Operace Overlord

Operation Neptune
Battle of Caen
Operation Cobra
Battle of Brittany
Encirclement at Falaise
Battle of Paris

Operation OVERLORD may be described as the planning, preparation and execution of the invasion of Europe through the north-west of France in 1944 and the subsequent allied military advance into the heart of Germany and the destruction of the German armed forces. Operation OVERLORD is the culmination of the anglo-american war effort. In the previous years was a large part of the allied military effort devoted to build such a military situation, which would allow the execution of operation OVERLORD. The postponement of the anti-japanese campaign, order in Europe could be the concentration of forces and means for the large-scale campaign against Germany. Operation OVERLORD, therefore, had constituted the central point of the program, through which the Allies intended to achieve their primary war objectives.

In the beginning of the planning phase of the operation, we mark January 1943, when it Joined the committee of the joint chiefs of staff (CCS) set up the function of chief of staff of the supreme allied commander (COSSAC), and tasked it with the elaboration of the plan of operation. In the beginning of the preparatory phase we can consider August 1943 when the CCS approved the master plan and commissioned a COSSAC to undertake measures towards the implementation of the operation. The operation itself began on 31. may, when flown the first ships to be able in time to take a designed habitat near the landing beaches and were prepared in D-day and H-hour, which fell at 06:30 on 6. June 1944. Phase of operation OVERLORD, which aimed at crossing the English channel, the order of landing beaches and the conquest and securing a space sufficient to the subsequent breakthrough of the invading the area we refer to as operation NEPTUNE.

Operation OVERLORD then continued as an overall summary of the anglo-american operations in the scope of the supreme allied commander until the surrender of German forces on 8. may 1945. For the full end of operation OVERLORD, we can mark the 14. July 1945, when there was a dissolution of the allied expeditionary force, and the administration of the territory and of the occupying troops was taken over by the allied post-war authorities on a tripartite basis.


SOURCE:
United States Naval Administration in World War II. United States Naval Forces, Europe. Histories., Administrative History, United States Naval Forces in Europe 1940-1946 Period, Volume V - The Invasion of Normandy: Operation NEPTUNE.