On this date 78 years ago, more than 160,000 troops landed along a 50-mile stretch of the French coastline to fight Nazi Germany on the beaches of Normandy. The allied troops were sent to fight Nazi Germany by General Dwight D Eisenhower. More than 5,000 ships and 13,000 aircrafts supported the invasion.
Eisenhower called the operation a crusade in which “we will accept nothing less than full victory.”
Many lives were lost on D-Day all those years ago. More than 9,000 allied soldiers were killed or wounded in the invasion. Their sacrifice wasn’t for nothing, though. More than 100,000 soldiers began the slow, hard trek across Europe to defeat Hitler and his army.
Today, please take a moment to remember and honor those who lost their lives in the largest naval, air and land operation in history. Their sacrifice is not forgotten, and our thoughts and prayers remain with their families.