D – DAY 70 YEARS LATER…THE INVASION OF NORMANDY
June 6, 1944 was the day Western Allied forces landed in Normandy, France. Just after midnight, the Allied assault upon Hitler’s European stronghold began. The operation caught the Nazi high command off guard. Low tides and very bad weather convinced them that an attack was unlikely.
Airborne infantry made the initial attack, more than 1,000 British bombers pummeled Normandy’s coastline. The first confirmation of a large-scale attack did not arrive until 2:15 a.m. and news an invasion was in progress was not confirmed until 4:15 a.m., it was not until almost sunrise at 6:00 a.m. , when any doubt was removed, when the horizon was covered by an unbroken line of Allied warships.
More than 160,000 Allied troops landed along the 50-mile stretch of heavily fortified French coastline to fight Nazi Germany on the beaches of Normandy, General Dwight D. Eisenhower called the operation a battle “in which we will not accept nothing less than a full victory!” With more than 5,000 ships and 13,000 aircraft supporting the early morning invasion, by the end of June 6, 1944, the Allied forces had a strong foothold in Normandy.
More than 9,000 Allied soldiers lost their lives and were wounded during D-Day. The cost was high. June 6, 1944 more than 100,000 soldiers began the march across Europe to defeat Adolf Hitler and turn the tide against the Nazi’s.
The following spring, on May 8, 1945, the Allied forces have formally accepted the unconditional surrender of Nazi, Germany. Hitler had committed suicide a week earlier, on April 30.
Pay tribute and honor all our World War II Veterans.
Thank you to all the brave servicemen and women on this 70th Anniversary of D-Day The Invasion of Normandy, your sacrifices will not be forgotten.
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