June 6, 1944 - A short, low-key announcement from General Eisenhower's HQ told the world that the long-awaited invasion of Europe had at last begun : " Allied naval forces, supported by strong air forces , begun landing Allied armies this morning on the northern coast of France . " No place names were given , nothing that would help the enemy.

Combined Attack
The Allied landing points become known as the day progressed.Many landed near Caen, 65 miles southeast of Cherbourg.

It was the biggest combined land,sea and air operation of all time, and it begun in the evening , June 5 when airborne troops took off from airfields in southern England. Between midnight and dawn they landed by parachute or glider at key points behind enemy lines, with ammunition and equipment strapped to their backs.

Throughout the night RAF bombers pounded German batteries along the French coast. At daybreak more then 1,300 heavy bombers of the US Air Force took over the attack .After substantial naval forces had swept enemy mines from the invasion route several thousand ships from ports all and over Britain, converged on the invasion coast soon after a.m. While battleship, cruisers and destroyers pounded the German defenses , engineers demolished beach obstacles , and troops came up behind them with tanks and self-propelled artillery.

Germans Bluffed
The Germans appeared to believe that the Normandy operations might be a feint to distract attention from the real invasion point. British and US air investigation had shown that the strongest German defenses were in the Pas de Calais, and a powerful armored force in the area had not area has not been moved.

The question commanders on both sides were asking was whether the Allies could bring reinforcements faster by sea than the Germans can by land. In ordinary circumstances the land-based forces should have had the advantage , but RAF and US bombers had been attacking railways, bridges and radar stations . Allied air superiority meant that the only time the Germans could make large-scale movements was during the hours of darkness.

" New Campaign "
General Eisenhower addressed the peoples of Western Europe over the airwaves : " This landing is but the opening phase of the campaign in Western Europe. Great battles lie ahead. I call upon all who love freedom to stand with us. "