On June 6, 1944, history was made with the D-Day invasion of Nazi-occupied France. This massive operation used a fleet of ships, planes, and vehicles to push through Adolf Hitler’s defenses in western Europe. Nearly 160,000 Allied troops participated in this historic event, with significant contributions from the United States, Britain, and Canada.
The operation began with five code-named beaches – Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword – at 6:30 a.m., with sea landings and additional actions inland. An estimated 11,000 Allied aircraft were involved in the operation along with 7,000 ships and boats. The Allies faced around 50,000 German forces during this intense battle.
The human cost of the D-Day invasion was high as 4,414 Allied troops were killed on the day itself and thousands more were wounded. The Battle of Normandy that followed claimed the lives of another 73,000 Allied forces and left an estimated 153,000 wounded. The exact number of German casualties is unknown but estimates range between 4,000 to 9,
