10.10 Where's Rommel? Field Marshal Erwin Rommel is absent from his HQ at La Roche-Guyon, north-west of Paris. He has returned home to Herrlingen in south-west Germany for his wife Lucie’s 50th birthday. He is shortly to realise this was a mistake.
10.33 Maj Gen Keller, leading the Canadians at Juno, messages SHAEF: "Beach-head gained. Well on our way to our immediate objectives"
12.00 John Snagge reads a special midday bulletin on the BBC's Home Service:
D-Day has come. Early this morning the Allies began the assault on the north-western face of Hitler's European fortress. The first official news came just after half past nine when Supreme Headquarters of the Allied Expeditionary Force... issued Communique No 1 [see 09.30]
...
It was announced a little later that General Montgomery is in command of the Army Group carrying out the assault. This Army Group includes British, Canadian and United States forces.
The Allied Commander-in-Chief General Eisenhower has issued an Order of the Day addressed to each individual of the Allied Expeditionary Force. In it he said: 'Your task will not be an easy one. Your enemy is well trained, well equipped and battle-hardened. He will fight savagely. But this is the year 1944. The tide has turned. The free men of the world are marching together to victory.
'I have full confidence in your courage, devotion to duty and skill in battle. We will accept nothing less than full victory. Good luck, and let us all beseech the Blessing of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking.'...
His Majesty the King will broadcast to his people at home and overseas at nine o'clock tonight.
12.55 Update from Juno beach: Canadian and British Commando forces have advanced through St Aubin and Courseulles, before pushing four miles inland, but they are meeting frequent pockets of resistance.
13.45 Progress at
Omaha is thanks in no small part to the fighting spirit of the 29th Infantry Division, led by Maj Gen Norman "Dutch" Cota, one of the highest ranking officers on the beaches. He had taken a pessimistic view of the landings, realising the perils that awaited. But now his indomitable spirit shines through.
Meeting the commander of the 5th Ranger Battalion, Cota asks "What outfit is this?" A voice shouts "5th Rangers!" To which Cota answers: "Well, God damn it then, Rangers, lead the way!"
14.10 Company Sergeant Major
Stanley Hollis of the Green Howards is having a remarkable day. After landing at Gold beach, he investigates two German pillboxes with his company commander. He takes all but five of the occupants of the first pillbox prisoner and then captures 26 prisoners from the second. Then he clears a neighbouring trench.
Later he leads an attack on an enemy position containing a field gun and Spandau machine guns; then after withdrawing returns to fetch two men left behind.
He will be the only winner of a
Victoria Cross on D-Day.
15.40 General Gunther Blumentritt, Von Rundstedt's chief of staff, calls Lt General Speidel at Rommel’s HQ to announce that Hitler has finally agreed to send in the 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend, based south of Rouen, and the Panzer Lehr based near Chartres.
16.50 Charles de Gaulle, in London, has recorded an address to the French people to be broadcast this evening. There have been tensions with Churchill and Eisenhower who kept the details of D Day from the Free French leader, but in the end his speech is not vetted.
18.10 Canadian 9th Brigade reaches Bény.
21.00 King George VI addresses Britain, the Empire and North America on the BBC:
Once more, a supreme test has to be faced. This time, the challenge is not to fight to survive but to fight to win the final victory for the good cause. Once again, what is demanded from us all is something more than courage, more than endurance. We need a revival of spirit – a new, unconquerable resolve.
22.00 General Montgomery boards the destroyer HMS Faulknor at Portsmouth for the beaches, where he will take command of Allied troops.
23.59 By the end of D-Day, 159,000 Allied troops, marines, airmen and naval personnel ashore have successfully established four sizeable beachheads. The invasion front remains vulnerable to German counter-attack, and there will be terrible fighting ahead, but a crucial step has been taken towards liberating Europe.