D-Day: The Normandy Landings

On 6 June 1944, D-Day, Allied forces launched Operation Overlord, the largest seaborne invasion in history. About 156,000 American, British, Canadian and other troops landed on five beaches in Normandy, code-named Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword, supported by nearly 7,000 vessels and thousands of aircraft. Airborne troops dropped behind the beaches overnight to seize bridges and crossroads.

An elaborate deception, Operation Fortitude, convinced German commanders that the main attack would come at the Pas-de-Calais, and the Germans kept forces there for weeks. Omaha Beach saw the heaviest losses, as many supporting tanks sank and bombing missed its targets. About 4,400 Allied troops were killed on D-Day itself. Artificial Mulberry harbors were towed across the Channel to land supplies. The landings succeeded in opening the second front, though breaking out of Normandy took about seven weeks of hard fighting.