We're the Military and Airpower Guys of Jonah Goldberg of National Review Online + a stray we found wandering around looking lost. All original material JHD, BHD, JR, WT, and KA 2003-2010 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/06/dday_we_werent.html Sun, 07 Feb 2010 16:47:44 Z Movable Type 4.12 en Copyright 2010 http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification -The Airborne Drops.Pegasus Bridge, securely in British hands, is crossed by military vehicles on D-Day plus 1, June 7, 1944. The Trustees of the Imperial War Museum, London -Brits:Gold Beach Special Service troops of 47 Royal Marine Commando land at Gold Beach near Le Hamel on D-Day, June 6, 1944. The Trustees of the Imperial War Museum, London Sword BeachMine- and obstacle-clearing tanks of the 27th Armoured Brigade thread toward the shore at Queen sector, Sword Beach, on D-Day, June 6, 1944. The Trustees of the Imperial War Museum, London -Canadians:Juno Beach (en francais)1st Hussars tanks and men of the... http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/06/dday_we_werent.html http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/06/dday_we_werent.html Sat, 06 Jun 2009 07:44:37 -0600
AFAIK, the vast bulk of troops arriving on D-Day were Canadian, British, US, and French.  There were 8 Australians I'm aware of attached to British forces as observers.  There were scattered members of Brit forces who were from Commonwealth nations - which is not the same thing as saying, for example, that Rhodesian troops were present - though there were Rhodesians serving in Brit units that went ashore.  I'm sure there was a Mexican or two in with the US forces, if we're going to get to that level of detail.  And quite possibly individual soldiers of other central and south american nations.

Allied land forces that saw combat in Normandy on June 6 came from Canada, the Free French Forces, the United Kingdom, and the United States.No other allied forces of significance landed on D-Day.  The Royal Air Force, with it's nationally-organized expat squadrons-in-exile, would have put some foreign contingents above or around the lodgement area.  And there were individual naval vessels-in-exile, too.

In the weeks following the invasion, Polish forces landed, as well as contingents from Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Greece, and the Netherlands.  Most of those countries also provided air and naval support for the campaign, along with the Royal Australian Air Force, the Royal New Zealand Air Force, and the Royal Norwegian Navy.

But when we talk dropping or wading in, on D-Day, we're talking Britain, Canada, the United States, and France.]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/06/dday_we_werent.html#comment-89460 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/06/dday_we_werent.html#comment-89460 Sun, 07 Jun 2009 08:36:19 -0600 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/06/dday_we_werent.html#comment-89458 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/06/dday_we_werent.html#comment-89458 Sun, 07 Jun 2009 02:15:30 -0600 Thanks for posting this. One of our local units, British Columbia Regiment in Shermans was almost wiped out in one of the advances on Caen. My uncle ran a Landing Craft Infantry onto the beaches, never could get him to talk about it. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/06/dday_we_werent.html#comment-89456 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/06/dday_we_werent.html#comment-89456 Sat, 06 Jun 2009 20:31:54 -0600 ]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/06/dday_we_werent.html#comment-89451 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/06/dday_we_werent.html#comment-89451 Sat, 06 Jun 2009 14:09:13 -0600