The Second World War which stretched between 1939 and 1945, so much happened to all world nations. One such happening is the d- day which was the first day when the invasion of Normandy. This day led to the Western Allies liberating mainland Europe from Adolf Hitler and his henchmen. It is considered to be one of the largest invasions to be ever recorded in the history of the Second World War. Apart from the name that has come to be attributed to the invasion, that is d-day, the operation was generally referred to as overlord, “The operation was code-named "Overlord." The outcome of the war rested upon its success.”(National WW2 Museums). A huge military force to have ever been experienced or seen at the time headed to France from England with one sole aim of overthrowing the Nazi regime which had virtually taken over the entire Europe. America, a member of the allied group was so much involved in the operation and the effects of the invasion were felt by it both in the long term as well as the short term, not only at the national level but also at the family level as well as positively impacting other nations of the world.
In the short term, in regard to the invasion, America suffered a great deal. Upon its troops landing on Omaha Beach, they came across aerial bombardment from the Germans who were ready to defend themselves against any form of outside invasion. There was a fierce resistance from the Germans that made it difficult for the American troops to progress any further. The Germans attacked these troops with machine guns from the bottom of the cliffs thereby over powering them. This had a very huge blow on the American army, “Though they attained a few of their objectives, they were badly disoriented because they were scattered all over away from their designated landing zones” National WW2 Museums).
With the invasion, and the d-day came the realities of the sacrifice that Americans were making at the time. “The lives of very many young men were on the line” (Bennett 76). Whenever there is war and people go into it, one is not assured of coming out alive. Not even family members are sure of ever seeing their loved ones. The young men who went into war were in it in an effort to serve their country for the common good of all the people who were either directly or indirectly affected by the Nazi rule. It is definite that whatever the outcome, they were ready to serve the nation for a common good regardless of them coming out dead or alive. It is therefore imperative to note that Americans were involved either directly or indirectly which was of course reflected in a one day that could define the destiny of very many young Americans who had gone to fight in the Second World War.
In fact, the d-day had a huge positive impact on very many Americans because they were proud of their actions. It passes out as a surprise that if it was to be likened by the US invasion of Iraq or Afghanistan in the recent years, Americans could not have been more optimistic and in support of the d- day and the war. The day was seen as the beginning of a good fight against evil forces and therefore no single American seemed to oppose the move. This was a clear indicator that Americans had united for a common cause which was fighting Adolf Hitler. This was a day when the destiny of Europe was to be decided and therefore seen as the fight between the forces of good and evil as the Germans in this scenario were seen to be the evil that was plaguing Europe.
Apart from this, the d-day definitely brought to the beginning, an end to German’s hold and dominance in Europe. It is to be remembered that at around this time the whole wide world was suffering from the great depression. Now that the Second World War came to an end in 1945 and the d-day came in 1944, the two can be associated to the end of the great depression. Of course it is not only America that can be credited for this fact but its participation in totality contributed to the end of an era that had seen the economy go down. The economy was boosted a great deal and employment opportunities came up thereby seeing many people get back into employment and subsequently becoming financially stable.
Again, in the short term as well as the long term, America’s participation helped unify the country in away because all Americans at the time were in dire need of a solution that could bring to an end of the world war as well as the Nazi invasion of Europe. Everyone seemed to be for the idea and this can be seen through the participation of very many young people who joined the military with support from their families to go ahead and take part in the war just for the sake of serving the nation. This then was translated to the spirit of nationalism and oneness that was exhibited at the time thereby making Americans optimistic that at the end of it all, something good could come up. Unity of nation against Germany was achieved, something that helped portray and propel America to a higher level back then because since then, Americas grip on the world super power status has never gone down (Terraine 14).
Many American soldiers died in the bombardment. It is well understood that the Germans put up a very strong defense that saw the American troops largely disoriented. In as much as the Americans took charge later on, many o the soldiers died in the course of them getting down on the base that they had set to occupy. Due to the severity of the action, many American soldiers died. This was a major blow to the Allies and America as a whole. This meant that many families were affected directly by the loss of their loved ones and this meant that many more young men could be sent into the war which meant that there was to be break up of more families and the uncertainties of whether these young men could come back dead or alive. This had a severe blow on family units (Saunders 111). Even though many Americans could have supported the move because after all it was done in secrecy, the anxiety that comes with such a move made it difficult for parents, wives and children to even think of the aftermath of such an action.
All in all, it is clear that the aftermath of the d-day did not only have an impact on the wider American society as a nation but it also boiled down to individual and family levels. The end result was of course positive but there were negative effects too that cannot be brushed aside and ignored. At the end of the day, the intended results were achieved regardless of them coming at a cost. As one of the chief players of the d-day and subsequent victory, it was not only America that benefited but also Europe at large. Its critical role of it led to the long term results of rebuilding itself and building a very strong democracy that was not only instrumental back in the day but which continues to play a critical role today in the entire central Europe. This also put the American strength to test. By their participation and subsequent winning implied that America back then stood the test of time and proved to the world that it had the resources, zeal and determination to go into war of course with the good will of its people. It therefore won a place in the world as one of the strongest, equipped and well organized nations of the world (Ellis 23).
Works Cited
Bennett, Ralph. ULTRA in the West: The Normandy Campaign 1944-45. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1979.
Ellis, Lionel F. Victory in the West. Vol. 1, The Battle of Normandy. London: HMSO, 1962.
National WWW2 Museums. “D-Day: June 6, 1944.” nationalww2museum.org. Web, 15th May 2013.http://www.nationalww2museum.org/learn/education/for-students/ww2-history/d dayjune-6-1944.html
Saunders, Hilary St. George. Royal Air Force 1939-1945, Vol 3, The Fight is Won. London: HMSO, 1954.
Terraine, John. A Time for Courage: The Royal Air Force in the European War, 1939-1945. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1985.
