Combat· World War II
D-Day Normandy
D-Day was the Allied invasion of Normandy, the largest amphibious operation in history and the opening of the long-awaited second front against Germany in Western Europe.
Thousands of ships carried troops across the English Channel to land on the French coast under heavy fire, beginning the campaign that would free occupied Europe. Marines had no fighting unit at Normandy, but a handful served as observers and aboard the supporting warships. One Marine officer watched the landing from a battleship that provided gunfire support for the troops going ashore. Others observed from British and Canadian sectors and from landing craft assigned to knock out German defenses. Marine planners had also helped prepare for the cross-channel invasion during the months of buildup in Britain. Their presence was small, but it placed Marines at one of the war's decisive moments.
Podcast episodes on World War II
Record no. 592