The Allied forces land at Normandy June 6th 1944
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Allied land forces that saw combat in Normandy on June 6 came from Canada, Free French Forces, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In the weeks following the invasion, Polish forces also participated and there were also contingents from Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Greece, and the Netherlands. Most of the above countries also provided air and naval support, as did the Royal Australian Air Force, Royal New Zealand Air Force and the Royal Norwegian Navy. The Normandy invasion began with overnight parachute and glider landings, massive air attacks, naval bombardments, an early morning amphibious landing and during the evening the remaining elements of the parachute divisions landed. The "D-Day" forces deployed from bases along the south coast of England, the most important of these being Portsmouth. |
 
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America’s greatest military entertainer during World War II (Bob Hope, that is), who couldn’t stop entertaining US troops for almost 50 years after the war, was not originally an American. Born Leslie Townes Hope in a London suburb in May 1903, Bob Hope came to Cleveland, Ohio, with his family when he was four years old. A few years after becoming a US citizen in 1920, he was a vaudeville performer appearing under the more masculine name Lester. But Lester becomes Les, and in 1929, perhaps feeling that Les Hope was not exactly inspiring, he changed his name again. “Bob—it seemed more down-to-earth—just like his audience,” wrote biographer Lawrence J. Quirk. “Bob Hope it would be.” |
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When the war first started people were asked to conserve all items of consumption. When this failed to be enough, firmer measures had to be taken. The Wartime Prices and Trade Board, launched a conservation program in March of 1943. Textiles were diverted away from the domestic fashion scene to the war effort. The military had to be dressed. Rather than buying the latest style you were expected to alter last year's style to the new one. Dress hemlines shortened in order to take less material to make a dress or skirt. Adult clothing that was no longer suitable was cut down to make clothing for children. |
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Hollywood starlets got into the drive for silk stockings and gave theirs to the effort.Nylon stockings, advertised as being more durable than silk, had come onto the market but were very expensive. However, nylon was also diverted to the war effort, leaving women's legs bare. Someone, somewhere came up with the idea of liquid silk stockings. Women could buy a powder that when mixed with water and painted on their legs gave the look of silk stockings. Real stockings had seams up the back of them so ladies used an eyebrow pencil to paint on the seam. Leather was restricted during the war so shoes and boots became difficult to buy. |
 
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The Invasion Fleet was drawn from 8 different navies, comprising 6,939 vessels: 1,213 warships, 4,126 transport vessels (landing ships and landing craft), and 736 ancillary craft and 864 merchant vessels. The overall commander of the Allied Naval Expeditionary Force, providing close protection and bombardment at the beaches, was Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsay. The Allied Naval Expeditionary Force was divided into two Naval Task Forces: Western (Rear-Admiral Alan G Kirk) and Eastern (Rear-Admiral Sir Philip Vian). The warships provided cover for the transports against the enemy—whether in the form of surface warships, submarines, or as an aerial attack—and gave support to the landings through shore bombardment. These ships included the Allied Task Force "O". |
 
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The assault was conducted in two phases: an air assault landing of American, British and Canadian airborne troops shortly after midnight, and an amphibious landing of Allied infantry and armoured divisions on the coast of France commencing at 06:30 British Double Summer Time. It required the transport of soldiers and material from the United Kingdom by troop carrying aircraft and ships, the assault landings, air support, naval interdiction of the English Channel and naval fire-support. There were also subsidiary 'attacks' mounted under the codenames Operation Glimmer and Operation Taxable to distract the Kriegsmarine and German army from the real landing areas. Reference |