On June 6, 1944, Supreme Allied Commander General Dwight
D. Eisenhower gave the go-ahead for the largest amphibious
military operation in history: Operation Overlord, the Allied
invasion of northern France, commonly known as D-Day.
By daybreak, 18,000 British and American parachutists were
already on the ground. An additional 13,000 aircraft were
mobilized to provide air cover and support for the invasion.
At 6:30 a.m., American troops came ashore at Utah and Omaha
beaches.
Gen. Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower
(October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969)
![Today in History: D-Day: The Liberation of Western Europe Begins (1944) | Normandy invasion, D ...](https://i.pinimg.com/736x/b4/9c/b4/b49cb4f9c7db0f9fe6bcbe74af3b6a3a.jpg)
![Today in History: D-Day: The Liberation of Western Europe Begins (1944) | Normandy invasion, D ...](https://www.warwickshireworld.com/interactive/uploads/store/mediaupload/457/image/d-day-map.jpg)
A plane flies over the American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-
Mer, Normandy.