D-Day was a turning point in WWII for Allied forces, and 2024 marks its 80th anniversary. Find out how to commemorate this historically significant event.
Image Credit: Everett Collection / Shutterstock.com | Above: U.S. Troops land at Normandy on D-Day on the 6th June 1944
British HistoryWW2
The 6th June marks a significant day in world history. Just after midnight on 6th June 1944, the Allied forces invaded northern France, beginning the largest amphibious military operation in world history. Known as Operation Overlord or D-Day, the invasion marked the Allied assault on Hitler’s ‘Fortress Europe’ and changed the course of WWII.
This article will break down exactly why D-Day was so significant, and outline ways that you can remember the Normandy Landings on their 80th anniversary in 2024.
What is D-Day?
Image Credit: Everett Collection / Shutterstock.com | Above: U.S. troops wading to Utah Beach (Normandy, France) during the D-Day invasion of Normandy on the 6th - 8th June 1944
Planning for D-Day had begun as early as 1941. By early June 1944, over two million troops from 12 different nations were gathered on British shores in preparation for 6th June.
On the day itself, the largest invasion force ever assembled crossed the English Channel. 7,000 Allied vessels and 160,000 troops pushed into Normandy, northern France. Of that number, around 4,000 Allied men lost their lives, with 6,000 wounded.
Although Allied troops sustained greater losses than German forces, D-Day irreversibly changed the course of WWII, advancing the Allies towards victory.
The historical significance of D-Day
Image Credit: Everett Collection / Shutterstock.com | Above: A photograph showing two landing craft at Omaha beach in Normandy, France, on D-Day. Each large ship landed 200 soldiers on the 6th June 1944
D-Day commenced the Allied operation to take back Western Europe from Nazi control. The ensuing Battle of Normandy would last into August, costing many more lives on both the German and Allied sides.
Within a year, Hitler would be dead, and his forces diminished. D-Day was a decisive first step in ensuring Allied success in WWII.
Technically, D-Day marked the beginning of Operation Neptune, which was itself the amphibious assault phase of the wider Operation Overlord. In military terms, ‘D-Day' designates the day that an operation will begin. Over the course of World War II, there were many D-Days. However, 6th June 1944 was the largest seaborne invasion in the history of warfare, and the name has therefore come to be synonymous with this historically significant event.
There were a number of reasons why D-Day was such a success for Allied forces. Although German counterattacks were regular, they were infrequent and no match for the Allied invasion.
Equally important was a campaign of deception called Operation Fortitude, which had confused the Nazis for up to a year before 6th June 1944. Its success convinced Hitler that an Allied attack was coming later than planned, leaving the German army unprepared.
The D-Day assault had originally been planned for 5th June 1944, but bad weather caused Supreme Commander of Allied Forces, General Dwight D. Eisenhower, to postpone the invasion by 24 hours. There’s no way of knowing what might have happened had D-Day failed, but its success was a fundamental turning point for the Allied victory in WWII.
How to remember D-Day in 2024
Image Credit: Shutterstock.com | Above: A photograph showing the D-Day Memorial in Normandy, France
2024 marks the 80th anniversary of 6th June 1944. There are a number of ways you can remember the beginning of the liberation of Western Europe.
You can visit ‘Legacies of D-Day’ at the site of the British Normandy Memorial in France and the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire. The exhibition will be open to the public from 6th June, with online previews available on the Royal British Legion’s (RBL) website from 13th May. The RBL will also be hosting events around the UK and Normandy on 5th and 6th June.
Alongside the traditional anniversary service at Bayeux Cathedral, a service of Remembrance will be held in conjunction with the exhibition at the National Memorial Arboretum on 6th June at 2pm. A similar service of commemoration will mark D-Day 80 at the Bayeux War Cemetery in France on 5th June at 5pm. Along with the Ministry of Defence, the RBL will host a British National Event to mark D-Day 80 on 6th June at the British Normandy Memorial. This event will also be broadcast on UK National Television.
The RBL has helpful resources for members and supporters looking to commemorate D-Day 80 with their own community on 6th June 2024.
The UK city of Portsmouth will also host a major national commemorative event to mark D-Day 80 on 5th June 2024. Thousands of members of the public will be invited to attend alongside D-Day veterans, Armed Forces personnel and VIP guests. The event will be broadcast live for those who can’t attend in person.
You can also use the Ministry of Defence’s recently launched D-Day 80 website. You’ll find details on official commemorations in both the UK and Normandy, and can discover how to sign up for information and registration.
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