What if D-Day Failed? Free Essay in History

The battle of Normandy during World War II started in June 1944 and ended in August 1944. This battle resulted in the liberation of Western Europe by the Allies from Nazi control. American, Canadian and British forces worked together in this war. The battle of Normandy began on 6th June 1944 which has been called the D-Day. On this day, one hundred and fifty six thousand forces from the three nations landed on Normandy beaches (Carlo 51). Normandy was on the coast of France and was heavily guarded by the Nazi Germany forces. The war resulted in the victory of the Allies and the freeing of France by late August 1944.

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The code name for the D-Day was Operation Neptune and was one of the most important invasions of the Allied forces in the Second World War. Five thousand ships and eleven thousand aircrafts were used to support invasion and provide air cover. The five beaches that were to be captured were Gold, Juno, sword, Utah and Omaha. British and Canadian forces captured Gold, Juno and sword where they faced slight opposition. The U.S forces also captured Utah beach but it was on the Omaha beach where they faced the greatest resistance. In Omaha, the United States army had over two thousand casualties (Ambrose 5). On the D-Day more than four thousand soldiers of the Allied forces lost their lives and the Nazi Germany lost over 1000 soldiers (Hallion 122). The 6th June 1944 invasion faced some challenges. One of them was the bad weather which led to change of the day of invasion from 5th to 6th June. Weather or enemy opposition or both could have resulted in defeat.

If the D-Day had failed the Second World War could not have ended on 2nd September 1945. The D-Day success was crucial to the subsequent successes that the Allies had in the World War II. This would mean that more U.S soldiers would continue to die in the war. The population of the U.S which is now at three hundred and eighteen million would be far less as a result of the prolonged war. The prolonged war would also affect the economy of the U.S since the war was costly. The Nazi Germany would have continued to grow stronger and this would have required more resources than those which were mobilized in the D-Day.

The development of industries, schools and many other public facilities would have been affected due to the use of the taxpayers money to fund the war. Today there would be fewer universities, research centers and major hospitals. The gross domestic product of the U.S is over seventeen trillion dollars and unemployment rate at five percent. If the war could have continued these figures would be less. Unemployment would be high since there would be less companies and the level of education would not be as high as today. The United States would then not be a world super power since to be a super power requires a country has to be well economically and in military strength. These two would not have been realized today and another country in Asia, The Soviet Union or the Nazi Germany would have taken its place.

The worst case could result would have been the invasion of the United States by the Nazi Germany after the D-Day defeat. It had taken several years and a massive deception of the Allied forces to be able to carry a successful invasion. If Operation Neptune failed, it would require more time to attack again and the Nazi army could have grown stronger. Massive production of tanks, ammunitions and guns in Germany peaked in late 1944 and this would have been disastrous for the Allies. Germany had also been developing V-2 missiles which became operational in July. These missiles could not have been stopped by planes of the allies and could have killed the soldiers at the ports. Britain could have been destroyed a major party of the Allies. Weakening of the Allies would have left U.S weak to stop the Nazi Germany invasion on its soil.

If United States was invaded it would have been a blow to the many developments that had taken place at that time. Many people would have been killed and major cities destroyed. Today there would be many museums with pictures of the many landmarks that we see in the country that existed then destroyed. The advances that the United States have made today would not be possible. The ideas of democracy and capitalism that America has always preached to the world today would be unpopular. The invasion would have led to other defeats due to the weakening of the morale of the soldiers and the economy.

The U.S forces that took part in the D-Day were seventy three thousand. If the Allies were defeated on this day America could have the greatest number of casualties. These deaths would have discouraged the future recruitment drives. This would have meant that the U.S would face defeats as many families would discourage their children from joining the military. Today the United States army would not be strong as it is today. Many people would be afraid of joining and it would lack the required professionals to run it. There has been growth of terrorist organization in the last decade. The U.S would have been attacked many times as a result of weakening of its army.

Hitler was in the process of developing an atomic bomb. The clandestine project which he began on April 1939 by the Uranium Society if the Germany invasion was delayed could have been successful (Carlo 33). If the D-Day failed the Nazi Germany could be successful and have made the atomic bomb. The bomb could have been used first on Britain and may be on America. If this could have happened today the United States would have many cases of disabilities. Children born would not be normal and this would exert a lot of pressure on healthcare. There would be areas which would be restricted due to radiation that would be left after the bombings up to today. In many area such as science, military and technology in which America lead the world would not have been achieved by now. The population size would be low and the many states would have separated to individual countries. The United States would not have been great as it is today.

The D-Day was one of the most important days in the history of the United States. The consequences that would have resulted from defeat would have been felt even to today. The bravery of the soldiers and the leaders of the Allied Forces made it possible for attainment of victory. This victory was of great importance to the future of America and Europe.

Work cited

Ambrose, Stephen E. Citizen Soldiers: The US Army from the Normandy Beaches to the Bulg. Simon and Schuster, 2013.

d'Este, Carlo. Decision in Normandy: The Real Story of Montgomery and the Allied Campaign. Penguin UK, 2015.

Hallion, Richard P. D-Day 1944-Air Power Over The Normandy Beaches And Beyond [Illustrated Edition]. Pickle Partners Publishing, 2014.