History for the day: 6 June 1944

Although the term D-Day is used routinely as military jargon for the day an operation or event will take place, for many it is also synonymous with 6 June 1944, the day the Allied powers crossed the English Channel and landed on the beaches of Normandy in France, beginning the liberation of Western Europe from Nazi control during World War Two. Within three months, the northern part of France would be freed and the invasion force would be preparing to enter Germany, where they would meet up with Soviet forces moving in from the east.
With Hitler’s armies in control of most of mainland Europe, the Allies knew that a successful invasion of the continent was central to winning the war. Hitler knew this too, and was expecting an assault on northwestern Europe in the spring of 1944. He hoped to repel the Allies from the coast with a strong counterattack that would delay future invasion attempts, giving him time to throw the majority of his forces into defeating the then-Soviet Union. Once that was accomplished, he believed an all-out victory would soon be his.
On the morning of 5 June 1944, American General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the supreme commander of Allied forces in Europe, gave the go-ahead for Operation Overlord, the largest amphibious military operation in history. On his orders, six thousand landing craft, ships and other vessels carrying nearly two hundred thousand troops began to leave England for the trip to France. That night, almost nine hundred aircraft filled with parachutists headed for drop zones in Normandy. An additional thirteen thousand aircraft were mobilized to provide air cover and support for the invasion.
By dawn on 6 June, eighteen thousand parachutists were already on the ground; the land invasions began at 0630. The British and Canadians overcame light opposition to capture Gold, Juno, and Sword beaches; so did the Americans at Utah. The task was much tougher at Omaha beach, however, where two thousand troops were lost, and it was only through the tenacity and quick-wittedness of troops on the ground that the objective was achieved. By day’s end, a hundred and fifty thousand Allied troops– Americans, British, and Canadians– had successfully stormed Normandy’s beaches.
For their part, the Germans suffered from confusion in the ranks and the absence of celebrated commander Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, who was away on leave. Hitler, at first believing that the invasion was a feint designed to distract the Germans from a coming attack north of the Seine, refused to release nearby divisions to join the counterattack and reinforcements had to be called from further afield, causing delays. He also hesitated in calling for armored divisions to help in the defense. In addition, the Germans were hampered by effective Allied air support, which took out many key bridges and forced the Germans to take long detours, as well as efficient Allied naval support, which helped protect advancing Allied troops.
Though it did not go off exactly as planned, as later claimed by British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery– for example, the Allies were able to land only fractions of the supplies and vehicles they had intended in France– D-Day was a decided success. By the end of June, the Allies had over eight hundred thousand men and over a hundred thousand vehicles in Normandy, and were poised to continue their march across Europe.
The heroism and bravery displayed by troops from the Allied countries on D-Day has served as inspiration for several films, most famously The Longest Day (released in 1962) and Saving Private Ryan (released in 1998). It was also depicted in the HBO mini-series Band of Brothers (televised in 2001).

Rico says it's yet another battle he's happy to have missed, though The Longest Day was a great movie...