What was D-Day?
D-Day was the Allied invasion of Normandy, France, on June 6, 1944, during World War II. It was the largest seaborne invasion in history and began the liberation of Western Europe from Nazi Germany.
The operation, codenamed Overlord, involved about 156,000 American, British, Canadian and other Allied troops landing on five beaches, codenamed Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword. Thousands of ships and aircraft supported the landings, and paratroopers dropped behind German lines the night before.
Fighting was fierce, especially at Omaha Beach, where American troops faced heavy fire. Thousands of Allied soldiers were killed or wounded on the first day. By the end of June, the Allies had landed more than 850,000 troops in Normandy. Paris was liberated in August 1944.
Why D-Day?
D-Day is a military term for the day an operation begins, with the D simply standing for day. The Allies used a large deception plan, Operation Fortitude, to convince Germany the invasion would come at Calais instead. General Dwight D. Eisenhower was the supreme commander.
Did You Know?
The invasion was delayed by one day from June 5 because of bad weather, based on forecasts by meteorologist James Stagg.