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Operation Neptune was the term for the landing phase of Operation Overlord , the Allied Invasion Of Normandy . ''Neptune'' took place on Gold Beach , Juno Beach , Omaha Beach , Pointe Du Hoc , Sword Beach and Utah Beach . PARTICIPANTS The Invasion Fleet was drawn from 8 different navies, comprising 6,939 vessels (1,213 warships, 4,126 transport vessels (landing ships and Landing Craft ) and 1,600 support vessels which included a number of merchant vessels). The overall commander of the Allied Naval Expeditionary Force, providing close protection and bombardment at the beaches, was Admiral Sir ) and Eastern (Rear-Admiral Sir Philip Vian - another veteran of the Italian landings). The warships provided cover for the transports against the enemy whether in the form of surface warships, submarines or as an aerial attack and give support to the landings through shore bombardment. These ships included the Allied Task Force "O". Allied warships Battleships Six battleships took part: three British and three US:
Cruisers Twenty-three cruisers (17 British and Commonwealth , 3 US, 2 Free French and 1 other Allied), including:
Destroyers & escorts 135 ships (eighty-five British and Dominion, 39 US, 7 Free French and 7 other Allied):
Kempenfelt, Faulknor, Venus, Fury, Vigilant, Bleasdale, Algonquin, Glaisdale, Sioux, Stevenstone, La Combattante
Svenner, Slazak, Stord Other warships 508 ships (352 British, 154 US and 2 other Allied):
H.Q. ship H.M.S. Bulolo The British 9th and 159th minesweeping flotillas and U.S. 7th Minesweeping Squadron provided minesweeping protection. An anti-submarine screen to the force was provided by H.M. Ships ''Onslow'', ''Offa'', ''Onslaught'', ''Oribi'', ''Melbreak'' and ''Brissenden''. OPERATION ''GAMBIT'' A small part of this operation was Operation '' Gambit '', when British midget submarines ( X-Craft ) supplied navigation beacons to guide landing craft. NAVAL SCREEN An important part of ''Neptune'' was the isolation of the invasion routes and beaches from any intervention by the German Navy - the Kriegsmarine . The responsibility for this was assigned to the Royal Navy's Home Fleet . There were two principle perceived German naval threats. The first was surface attack by German capital ships from anchorages in Scandinavia and the Baltic. This didn't materialise since, by mid-1944, the battleships were damaged and the cruisers were used for training and, in any case, there were fuel shortages. The inactivity may also have resulted from Hitler's disillusion with the Kriegsmarine. Nonetheless, the Royal Navy had strong forces available to repel any attempts. Nevertheless, the Kiel Canal area was mined (Operation ''Bravado''), as a precaution. The second perceived major threat was that of U-boats transferred from the Atlantic. Air surveillance from three Escort Carriers and RAF Coastal Command maintained a cordon well west of Land's End . Few U-boats were spotted and most of the escort groups were moved nearer to the landings. Further efforts were made to seal the Western Approaches against German naval forces from Brittany and the Bay Of Biscay . Minefields were laid (Operation ''Maple'') to force enemy ships away from air protection where they could be attacked by Allied destroyer flotillas. Again, enemy activity was minor, but on 4th July four German destroyers were either sunk or forced back to Brest . The Straits Of Dover were closed by minefields, naval and air patrols, Radar , and effective bombing raids on enemy ports. Local German naval forces were small, but could be reinforced from the Baltic . Their efforts, however, were concentrated on protecting the Pas De Calais against expected landings there and no attempt was made to force the blockade. The screening operation destroyed few German ships, but the objective was achieved. There were no U-boat attacks against Allied shipping and few attempts by surface ships. NAVAL BOMBARDMENT Warships provided supporting fire for the land forces. This went beyond the suppression of shore batteries overlooking landing beaches and was also used to break up enemy concentrations as the troops moved inland. This was particularly noted in German reports: Field-Marshall Gerd Von Rundstedt reported that ... The enemy had deployed very strong Naval forces off the shores of the bridgehead. These can be used as quickly mobile, constantly available artillery, at points where they are necessary as defence against our attacks or as support for enemy attacks. During the day their fire is skillfully directed by . . . . . . plane observers, and by advanced ground fire spotters. Because of the high rapid-fire capacity of Naval guns they play an important part in the battle within their range. The movement of tanks by day, in open country, within the range of these naval guns is hardly possible. DEFINITION Although many references state that ''Operation Neptune'' refers to the naval operations in support of ''Operation Overlord'', the most reliable references make it clear that ''Overlord'' refers to the establishment of a large-scale Lodgement in Normandy, and that ''Neptune'' refers to the landing phase; i.e. ''Neptune'' was the first part of ''Overlord''. According to the D-day museum : "The armed forces use codenames to refer to the planning and execution of specific military operations. Operation Overlord was the codename for the Allied invasion of north-west Europe. The assault phase of Operation Overlord was known as Operation Neptune. (...) Operation Neptune began on D-Day ( 6 June 1944 ) and ended on 30 June 1944 . By this time, the Allies had established a firm foothold in Normandy. Operation Overlord also began on D-Day, and continued until Allied forces crossed the River Seine on 19 August 1944 ." See also this Encyclopædia Britannica article for further support of this usage. SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS
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