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.”