d-day

June 6, 1944: D-Day invasion at Normandy remembered

Thursday, June 6, 2019
June 6, 1944 stands out in our collective memory as a day of enormous personal heroism and sacrifice. On this day in history, about 156,000 Allied troops invaded Western Europe, overwhelming German forces in an operation that proved to be a turning point in World War II.
June 6, 1944 is often considered the beginning of the end of World War II in Europe. On this day, 156,000 Allied troops successfully stormed the beaches of Normandy in occupied France.
Supreme Commander Dwight Eisenhower visits paratroopers of the 101st Airborne Division, three hours before the D-Day invasionnone
A U.S. Coast Guard LCI moves alongside a transport ship to evacuate her troops, during the initial Normandy landing operations in France, on June 6, 1944.none
Men and assault vehicles storm the beach as Allied landing craft reach their destination during the initial Normandy landing operations in France, on June 6, 1944.none
Under the cover of naval shell fire, American infantrymen wade ashore from their landing craft during the initial Normandy landing operations in France, June 6, 1944.none
A U.S. Coast Guard landing barge, tightly packed with helmeted soldiers, approaches the shore at Normandy, France, during initial Allied landing operations, June 6, 1944.none
After landing at the shore, these British troops wait for the signal to move forward, during the initial Allied landing operations in Normandy, France, June 6, 1944.none
Landing craft, escorted by ships of the Royal Navy, sail to the Great Assault on June 5, 1944 the guns of H.M. ship are at the ready.none
Ducks (amphibious trucks) and a half-track follow foot troops ashore during the invasion of Normandy on a 100-mile front along the French coast by allied forces on June 6, 1944.none
Wounded British troops from the South Lancashire and Middlesex regiments are being helped ashore at Sword Beach.none
Ducks (amphibious trucks) and a half-track follow foot troops ashore during the World War II opening invasion of France on a 100-mile front along the Normandy coast.none
A first wave beach battalion Ducks lays low under the fire of Nazi guns on the beach of southern France on D-Day, June 6, 1944 during World War II.none
American soldiers and supplies arrive on the shore of the French coast of German-occupied Normandy during the Allied D-Day invasion on June 6, 1944 in World War II.none
American paratroopers, heavily armed, sit inside a military plane as they soar over the English Channel en route to the Normandy French coast.none
British troops make their way through low water and up the beach after leaving landing craft which transported them across the Channel to the Normandy beachhead.none
Carrying full equipment, American assault troops move onto a beachhead code-named Omaha Beach, on the northern coast of France on June 6, 1944.none
German prisoners of war are led away by Allied forces from Utah Beach, on June 6, 1944, during landing operations at the Normandy coast, France.none
Canadian troops in landing crafts approach a stretch of coastline code-named Juno Beach, near Bernieres-sur-mer, as the Allied Normandy invasion gets under way, on June 6, 1944.none
Men of the American assault troops of the 16th Infantry Regiment, injured while storming a coastal area code-named Omaha Beach during the Allied invasion of the Normandy.none
Bouncing about on the rough waters of the Channel, these landing craft loaded with assault troops head for the shore of the French coast early in the dawn of D-Day, June 6, 1944.none
Some of the first assault troops to hit the Normandy, France beachhead take cover behind enemy obstacles to fire on German forces.none
U.S. infantrymen wade through the surf as they land at Normandy in the days following the Allies' June 1944, D-Day invasion of occupied France.none

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RELATED: Trump, world leaders mark D-Day 2019

At 6:30 on the morning of June 6, the troops began invading a 50-mile stretch of beaches. An estimated 4,000 Allied troops were killed in the operation, according to U.S. National D-Day Memorial Foundation.

June 6, 1944: D-Day invasion at Normandy


The event became known as D-Day. There is some disagreement about what the "D" in D-Day stands for, according to the World War II Museum. The most common answer is that both D-Day and H-Hour are military code used to designate the date and time of an important invasion or military operation, with plus and minus signs used to designate time before or after. For example, "D+7" means seven days after the operation. "D-Day," therefore, indicates the day of the operation.

After invading the beaches, the Allies moved east, and by the end of the summer, Paris had been liberated. Less than a year later, Nazi Germany surrendered.
Newsreel footage of the Allied invasion of Normandy

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The 75th anniversary of D-Day is June 6, 2019. To mark the occasion, President Donald Trump traveled to Portsmouth, England to participate in a ceremony with Queen Elizabeth II. As part of the ceremony, Trump read from a prayer delivered by President Franklin D. Roosevelt 75 years ago.

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