D-DAY INVASION / June 6, 1944 : THE INVASION OF NORMANDY : BY THE NUMBERS
Normandy damage
Buildings destroyed: 120,000
Buildings damaged: 270,000
Acres of farmland left unusable: 118,000
Square feet of factory space destroyed: 16 million
Reinforcements: By the end of June, about 1 million Allied troops had reached France.
Hart-Hit Towns
82nd Airborne casualties
Killed in action/died of wounds: 1,142 (10%)
Wounded: 2,373 (20%)
Missing: 840 (7%)
Evacuated sick: 377 (3%)
Evacuated injured: 704 (6%)
Total casualties: 5,436 (46%)
Religion: An estimated 70 Navy chaplains took part, directly or indirectly, in the invasion.
Supplies: Every GI required 30 pounds of supplies per day to support him in action, compared with 20 pounds per British soldier and a German quota that fell to four pounds.
The Home Front
Baby Invasia: In Dallas, Mr. and Mrs. Lester Renfrow welcomed a new baby daughter. They named the little girl “Invasia Mae Renfrow.”
Canceled: Baseball games and racing programs were canceled across the United States on D-day. The New York Stock Exchange called for two minutes of silent prayer, then went about its business as usual.
Ike a no-show: At West Point, it was graduation day for Cadet John Eisenhower. His mother, Mamie, was there. His father sent a telegram of apology for missing the graduation, saying it was impossible for him to attend “due to previous plans.”
The bell tolls: In Philadelphia, Mayor Bernard Samuel tapped the Liberty Bell with a wooden mallet and offered a prayer. This was the first time the bell had been rung in more than 100 years. Across the United States and Canada, church bells rang.
White House: In a radio broadcast, President Franklin D. Roosevelt asked Americans to joint him in praying for God to, “Lead them (our sons) straight and true; give strength to their arms, stoutness to their hearts, steadfastness to their faith.”