D-DAY: June 6, 1944: ACTION at the Normandy Beaches

This covers the landings on June 6, 1944. More than 160,000 troops landed along a 50 mile stretch of heavily fortified structures of French settlements along the coastline, to fight on the beaches in France where Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower called the operation a crusade in which, “we will accept nothing less than full victory.’ More than 5,000 ships and 13,000 aircraft supported this effort, and by day's end, the Allies gained a foothold in Continental Europe. The cost in lives was high. More than 9,000 were lost, but their sacrifice allowed more than 100,000 to begin the slow, hard slog across Europe, to defeat Germany.