D-DAY (Invasion of Normandy)
On June 6th, 1944 the Allies launched the largest amphibious invasion the world had ever seen on the German-occupied coast of Normandy, France. The Germans had fortified the French coastline with the "Atlantic Wall", a series of defensive fortifications designed to fend off any invasion efforts. The Allies tried to bomb the defenses first to soften them up. A "ghost army" commanded by the renowned Gen. George S. Patton was created to fool the Germans into believing the invasion would occur farther north, at Calais. This illusion kept key German Forces concentrated away from Normandy's beaches. The invasion began in the early morning hours of June 6th, when Allied paratroopers and gliders infiltrated behind the Atlantic Wall to disrupt German supplies and cut off reinforcements. Then, after attempts to soften up the Wall with artillery and bombing, the main invasion force started its assault on the beaches. Afters hours of intense fighting on the beaches, the Allies established a foothold and another front against Nazi Germany was established. However there was a great cost. The Allies suffered over 10,000 casualties on D-Day alone. But the sacrifice of these brave men would allow the Allies to mount an offensive against Hitler in the West. Remember, Allied forces were still fighting the Germans in Italy (southern Europe), and the Soviet Union would close in on Germany from the East. It was the beginning of the end for the Nazis.