Fun with Maps ISSUE 2025-020

By Steve Kovacs (Introduction by Chuck Gibson)

LOVELAND, OH (January 31, 2025) – In today’s edition of Fun with Maps, we take a look at the weather impacting WWII history.

Not Yet

The original date for Operation Neptune was January 31, 1944, but weather, logistics and fear for spies postponed it to June 6, 1944.

Omaha, Juno, Gold, Utah, Sword – 50 miles of Normandy coast.  The allied invasion.

No harbors.  No problem, they built them on the go using large concrete blocks.  The largest seaborn invasion in history.

So, what happens after you land and establish the beachhead.  Well, you make plans for troop movements for day 1 and 2 and that is what this map shows – routes, staging areas and the like for those landing at Omaha.

By the way, Operation Neptune was the code name for landing and Operations Overlord was the code name for the invasion of France.

The map is labeled Top Secret Bigot, which is the highest order of secrecy of the day.

Steve Kovacs and his wife Theresa reside in Loveland, Ohio where they raised their two children. He is a passionate collector of antique maps.

Visit his antique map boutique world-on-paper online. Watch for his daily feature Steve Kovacs: Fun with Maps here on Loveland Beacon.