Normandy Campaign

Operation Overlord was the code name for the invasion of western Europe during World War II by Allied forces. The operation began on 6 June 1944 with the Normandy Landings (commonly known as D-Day) when an airborne assault preceded an amphibious assault. Nearly 160,000 troops crossed the English Channel on 6 June, and more than 3 million troops had landed by the end of August. Allied land forces that saw combat in Normandy on D-Day itself came fr... more

Operation Overlord was the code name for the invasion of western Europe during World War II by Allied forces. The operation began on 6 June 1944 with the Normandy Landings (commonly known as D-Day) when an airborne assault preceded an amphibious assault. Nearly 160,000 troops crossed the English Channel on 6 June, and more than 3 million troops had landed by the end of August. Allied land forces that saw combat in Normandy on D-Day itself came from Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. Free French forces and Poland also participated in the battle after the assault phase, and there were also contingents from Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Greece, the Netherlands, and Norway. Other Allied nations participated in the naval and air forces. Once the beachheads were secured, a three-week military buildup occurred on the beaches before Operation Cobra, the operation to break out from the Normandy beachhead began. The battle for Normandy continued for more than two months,... less