A HOUSE RESOLUTION HONORing the north carolinians and the allied troops who fought during world war ii On THE seventy‑fifth ANNIVERSARY of d‑day.
Whereas, during World War II, the Battle of Normandy, which lasted from June 1944 to August 1944, resulted in the Allied liberation of Western Europe from Nazi Germany's control. The battle, codenamed Operation Overlord, began on June 6, 1944; and
Whereas, more than 5,000 ships and landing craft carrying troops and supplies crossed the English Channel to France, with more than 11,000 aircraft mobilized to provide air cover and support for the invasion; and
Whereas, by day's end, more than 156,000 American, British, and Canadian forces had stormed five beaches along a 50‑mile stretch of the heavily fortified coast of France's Normandy region in one of the largest amphibious military assaults in history and one of the most decisive battles of World War II; and
Whereas, less than one week later, on June 11, the beaches were fully secured. Over 326,000 troops, more than 50,000 vehicles, and some 100,000 tons of equipment had landed at Normandy; and
Whereas, the Allies fought their way across the Normandy countryside in the face of determined German resistance. By the end of June, Allied forces had seized the vital port of Cherbourg, landed approximately 850,000 troops and 150,000 vehicles in Normandy, and were poised to continue their march across France; and
Whereas, by the end of August 1944, the Allies had reached the Seine River, where Paris was liberated and the Germans had been removed from northwestern France, effectively concluding the Battle of Normandy. The Normandy landings signaled the beginning of the end of the war in Europe, and by the following spring, on May 8, 1945, the Allies formally accepted the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany; and
Whereas, more than 4,400 Allied troops lost their lives in the D‑Day invasion, with thousands more wounded or missing; and
Whereas, of the more than 362,500 North Carolinians who served during World War II, the "World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing – State of North Carolina" published by the War Department in June 1946 listed 7,109 North Carolinians either killed or missing during that war. Efforts, which continue to this day, to recover and identify combatant remains have increased the number of North Carolinians, either killed or missing, to nearly 10,000; and
Whereas, the number of North Carolinians confirmed to have died on D‑Day currently stands at 39; Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:
SECTION 1.  The House of Representatives wishes to observe and honor the service and sacrifice of the North Carolinians and Allied heroes, living and dead, who fought to free a continent, whose names may be unknown or unfamiliar, but whose deeds are immortal on June 6, 2019, the seventy‑fifth anniversary of D‑Day.
SECTION 2.  This resolution is effective upon adoption.