EDUCATORS' RESOURCE GUIDE

A guide produced and published by

3D Entertainment Distribution and N3D Land Films
Written and Curriculum Developed by Dr. Elisabeth Mantello
 D-DAY - NORMANDY 1944

THE FILM A WORD FROM TOM BROKAW

70 YEARS AGO, A HISTORIC LANDING Changed the World. D-Day, the invasion that set the stage for the end of World War II, was the greatest military
A tribute to COURAGE, COMPETENCE AND COMMITMENT. assault in history, an audacious combination of ground, sea and air forces to gain victory
in the greatest war the world had known.
June 6, 1944: The largest Allied operation of World War II began in Normandy, France. Yet, only
a few know in detail exactly why and how, from the end of 1943 through August 1944, this Led by the Americans with British and Canadian forces side by side the invasion faced
region became the most important location in the world. Blending multiple cinematographic heavily fortified German positions all along the Norman coastline, the Atlantic Wall.
techniques, including animation, CGI and stunning live-action images, “D-Day: Normandy 1944”
brings this monumental event to the world’s largest screens for the first time ever. Audiences It was a murderous day as the allies stormed ashore on beaches called Omaha, Utah, Juno,
of all ages, including new generations, will discover from a new perspective how this landing Sword and Gold or dropped from the skies as paratroopers behind enemy lines. Within the
French countryside French resistance fighters were invaluable as allies as well.
changed the world. Exploring history, military strategy, science, technology and human values,
the film will educate and appeal to all. Narrated by Tom Brokaw, “D-Day: Normandy 1944” pays From the sea an Armada of war ships unloaded men and materiel while turning their big
tribute to those who gave their lives for our freedom… A duty of memory, a duty of gratitude. guns on German positions.

For a time it appeared the invasion might fail but it did not and the world was saved.

Director: Pascal Vuong June 6, 1944, will live forever as testimony to military genius, combat bravery of the highest
Rewarded very early in his career with a prize for his short-film "The Invisible Man In Blind order and the commitment of free people to defeat the ravages of tyranny.
Love" entirely made with CGI, this former architect went on to work as a director in fields
as varied as institutional or corporate films, music videos, TV on-screen identity or publicity June 6, 1944, a day to ponder and honor forever.
for which he made more than 60 commercial films.
At the end of 2004, in collaboration with Ronan Chapalain and with the unwavering support Tom Brokaw
of Catherine Vuong, his partner in work and life, he decided to found N3D LAND in order to
devote himself fully to three of his passions: film direction, science and technology.

Narrator: Tom Brokaw

A well-respected and trusted figure in US broadcast journalism, Tom Brokaw is best known
as the managing editor and unique anchor of NBC News. In this role, he produced and
reported documentaries and extended expertise in breaking news events and election
coverage. During this time, he was credited for his work in various film and television
appearances, radio broadcasts, and several bestselling books, including “The Greatest
Generation” and “The Greatest Generation Speaks.” Brokaw has also won every major
broadcast journalism award, including a Peabody Award, two DuPonts, and several Emmys.
He is also recognized for his charity work.

The Educators’ Guide for “D-Day: Normandy 1944 ”serves as an invaluable tool not only for
teachers but for everyone, and is a perfect complement to any screening of the film.
Historical Advisor: Colonel (US Army Ret.) Peter Herrly
Peter Herrly arrived in the world of film from a background of history and war. As a
decorated combat infantryman and West Point professor of history, his knowledge
Sponsored by
of battlefield dramas led him to advise for movies like “The Lost Battalion”, and as president
CNC - Nouvelles technologies en Production Comité Régional du Tourisme de Normandie
of Blue Line Films, to write and produce documentaries and develop major motion picture CNC - Aide au Développement de projets de Conseil Régional de Basse-Normandie
projects concerning both World Wars. His presidency of the American Overseas films de long métrage Conseil Général du Calvados
Memorial Day Association, and his long experience strengthening bonds between the Crédit d’impôt cinéma et télévision - Conseil Général de la Manche
American and French armed forces, have left him with a deep respect for the memory Gestion SODEC - Québec Conseil Général des Hauts de Seine
of those from both countries who fought together for liberty. Crédit d’impôt pour production cinématographique Herstal Group
ou magnétoscopique canadienne Desjardins
Comité du Débarquement Lee Ainslee - Tom Blair - Tom Brokaw

2 3
© 2014 3D Entertainment Distribution & N3D LAND Films - All Rights Reserved © 2014 3D Entertainment Distribution & N3D LAND Films - All Rights Reserved
 D-DAY - NORMANDY 1944

TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction to Educators

The Film.....................................................................................................................................2 “D-DAY: Normandy 1944” is a large format documentary produced entirely in 3D that will teach
A Word from Tom Brokaw.......................................................................................................3 your students about one of the largest military operations ever undertaken. Your students have
probably heard of the Second World War as most families today have a relative, a parent, a
Introduction to Educators.......................................................................................................5
grandparent or great-grandparent with a connection to this war. However, very few are aware of
exactly why and how, from June to August 1944, Normandy became the theater of a battle that
PART 1 - Understanding the historical context forever changed the course of history. Exploring history, military strategy, logistics, science,
1. Operation Overlord: World War II's Largest Amphibious Operation..............................6 technology and human values, the film “D-DAY: Normandy 1944” guides your students in a
step-by-step journey through the events, highlighting who was involved, where, what happened,
2. Preparation................................................................................................................... 8
why, and how. D-Day was the first day of the Battle of Normandy, one of the largest
3. Secrecy, Deception and Intelligence.......................................................................... 9 military operations ever undertaken, code-named “Operation Overlord”.
4. D-Day and Normandy.......................................................................................... 10/11
5. The Conflicting Armies.............................................................................................12 The Educators' Resource Guide has been designed to enhance your students’ experience of
the film. Before going to the cinema, your students need to know the historical context of the
6. Role of Women during World War II......................................................................... 13
events they are about to watch. After the film, they should reflect on what they have seen and on
some of the consequences of World War II on today’s world from a technological point of view.
PART 2 - HOW WWII INFLUENCED TODAY’S TECHNOLOGY
The Educators' Resource Guide is divided into three distinct parts:
1. From the V2 to the Conquest of Space .................................................................... 14
2. From the First Jet Fighter Plane to Today’s Global The first part “D-Day – Normandy 1944 - Understanding the historical context” is intended to
Commercial Air Transportation.............................................................................. 15 serve as a quick reference guide for educators. It gives a brief overview of what led to the Battle
of Normandy (code-named Operation Overlord) and D-Day. This part outlines the opposing
3. The Road to our Computer Age................................................................................. 16
forces, the Allies' long preparation and logistics, their ingenious deception plan (Operation
4. The Road Opened by Radar Technology.................................................................. 17 Fortitude), intelligence work and sabotage actions, the necessary conditions for the landing
on D-Day and the role of women during WWII. Operation Overlord succeeded, but it claimed
PART 3 - ACTIVITIES FOR STUDENTS hundreds of thousands of lives, both civilian and military.
ACTIVITY 1. Reading a Map – Troop Movements on D-Day............................... 18/19
The second part “How WWII influenced technology and sciences” highlights some of the
ACTIVITY 2. What are they for?...................................................................................20 technological progress that WWII drove in areas like computer sciences, rocket science and
ACTIVITY 3. D-Day Combatants Numbers..................................................................20 aircraft technology. WWII led to significant scientific and technological advancements in other
ACTIVITY 4. All about Numbers - Multiple Choice Exercise.................................... 21 areas that are not developed here such as medicine, surgery, medications, communication
systems, navigation, materials, logistical support, industry, and many more.
ACTIVITY 5. Radar Detection: How far is the target?............................................... 21
ACTIVITY 6. WWII General Knowledge - Crossword.................................................22 The third part “Activities for Students” presents activities for your students to do before seeing
ACTIVITY 7. Learning Secret Code Writing and Decoding........................................23 “D-DAY: Normandy 1944” and/or after having seen the film.
ACTIVITY 8. A Bit of Logistics................................................................................24/25 The material has been developed for students ages 10 to 16. Educators will choose and
adapt the activities best suited for their particular class. Activities 2, 3 and 7 can be used for
students age 11 and up; activity 1 is more suitable for students age 12 and up; activities 4 and
Answers to activities .......................................................................................26 6 for students age 13 and up; and activities 5 and 8 for students age 14 and up.

Written by Dr. Elisabeth Mantello

Consultants: [Link] Goodrich, Dr. Ernest Roth, Sam Doss
Editors: Alison Martin, Alexandra Body
Designed by Malderagraphistes
4 5
© 2014 3D Entertainment Distribution & N3D LAND Films - All Rights Reserved © 2014 3D Entertainment Distribution & N3D LAND Films - All Rights Reserved
 PART I
UNDERSTANDING THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT D-DAY - NORMANDY 1944

1. Operation Overlord: World War II's D-Day here refers to June 6th, 1944, the first day of Operation Overlord, and corresponds to
the invasion of five Normandy beaches by mostly US, British and Canadian soldiers.
Largest Amphibious Operation The attack combined air, navy and ground forces. D-Day was a turning point for WWII
ieg that would end almost a year later on May 8th, 1945. Operation Overlord properly
zkr r
Blit ning wa The Second World War started in 1939, with the German invasion of Poland. One of the th speaking, the Normandy Campaign lasted until the end of August, 1944. Paris was
h t wor
or lig
deadliest conflicts in human history, WWII claimed over 60 million lives, both civilian and it is ing… liberated on August 25th, 1944.
w
by t
he
s military. Hitler aimed to take over all of Europe for his “Reich” that was to last “1,000 kno arla
nce,
s t used WII, thi p
ary he day o k
n
r
Fi s in W thod years”. Between March 1938 and March 1939 Germany successfully used both political ilit c
an me d In m ay" is t at atta be
Germ actical peed an manoeuvring and outright occupation to annex both Austria and Czechoslovakia. “D-D h a comb is to t
t d s while
i n e
comb rprise d whic peration The bes 6,
roun s, In 1940, using “Blitzkrieg (Lightning War)” tactics, Germany successfully invaded or o tiated. is June y
su ng g k
d i nati es (tan t ini D-Day man
r
coo r forc nd foo Poland, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and France. n ver, nd
ai a ry know 4, howe sions a
and torized artille Only Great Britain resisted Germany’s attack, with its air raids that killed thousands 1 9 4 i n v a a d a
mo y, ). r h
n t r a f t othe rations D-Day, r
infa d aircr of English civilians; Hitler’s plan to invade England failed because his Luftwaffe, the ope nated d afte
an g
de i efore an ion.
s
German Air Force, was not able to defeat the British Royal Air Force, during what was b at
both hat oper
known as the Battle of Britain. Hitler then changed his plans and turned to the East t

in June 1941 attacking the Soviet Union, soon on the brink of collapse.

By the end of 1941 Germany, allied with Italy and Japan, controlled virtually all of Europe
as well as northern Africa. But the United States entered the war after the infamous
Japanese raid on the US naval base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in December 1941. Together
with the United Kingdom, the Americans formed a coalition - known as “the Allies” and
including Canada, the Soviet Union and over a dozen
other countries - to fight against the “Axis Powers,”
i.e. Germany and its allies.

The two fronts

In the meantime the US and its Allies were building up the necessary troops, ships and
equipment to fight a total war. This preparation took several years and required a high
The goal of Operation Overlord was to open a second front in the West that would
level of cooperation between commanders of the Allied forces. To defeat Hitler and free
overwhelm the German army already engaged on the Eastern Front. To do so, the Allies
Europe from Nazi tyranny, the Allies decided to execute in the spring of 1944 a strategy Some Allied Leaders had to breach Hitler’s “impenetrable” Atlantic Wall.
they had been planning for several years, i.e. the opening of a second front in Western US President Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Europe. Code-named Operation Overlord, this elaborate plan was successfully kept British Prime Minister Winston Churchill The "Atlantikwall"
Soviet Union dictator Joseph Stalin
secret until it was set into motion on the eve of June 5th, 1944. Free French Forces Leader Charles de Gaulle The Atlantic Wall was a defensive system put in place by Hitler
Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King at the beginning of March 1940 along the 2,500 miles of coastline
During the night of June 5th, 1944, an armada of more than 6,000 ships and landing Australian Prime Minister John Curtin
from Norway down to the Spanish border. Its goal was to protect
craft crossed the English Channel. Conveying the Allied ground forces towards
Hitler’s Western front from a seaborne attack. With many artillery
the shores of France, the ships dropped anchor around 2 am on June 6th between
batteries and bunkers housing powerful cannons, Hitler
seven and twelve miles from the coast, most of them out of range of the German
wanted the Wall to be an "impenetrable" barrier.
artillery batteries. At dawn, landing craft (the “Higgins boats”) started to bring these
Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, in command of troops defending the
troops and equipment from the ships to the shores of Normandy.
coast, reinforced the Atlantic Wall with hundreds of thousands
Over 150,000 men landed from the sea onto the beaches on that day alone during an assault
of obstacles and mines, with special attention to the narrowest
that required over 11,000 aircraft sorties, 3,500 gliders and 20,000 vehicles.
point between France and Great Britain, the area of the Pas-de-
During the same night some 23,000 paratroopers and glider troops landed behind the
Calais, where the German High Command was expecting the
enemy lines to secure the bridges and roads on the invasion zone for the troops that would
invasion to happen. For Rommel it was crucial to stop the Allies
arrive later from the beaches. It was the largest use of airborne troops up to that time.
right when and where they landed to prevent them from
The Axis Leaders establishing a foothold that would allow them to bring ashore
German dictator Adolf Hitler all the overwhelming resources they were assembling in the
Italian dictator Benito Mussolini
Japanese Prime Minister General Hideki Tojo
United Kingdom. Rommel’s obstacles
6 7
© 2014 3D Entertainment Distribution & N3D LAND Films - All Rights Reserved © 2014 3D Entertainment Distribution & N3D LAND Films - All Rights Reserved
 PART I
UNDERSTANDING THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT D-DAY - NORMANDY 1944

2. Preparation 3. Secrecy, Deception and Intelligence

As an invasion plan combining air, sea and ground forces, Operation Overlord represents The Allied commanders prepared a surprise attack and managed to keep the date
the largest Allied amphibious military operation in WWII, and relied upon the development and the place of the landing secret until the last moments.
of an enormous industrial capacity that took several years to achieve. Breaking the German code system, which used the “Enigma” machine, had given the
Allies a head start, often providing a multitude of invaluable information on German
Allied countries dedicated their entire economies and requested the participation of their intentions. The Germans expected the invasion to take place in the area of the Pas-
entire population to support the war effort and develop the military production so de-Calais and had thus reinforced their defenses there, as well as placing the bulk
crucial to military performance. Every citizen in the US, Canada and the UK was of their Panzer divisions east and north of the Seine River to support that defense.
encouraged to participate in the war effort by working, buying war bonds or stamps, The Allies confirmed this belief by using intelligence work and gigantic and ingenious
saving resources, growing their own food, rationing (food, clothing, gas, leather, etc.) deception plans, with the most famous called Operation Fortitude.
And the great majority of the population did engage in the war effort.
A. An Elaborate Deception Plan
Operation Fortitude was an extremely elaborate deception plan that played a crucial
diversionary role for the invasion. All sorts of deception and diversion tactics were
used including:
• Allied double agents comforted the Germans in their mistaken belief by reporting
false information on the First US Army Group (FUSAG) troops amassing just across
from Calais and commanded by the famous General George Patton.
• A fake army made of inflatable rubber vehicles, tanks and jeeps,
as well as wooden ships and planes, was set up in the southeast of England.
• Tens of thousands of aluminum strips (“window” or “chaff”) were dropped
on D-Day around Calais and other areas to interfere with German
communications and radar, creating the illusion of a large-scale attack.
• Dummy parachutists (made of cloth bags) were dropped south
General George S. Patton
west of Calais and Dieppe, some of which exploded upon contact
with the ground.

?
“Our home fronts have given us an overwhelming superiority in weapons and munitions of war, and placed at our disposal KNOW ots longsse
I D YOU a n g l t verne,
great reserves of trained fighting men.” (Eisenhower) D Les s e firs i
ge “ mne,”th y Verla e
messa to b nc
h e c oded de l’au nch poem Resista ace.
The United States' war effort was colossal and astonishing. American industry provided T l o n s F r e t he e p l
i o ou s t
des vvery fam announce ld soon d verse
o ta k B. Intelligence and Sabotage in France
almost two-thirds of all the Allied military equipment produced during the war. In four of a used to asion wouthe seco langueur l
n
The British secret intelligence services called SOE or Special Operation Executive worked
was he inv er ne cal
years, its industrial production doubled in size. Maximizing its output resulted t s lat r d’u cific in preparation for the invasion. They supported the local French partisans (“la résistance”)
that few day mon coeu the spe st the
A n t b e i n
in a dramatic increase of its Gross Domestic Product. The war effort in Canada had se to aga
“Bles ne” was action em. as well as the Free French Forces. This government-in-exile force was formed and led
o e t
the same positive results on its own economy. Canada and the US both helped monot redoublilway sys by General de Gaulle from London and North Africa. The SOE and the French resistance
to ra
Great Britain whose economy had been overstressed by the conflict with the Nazis, conducted espionage, sabotage and reconnaissance.
supplying the British with food, raw material, munitions and money. The work in France of the French partisans was essential for the Operation Overlord
to succeed. These “résistants“ that fought against Nazism in occupied France supplied
the Allies with invaluable intelligence information on the German troops and their defense
positions on the Atlantic Wall and elsewhere. They weakened German forces in France
by performing many thousands of sabotage operations and other actions, including
War posters encouraged citizens attacking railroads and telephone lines, thus isolating Normandy and cutting
to support the war effort. communications between the German command posts

Radio Londres broadcast by the BBC was the voice of the Free French Forces
sending coded messages to the French partisans in France.
8 9
© 2014 3D Entertainment Distribution & N3D LAND Films - All Rights Reserved © 2014 3D Entertainment Distribution & N3D LAND Films - All Rights Reserved
 PART I
UNDERSTANDING THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT D-DAY - NORMANDY 1944

4. D-Day and Normandy • These beaches also gave access to the road network around to Caen, objective number
one for the British and Canadian troops, to ensure an anchor for the Allies on the
D-Day refers to the first day of the airborne and seaborne invasion on and behind the Continent and open up good routes to Paris.
th • The Normandy beaches offered good landing terrain as they were flat, wide and deep
five beaches located in Normandy, code-named Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword. wor
It’s
From west to east the invasion area was 50-plus miles wide. Normandy is a region in ing… enough to enable thousands of men and their equipment to land. The countryside was
o k now
northwestern France with 350 miles of coastline on the English Channel. The Normandy t erma
n also suitable for the construction of makeshift airfields.
he G p
invasion area is about 90 miles away from the southern coast of England. r y to t u, Grou
ra ea -
Cont her bur n Stagg
weat ain Joh sh RAF b. When to land?
t i
Cap e Brit gist -
[Link] land on the beaches of Western Normandy? th orolo r
erio
mete g on sup sting The date of the landing depended on a combination of favorable conditions: a full moon,
i n e c a
rely her for rted to e a rising tide at dawn, and of course, reasonably good weather.
The area of Pas-de-Calais was the ideal location for the landing. Only 21 miles away from weat ts, repo at ther l
l
asse hower thbe a lu s i. A full moon - For the airplanes bringing the paratroopers that were to be dropped after
the coast of England. It had a deep-water port (Calais) and was the shortest route to n m
Eise oing to el stor
g n
was he Chan 6th.
midnight to secure the flanks of the assault zone, flying at night was crucial so the pilots
Germany. Close enough to England and only 40-150 miles away from the British airfields, in t on June could avoid the heavy concentrations of German anti-aircraft guns in the invasion area.
it would have allowed excellent Allied air cover for airplanes that had limited autonomy
But a full moon light was helpful for night bombers to find their targets, and especially
and a shorter range than today.
for the help it provided to nighttime flying for the pilots of the airborne forces. Taking
However, the Allies knew that the Germans were expecting the invasion to land exactly
off, assembling, and flying very complex dogleg routes at night was a hazardous business!
there, and chose instead five landing beaches - code-named Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno
Also, a full moon would ensure the largest possible tidal range.
and Sword - in western Normandy some 90 miles away from the coast of England.
ii. A rising tide at dawn - The Allied generals decided that to land at night would be too
Utah and Omaha beaches were given to the US Army, Gold and Sword to the British, and
confusing, so a dawn assault would be best. Though a low tide would extend the distan-
Juno to the Canadians. The assault sector extended over 50 miles from Sainte-Marie-du-
ce for the landing soldiers as they crossed the beach, a high tide would hide Rommel’s
Mont to the estuary of the Orne River.
deadly obstacles from the landing craft. So a rising tide would be the best for landing as it
would allow the combat engineers to destroy German defensive obstacles on the beach
and thus help the vessels navigate safely through the cleared and marked channels.

Normandy

Cricket
Originally designed as a time keeping
device for band and orchestra leaders,
this clicker was used on D-Day by 101st
• The success of Operation Overlord could only be maintained if more troops landed Airborne Division paratroopers as a
H
UTA and were appropriately supplied as they advanced across France after breaking out from recognition device.
HA

After landing in the darkness of the night,

D

Normandy. The Normandy beaches were close to the deep-water port of Cherbourg,
O
GOL

D
JUN

if a paratrooper came across somebody,

OMA

OR

objective number one for the American troops. Impossible to capture from the sea, this he clicked once. If he heard two clicks,
SW

important port had to be taken from the landward side. Cherbourg was a crucial entry point Such conditions do not happen often. They were to be met between June 5th and June he knew it was another paratrooper.
for tens of thousands of men and millions of tons of supplies and equipment needed 7th. The next possibility would have been ten days later, on June 19th… increasing the If not…
The five beaches in Normandy for the push to Paris and eventually Berlin. It was essential to have a major harbor danger of this secret plan being discovered.
large and deep enough to accommodate the biggest ships. Because Cherbourg would Planned for several months, D-Day was almost cancelled because of extremely bad
take some time to capture, the Allies brought over from England two artificial ports named weather, and the invasion, originally planned for the 5th of June was delayed by one day.
Mulberry A and Mulberry B. The Allies began setting these up on June 7th respectively The weather was so terrible that the Germans were convinced that it could not happen that
at Omaha Beach and Gold Beach. The Mulberry Harbors represent one of the greatest day and Field Marshal Rommel left to celebrate his wife’s birthday some 310 miles away.
engineering achievements of WWII.

10 11
© 2014 3D Entertainment Distribution & N3D LAND Films - All Rights Reserved © 2014 3D Entertainment Distribution & N3D LAND Films - All Rights Reserved
 PART I
UNDERSTANDING THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT D-DAY - NORMANDY 1944

5. The Conflicting Armies Hitler’s Convoluted Chain of Command

Hitler exercised complete control over his military because he did not trust most of his
[Link] German chain of command was not running very efficiently. Field Marshal
Rundstedt as Supreme Commander West was in command of all of occupied France
and other countries in the west. Rommel, who commanded Army Group B (comprising
The following divisions took part in the first assault waves of the operation: 7th Army, 15th Army, and Armed Forces Netherlands), was Rundstedt’s subordinate and
as such needed von Rundstedt’s permission to move units between his different Armies
Airborne Divisions within the Army Group. But to grant this permission, von Rundstedt needed to send the
> US 82nd Airborne Division (west of Utah Beach) request to Hitler.  To make things more convoluted, Rommel also dealt directly with Hitler.
> US 101st Airborne Division “Screaming Eagles”(west of Utah Beach)
> British 6th Airborne Division (south and west of Sword Beach,
Orne Canal and River)
> 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion (Part of 6th Airborne Division)
6. Role of Women during World War II
With men gone to the front, the US, Canada and the UK needed women to take jobs
US General British General to aid the war effort, shifting their role from mainly domestic work to traditionally male
Dwight D. Eisenhower Sir Bernard Montgomery, jobs. This shift was to trigger important changes in the workplace and society in the
ies Supreme Commander of the Commander-in-Chief of the decades to come. 400,000 British women, 350,000 US women and 25,000 Canadian
nalit
p s ' natio ught i
n Allied Expeditionary Forces British 21st Army Group and women joined the armed forces while women on the home front took over jobs
tro o who fo dom,
troops ng i pro tem commander of Allied from the men who were away in the Forces, working in factories, garages and farms.
of the he United K ever,
jority t w > Other Allied Units Attacking on D-Day
The ma y were from d Canada. Ho es Ground Forces They drove buses, taxis, trucks and trains, repaired machinery and operated large
d n i
Norman ed States a other countr le
it y
the Un rs from man y and the Ba ia,
tt Infantry Divisions Special Forces: engines. Many worked in war plants, as welders, riveters and electricians, helping to
soldie ted in D-Da from Austral , > US 4th Infantry Division (Utah) > US Ranger FORCE (2nd Ranger Battalion, at Pointe provide the necessary material to win the war.
ipa a
partic dy. They ca
me lovaki
zechos
of Nor
man
B e l g ium, C e t h e r lands, > US 1st Infantry Division (Omaha) du Hoc between Utah and Omaha beaches, 5th Ranger
aland, ,the N > US 29th Infantry Division (Omaha)
New Ze Greece d. Battalion at Omaha Beach) ) In Great Britain, women code-breakers operated the world’s first electronic computer
rance, y and Polan
Free F Norw a > 50th British Infantry Division (Gold) > British Special Commandos (the Colossus) that deciphered secret German messages. In the United States, young
> 3rd British Infantry Division (Sword) > French 1st BFMC (Bataillon de Fusiliers marins/
> 3rd Canadian Infantry Division (Juno) Marine Riflemen Commandos) or “Kieffer Commando” women college graduates were involved with the development of the ENIAC (Electronic
(Sword) Numerical Integrator And Computer), the first general purpose electronic digital computer.
Some did trajectory computations while others worked as programmers. Almost all
programmers during WWII were actually women, and they made significant contributions
during the beginnings of computer sciences and its later development. Women also served
As a result of the relentless pressure on the eastern front and Hitler’s orders, most of as spies in the British SOE, or Special Operations Executive and in the American OSS,
the German Army’s over 300 divisions were stationed in the Soviet Union. The German or Office of Strategic Services, the ancestor of the CIA.
Supreme Commander (West) Generalfeldmarschall von Rundstedt had roughly fifty-
eight divisions under his command on the western front. Thirty-nine of these, averaging
14,000 men each, were placed under Generalfeldmarschall Rommel’s orders. Most of In occupied France, women also played a crucial role as part
these divisions were of moderate to good quality and several consisted of experienced of the French Resistance, a group of active opponents of
veterans from the Eastern front. Some infantry divisions included troops of lesser the Nazi occupation of France. They served as liaison agents,
quality (young soldiers and older men) considered unfit for the eastern front. couriers and “letter boxes”, and collected information,
produced and distributed underground newspapers, ran
> 709th Infantry Division, a division including men unfit for the eastern front.
> 243rd Infantry Division, a division including men unfit for the eastern front.
German Field Marshal German Field Marshal underground presses, made illegal identity cards and
Gerd von Rundsted Erwin Rommel assisted fugitives in escaping across the border. They
> 91st Air Landing Division, an infantry division trained and equipped to be
transported by air. Supreme Commander in the West Commander of Army Group B, also participated in armed combat, sabotage and other
> 352nd Infantry Division, a well-trained and well-equipped division that included in charge of fortifying and actions, all of this at the peril of their own lives. Many were
officers and non-commissioned officers that had fought on the eastern front. (The defending the "Atlantic Wall"
arrested, deported, tortured and/or killed.
division was rebuilt from a division destroyed on the eastern front.) along the coast of France
> 716th Infantry Division, a division including men unfit for the eastern front.
> 21st Panzer division, a formidable and well-equipped division with 150 tanks and
armored assault guns.
> 711th Infantry Division
> 30th Mobile Brigade with three bicycle battalions.
> 6th Parachute Regiment, an elite well-led unit composed of young
well-trained soldiers.

12 13
© 2014 3D Entertainment Distribution & N3D LAND Films - All Rights Reserved © 2014 3D Entertainment Distribution & N3D LAND Films - All Rights Reserved
 PART II
HOW WWII INFLUENCED TODAY’S TECHNOLOGY D-DAY - NORMANDY 1944

Technology played a crucial role in WWII as the Allies and Axis powers were trying to get Rocket development during WWII is associated with Nazi Germany and German scientists
the upper hand in the arms race. Conflicting nations’ needs of war drove technological such as Wernher von Braun whose work spear-headed missile developments after
development to incredible levels as they competed to improve their weapons, vehicles, the war both in weapons and in space exploration. Both the US and the Soviet Union
aircraft, ships, equipment, communication systems, navigation, nutrition, materials, began a variety of experimental programs. In the late 1950s both countries were able to
medications and more. These numerous innovations and inventions of World War II launch earth-orbiting artificial satellites (Sputnik, Explorer). Soon people were launched
have since become widely deployed in the civilian world and have a profound effect into space. Soviet Yuri Gagarin in 1961 became the first person to orbit Earth, traveling in
on our lives today. A few of them are presented below. the capsule-like spacecraft Vostok 1. The development of this technology eventually led to
the US space program that would to send a man on the moon. On July 20th, 1969, U.S.
astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first men to walk on the moon's
1. From the V2 to the Conquest of Space surface. Rockets have opened up space to exploration and commercial exploitation.

German engineers in the 1940s had developed new deadly weapons: The V1 and the V2 – V
for “Vergeltungswaffe” or revenge weapon. The V1 was the first cruise missile, a flying 2. From the First Jet Fighter Plane to Today’s
bomb that carried 1,900 lbs of high explosives, travelled at a maximum speed of 400 mph Global Commercial Air Transportation
and had a range of 150 miles. The Germans launched about 9,000 V1's at southern
Britain, primarily London, starting on June 13th, 1944, just one week after the During the course of the fighting, the Allies and Axis developed increasingly more
successful Allied landings in Normandy. But their impact was limited as over 50% advanced aircraft. The Germans built the world’s first jet fighter, the Messerschmitt
of the V1’s fired were intercepted and destroyed before they reached their goal. However, Me 262 Schwalbe. This first and only jet fighter plane to fly in combat during WWII
they caused the death of about ten thousand people. was able to surpass the fastest Allied fighter. However, it consumed a lot of fuel and
only 1,400 were built. The Allied air forces were superior in numbers, thus the Me 262
Far more dangerous were the V2’s, the world’s first rocket missiles, which carried one had limited effect.
ton of high explosives, had a range of over 186 miles and travelled at a speed of
over 3,100 mph. At this speed, nothing could stop them. However, they were not The British and the Americans were simultaneously working on a jet fighter plane. With
very precise when they were launched at London late in the summer of 1944. While this technology General Electric (GE) built jet engines for America’s first jet fighter, the
they still killed many civilians and some Allied troops, V2’s strategic impact remained Bell XP-59, but it was not used in combat. After WWII, the jet-powered engine was used
V2 limited as they came too late in the war to change its outcome. According to General for all fighter planes. The Russians would later use this technology to develop the MiG-15
Messerschmitt Me 262
Eisenhower, the V2's could have made Operation Overlord impossible to stage had they jet fighter that fought U.S. F-86 Sabre jet fighters and bombers during the Korean War.
been developed earlier and used against Allied embarkation ports in England.
GPS The German V2 rocket is the mother of all modern rockets, including those used by the In the early 1950s, further development of this technology was applied to commercial
Satellites have enabled us to in- US and Soviet Union’s space programs. flying. The DH 106 Comet was the first production commercial jetliner (UK) while the
vestigate our world, to forecast Boeing 707 jetliner (US) and the Douglas DC-8 were the first commercially successful
the weather, and to communicate jetliners. This technical advancement led us to worldwide, affordable, commercial air
instantaneously around the globe. transportation with tens of thousands of flights per day.
The Global Positioning System
(GPS), a space-based satellite
navigation system, provides loc-
ation (longitude and latitude) and
time information in all weather
conditions, anywhere on or near
the Earth. It gets the information
from a network of orbiting satellites
and ground stations. Thanks to per-
sonal GPS devices, people can get
world-wide navigation information.
And you can fly virtually everywhere
on Earth thanks to Google Earth…
V1

14 15
© 2014 3D Entertainment Distribution & N3D LAND Films - All Rights Reserved © 2014 3D Entertainment Distribution & N3D LAND Films - All Rights Reserved
 PART II
HOW WWII INFLUENCED TODAY’S TECHNOLOGY D-DAY - NORMANDY 1944

3. The Road to our Computer Age In the 1950s and 1960s, most computers were large machines that could only be run by
trained specialists and they were very expensive. But the computers progressively became
By deciphering the coded messages sent by the Germans, the Allies gathered vital much smaller, faster and cheaper. By the 1980s, the personal computer was born thanks to
intelligence that allowed them to foil German plans. This deciphering opened the road to small and cheap integrated circuits and microprocessors. Further developments in
the Computer Age. computer science led to all those new applications that we are using today in our everyday
life from smart phones to the GPS, Internet and many more. Computers have invaded all
Leading a team of code breakers, the British mathematician Alan Turing and another areas of our lives.
Cambridge mathematician, Gordon Welchman, developed an electromechanical ma-
chine known as a “Bombe” that successfully decoded the German coding machine
“Enigma”. Enigma looks like a typewriter but it is a complicated machine that types
4. The Road Opened by Radar Technology
messages in code, then scrambles it by using three to five rotors (notched wheels),
Developed just before WWII in many countries (Europe, the US, Soviet Union), radar
each of which displays an alphabet. The person receiving the message needed a key
played a huge role during the war as both the Allies and the Axis were using and further
to the code, i.e. the settings of these rotors, to understand the message. It allowed
developing this technology. Radar, or Radio Detecting And Ranging, works by sending
an incredible number of possible combinations and was supposed to be unbreakable.
out radio waves and detecting any reflections from distant objects.
Radar found dozens of applications during the war. It was put on ships to navigate at
The British code breakers and the engineer Thomas Flowers, contributed to the design
night and through fog, to locate enemy ships and aircraft and to direct gunfire. It was put into
of the first programmable electronic digital computer, known as Colossus, to help
German coding machine "Enigma" airplanes to locate enemy aircraft or ships, to direct gunfire, and to find bombing targets.
solve encrypted German messages coded by machines much more complex than
Military meteorologists used it to detect storms, a detection crucial to operations such
the Enigma. The Colossus Mark 2 with a much higher speed was developed just in
as the Invasion of Normandy.
time for D-Day. However, these code-breaking computers were not general purpose.
Two US computer pioneers, John Mauchly and J. Presper Eckert, conceived and designed Radar
the first fully programmable digital electronic computer, known as ENIAC (Electronic
Modern radar is now used in thousands of It's wor
Numerical Integrator and Computer). It was also the first electronic general-purpose t
applications from military to civilian. knowin h
computer. The inve
g…
• Civil aviation, maritime traffic and meteorology have magnetro
ntion of
n in 1940 the cavity
benefited from Radar technology. metric wa
ve
made cent
i-
allowing radar practical,
• Radar detects speeding offenders on civil roads. installe ra dar sets
d on esco to be
early 19 rt ships
• Radar display systems are the direct precursors of by early 42 and in aircra
by
1943. Th ft
2-dimensional sonars and medical ultrasonic systems the prim is
ary reas was one of
downfall ons fo
that appeared in the late 1940s. of the Ge r the
ow? U-boats rman
u kn
after Ma
technolo y 1943.
yo • Microwave ovens. gy also This
Did fuse
”
ty
developm
ent
allowed
the
ximi logical the first of the H2S radar,
“pro o g downward
The a techn h durin c radar, an
d its use looking
was kthroug ectroni for bomb
ers grea on Pathfinder
COMPUTING SPEED BEFORE brea This eled the o bombing
ac
tly incr
eased
. s
WWII vice u radar nd
t weather. curacy in poor
ENIAC… de of a technolo Al l mo dern Rada
n c i ple target es gy is ba
sed upon
r
pri ct its jectil te it.
dete bled pro detona
ENIAC could add 5,000 numbers ena ombs to stance
b i
and a set dtarget. A word about SONAR
or do 357 10-digit multiplications ENIAC Smart Phone at t h e
from Sonar Sound Detecting And Ranging functions like radar, using sound instead of radiation to
in one second. At the Ballistic
ENIAC was initially designed to calculate artillery firing tables for the US Army, the very detect objects. Ultrasound scanners can be seen as a form of “medical” sonar.
Research Lab, Aberdeen Proving
tables that would allow soldiers to figure out at what angle to aim their cannon. It answered An ultrasound scan is a device that uses high frequency sound waves to create an image
Ground, it took 3 days for 100
the Army’s need for faster and more precise firing capabilities. ENIAC’s calculation speed of some part of the inside of the body, such as the stomach, liver, heart, etc.
graduate students to calculate a
was 1,000 times that of existing devices. Obstetric sonography is frequently used to check the baby in the womb.
single trajectory for a weapon.
These high-speed calculations, coupled with general-purpose programmability, solved
The ENIAC could do the same in
problems that were previously unsolvable. In addition to ballistics, the ENIAC also Huge advances were made in medicine and surgery in the 1940s as a direct response to war. Penicillin, discovered in the
just 30 seconds, being 1,000 times
worked on weather prediction, random-number studies, and wind-tunnel design. 30s, was further developed in the 40s to become a more potent antibiotic. It was mass produced and made available to
faster than a person with a
ENIAC weighed about 30 tons, occupied about 1,800 square feet and was able to do civilians. It has since become the most widely used antibiotic to date. Safe and widely available blood transfusions proved
calculator.
simple equations. It cost close to $500,000.00 to produce. It was able to process at to be the most important medical advancement credited with saving the lives of soldiers. Since, there have been many
0.1 MHz. Today a 3.95-ounce iPhone 5 can run at 800 MHz, which is 8,000 times faster advances and technical developments and blood transfusion is a lifesaving treatment that is among the most common
and more powerful! medical procedures.
16 17
© 2014 3D Entertainment Distribution & N3D LAND Films - All Rights Reserved © 2014 3D Entertainment Distribution & N3D LAND Films - All Rights Reserved
 D-DAY - NORMANDY 1944

ACTIVITY 1.
Reading a Map – Troop Movements on D-Day
(7th Grade and up/Age 12 and over) b. Reading a Map - Analyze the map on the left page and answer the following questions:

a. Preliminary Research
[Link] were the Allied parachutists dropped?
Use books and/or the Internet to answer the following questions:
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
1. Where is Normandy located? .........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
[Link] many US divisions took part in the landing? Name them
2. Where is Normandy in relationship to London? And in relationship to Paris?
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
3. Where are the French cities of Calais and Cherbourg located in relationship to the coast of England?
[Link] many British divisions took part in the landing? Name them.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
4. To get from Normandy to Germany, which direction do you travel? .........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
[Link] is the nationality of the troops that landed on Juno Beach?
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

[Link] the map scale, determine the length of the invasion area.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

[Link] many German divisions can you locate? Name some of them.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

7. How different is the German 21st Division?

.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

8. Which geographical obstacle prevented the German 21st Division from attacking the Allies on D-Day?
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

9. What are the five biggest cities in the area? Name them.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

10. Why do you think the city of Cherbourg was strategic for the Allies?
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
18 19
© 2014 3D Entertainment Distribution & N3D Land Films - All Rights Reserved © 2014 3D Entertainment Distribution & N3D Land Films - All Rights Reserved
 D-DAY - NORMANDY 1944

ACTIVITY 2. ACTIVITY 4.
What are they for? All about Numbers - Multiple Choice Exercise
(6th Grade and up/Age 11 and over) (8th Grade and up/Age 13 and over)
In the film you see a lot of the material, equipment and vehicles used during Operation Overlord.
What were they used for? Match each name with the correct description, before you see the film
and after you have seen it. Look at these questions before you see the film. See if you can answer them after you have seen the film,
check your answers on the Internet or in books and correct them when necessary.
BEFORE THE FILM AFTER THE FILM
1. C-47
1. What is the distance from the French city of Calais to the Coast of England? o 21 miles
2. V2 a. Clouds of metallic strips dropped from airplanes to
interfere with radar and communications.
o 210 miles
3. Radar b. A light aircraft that flies without using an engine.
o 2,100 miles

4. Mulberry c. German code machine used to send secret messages.
d. First jet fighter.
2. What is the total length of the landing area (5 beaches)? o 50 miles
5. Cricket e. Used for the amphibious landing of troops on the 5
o 500 miles
o 5,000 miles
6. Glider Normandy beaches.
f. Makeshift harbors on Normandy beaches.

7. Higgins Boat g. Used to detect movements of objects.
3. The C-47 Skytrain is the most produced military transport aircraft in history. o 100
How many were built? o 10,000
8. Enigma h. First rocket missile.
i. Military transport aircraft extensively used by the Allies.
o 100,000
9. Me 262 Messerschmitt j. Device to help paratroopers locate each other on land.

4. How many men could fit in one Higgins landing boat? o 10
10. Window
o 36
o 160

ACTIVITY 3. 5. Hitler gave orders not to wake him up before a certain time on the 6th of o 3 am
D-Day Combatants Numbers June 1944. What time was it?

o 9 am
o 11 am
(6th Grade and up/Age 11 and over)
Calculate the percentage of each country’s military forces in Normandy on D-Day using
the numbers below.

Country Number of soldiers Beaches Percentage

ACTIVITY 5.
United Kingdom 62,000 Sword, Gold Radar Detection: How far is the target?
Canada 21,000 Juno (9th Grade and up/ Age 14 and over)
United States 73,000 Utah, Omaha
Germany 105,000 All A pulse radar sends out radio waves in short bursts or pulses. The distance to a target is
determined by the time it takes the signal to reach the target and the echo to return.
Total 261,000 100%
Radar signals travel at the speed of light: about 186,000 miles per second.
Question: If a signal is transmitted by a radar antenna at time equals zero, and comes back
Answer the following questions: in 1/1,000 second later, how many miles away is the target detected by the radar?

1. What country had the most troops in Normandy on D-Day?: ................................................................................................................................................

Answer: Please explain your answer: ........................................................................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
2. What percentage of the troops were Allied troops?............................................................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
3. Why do you think the Allied troops succeeded?..................................................................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

20 21
© 2014 3D Entertainment Distribution & N3D LAND Films - All Rights Reserved © 2014 3D Entertainment Distribution & N3D LAND Films - All Rights Reserved
 D-DAY - NORMANDY 1944

ACTIVITY 6. ACTIVITY 7.
WWII General Knowledge - Crossword Learning Secret Code Writing and Decoding
(8th Grade and up/Age 13 and over) (6th Grade and up/Age 11 and over)
1
Writing and breaking secret messages played a huge role during WWII. Writing secret messages
2
has existed for thousands of years. Learn a few basic ways how to write secret messages, and decode them.
3

4 5
a. Writing a code by reordering the letters of the message.
Look at the following example:
6 7 8 The plain text, i.e. the message you want to send, is “meeting tomorrow at dawn”.
The protocol to code this message consists in using every other letter and write them as follows:
9
M E I G O O R W T A N
10
E T N T M R O A D W

11 12 The coded message reads MEIGOORWTANETNTMROADW.

13 14 15

16
M E E T I N G   T O M O R R O W A T D O W N
17 18
M E I G   O O R W T O N
E T N   T M R O A D W
19 20

21 M E I G O O R   W T A N E T N T M R O A D W
22 23

24 25

Exercise: Using this method, choose a different protocol and write a message.
26 Plain text:..................................................................................................................................................................
Protocol:...................................................................................................................................................................
Coded message:......................................................................................................................................................

[Link] a code by replacing each letter of the text by another letter of the alphabet, or a number or a symbol.
SHERMAN GLIDER NORMANDY FORTITUDE BULLDOZER LIBERTY CRICKET ENIGMA RESISTANCE Look at the following example. Each letter of the message is shifted forward 3 places in the alphabet.
ROOSEVELT CHURCHILL HITLER JUNO MESSERSCHMITT OMAHA DE GAULLE SPITFIRE ROMMEL
PARACHUTE RADAR STALIN BUNKER JEEP CALAIS TIGER EISENHOWER Plain text: “Launch attack at dawn”
Down Protocol: Each letter of the message is shifted forward 3 places in the alphabet.
1. Battle tank used by the US and the other Western Allies in WWII.
2. Powerful German tank used in WWII.
3. Name given to the cargo ships that transported men and equipment A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z A B C
during WWII. A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
5. Code name for the Allied deception operation preceding the Normandy
landings. Coded Message: IXRKZEXQQXZHXQAXTK
8. British Prime Minister that led Britain throughout WWII.
9. A cloth canopy that allows a person attached to it to descend slowly
when dropped from an aircraft. L A U N C H A T T A C K A T D A W N
Across 11. Armed French partisans that fought against German Nazi occupation I X R K Z E X Q Q X Z H X Q A X T K
4. British fighter aircraft used by the Royal Air Force. of France and facilitated the Allies’ rapid advance through France
6. Region in northwestern France with a coastline on the English Channel. following D-Day.
7. Little object used by paratroopers to locate each other after landing 12. US General and Supreme Commander of the Allied Exercise: Following this method, use a different shift (from 4 to 26), and create your own message.
in Normandy. Expeditionary Forces in Western Europe during WWII.
10. Major ferry port in Northern France where Germans expected the 14. Communist dictator of the Soviet Union allied with
Allied invasion. Roosevelt and Churchill to defeat the Nazis. Message to send:........................................................................................................................................................................
13. German company that built the first jet fighter plane called Me 262. 15. 32nd President of the US (1933–45). Protocol:........................................................................................................................................................................................
17. Code name of the beach where the Canadian troops landed on D-Day. 16. A partially underground shelter of reinforced concrete built as part
18. French general who led the Free French Forces (Resistance) from London. of a fortification. Coded message:...........................................................................................................................................................................
19. German code machine deciphered by the British code-breakers. 21. German Field Marshal; known as the Desert Fox.
20. Code name for one of the US sectors of the Allied landings in Normandy. 22. Dictator of Nazi Germany whose expansionist foreign policy precipitated
23. Powerful tractor with a broad blade at the front for clearing ground. WWII, while his fanatical anti-Semitism led to the Holocaust.
24. Light aircraft that flies without using an engine. 25. Detection system that uses radio waves to determine the range,
26. Light, sturdy 4-wheel-drive vehicle of the US Army. altitude, direction or speed of objects, aircraft, ships.
22 23
© 2014 3D Entertainment Distribution & N3D LAND Films - All Rights Reserved © 2014 3D Entertainment Distribution & N3D LAND Films - All Rights Reserved
 D-DAY - NORMANDY 1944

ACTIVITY 8. 3. Transporting Soldiers

A Bit of Logistics On D-Day large transport ships brought some132,000 infantrymen 10 nautical miles near the beaches. These troops were then dispatched
and transported from ship to shore in smaller landing craft. The most well-known assault landing craft was called the Higgins boat. Each
(9th Grade and up/Ages 14 and over) Higgins boat contained 36 men, usually 32 soldiers and a crew of three or four sailors. The speed of Higgins boats that day because of
poor weather was 5 knots (5.8 mph). It took 3 minutes to swiftly embark the troops from the ship and another 3 minutes to disembark them
How do you supply an army with food, equipment, medical supplies, ammunition and the rest of on the beach.
what would be needed?
D-Day was a complex and enormous undertaking assembling hundreds of thousands of soldiers,
thousands of boats and planes alongside millions of tons of equipment and supplies. Logistics 3a. How long did a Higgins boat 3b. Provided there were 800 3c. As a logistics/general staff
played a crucial role in the success of this mission. roundtrip require from and to the Higgins boats to embark/disembark officer, you also need to plan
big ships 10 nautical miles away? 32 men each, for losses.
how many roundtrips were Choose the percentage of
Let’s get an idea of the magnitude of the things that were needed… by calculating the following:
needed per boat to disembark the Higgins boat losses that you
132,000 men? forecast.
......................................................................%
1. Feeding the Troops

1a. One soldier needs an average of 2 3/4 1b. The famous “2 1/2 ton truck” was used to Consequently, how many Higgins
pounds of food a day. 73,000 US soldiers bring food for these 73,000 US soldiers to boats would you need to make
landed by boat on the beaches of Normandy the depot. sure all your troops can be
on D-Day. How many of these trucks should be transported to the beaches?
How many tons of food per day were loaded per day just to carry food?
needed to feed them?

4. Getting Gasoline
Imagine that you need to bring supplies to the troops from the deep-water harbor of Cherbourg to a depot in Caen that is 80 miles away.
You use 2 ½ ton trucks that each get 4 miles per gallon.
2. Ammunitions

2a. Assuming that US soldiers during WWII 4a. How much gasoline is needed for a 4b. If you have 3,000 tons of supplies to
2b. The “2 1/2 ton trucks” were bringing these
needed 30 lbs. of ammunition per day for their ammunitions to the depot. roundtrip from Cherbourg to Caen? transport,
how many roundtrips and how much gasoline
M-1 Garand semi-automatic rifle, How many truckloads a day were required
how many tons of ammunition were to be will be needed?
per day to bring the ammunition to 73,000
provided for per day for the 73,000 US troops? US soldiers?

24 25
© 2014 3D Entertainment Distribution & N3D LAND Films - All Rights Reserved © 2014 3D Entertainment Distribution & N3D LAND Films - All Rights Reserved
 D-DAY - NORMANDY 1944

ANSWERS TO THE ACTIVITIES

ACTIVITY 1 ACTIVITY 2
a. 1=i 2=h 3=g 4=f 5=j 6=b 7=e 8=c 9= d 10=a
1. Normandy is a region in northwestern France with 350 miles of coastline
on the English Channel. The Normandy invasion area is about 90 miles ACTIVITY 3
away from the southern coast of England. United Kingdom: 24%; Canada: 8%; USA: 28%; Germany: 40%
2. Normandy lies south-south west from London and west from Paris. 1: Germany
2: 24+8+28 = 60%
3. Situated 21 miles only south east of England, Calais and its port are the
3: Among other factors: secret plan and surprise assault at dawn despite
closest French point to the coast of England, and the shortest route to
terrible weather on Normandy beaches instead of Calais, great Allied
Germany. The French city of Cherbourg is situated at the end of the
commandment, Allied air force superiority, huge number of Allied troops
Cotentin Peninsula, 81 miles south from Portsmouth on the coast
and enough supplies, equipment and materiel, poor German
of England.
commandment from Hitler, most German divisions on the Eastern Front,
4. To get from Normandy to Germany, you travel east.
lack of German supplies and equipment.
b.
1. Sainte-Mère-Eglise; Utah Beach near Sainte Marie du Mont; Sword
ACTIVITY 4
Beach in the area of the bridge on the Orne river, code-named Pegasus
1: 21 miles
bridge.
2: 50 miles
2. Five divisions: 1st Infantry, 4th Infantry, 29th Infantry, 82nd Airborne, 3: 10,000- The C-47 Skytrain is the most produced airplane in history
101st Airborne with over 10,000 made.
3. Three divisions. 50th Infantry, 3rd Infantry, 6th Airborne. 4: 36
4. Canadian (Canadian 3rd Infantry). 5: 9 am.
5. About 50 miles.
ACTIVITY 5
6. You can read on this map the names of 7 German divisions: 709th 186,000 miles/second : 1/1000 = 186 miles.
Infantry Division; 91st Air Landing Division; 243rd Infantry Division; 352nd Roundtrip =>186 : 2 = 93 miles.
Infantry Division; 21st Panzer Division; 716th Infantry Division and the The target is 93 miles away.
711th Infantry Division. There were other troops such as the 30th
Mobile Brigade and the 6th Parachute regiment. ACTIVITY 8
7. The German 21st Division was a well-trained and well-equipped division 1a. 2.75 x 73,000 =200,750 lbs=>100.375 tons of food per day.
with 150 tanks and armored assault guns. 1b. 100.375 tons : 2.5= 40.15 => 41 truckloads per day of food.
8. The obstacle was the Orne river. 2a. 30 lbs x 73,000 = 2,190,000 lbs => 1,095 tons of ammunition per day.
9. Cherbourg, Carentan, Bayeux, Caen, St-Lô. 2b. 1,095 tons : 2.5 = 438 truckloads of ammunition per day.
10. The largest and most accessible deep-water port from the landing 3a. (10 nautical miles x 2) : 5 knots = 4 hours round trip, plus 3 minutes to
area, Cherbourg was a crucial entry point for tens of thousands unload and another 3 minutes to reload with men. Total= 4h06 min.
of men and millions of tons of supplies and equipment needed for the
3b. 800x32= 25,600 : 132,000:25,600=5.15 i.e. 6 roundtrips per boat.
push to Paris and eventually to Berlin.
3c. With a 20% loss, you should start with 1000 boats.
4a. (80 + 80) : 4 = 40 gallons to go roundtrip in a 2 ½ ton truck.
4b. 3,000 : 2.5 = 1,200 roundtrips and 1,200 x 40 = 48,000 gallons of gas
needed.

General Eisenhower’s Message to the Troops of the Allied Expeditionary Force

on June 6, 1944.

26 27
© 2014 3D Entertainment Distribution & N3D LAND Films - All Rights Reserved © 2014 3D Entertainment Distribution & N3D LAND Films - All Rights Reserved
If you look at a map of Normandy, you will see that beaches still have their invasion code-names.
Streets nearby are even named after the troop units that fought there.
As well as the beaches and other landmarks, such as the Pegasus bridge,
you can visit war museums, memorials and cemeteries in Normandy.
They commemorate all those who were part of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy.
The cemeteries, honoring the troops who died, include:
The American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer,
The British Cemetery in Ranville,
The Bayeux War Cemetery
and La Cambe, the German War Cemetery.

A film by Pascal Vuong

Produced by N3D LAND Films
Released by 3D Entertainment Distribution

[Link] - [Link]

3D ENTERTAINMENT DISTRIBUTION LTD.

61-65 Baker Street, Weybridge KT13 8AH, United Kingdom
+44 20-7681-2357 | US Toll Free: +1 800-819-7753 | info@[Link] | [Link]