Essay 1944 Changed the World for the Better and the Worse

Submitted By maddy470
Words: 1962
Pages: 8

1944 Changed the World for the Better and the Worse The year 1944 was one of the most influential years in all of history. Throughout this year many prominent events have occurred. This year is notorious for World War Two and various massacres. The Year 1944 was important because D-day commenced, The Battle of Bulge killed 19,000 US soldiers, and the Coca-Cola Company was founded in Georgia. In 1944, one of the greatest battles of all time took place. It took much preparation. It was difficult for anyone to imagine that Hitler’s domination would be coming to a close. D-Day Memorial Foundation states, “The landing included over 5,000 ships, 11,000 airplanes, and over 150,000 service men.
 After years of meticulous planning and seemingly endless training, for the Allied Forces, it all came down to this: The boat ramp goes down, then jump, swim, run, and crawl to the cliffs” Everything would be on the line. When D-day came, so did dreadful weather. Soon the storm was so awful that the soldiers postponed the invasion for a day. Through much discussion they decided to continue with the operation the next day, praying that the storm would pass. D-Day Memorial Foundation says, “They faced over 200 yards of beach before reaching the first natural feature offering any protection. Blanketed by small-arms fire and bracketed by artillery, they found themselves in hell”. Some men were aboard assorted ships and began to become seasick. The war had not started yet, and the soldiers already felt like they had been run over. The men could not understand what could be worse than what they were already going through. D-Day was the term for the day and hour when an operation or warfare would break out. D-Day Memorial Foundation says, “They designate day and hour for an operation when the actual day and hour have not yet been determined or announced. The letters are derived from the words for which they stand, ‘D’ for the day of the invasion and ‘H’ for the hour the operation actually begins”. The final result of D-day was that nearly 10,000 were injured and more than 4,000 were dead. The united powers were able to surmount German resistance and establish a foothold in France. All around the world, many people turned on their radios, listening to the events of D-day. Birdie says, “My mom’s birthday was on D-Day and I remember my mom and dad listening to news reports on the radio. I knew something important had just happened” (Birdie Basset). D-day changed the course of European and American History. D-day was one factor that adjourned the spread of Fascism which allowed the spread of Communism. In late 1944, after the successful D-Day invasion of Normandy, France, it seemed World War II would soon be coming to a close. PBS says, “They were confident that the war would soon be over”. This was before one of the deadliest battles in all of American history. Millions of inexperienced American soldiers died atrociously, as they fought for their lives. The Battle of Bulge was gruesome and troubling. This war was significant because it was the largest land battle in World War Two that The United States had participated in. PBS says, “It came as a total surprise when, on December 16, 1944, 30 German divisions a quarter of a million men strong -- roared across an 85-mile Allied front, from southern Belgium to the middle of Luxembourg. Secretly planned down to the detail by Hitler himself, the invasion was designed to split the American-British alliance, setting them to quarreling and permitting the Führer to negotiate a peace. The losses on the first day were massive; in some places, the Allies were outnumbered ten to one”. This caused excessive chaos in the United States. In the U.S., in 1944, there was much rationing, and people worked many hours, supporting the War effort. Many supplies such as clothing, sugar, meat, butter, coffee, gasoline and tires were rationed. Rationing indicated that each family could only get a