D-Day relied on a calculated mismatch between what planners expected and what the beaches delivered. Allied casualty estimates centered on roughly 10,000 total losses across the landing forces, including 4,414 confirmed dead across five beaches and airborne operations. Omaha alone accounted for 2,400 casualties within the first twelve hours, showing how quickly outcomes diverged from the projected timeline.
Key Takeaways
- Operation Overlord's success hinged on air supremacy achieved by destroying 3,500 Luftwaffe aircraft since January 1944
- Utah Beach Vierville draw defended by 2nd Battalion 743rd Grenadier Regiment, 200 troops with 88mm guns
- D-Day Allied casualties estimated 10,000 including 4,414 confirmed dead across 5 beaches and airborne
- Mulberry harbors unloaded 2.5 million men, 500,000 vehicles, 4 million tons supplies by Aug 1944 despite storm losses
- Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt commanded OB West with 850,000 troops in France, believing Pas-de-Calais main threat
- Operation Overlord, the broader campaign including D-Day, was conceived in 1943 and involved detailed planning starting from the Tehran Conference in November 1943 where Allied leaders agreed on a cross-Channel invasion
D-Day involved over 150,000 Allied troops landing in Normandy on June 6, 1944.
Related reading
01 · Category
Allied Forces and Command28 stats
01
Operation Overlord's success hinged on air supremacy achieved by destroying 3,500 Luftwaffe aircraft since January 1944
02
General Dwight D. Eisenhower commanded 2.876 million troops under SHAEF, with Montgomery as ground force commander for 39 divisions
03
US V Corps under General Leonard Gerow landed 34,000 troops on Omaha and Utah beaches, facing fiercest resistance at Omaha
04
British I Corps (Lieutenant-General John Crocker) included 3rd Canadian Division landing at Juno with 21,400 personnel
05
Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsay commanded Operation Neptune's naval forces with 7,000 vessels from 22 nations, including French and Norwegian contingents
06
Air Chief Marshal Trafford Leigh-Mallory led Allied Expeditionary Air Force with 12,000 aircraft, achieving 13:1 kill ratio over Luftwaffe on D-Day
07
101st Airborne Division (Screaming Eagles) under Major General Matthew Ridgway dropped 6,928 paratroopers behind Utah Beach
08
6th Airborne Division (UK) with Brigadier Nigel Poett seized Pegasus Bridge at 0020, held by 180 Ox & Bucks Light Infantry
09
Free French forces included 177 Commandos under Philippe Kieffer landing at Sword Beach, first French troops to liberate France soil
10
US 4th Infantry Division (Maj. Gen. Raymond Barton) landed 7,800 men on Utah at H-Hour 0630, deviating 2,000 yards south due to current
11
82nd Airborne (All American) under Maj. Gen. Matthew Ridgeway jumped 6,420 paratroopers over Sainte-Mère-Église, securing causeways
12
HMS Warspite, under Captain DC Scott, flagship for Gold Beach bombardment with 16-inch guns firing 300 rounds
13
Polish 1st Armoured Division (Gen. Stanisław Maczek) in reserve with 16,000 troops for later Caen breakout
14
USS Augusta (CA-31) carried Admiral Kirk and Rear Adm. Hall for Omaha, firing 900 8-inch shells
15
2nd Ranger Battalion (Ledoot's Rangers) scaled Pointe du Hoc cliffs with 225 men to destroy 155mm guns
16
Royal Ulster Rifles (8th Irish Battalion) landed at Sword with 700 men, advancing 10km inland by nightfall
17
No. 4 Commando (UK) with Lord Lovat's bagpiper Bill Millin landed Sword, piping "Highland Laddie" under fire
18
29th Infantry Division (Blue and Gray) under Gen. Charles Gerhardt landed Omaha with 3,000 casualties in first hours
19
HMCS Algonquin destroyer escorted Juno convoys, firing 500 4.7-inch shells at German positions
20
1st Canadian Parachute Battalion dropped at 0250 near Varaville, linking with 6th Airborne to hold bridges
21
USS Texas (BB-35) supported Omaha with 255 14-inch shells, crew witnessing dead piled on beach
22
General Omar Bradley at sea on USS Augusta, coordinating V Corps via radio despite communication blackouts
23
Norwegian destroyer Svenner sank by E-boat at 0430 off Sword, 34 killed including 18 Norwegians
24
3rd Canadian Division (Maj. Gen. Rod Keller) at Juno captured Courseulles-sur-Mer by 1030, advancing 9km
25
RAF 617 Squadron (Dambusters) precision-bombed German HQ at La Caine, destroying 7 Panzer reserves
26
50th Northumbrian Division (UK) landed Gold Beach with Durham Light Infantry securing Arromanches for Mulberry B
27
Gen. Sir Miles Dempsey commanded Second Army with 8 divisions ashore by D-Day end
28
1st Special Service Brigade (Commandos) with 1,000 men landed Sword under Brig. Simon Christopher Joseph Fraser
Interpretation
Allied Forces and Command Interpretation
The Allies' victory was a grim arithmetic of overwhelming production and preparation, paid in blood by men who then had to improvise their way ashore against a determined enemy.
02 · Category
Beach Landings and Battles30 stats
01
Utah Beach Vierville draw defended by 2nd Battalion 743rd Grenadier Regiment, 200 troops with 88mm guns
02
Omaha Beach Dog Green sector saw 1st Infantry Division lose 1,000 men in first 10 minutes to MG-42 nests
03
Gold Beach King sector captured by 231st Brigade at 1300, linking with Juno by 2200 after 1,000 casualties
04
Juno Beach 'Mike' sector secured by Queen's Own Rifles by 0830, pushing 8km inland despite 50% officer casualties
05
Sword Beach Queen sector 2nd Royal Marines armored brigade ashore by 1030 but stalled at Caen outskirts
06
Pointe du Hoc Rangers (5 companies, 225 men) scaled 100ft cliffs in 40 minutes, advanced 2km inland finding no guns
07
Utah Beach landed 23,250 troops by nightfall with only 197 killed due to current drift to low defenses
08
Omaha Beach Easy Red drew held by Company A 116th RCT, all officers killed, survivors climbed bluffs by 0900
09
6th Airborne captured all 3 bridges (Pegasus, Horsa, Bénouville) intact by 0100, holding off 21st Panzer probes
10
Juno Beach Bernières-sur-Mer house-to-house fighting by North Shore Regiment cleared by 1400 after 128 casualties
11
Gold Beach Jig sector Royal Hamilton Light Infantry landed 0930, captured Le Hamel by 1100 with 200 casualties
12
Sword Beach White sector Oxfordshire Bucks captured Lion-sur-Mer by noon, but counterattacked by 21st Panzer
13
101st Airborne secured causeway exits from Utah, destroying 60 vehicles and capturing 1,000 Germans by D+1
14
Merville Battery assault by Lt. Col. Terence Otway's 9th Parachute Battalion: 150 survivors from 750 attacked at 0445, captured by 0520
15
Omaha Beach Colleville draw breached by 18th RCT engineers at 1200 using bangalores, allowing tanks inland
16
82nd Airborne liberated Sainte-Mère-Église by 0400, first French town freed with 69 paratroopers killed
17
Juno 'Nan' sector Royal Winnipeg Rifles cleared strongpoints losing 50% strength but advanced 5km
18
Gold Arromanches landed 7,500 by 1600, Suffolk Regiment captured Periers ridge despite 400 casualties
19
Sword Hermanville cleared by 1st South Lancs at 0830, linking with airborne by 1000 after bayonet charges
20
Utah Les Dunes de Varreville mined sector cleared by 4th ID engineers, 200 obstacles breached by 0900
21
Omaha Dog White Company E 116th RCT led by Lt. Spalding fixed bayonets, captured 6 pillboxes killing 100 Germans
22
21st Panzer counterattack at Sword 1800 with 50 tanks repelled by Typhoons destroying 126 vehicles
23
Caen Canal Bridge (Pegasus) defended by 30 sappers vs 150 Germans, held 12 hours until relief
24
Juno Graye-sur-Mer cleared by Calgary Highlanders, captured 200 PoWs by afternoon
25
Gold Ver-sur-Mer 47 Royal Marine Commando scaled cliffs, silenced battery by 0930 losing 80 men
26
2nd Rangers at Pointe du Hoc held perimeter 2 days against counterattacks, 90 survivors from 225
27
Utah Tare Green 8th Infantry Regiment ashore 0700, linked beaches by 1300 with minimal opposition
28
Allied forces ashore totaled 156,115 by midnight, bridging all beaches except Omaha-Caen gap 15km wide
29
Operation Mallard gliders reinforced 6th Airborne June 6 afternoon, landing 240 Horsa with Tetrarch tanks
30
Omaha Vierville-sur-Mer captured by 116th RCT at 1300 after 5 hours carnage, 300 dead on beach
Interpretation
Beach Landings and Battles Interpretation
From the blood-stained sands of Omaha to the precarious cliffs of Pointe du Hoc, D-Day was a brutal mosaic of near-impossible missions—where a catastrophic delay on one beach bought a lifesaving drift on another, and the staggering bravery of individual soldiers became the fragile thread that ultimately wove the Allied lodgment together.
03 · Category
Casualties and Losses30 stats
01
D-Day Allied casualties estimated 10,000 including 4,414 confirmed dead across 5 beaches and airborne
02
Omaha Beach suffered 2,400 casualties (killed, wounded, missing) for 1st and 29th Divisions in 12 hours
03
German losses on D-Day around 4,000-9,000 killed/wounded with 200,000 captured by campaign end
04
Pointe du Hoc Rangers: 135 killed/wounded of 225, 81% casualty rate holding against counterattacks
05
Utah Beach lightest casualties: 197 killed, 60 missing for 23,250 landed due to offshore drift
06
Gold Beach British 1,000 casualties including 63 killed for 24,970 landed by HMS Bulolo reports
07
Juno Beach Canadian 946 casualties (359 killed) for 21,400 troops, highest per capita of beaches
08
Sword Beach 683 killed/wounded for 28,845 British, plus 197 RAF aircrew losses over beaches
09
Airborne operations: 2,499 Allied paratroopers/glider casualties (1,200 82nd/101st US, 1,200 6th UK)
10
RAF losses 113 aircraft, USAAF 42, total 155 planes with 1,200 aircrew killed D-Day
11
Naval casualties 992 Allied sailors killed, 4 destroyers sunk including USS Corry off Utah
12
German 21st Panzer lost 130 of 150 tanks in Sword counterattacks, 600 casualties inflicted by RAF
13
Merville Battery: 9th Para Bn 65 killed, 92 wounded of 750; Germans 22 killed, 60 wounded
14
Operation Tiger rehearsal April 28 killed 749 US troops by German E-boats and friendly fire
15
Sainte-Mère-Église 82nd Airborne 156 killed, but captured town holding 4 causeways vital
16
352nd Division at Omaha lost 1,200 casualties, key regiments shattered by naval fire
17
Merchant marine losses 19 killed, 4 coasters sunk by mines off Gold/Juno
18
French civilian deaths 3,000-5,000 from pre-D-Day bombings of rail/transport infrastructure
19
12th SS Panzer first action June 7 killed 155 Canadians at Authie, total 400 Canadian PoWs executed
20
HMS Swift sure sunk by mine off Sword, 34 killed including Captain Beattie
21
US 116th RCT Omaha lost 635 casualties in first 30 minutes, Company A nearly annihilated
22
716th Division collapsed with 80% casualties, 2,500 PoWs on eastern beaches by D+1
23
Typhoon air strikes D-Day downed 20 German planes, lost 11 but inflicted 300 Luftwaffe casualties
24
Mulberry A (US) damaged by June 19 storm, 800,000 tons lost potential, 14 wrecks blocking Omaha
25
101st Airborne D-Day casualties 1,519 (182 killed) securing Utah exits despite 70% drop scatter
26
German artillery batteries: 80% silenced, 500 gunners killed by naval bombardment alone
27
Canadian 3rd Division Juno 1,047 casualties including 20% from mined obstacles/LCVPs
28
RAF Coastal Command lost 8 aircraft, sank 1 E-boat but lost 43 aircrew to flak
29
29th Division Omaha 2,000 casualties, highest divisional rate, awarded 16 Medals of Honor post-D-Day
30
By D-Day end, Allies captured 3,500 Germans but lost 10,365 total casualties vs 5-9,000 Axis
Interpretation
Casualties and Losses Interpretation
The stark arithmetic of Omaha’s agony, where securing a beachhead cost a man every eighteen seconds, proved that freedom’s terrible price was paid in precise and human increments.
04 · Category
Equipment, Logistics, and Aftermath26 stats
01
Mulberry harbors unloaded 2.5 million men, 500,000 vehicles, 4 million tons supplies by Aug 1944 despite storm losses
02
Pluto pipeline delivered 172 million gallons fuel from D+70 to VE Day, 1.5M gal/day peak via 4 lines
03
12,000 aircraft flew 15,000 sorties D-Day, dropping 10,000 tons bombs, achieving total air supremacy
04
Naval forces: 6,939 vessels including 1,213 warships, 4,126 landing craft, 736 ancillary craft
05
195,700 Allied naval personnel manned ships, largest armada ever assembled crossing Channel
06
By V-E Day, Normandy campaign cost $4 trillion adjusted, but opened Western Front hastening war end
07
Cherbourg captured June 27 but mined; Red Ball Express trucked 12,500 tons/day supplies 400 miles to front
08
14,674 sorties June 6-7, Allies lost 113 aircraft vs 24 German, 800 Luftwaffe sorties total June
09
Hobart's Funnies: 72 Crocodile flamethrowers, 40 AVREs, 6 ARKs cleared Gold/Juno obstacles
10
7,000 tons ammo, 23,000 tons rations landed D-Day via Rhino ferries and DUKWs
11
Operation Cobra July 25 breakout used 3,000+ bombers dropping 10,000 tons on 250-yard box, killing 111 Americans but shattering lines
12
Falaise Pocket Aug 1944 trapped 50,000 Germans, 10,000 killed, 50,000 captured ending Normandy
13
Caen captured July 19 after 6 weeks, Operation Goodwood used 1,100 tanks vs 2,000 Luftwaffe sorties
14
79th Armored Division supplied 1,000 specialist vehicles including 300 DD Shermans, 60 sunk off Omaha
15
US flew 500,000 tons supplies by air June-Dec, including 11,000 tons ammo for St Lo breakout
16
Artificial ports landed 80% supplies first month: Mulberry A/B handled 1.6M tons before storm
17
16-inch guns of USS Texas fired 2,550 shells, range 20 miles supporting Utah 3 days
18
2,000 locomotives, 20,000 railcars captured intact post-Normandy for Allied advance to Rhine
19
D-Day success led to Paris liberation Aug 25 by French 2nd Armored, 4th US Infantry
20
Normandy campaign (June-Aug) Allies advanced 50 miles, destroyed 2,200 tanks, 210,000 German casualties
21
Typhoon rockets: 8 rails/16 rockets each downed 137 German aircraft June 6-30
22
LCVP Higgins boats landed 132,715 troops D-Day, built 20,000 in New Orleans yards
23
By Sept 1944, 2 million troops, 500,000 vehicles ashore via Normandy ports/airfields
24
Operation Dragoon Aug 15 invaded South France, diverting 250,000 Germans from Normandy front
25
Post-D-Day, 38 airfields built in Normandy by Sept, base for 50 squadrons bombing Germany
26
German Army Group B (Model) lost 400,000 men by Falaise, 20 divisions combat ineffective
Interpretation
Equipment, Logistics, and Aftermath Interpretation
The sheer industrial audacity of D-Day is breathtaking: we essentially hauled an entire modern city across the English Channel, fueled it with a pipeline called Pluto, and then used it as an anvil against which to methodically smash the German army.
05 · Category
German Defenses and Response30 stats
01
Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt commanded OB West with 850,000 troops in France, believing Pas-de-Calais main threat
02
Rommel's 352nd Infantry Division secretly positioned 7,500 troops behind Omaha Beach, with 170 artillery pieces
03
Atlantic Wall in Normandy stretched 50 miles with 6.5 million cubic meters concrete, 500,000 tons steel mined from Europe
04
21st Panzer Division (Gen. Edgar Feuchtinger) only panzer unit near Normandy with 146 Panzer III/IV tanks, counterattacked Sword
05
Hitler retained control of panzer reserves; OKW delayed 12th SS Panzer release until 1700 D-Day, missing opportunities
06
Field Marshal Erwin Rommel inspected Atlantic Wall May 1944, ordering 18,000 obstacles mined and staked on beaches
07
716th Static Infantry Division defended 80km coast with 7,700 low-fitness troops, Poles, and Soviets, 40% non-German
08
German E-boats from Le Havre sank 3 Allied ships pre-dawn, including Norwegian destroyer Svenner
09
Luftwaffe had 319 operable aircraft in France on June 6, mounting 300 sorties vs 14,000 Allied
10
Rommel placed 500,000 beach mines, 50,000 stakes, 10,000 obstacles like hedgehogs across 5 beaches
11
3rd Fallschirmjäger Regiment at Utah under Col. Friedrich von der Heydte planned counter-drops but scattered
12
Panzer Group West (Gen. Leo Geyr von Schweppenburg) had 1,500 tanks but dispersed, only 412 near Normandy
13
German radar at Cap de la Hague detected convoys at 0315, but dismissed as minesweepers initially
14
915th Artillery Regiment at Longues-sur-Mer fired 1,000 shells at Gold Beach from 4x150mm guns until silenced
15
Hitler Youth 12th SS Panzer (Gen. Kurt Meyer) with 150 Panthers poised near Caen, committed late D-Day
16
Pointe du Hoc casemates held 100mm guns relocated inland, Rangers found empty after climbing 100ft cliffs
17
German 7th Army (Gen. Friedrich Dollmann) reported invasion at 0300 but Rommel absent in Germany for wife's birthday
18
Crisbecq Battery (WN13) with 6x210mm guns targeted Utah, firing 1,500 shells until June 9
19
91st Air Landing Division reserves near Saint-Lô, with 12,000 troops including glider-trained paratroops
20
Col. Werner Pluskat's 352nd at Gold reported "ships as far as eye can see" at 0430 but lines cut
21
U-boat flotillas sortied 40 boats but only 2 sunk transports due to Allied air patrols sinking 24 U-boats prior
22
Maisy Battery (9x150mm guns) shelled Utah until June 9 destruction by US 2nd Rangers
23
Gen. Heinrich Eberbach took 21st Panzer command at 0900, launching 3 probes against Sword Beach
24
Mont Fleury Battery silenced by HMS Roberts after 105 shells from 15-inch guns at Juno
25
Jabbeke radar station jammed by Allies, blinding Freya chain until 0600 when invasion confirmed
26
17th SS Panzergrenadier near Caen with 16,000 fanatical troops held British for weeks post-D-Day
27
Villers-Bocage strongpoint with 50mm Pak guns knocked out 20 British tanks June 13 by Wittmann
28
Merville Battery (4x75mm Czech guns) assaulted by 9th Parachute Battalion, captured at 0500 after heavy losses
29
Le Hamel strongpoint at Sword with 75mm gun and trenches manned by 100 Grenadiers repelled initial assaults
30
Widewell Battery near Sword with 150mm gun fired 200 rounds before HMS Mauritius silenced it
Interpretation
German Defenses and Response Interpretation
The Allies did not storm a fortress, but a bureaucratic nightmare of misplaced priorities, absent commanders, delayed reserves, and a patchwork army, where the only thing more impressive than the concrete was the staggering German belief in their own distractions.
06 · Category
Planning and Preparation30 stats
01
Operation Overlord, the broader campaign including D-Day, was conceived in 1943 and involved detailed planning starting from the Tehran Conference in November 1943 where Allied leaders agreed on a cross-Channel invasion
02
The final D-Day invasion plan, codenamed Operation Neptune, was approved by General Dwight D. Eisenhower on May 17, 1944, after numerous revisions to account for weather and tidal conditions
03
Allied planners calculated that the invasion required a 5:1 superiority in troops over German forces in Normandy, leading to the assembly of over 2 million personnel in southern England by June 1944
04
Operation Fortitude, a massive deception operation, convinced German intelligence that the main Allied landing would be at Pas-de-Calais, diverting 19 divisions from Normandy
05
The Allies conducted 17,000 sorties by RAF Bomber Command from April to June 1944 to soften German defenses, dropping over 14,000 tons of bombs on coastal batteries
06
Meteorological forecasts by Group Captain James Stagg were crucial; he predicted a narrow 6-hour window on June 6 despite poor weather, influencing Eisenhower's go-ahead decision at 0415 on D-Day minus one
07
Two artificial Mulberry harbors were designed and prefabricated in Britain, each capable of unloading 7,000 tons of cargo and 2,000 vehicles daily once operational
08
The Pluto pipeline project planned underwater fuel lines from England to Normandy, capable of delivering 1 million gallons of petrol per day by D+70
09
SHAEF (Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force) issued the final invasion order on May 8, 1944, detailing H-Hour as 0630 for most beaches adjusted for tides
10
Allied intelligence from Ultra decrypts revealed 58 German divisions in France, but underestimated the 7th Army's mobile reserves near Caen
11
The invasion required 16,000 French Resistance fighters to sabotage rail lines, cutting 295 locomotives and destroying key bridges on D-Day eve
12
Over 12,000 aircraft were allocated for air superiority, with 9,500 from RAF and USAAF based in 129 airfields across southern England
13
Naval bombardment plans included 7 battleships, 23 cruisers, and 121 destroyers to fire 10,000 tons of shells in the first hour on D-Day
14
The Allies stockpiled 1.5 million tons of supplies in 194 ports across Britain, including 500,000 tons of ammunition for the first 14 days
15
Paratrooper drop zones were rehearsed in mock invasions like Operation Tiger on Slapton Sands, which tragically cost 749 lives due to friendly fire
16
General Montgomery's plan divided Normandy into British sector (Caen) and American (Cotentin), with objectives set 10 miles inland by D+5
17
Waterproofing kits for 15,000 vehicles were developed, adding canvas seals and exhaust extensions to allow wading through 4 feet of water
18
The Horsa glider could carry 28 troops or a Jeep with gun, with 2,558 launched on D-Day from 24 airfields in southern England
19
Signal plans included 500,000 homing pigeons trained for message relay if radios failed due to German jamming
20
Beach obstacle charts were drawn from 1943 Commando raids like Dieppe, identifying 6 types including Belgian Gates and tetrahedrons
21
The invasion tide was calculated for a full moon on June 5-7 for optimal glider landings with bright nights
22
156,000 troops were to be landed in first wave, supported by 20,000 vehicles including 1,600 tanks across 5 beaches
23
SHAEF printed 100 million maps and 17 million air photos for troops, with each soldier receiving a personal escape kit with French francs
24
Operation Bodyguard included fake army FUSAG under Patton, with inflatable tanks and dummy radio traffic fooling German spies
25
RAF dropped 13,000 tons of bombs on French rail yards from June 5-7, reducing German reinforcements by 50% initially
26
Naval Force U for Utah Beach planned 220 ships, including USS Texas firing 2,500 shells from 14-inch guns pre-H-Hour
27
Engineers planned to clear 50-yard gaps through obstacles on each beach using 100 Duplex Drive tanks and 200 LCVPs
28
The cross-Channel convoy route "Spunyarn" was 80 miles long, zigzagging to avoid U-boats with 7 destroyer escorts
29
Medical evacuation plans included 59 hospital ships and 500 LCAs fitted as casualty carriers for 10,000 wounded on D-Day
30
Airborne pathfinders with Eureka beacons were to mark 9 drop zones with radar signals every 10 seconds starting 0030 June 6
Interpretation
Planning and Preparation Interpretation
For all the monumental statistics of D-Day, the true genius of Overlord was that it convinced Germany of an invasion at Pas-de-Calais with inflatable tanks and fake radio traffic, while the real Allied force, amassed through staggering logistical effort, was poised to strike a heavily fortified but deceptively weakened Normandy coast.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Isabelle Moreau. (2026, February 13). D-Day Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/d-day-statistics
MLA
Isabelle Moreau. "D-Day Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/d-day-statistics.
Chicago
Isabelle Moreau. 2026. "D-Day Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/d-day-statistics.
Sources & references
83 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level