Back to BattlesEurope — Western Front
D-Day — Operation Overlord
Date Range
June 6, 1944
Location
Normandy beaches, France
Combatants
Allied forces (US, UK, Canada, Free France and others) vs. Nazi Germany
Outcome
Allied victory — successful establishment of a western European beachhead
Casualties
Allies: 10,000–12,000 casualties on Day 1; Germany: 1,000–9,000
Strategic Significance
The largest amphibious operation in history. Opened the second western front Stalin had long demanded. Began the liberation of France and Western Europe, eventually pressing the Third Reich from two directions.