Most of us have studied about World War II as an important part in history fo this world. It happens to be on the deadliest conflict in human history which used terror bombing, strategic planning and even the use of nuclear weapons! One of the most important parts within this war was the D-Day, it was, in fact, the turning point in the war which led to the defeat of Germany's army in France. It was the invasion of Normandy beach on June 6, 1944. And today marks the anniversary of this historic feat. On this day, let us tell you more about it and how it exactly transpired after great planning. On Sad Anniversary, Few to Mourn the D-Day Dead in Normandy.

Things to Know About Normandy Landings

  • Normandy Invasion, also called Operation Overlord or D-Day. On June 6, 1944, the Allied forces launched a combined attack from naval, land and air on France, which was occupied by Nazis.

  • Allied countries literally joined forces. The invasion saw joint efforts from the US, Britain, Canada, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Greece, Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand and Norway.

  • The 'D' in D-day doesn't stand for anything, but just describes the first day of this large military operation.

  • This operation was carried with great planning. Team of British, American and Canadian officers had submitted plans for the invasion in July 1943.

  • British factories had to increases production of supplies and equipment to provide resources for the invasion.

  • It was carried out in two phases- airborne assault and invading naval fronts. Over a 1,30,000 troops landed on the beaches and bombarded the German coastal defences before and during the landing.

  • Deception campaigns were held to convince German forces that the main invasions would take place in some other place.

  • The casualties of this attack were already known to be already high. The estimates of how many lives were lost on this day in history still cannot be calculated.

  • A dress rehearsal of the Normandy invasion was carried on English beach but the operation "Exercise Tiger" turned into a fiasco.

  • The toughest fight was on Omaha beach which was fortified with landmines. The Nazi army could not be taken out easily but US forces continued through the day and managed to defeat the Nazis by nightfall.

    This invasion turned the face of the war against Nazis which was instrumental in the course of World War II. The Normandy landings or D-Day continue to remain one of the largest and significant staged military operation.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 06, 2020 08:00 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).