D-Day: Anniversary – On this date in 1944, Allied forces landed in Normandy on the north coast of France in the early morning hours. The operation, which took months of planning, was instrumental in the Allies gaining the advantage in the war and liberating the village of Saint Mere Eglise. It was the largest seaborne invasion in history, and marked the cohesive tactics of the Americans, British and Canadian forces.
According to many military historians, the D in D-Day merely stands for Day. This coded designation was used for the day of any important invasion or military operation. For military planners (and later historians), the days before and after a D-Day were indicated using plus and minus signs: D-4 meant four days before a D-Day, while D+7 meant seven days after a D-Day. Even though this D-Day was monumental in history, there were several other D-Days in the war.
More than 5,000 Ships and 13,000 aircraft supported the D-Day invasion, and by day’s end, the Allies gained a foot-hold in Continental Europe. The cost in lives on D-Day was high. More than 9,000 Allied Soldiers were killed or wounded, but their sacrifice allowed more than 100,000 Soldiers to begin the slow, hard slog across Europe, to defeat Adolf Hitler’s crack troops.
US Army
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