32 The Great Invasion

In 1944 an event occurred that changed the course of history. It was the invasion of France by the Allied forces. This invasion was the beginning of the end of World War II.

By 1944 most of Western Europe was controlled by German armies. To free the people, the Allies carefully planned their attack. British, Canadian, and American troops would set out from England and sail across the English Channel. They would land on the mainland of Europe and take back land the Germans had grabbed when. The Allies tried to fool their enemy, and they succeeded. The Germans knew the invasion was coming. They did not know where or thought the invasion would come through northern France or through Belgium.

The Allies decided to land further south, along France’s Normandy coast. The Germans had fortified this region with guns, land mines, and barbed wire fences. But their main troops weren’t there.

Invasion Day was June 6, 1944. Some 175,000 men were carried one hundred miles across the water. With them came tanks, trucks, and fighter planes providing bombing support. The goal in the first few days was to gain control of five beaches. From there troops could move inland.

Some of the worst fighting was at Omaha Beach. Just beyond the beach, Allied soldiers had to climb steep cliffs to make sure German gunnery was not there. At Omaha over two thousand men died or were injured.

But the invasion was successful. The Allies established a beachhead by the end of the first day. Within a year, the Germans would be defeated.

32 伟大的入侵

1944年发生了一件改变历史进程的事件，那就是盟军对法国的入侵。这次入侵是第二次世界大战结束的开端。

到1944年，西欧大部分地区都处于德军的控制之下。为了解放人民，盟军精心策划了这次进攻。英、加、美军队将从英国出发，横渡英吉利海峡。他们将在欧洲大陆登陆，夺回德军在战时抢占的土地。盟军试图迷惑敌人，并且成功了。德军知道入侵即将到来，但他们不知道入侵地点，或者以为入侵会从法国北部或比利时发起。

盟军决定在更靠南的法国诺曼底海岸登陆。德军在这一地区构筑了防御工事，配备了火炮、地雷和带刺铁丝网。但他们的主力部队并不在那里。

入侵日是1944年6月6日。约17.5万人被运送过一百英里的水域。随之而来的还有坦克、卡车和战斗机，提供轰炸支援。最初几天的目标是控制五个海滩，以便部队从那里向内陆推进。

最惨烈的战斗发生在奥马哈海滩。就在海滩的另一边，盟军士兵不得不攀登陡峭的悬崖，以确保那里没有德军的炮火。在奥马哈海滩，超过两千人伤亡。

但入侵行动取得了成功。盟军在第一天结束时建立了滩头阵地。不到一年，德军就被击败了。