As dawn broke, thousands of soldiers landed on five beaches along the Normandy coast under the protective fire of British and American warships and overwhelming airpower.
In the early morning of June 6, 1944, thousands of soldiers, sailors, and airmen from the United States, Great Britain, and the British Commonwealth readied themselves for D-Day of Operation Overlord, the designated day for the invasion of France and the start of the liberation of Western Europe from their Nazi occupiers. As dawn broke, thousands of soldiers landed on five beaches along the Normandy coast under the protective fire of British and American warships and overwhelming airpower. Despite this protective umbrella, the fighting was hard and costly before the battle was won.