D-Day opened a major front in the west while Soviet armies pushed from the east, so Germany had to split forces it could not replace.
D-Day was 6 June 1944. Allied troops landed in Normandy, on the coast of German-occupied France. Troops, landing craft, warships and planes had to work together. Holding the beach let more troops and supplies come ashore. It was the start of a campaign, not the end of the war.
The Western Allies then pushed through France. At the same time, Soviet armies pushed towards Germany from the east. Germany was also fighting in Italy and being bombed. Troops, planes and fuel sent to one front could not be used on another, so Germany could not gather its remaining strength or recover from its losses.
Germany surrendered in May 1945. D-Day was vital in the west. But Soviet forces had been fighting Germany since 1941. The two fronts helped each other by tying down German forces, and Allied supplies and transport kept the pressure going.
- 6 June 1944
- D-Day landings in Normandy.
- Two fronts
- Western Allies from France; Soviets from the east.
- May 1945
- Germany surrenders.
Worked example: Why Germany could not concentrate its forces
German commanders face an Allied advance from France and a Soviet advance from the east.
- Sending troops west helps hold back the Allies in France.
- But those troops are then missing in the east.
- With heavy losses and few replacements, Germany cannot cover both.
Watch out for this
D-Day began the land war against Germany.
The USSR had been fighting Germany on land since 1941. D-Day opened a new front in the west.
Check your understanding
How did D-Day help defeat Germany?
- It forced Germany to fight major fronts in both west and east at once.
- It ended the war on the day of the landings.
- It was the first land fighting against Germany.