June 6 - D-Day

This Day in History: 6 June 2020

 

6 June 1944

 

76 years ago, today, Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of northern France, was initiated, which is now commonly known as D-Day. Before this attack, Hitler's armies were in control of most of mainland Europe, and both sides knew a successful invasion of the continent was key to winning the war. The invasion conducted by the Allies was the largest ever assembled, consisting of 156,000 Allies troops on the sea and in air, on five beachheads in Normandy. D-Day was the start of Allied operations which would ultimately liberate Western Europe, defeat the Nazis and end the Second World War.

 

When any military operation is being planned, its actual date and time is not always known, so the term 'D-Day' was used to mean the date on which operations would begin, whenever the date may be. The 'D' is commonly thought to stand for 'deliverance', 'doom', 'debarkation' and similar words, but it actually does not stand for anything. It is instead derived from the word 'day'. As well as this, many people think that the troops that landed on the D-Day beaches were only from Great Britain, Canada and the United States, but this is also not true. Other countries that participated include Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Greece, New Zealand and Poland. By the time the assault phase of Operation Overlord had ended, also known as Operation Neptune, the Allies had established a firm foothold in Normandy.

 

Want to find out more about D-Day? Click here for more information, or perhaps watch a film depicting the bravery of the D-Day troops. Options include 'The Longest Day' (1962) and 'Saving Private Ryan' (1998).