INCREDIBLE D-DAY INVENTIONS
How daring innovations allowed the Allies to land on the beaches of Normandy in 1944
WORDS AILSA HARVEY
It’s been 80 years since D-Day, the day on which the Allied forces of World War II invaded the beaches of Normandy, France, as part of Operation Overlord. On 6 June 1944, more than 156,000 Allied soldiers fought the Nazis occupying the area, leading to the end of the German occupation of France and paving the way for the Allies’ victory in Europe.
The innovative technology that was invented during the buildup to D-Day contributed massively to the effectiveness of the landings. From mathematical machines that provided crucial pre-attack information to the silent arrival of troops and vehicles that could neutralise Germany’s defences, the D-Day landings were very strategically planned.
Specialised vehicles adopted new technological add-ons, such as the carpet-laying tank. This vehicle was deployed first onto the sandy beaches to lay down reinforced matting onto the soft sand, creating a surface that other vehicles could move easily across.
Planning for D-Day began in December 1941. Millions of men and women were trained and new equipment produced. The result was a well-executed plan, backed up by new technologies, that caught the German army off guard.