American and British forces landed on the shores of Normandy, France in 1944 in what was known as the D-day invasion.

The goal of the D-day invasion of Normandy during World War II was an ambitious one. Allied forces hoped to drive the occupying German army completely out of France and back to Berlin. During the night, before the invasion was announced to the American public, over 5,300 ships and 11,000 planes had crossed the English Channel and landed in Normandy. American troops landing at the Normandy beach code-named “Omaha” experienced the heaviest casualties of the invasion, with the loss of over 3,000 American soldiers from gunfire and a powerful undertow. By 10:00 A.M. on D-day, only 300 American soldiers had gotten far enough to directly attack the German defenses. By the end of the day, however, Allied forces had secured positions in the cliffs above the beaches, gaining a vital foothold on the European continent.

At the start of the U.S. involvement in World War II, the American military was not adequately equipped for the war. For three years, civilians on the home front worked at a remarkable pace to manufacture supplies for the war effort. Among the many items produced by the American war effort were 25 billion rounds of 30-caliber ammunition, over 88,000 tanks and 20,094 newly-conceived landing craft, many of which carried soldiers to the Normandy shore on D-day.

ARTSEDGE
Students analyze various texts within their larger historical and social contexts, and examine how differences in an artist’s perspective, purpose and audience can affect his/her artwork in Social Witness During World War II (9–12).

EconEdLink
In Economic Spotter: Resources During World War II (3–5), students go back in time to spot the scarce resources needed to help the U.S. win WWII.

EDSITEment
The unit On The Home Front (3–5) contains four lessons in which students investigate how non-combatants contributed to the war effort during World War II.

The unit “The Proper Application of Overwhelming Force”: The United States in World War II (9–12) asks students to examine the role that the United States played in bringing about the Allies’ victory in World War II. One lesson from the unit, Victory in Europe, 1944-1945 (9–12), focuses on the overall strategies of the allies and events in Europe from the D-Day invasion to the end of WWII in Europe.

ReadWriteThink
In Argument, Persuasion, or Propaganda? Analyzing World War II Posters (9–12), students analyze World War II posters to explore how argument, persuasion and propaganda differ.

In Wartime Poetry: Working With Similes (3–5), students analyze a photograph of British children evacuated from their homes during WWII and brainstorm words to describe the characters’ senses and feelings. They further explore the characters in the photograph through hot-seat drama and create a simply structured poem using similes.