D-Day latest: Russia snubbed by anniversary event as King to speak

Between midnight and 2am, paratroopers landed behind enemy lines. Some dropped into flooded areas and drowned while others were widely scattered, taking hours to regroup. Others found their equipment broken by the impact. 

Yet they managed to seize bridges over the Caen Canal (later known as Pegasus Bridge) and the River Orne, while others surrounded the strategic town of Sainte Mere Eglise.

3.35am: RAF heavy bombers attack a range of targets across the whole landing area, including German coastal gun batteries.

5.30am: Allied warships begin bombarding German coastal gun batteries and artillery positions at Gold and Sword beaches.

5.36am – 5.52am: Warships exchange fire with German defences at the remaining three beaches; first Utah, then Omaha, then Juno.

6am: Support landing craft begin fire guns and rockets at beach defences at Omaha and Utah, with similar attacks occurring between 6.45am – 7.25am at Sword, then Gold, then Juno.

6.30am: The first US troops land at Utah and Omaha, meeting varied resistance. At Omaha, soldiers face a 300 yard sprint to their only cover – a sea wall – and many are killed by German gunfire.

7.25am: British soldiers land at Gold and Sword beaches, with the first line of infantry taking heavy casualties, before support from tanks allows them to gradually overcome strongholds. 

7.50am: Canadian troops make shore at Juno. At the Western end of the beach, troops advance quickly inland, but on the eastern side they face strong resistance, taking heavy casualties before advancing eastwards toward Sword.

They’ve landed – where next?

8am – midday: US troops on Omaha struggle to gain a foothold until destroyers open up small spots for infantry to advance off the beach. Enemy fire and high tides make it difficult to clear obstacles and by the time US soldiers reach hills at the back of the beach, they are disorganised.

9am – 1pm: British troops advance from Gold beach to the villages of Crepon and Port-en-Bessin.

9am – 1pm: British troops advance from Sword beach, crossing the Pegasus Bridge and meeting up with airborne troops with the aim of reaching Caen.

10am – 4pm: At a staggered rate, Canadian troops on Juno advance inland. The tide forces infantry through a limited number of beach exits.

11am to midnight: US troops advance off Utah beach against artillery fire and link up with a US airborne division, who are reinforced in the evening. By midnight, airborne units remain scattered westwards.

1pm – midnight: US troops from Omaha clear a road at St Laurent, as engineers work through the afternoon to open up more routes off the beach, allowing soldiers to capture several beachside villages. By the end of the day, they have only advanced one mile inland and the beachhead is not yet secure, with German artillery still bombarding it.

4pm to midnight: A German counterattack sees Nazi troops split the allies between Sword and Juno beaches, but retreat under attack from airborne forces. To protect their flank, leading Canadian troops accept they will not reach their final objectives, while others push six miles inland. British troops from Sword beach end the day several miles short of Caen.

9pm to midnight: British forces from Gold beach force German reinforcements to retreat at the River Seulles, while capturing Arromanches to the west. They end D-Day four miles short of their objectives.