind and anti-aircraft fire. Many troopers landed miles from their objectives. Some drowned in flooded fields. But the chaos worked in their f...

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Image: Archangel12 | CC BY 2.0

]]> Thu, 15 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/g/b/z/b/d-day-beaches-wk/gbzb-d-day-the-longest-day-the-airborne.mp3 0:06 5 full D-Day: The Longest Day: The Memorial https://qualla.com/d-day-beaches/ Photo credit DennisPeeters (talk), Public domain. By June 11, the five beachheads had merged into a continuous front. By August 25, Paris was liberated. By May 8, 1945, Germany had surrendered. D-Day was the beginning of the end. The Normandy beaches are now sites of remembrance. Cemeteries hold thousands of graves - Americans ...

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Image: DennisPeeters (talk) | Public domain

]]> Thu, 15 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/g/b/z/b/d-day-beaches-wk/gbzb-d-day-the-longest-day-the-memorial.mp3 0:06 6 full