It's almost impossible to overstate the importance of the D-Day landings as they pertain to the outcome of World War II. If not for the Allied troops that fought on Normandy's beaches — on June 6, 1944, and the days afterward — it's possible the war would have dragged on well into 1946.
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But what would have happened, specifically, if the Allied efforts in Normandy had failed? What if the German military secured the necessary reinforcements and defended off the invading forces with much heavier firepower?
While it's impossible to know for certain, historians generally believe such an outcome would have changed the course of the war, and likely the state of global politics.
“If D-Day had failed — let's say the landings at two of the five beaches had been crushed by the Germans — it would have taken many, many months — well into 1945 — before the Allies were ready to launch a second invasion,” Dr. Rob Citino, a historian and Distinguished Fellow with the National WWII Museum's scholarly research wing in New Orleans, told Nexstar. “The D-Day invasion…had involved so many men, plans, ships — and so much advance planning — that improvising a second one might have been impossible. There simply wasn’t a second bullet in the chamber.”
It's widely known that General Dwight D. Eisenhower, who commanded the Allied forces, was also prepared to take accountability in the event of a retreat. In a note he wrote the day before and carried in his wallet, Eisenhower jotted down a message he intended to share in the event of a failure.
“Our landings in the Cherbourg-Havre area have failed to gain a satisfactory foothold and I have withdrawn the troops,” he wrote. “My decision to attack at this time and place was based upon the best information available. The troops, the air and the Navy did all that Bravery and devotion to duty could do. If any blame or fault attaches to the attempt it is mine alone.”