The Normandy beaches became a battleground in the struggle to free France and Europe at large from the hold of Nazi Germany in World War II. The invasion, which included land, sea and air forces, was successful in the Allies gaining a foothold in German-occupied Western Europe, but it came at the cost of thousands of soldiers’ lives.
The battle took place in June 1944 and was led by Supreme Allied Commander Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower. Now, millions head to Normandy, France, every year to attend memorials, reenactments, festivals and events commemorating D-Day and the entire Battle of Normandy.
Here is everything you need to know about D-Day, including what it stands for, when it was and how it finally came to an end.
D-Day marked the start of the Battle of Normandy that took the lives of thousands of soldiers. (Artur Widak/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
WORLD WAR II’S D-DAY: PHOTOS REVEAL WORLD’S LARGEST AMPHIBIOUS INVASION
- What does the D in D-Day stand for?
- What was D-Day fought for?
- How many Americans died on D-Day?
- How did D-Day end?
- When was D-Day?
1. What does the D in D-Day stand for?
What the D in D-Day stands for isn’t as plain and simple as you may think. In fact, there are actually a few different theories on what the letter means.
One common thought is that the D in the name simply stood for “day” while others believe it represents a military code used to describe when an operation is set to begin, according to the Department of Defense.
A third explanation put forth is that military operations have a “departed day,” which can be shortened down into D-Day, according to the source.
REMEMBER D-DAY AS IF IT WERE YESTERDAY, EVERY DAY
There are many reenactments of D-Day that take place to honor the historic World War II Allied invasion of German-occupied France. (Michal Fludra/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
2. What was D-Day fought for?
D-Day refers to the amphibious Allied invasion of occupied France that successfully established a foothold from which the Allies would launch a campaign to take back Europe from the control of Nazi Germany. There were 12 countries that worked as allies in order to accomplish this mission, including the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. D-Day was the beginning of the overall mission codenamed “Operation Overlord.”
D-Day is known to be the largest seaborne invasion in history.
3. How many Americans died on D-Day?
There were more than 9,000 Allied soldiers who were killed or wounded within the first 24 hours of battle.
There aren’t any exact figures for how many Americans were killed on the first day of the invasion, but multiple sources estimate that more than 2,000 Americans during that first day of battle.
4. How did D-Day end?
D-Day was the start of a months-long campaign. The entire Battle of Normandy concluded at the end of August 1944. At the end of the battle, Paris was liberated.
D-Day took place on June 6, 1944, on the beaches of Normandy, France. (HUM Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
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It also ended with thousands of casualties.
5. When was D-Day?
D-Day took place on June 6, 1944, and marked the beginning of the Battle of Normandy during World War II, although this wasn’t the original day it was supposed to take place.
The first date for D-Day was in May 1944, according to the National WWII Museum. The day was then set for June 5 of that year, but brutal weather hit and Eisenhower made the decision to hold off the attack for one day. That is what led to the official date of D-Day.
