The Normandy invasion allowed a major advance from the west while Soviet armies attacked from the east. Germany had to divide forces it could not easily replace.
D-Day was 6 June 1944, when Allied troops landed in Normandy, on the coast of German-occupied France. Landing meant bringing an invasion force ashore from the sea. Troops, landing craft, warships, aircraft and supply planning had to work together. Securing an area of coast allowed more troops and equipment to arrive; it was the beginning of a campaign, not Germany's immediate defeat.
The Western Allies then advanced through France while Soviet armies pushed towards Germany from the east. Germany also faced fighting in Italy and attacks from the air. Soldiers, aircraft and fuel sent to stop one advance were unavailable to stop another. These simultaneous attacks made it harder for Germany to concentrate its remaining strength or recover from losses.
Germany surrendered in May 1945. D-Day was crucial to the advance from the west, but Soviet forces had already been fighting since 1941. The two advances reinforced each other: each tied down German forces that might otherwise have been used against the other. Allied supplies and transport made the continuing pressure possible.
Worked example: Why Germany could not put its strength in one place
German commanders face a Western Allied advance from France and a Soviet advance from the east.
- Sending more troops and fuel west may help resist the advance from France.
- Those same resources are then unavailable in the east, where Soviet forces are also attacking.
- With heavy losses and limited replacements, Germany cannot easily strengthen one front without weakening another. That is the link between two fronts and defeat.
Watch out for this
D-Day began the land war against Germany.
It opened a major route of advance through France. Soviet fighting and other Allied land campaigns had already put Germany under pressure for years.
Check your understanding
Why did the Normandy campaign and Soviet offensives make each other more effective?
- Germany could shift its remaining forces to France without leaving weaker defences elsewhere.
- Once the Allies landed, supplying and reinforcing the invasion force was no longer important.
- Each advance tied down German troops and supplies that could otherwise have opposed the other.