Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of Normandy in northern France on June 6, 1944, was the largest amphibious military assault the world has ever seen. Its success heralded the beginning of the end of World War II in Europe on May 8, 1945.
Victory came at a high price. More than 156,000 Allied troops landed by sea on five beaches – code-named Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword – or parachuted behind German defenses. Almost 4,500 of them were killed on D-Day and 5,800 were wounded or missing. German casualties were estimated at 4,000 to 9,000.
Learn more: 80 years later, D-Day veterans return to Normandy.
An estimated 11,590 aircraft and 6,938 ships and landing craft were part of the assault.
As we observe the 80th anniversary of D-Day, here is a look at significant events leading up to and during the invasion.
How the D-Day invasion unfolded
Midnight: British Royal Air Force bombs German coastal batteries – heavy artillery used against ships and aircraft – north of Caen.
Midnight to 2 a.m.: 180 paratroopers from the British 6th Airborne Division land by gliders east of Sword Beach and seize two bridges across the Caen Canal.
The first of 15,500 paratroopers from the 82nd and 101st U.S. Airborne are dropped near Carentan. They battle German forces and clear exits for U.S. infantry landing on Utah Beach.
3 a.m.: Allied minesweepers begin clearing waterways ahead of the invasion fleet.
3:14 a.m.: German radar detects invasion fleet.
5:20 a.m.: Dawn breaks.
More than 10,000 Allied casualties on D-Day
5:35 a.m.: German batteries begin firing on fleet. Allied ships return fire and bombard coastal defenses.
6:30 a.m.: Troops begin landing on Utah and Omaha beaches.
7:26 a.m.: Troops begin landing at Sword Beach.
7:30 a.m.: 2nd Ranger Battalion scales 100-foot cliff at Pointe-du-Hoc and later captures German 155mm cannons.
7:35 a.m.: Troops begin landing at Gold Beach.
8 a.m.: Troops begin landing at Juno Beach.
8:30 a.m.: Tanks land at Omaha Beach.
9:50 a.m.: U.S. destroyers move in close to Omaha Beach and begin shelling German targets.
10:15 a.m.: Allied naval shells destroy vital German artillery at Colleville-sur-Mer and Pointe de la Percee.
10:30 a.m.: Infantry continues to land at Omaha and Utah beaches.
Navigating deadly Omaha Beach
11:10 a.m.: 101st Airborne and 4th Infantry troops link up at Pouppeville.
12:03 p.m.: British paratroopers and commandos from Sword Beach link up at Orne bridges.
12:30 p.m.: Allied forces move inland. More than 18,000 U.S. soldiers have landed.
1 p.m.: U.S. soldiers capture Vierville.
2:15 p.m.: German infantry prisoners are taken to Omaha Beach.
10:30 p.m.: British troops liberate town of Arromanches-les-Bains.
Midnight: All five beaches at Normandy are declared secure.
CONTRIBUTING Frank Pompa
SOURCE USA TODAY Network reporting and research; Reuters; National World War II Museum, New Orleans; D-Day Museum, Portsmouth, England; U.S. Army; National D-Day Memorial, Bedford, Virginia; www.history.navy.mil; www.nationalarchives.gov.uk; “D-Day, June 6, 1944” by Stephen Ambrose
Abhinav Thawait is a globe-trotting correspondent with a passion for international affairs. With a background in international relations, he offers a global perspective on the most pressing issues around the world. Abhinav’s curiosity takes his to the far corners of the earth, where he seeks to share untold stories and diverse viewpoints.
