Assassination attempts on Hitler

The German resistance was a group of people that did not like what Hitler and the Nazis were doing.  Members of the resistance engaged in active plans to remove Adolf Hitler from power and overthrow his throne.  However, there were barely any members in the resistance because most people were scared to death of Nazis and wouldn’t dare speak out against them for the sake of their lives.  Their plans included a plot to assassinate Hitler.

On July 20, 1944, an assassination attempt on Hitler was put into action. One of his top military officers, Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, had placed a bomb in a suitcase under the table during a meeting at Hitler's Wolf's Lair. The assassination attempt failed because someone moved the briefcase containing a bomb, which had planted near Hitler's feet.  Von Stauffenberg had left the room before the bomb went off, and had returned to  where a group of high-ranking German army officers were planning to take control of the government after Hitler died.  The bomb exploded, but Hitler survived the blast with only injuries to his arm and some hearing loss.  Not everyone in the room was so lucky.  After the failed assassination, the SS arrested 7000 people, and it is estimated that almost 5000 Germans were executed after the July Plot. Hitler decided that the leaders should have a slow death. They were hung with piano wire from meat-hooks. Their executions were filmed and later shown to senior members of the armed forces.

D-Day

After planning the attack for about one year, the Allies were able to put together a three million-man army and store 16 tons (one ton = 1000 kg) of supplies in Great Britain for the huge attack. They had 5,000 large ships, 4,000 smaller ships on which planes could land, and more than 11,000 aircrafts.  June 6, 1944 was D-Day (code name Operation Overlord).  This was the day that the Allied forces would cross the English Channel and land on the beaches of Normandy,France to begin the liberation of Western Europe from Nazi control.  Within three months, the northern part of France would be freed and the Allied force would prepare to enter Germany and meet up with Soviet forces moving in from the east.The Allies knew that in order to win the war, they needed to successfully invade Europe.  Hitler knew this too, and he hoped to repel the Allies with strong counterattacks and delay future invasion attempts.  This would give Hitler time to use most of his forces to defeat the Soviet Union which Hitler believed would then lead to all-out victory.  At dawn, 18,000 parachutists were on the ground; the land invasions began at 6:30 a.m. The British and Canadians overcame light opposition to capture Gold, Juno and Sword beaches; the Americans captured Utah beach.  The Allied casualties figures for D-Day have generally been estimated at 10,000, including 2500 dead.  However, despite the heavy losses of men, the mission was successful because of the soldiers’ bravery, determination, and tenacity.  At the end of the day, 155,000 Allied troops – mostly Americans, British and Canadians - had stormed onto Normandy’s beaches.  By the end of June, the Allies had 850,000 men and 150,000 vehicles in Normandy, and now they were able to continue marching into the rest of Europe. The heroism and bravery displayed by troops from the Allied countries on D-Day serve as an inspiration for millions of people throughout the rest of history.

Liberation of countries begin

At dawn, on June 5, 1944, U.S. General Eisenhower, the supreme commander of Allied forces in Europe, gave the go-ahead for Operation Overlord, the largest military operation in history. At his orders, 6,000 landing craft, ships and other vessels carrying 176,000 troops began to leave England for the trip to France. That night, 822 aircraft filled with parachutists headed for drop zones in Normandy. An additional 13,000 aircraft were mobilized to provide air cover and support for the invasion.