Civilians and the Resistance
The bombing of Norman cities
Around 2:00 a.m., for the 1020e For the past three months since the start of the war, sirens have been wailing in the skies above Caen. This time, it is the sign of a vast bombing campaign against Normandy towns. Already, in the three months leading up to June 6, more than 42 tons of bombs had been dropped by 000 aircraft on around a hundred railway targets, including all the engineering structures in the Seine Valley between Le Havre and Paris, in order to isolate the future battlefield.
In April and May 1944, German fortified positions, listening stations and radar stations were bombed. The 2e The bombing phase began on the night of June 5-6. Between 23:30 p.m. and 5:00 a.m., more than 1000 British bombers relentlessly pounded the 10 coastal batteries between Cherbourg and Le Havre, followed at dawn by 1527 American bombers targeting the beaches between Le Havre and the Vire. That morning, the urban centers of a dozen cities where rail and road junctions were located were not spared. Like Caen, Flers, Condé-sur-Noireau, and Lisieux disappeared in flames. The results were mixed, as the low ceiling, dust, and smoke had greatly hampered the identification of targets.
Cities were then hit once again, as in Caen. In an arc between Pont-L'Evêque and Coutances, around ten towns were overflown by bombers from the 8the US Air Force: Pont-L'Evèque, Lisieux, Vire, Condé-sur-Noireau, Flers, Coutances and Saint-Lô are also struck to prevent German reinforcements from reaching the beaches.
On the morning of June 7, the toll was heavy for results that were hardly satisfactory for the Allies: nearly 2 Norman civilians died during these air raids.
The bombing of Caen
In Caen, the bombings aimed to destroy the four bridges over the Orne in order to prevent the Germans from moving back towards the sea.
In Caen, the Decaen barracks and then the train station district were severely hit around 7:00 a.m. At 13:30 p.m., a new attack by six squadrons of American B24 bombers very imprecisely dropped 200 tons of bombs over the city. The Saint-Jean district, between the château and the Orne River, was completely destroyed. 10 people fled the city out of a population of 000. The districts of Vaucelles, Place de la Mare, Gaillon, Route de la Délivrande, Rue Saint-Pierre, and the château were seriously affected. The victims and wounded were taken to the Bon-Sauveur and Miséricorde hospitals, while refugees were directed to the reception centers at the Lycée Malherbe and the town hall. Others finally chose to seek shelter in the underground quarries of Fleury-sur-Orne.
At 16:30 p.m., further air raids destroyed the old Saint-Etienne district. At 21:30 p.m., a third raid hit the city, pulverizing the Saint-Julien and Saint-Louis districts. By the evening of June 6, 300 dead were recovered from the ruins of the city, and the bridges over the Orne River were still intact.
USA 🇺🇸 : 73 soldiers
- Beaches: Utah and Omaha
- Divisions involved: 1st, 4th and 29th Infantry Divisions, 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions.
United Kingdom 🇬🇧 : 61 soldiers
- Beaches: Gold and Sword
- Divisions involved: 50th and 3rd Infantry Divisions, 6th Airborne Division.
Canada 🇨🇦 : 21 soldiers
- Beach: Juno
- Division engaged: 3rd Canadian Infantry Division.
Free France 🇫🇷 : 177 soldiers
- French forces under the command of Commander Kieffer.
Poland 🇵🇱: 1 soldiers
- Mainly engaged in aviation and the navy.
Norway 🇳🇴 : 13100 military sailors and 1300 marines civilians
- In the Royal Navy and Norwegian commandos.
Netherlands 🇳🇱 : 500 soldiers and sailors
- Enlisted in the Navy and Special Forces.
Belgium 🇧🇪 : 600 soldiers and sailors
- Particularly in the Piron Brigade (Belgian forces in exile).
Denmark 🇩🇰: 900 sailors