Dday

At the beginning of World War 2 Germany invaded Poland, causing France Great Britain and Canada to declare war on of France to liberate Europe from Germany. By the spring of 1940 the German army was ready to invade France, defended by not only the French military but also a sizable British force as well. Within six weeks the Germans defeated the Allies and seized control of France. By 1944, the Germans knew that the Allies also now including the United States, among others, would attempt an invasion. The Allied forces based in Britain decided to begin the invasion by landing a huge army at a place called Normandy Beach which is located on the northwest coast of France. Code-named Operation Overlord and commanded by American General Dwight D. Eisenhower The Allies landed on June 6 at five beaches in the Normandy area with the code names of Utah Beach Omaha Beach Gold Beach Juno Beach and Sword Beach. Prior to the actual amphibious invasion Allied planes pounded the Nazi defenders and dropped thousands of paratroopers behind German lines the night before the seaborne landings. Local French Resistance forces alerted to the