On June 6, 1944, the Battle of Normandy began with the landing of 156,000 American, British, and Canadian troops on five beaches in occupied France on what is known as D-Day. Code-named Operation Overlord, the invasion was one of the largest amphibious operations in history, and was successfully carried out after extensive deception planning.
Only ten days each month were considered for the attack because it needed to be carried out near a full moon so airplanes could see navigational landmarks. General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Allied Expeditionary Force Supreme Commander, originally chose June 5 to launch the operation, but harsh weather delayed the landings. A short clearing in the weather forecast on June 6 gave allied forces the opportunity to carry out their plan of attack.
In the early hours of the morning, Allied troops quickly broke through the Atlantic Wall, a 50-mile stretch of heavily protected coastline, and pushed inland. On June 11, the beaches were completely seized by Allied forces, and by the end of August, they liberated Paris and removed German occupation from northwestern France. The Battle of Normandy prevented Hitler from building his army in France to counter the approaching Soviets and marked the beginning of the downfall of the Nazis.
Image: "American Reinforcements Piling from a Coast Guard Landing Barge into the Surf on the French Coast Soldiers Crossing the English Channel aboard a Coast Guard "Elsie" (LCI)"
