What is D-Day?

D-Day is June 6, 1944. It was on this day that the Allied invasion of France began in World War II.

The Allies had a plan for defeating the Axis Powers in Europe and in North Africa. First, the Allies wanted to liberate North Africa from Axis control. Then, the Allies would invade Italy. The Allies also wanted to secure the Atlantic Ocean. With new technology such as radar and sonar, we were able to locate German submarines. This helped the Allies to make the Atlantic Ocean more secure. After Italy was defeated, the Allies wanted to liberate France. Finally, the Allies planned to invade Germany.

D-Day was scheduled for June 5th. However, because of bad weather, the June 5th invasion was pushed back one day to June 6th.  On this day, the Allies invaded Normandy. Allied troops landed on the beaches of Normandy. There were many, many casualties in these battles. Eventually, the Allies secured the beaches and began to liberate France. Later, Germany was defeated, and World War II ended in Europe.

There are many military cemeteries in Normandy because of the enormous number of casualties that occurred in the fighting as the Allies secured these beaches and the land in Normandy. D-Day is a day that is not forgotten.