D-Day was the launch of the airborne operations of the Allied invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944. It was codenamed Operation Overlord or Operation Neptune during the Second World War. It was led by General Dwight D. Eisenhower as appointed by U.S President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
With 160,000 troops traversing the English Channel and 1,200 planes followed by over 5,000 vessels involved in the assault, D-Day was the largest amphibious attack in the history of military campaigns. By the end of August that year, over two million Allied forces were in France.
Prior to D-Day, the Allies carried out a military deception codenamed Operation Bodyguard to deceive the German troops as to the exact date and site of the landings. The invasion targeted five beaches along the coast of Normandy: Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword. The Allies wasn’t able to execute their goals on the initial day due to the bad weather condition on D-Day. However, they obtained a solid favorable position leading to the expansion of the Allies over the next months.
The Battle of Normandy lasted longer than expected but was a decisive triumph for the Allies, making way for the independence of France from the Nazi clutches and later on, the liberation of western Europe.
D-Day Memorabilia
This D-Day: 7th Anniversary Collection coin box set contains six Second World War coins from six countries involved in the invasion of Normandy: a Great Britain sixpence silver coin that features King George VI, a United States Mercury dime that depicts a winged effigy of Liberty, a Canadian V Nickel coin that portrays King George VI, a France 2-Franc coin that shows a double bit ax, a Belgium 25-centime coin that features three shields, and also a Germany 5 Reichspfennig that highlights an eagle above a swastika.
