Operation Overlord

D-Day Statement to Soldiers, Sailors, and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force

Cable from General Dwight D. Eisenhower to General George C. Marshall Regarding D-Day Landings, 06/06/1944

US Army M4 Sherman tanks loaded in a LCT, ready for the invasion of France, circa late May or early June 1944.

General view of a port in England; in foreground, jeeps are being loaded onto LCTs - in background, larger trucks and ducks are being loaded onto LSTs. Undated - June 1944

Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower gives the order of the Day. `Full victory-nothing else' to paratroopers in England, just before they board their airplanes to participate in the first assault in the invasion of the continent of Europe.

An ambulance being backed into the mouth of an LST in preparation for the big assault against Hitler’s Europe. Undated - in prep for Normandy landings. Undated - June 1944.

Anti-aircraft halftracks to support initial wave of the assault against Hitler’s Europe begins are being loaded onto an LCT in a British port. Undated - June 1944.

Great Britain: preparing for loading on the ships unloading in Normandy, at the beginning of June 1944 - Operation Overlord: American troops having loaded their equipment in LCT awaiting the signal to leave for the continent - June 1944.

American troops marching through the streets of a British port town on their way to the docks where they will be loaded into landing craft for the big assault. Undated - June 1944.

American troops load onto landing craft at a port in Britain from where they will shove off for the invasion of Europe on D-Day. Undated - June 1944.

View of an LCT with American troops and equipment loaded aboard awaiting the signal for the assault against the continent. England. Undated - June 1944

In preparation for the invasion, artillery equipment is loaded aboard LCTS at an English port. Brixham, England. 1 June 1944.

US troops waiting on a pier at a harbour in England - 5 June 1944

Major-General Richard Gale, GOC 6th Airborne Division, addresses his men, 4 - 5 June 1944

Brigadier General Anthony C. McAuliffe, artillery commander of the 101st Airborne Division, gives his various glider pilots last minute instructions before the take-off on D plus 1.

The Airborne Assault: Major General Richard Nelson Gale OBE MC, the commander of 6th Airborne Division, talking to troops of 5th Parachute Brigade before they emplane at Royal Air Force Harwell on the evening of 4 or 5 June

Men of 22nd Independent Parachute Company, 6th Airborne Division being briefed for the invasion, 4 - 5 June 1944

Preinvasion bombing of Pointe du Hoc by Ninth Air Force bombers

Allied glider that crash-landed during the early stages of the invasion of France, near Hiesville. 6 June 1944

The Airborne Assault: Riflemen of 1st Battalion Royal Ulster Rifles, 6th Airlanding Brigade, 6th Airborne Division, aboard a jeep and trailer, driving off Landing Zone 'N' past a crashed Airspeed Horsa glider on the evening of 6 June

Airborne troops admire the graffiti chalked on the side of their glider as they prepare to fly out as part of the second drop on the night of 6th June 1944

The 4 inch guns of the cruiser HMS BELFAST bombarding German positions in Normandy at night

Landing barges on their way to the beaches of normandy - June 6 1944

Crawler cranes on board invasion barge, on the way to France on D-Day, 6 June 1944

Cloud of ships near normandy coast - 6 June 1944

Forward 14"/45 guns of USS Nevada (BB-36) fire on positions ashore, during the landings on "Utah" Beach, 6 June 1944

USS Arkansas (BB-33) fires her 12-inch guns at German positions, while supporting the Omaha Beach landings, 6 June 1944

Photo catch from the bridge of a ship. A transporting LCT with jeeps is assisted by a tug boat - June 1944

Convoys of ships on the open sea. Each has its observation balloon connected by a cable - June 1944

Anti-aircraft shooting with a heavy machine gun - June 1944

A storm in the English Channel launches its waves to the attack of an American building on the Normandy coast - June 1944

Explosion of an underwater mine - June 1944

Carrying a full equipment, American assault troops move onto Utah Beach on the northern coast of France. Landing craft, in the background, jams the harbor.

U.S. Soldiers of the 8th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division, move out over the seawall on "Utah" Beach, after coming ashore. Other troops are resting behind the concrete wall

German prisoners of war in a barbed-wire enclosure on "Utah" Beach, 6 June 1944. Note the group of African-American Soldiers in the near center distance, "Sherman" tank (with name "Delphia" on its side) beyond them, and USS LCT-855 stranded on the beach behind the tank

Assault elements of Force U, including DD tanks, were still on the beaches when this photo was taken shortly after H Hour. The amphibious tanks await the blowing of breaches in the sea wall

The US 1st Army: Casualties of 4th US Infantry Division, attended by US Medical Corpsmen, await evacuation by the sea wall at 'Uncle Red' Beach, UTAH Area, on the morning of 6 June. The landings on UTAH were undertaken by the 7th US Corps under Lt General Collins, the assault being carried out by the 4th Infantry Division. The invaders met little resistance and by the end of the day, 23,350 men had come ashore with less than 200 killed

American assault troops of the 3d Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st U.S. Infantry Division, assemble on a narrow strip at Omaha Beach before moving into the interior of the continent, near Collville-Sur-Mer, France. Additional infantrymen disembark from landing craft on the right. 6 Jun 1944

LCVP landing craft put troops ashore on "Omaha" Beach on "D-Day", 6 June 1944. The LCVP at far left is from USS Samuel Chase (APA-26)

A LCVP from the USS Samuel Chase disembarks troops of the U.S. Army's 1st Infantry Division on the morning of 6 June 1944 (D-Day) at Omaha Beach.

A medic of the 3d Bn., 16th Inf. Regt., 1st U.S. Inf. Div., moves along a narrow strip of Omaha Beach administering first aid to men wounded in the landing

Members of an American landing party lend helping hands to other members of their organization whose landing craft was sunk be enemy action of the coast of France. These survivors reached Omaha Beach, by using a life raft.

U.S. Army Rangers show off the ladders they used to storm the cliffs at Pointe du Hoc, which they assaulted in support of "Omaha" Beach landings on "D-Day", 6 June 1944

U.S. Army Rangers resting in the vicinity of Pointe du Hoc, which they assaulted in support of "Omaha" Beach landings on "D-Day", 6 June 1944.

Lieutenant Commander Knapper and Chief Yeoman Cook, of USS Texas (BB-35), examine a damaged German pillbox at Pointe du Hoc on "D-Day", 6 June 1944. Earlier in the day Texas had bombarded the point in support of the "Omaha" Beach landings. The body of a dead U.S. Army Ranger, killed during the assault on Pointe du Hoc, lies covered up at right

Scene on "Omaha" Beach on the afternoon of "D-Day", 6 June 1944, showing casualties on the beach, a bogged-down "Sherman" tank, several wrecked trucks and German anti-landing obstructions. A LST is beached in the left distance and invasion shipping is off shore.

A Cromwell cruiser tank with men aboard making for the Arromanches beaches after leaving an LST (Landing Ship Tank) on D+1, 7 June 1944

Universal carriers of 50th Division wade ashore from landing craft on Gold Beach, 6 June 1944

A LCA just launched off HMCS Prince Henry carrying troops towards the Normandy beaches - June 6, 1944

LCA (Landing Craft Assault) containing Winnipeg Rifles head for the Normandy Juno beach - June 6, 1944

The British 2nd Army: Commandos of Headquarters, 4th Special Service Brigade, making their way from LCI(S)s (Landing Craft Infantry Small) onto 'Nan Red' Beach, JUNO Area, at St Aubin-sur-Mer at about 9 am on 6 June 1944

The British 2nd Army: Second wave troops of 9th Canadian Infantry Brigade, probably Highland Light Infantry of Canada, disembarking with bicycles from LCI(L)s (Landing Craft Infantry Large) onto 'Nan White' Beach, JUNO Area at Bernieres-sur-Mer, shortly before midday on 6 June 1944

1st Hussars tanks and men of the 7th Infantry Brigade landing on a crowded beach at Courseulles-sur-Mer - June 6, 1944

Queen's Own Rifles Dug In Near Carpiquet - June 6, 1944

Winnipeg Rifles advance inland - June 6, 1944

D-Day, 6 June 1944: Canadian infantry wait in ditches with their bicycles as men of the 48th Royal Marine Commando take cover from mortar fire on the roadside near St Aubin sur Mer. On the first day, the British and Canadian divisions made rapid advance inland but failed to take Caen, which had been their initial objective.

A German prisoner captured by Canadian troops at Langrune sur Mer on 6 June 1944

Two German officers in a group of prisoners who surrendered to Canadian troops in Courseulles-sur-Mer - June 6, 1944

Explosion at Juno Beach Area, 6 June 1944

Canadian soldiers on Juno Beach, 6 June 1944

Canadians in Bernières-sur-Mer - Juno Beach, 6 June1944

The British 2nd Army: Infantry waiting to move off 'Queen White' Beach, SWORD Area, while under enemy fire, on the morning of 6 June.

The British 2nd Army: Commandos of 1st Special Service Brigade landing from an LCI(S) (Landing Craft Infantry Small) on 'Queen Red' Beach, SWORD Area, at la Breche, at approximately 8.40 am, 6 June. The brigade commander, Brigadier the Lord Lovat DSO MC, can be seen striding through the water to the right of the column of men. The figure nearest the camera is the brigade's bagpiper, Piper Bill Millin

Troops crouch down on Sword Beach as they wait the signal to advance - 6 June 1944

Infantry and armour on Sword Beach, 6th June 1944

The British 2nd Army: Sherman DD (Duplex Drive) tanks of 'B' Squadron, 13/18th Royal Hussars, and men of No 4 Commando advancing towards Ouistreham - 6 June 1944

The British 2nd Army: Men of No 4 Commando engaged in house to house fighting with the Germans at Riva Bella, near Ouistreham. Sherman DD tanks of 'B' Squadron, 13/18th Royal Hussars are providing fire support and cover. After subduing the opposition, No 4 Commando moved inland to link up with 6th Airborne Division - 6 June 1944

Universal carriers with deep wading screens pass through Lion sur Mer. A Churchill AVRE can be seen in the background - 6 June 1944

Landing on the coast of France under heavy Nazi machine gun fire are these American soldiers, shown just as they left the ramp of a Coast Guard landing boat.

American assault troops in a landing craft huddle behind the protective front of the craft as it nears a beachhead, on the Northern Coast of France. Smoke in the background is Naval gunfire supporting the land.

Detailed version

US troops pass along the shore edge in the path of armoured vehicles, others in the background are digging in - 6 June 1944

This graphic tells the story of how the France beachhead was supplied on "D-Day"

LST-21 unloads British Army tanks and trucks onto a "Rhino" barge during the early hours of the invasion, 6 June 1944.

Landing ships putting cargo ashore on one of the invasion beaches, at low tide during the first days of the operation, June 1944.

Troops take shelter near an M10 Wolverine tank destroyer - 6 June 1944

German prisoners, up to their knees in the sea, wait for collection in the shadow of a disabled Sherman Crab flail tank - 6 June 1944

Crossed rifles in the sand are a comrade's tribute to this American soldier who sprang ashore from a landing barge and died at the barricades of Western Europe. 1944

Crossed rifles in the sand are a comrade's tribute to this American soldier who sprang ashore from a landing barge and died at the barricades of Western Europe - June 1944

A Cromwell tank leads a column of armour from 4th County of London Yeomanry, 7th Armoured Division inland from Gold Beach, 7 June 1944

A large group of American assault troops of the 3d Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st U.S. Infantry Division, having gained the comparative safety offered by the chalk cliff at their backs, takes a "breather" before moving onto the continent at Colville-Sur-Mer, Omaha Beach, in Normandy, France. Medics who landed with the men treat them for minor injuries. 8 Jun 1944

Lance Corporals A Burton and L Barnett of 6th Airborne Division guarding a road junction near Ranville, 7 June 1944. Horsa gliders can be seen behind

Commandos of 1st Special Service Brigade with captured Germans on the roof of their jeep at the glider landing grounds near Ranville, 7 June 1944. Note the Horsa gliders in the background

Commandos of 1st Special Service Brigade digging in near Horsa gliders on 6th Airborne's lodgement zone east of the River Orne, 7 June 1944

Senior U.S. officers watching operations from the bridge of USS Augusta (CA-31), off Normandy, 8 June 1944. They are (from left to right): Rear Admiral Alan G. Kirk, USN, Commander Western Naval Task Force; Lieutenant General Omar N. Bradley, U.S. Army, Commanding General, U.S. First Army; Rear Admiral Arthur D. Struble, USN, (with binoculars) Chief of Staff for RAdm. Kirk; and Major General Hugh Keen, U.S. Army

American paratrooper, among the first to make successful landings on the continent, holds a Nazi flag captured in a village assault. Utah Beach, St. Marcouf, France. 8 June 1944

A group of paratroopers in a French village at St. Marcouf, Utah Beach, France. From here they will move on into the continent, accomplishing their assigned objectives. 8 June 1944

Sherman tanks of British 30th Corps passing through Bayeaux, liberated by the British 50th Infantry on 7 - 8 June 1944

The American flag had been spread out to stop fire of friendly tanks coming from inland. Some German prisoners are being moved in after capture by the relieving forces, Point Du Hoe, 8 June 1944

The build-up of Omaha Beach. Reinforcements of men and equipment moving inland.

Three Rhino barges and a petrol barge are being hammered by surf somewhere along the coast of France

Tracer fire from HM ships streaking the darkness as an almost impenetrable screen is put up against the enemy bombers during a night bombing attack at the anchorage at Ouistreham off Normandy. Photograph taken on board HMS Mauritius - 10 June 1944

The Commanding Officers of 21st Army Group: The first meeting on French soil of General Montgomery with his Army Commanders, General Omar N Bradley and Lt General Miles C Dempsey - 10 June 1944

Officers inspect a German Mk IV tank knocked out by the Durham Light Infantry - 11 June 1944

Sherman tank of 24th Lancers, 8th Armoured Brigade, near St Leger - 11 June 1944

Left to right: The Chief of the Imperial General Staff, Field Marshal Sir Alan Brooke; Mr Winston Churchill; and the Commander of the 21st Army Group, General Sir Bernard Montgomery, at Montgomery's mobile headquarters in Normandy - 12 June 1944

Army troops on board a LCT, ready to ride across the English Channel to France. Some of these men wear 101st Airborne Division insignia. 12 June 1944

Mired M4 Sherman tank on a Normandy invasion beach, 12 June 1944.

GIs who have landed on the northern coast of France during the early stages of D-Day man a life line to help other Americans approaching the beach in a swamped landing craft. 12 June 1944

LST-325 (left) and LST-388 unloading while stranded at low tide during resupply operations, 12 June 1944

A platoon of American troops surrounds a farm house in a town in France, as they prepare to eliminate a German sniper holding up an advance. Omaha Beachhead, near Vierville-sur-Mer, (06/10/1944)

Floating causeway of the "Mulberry" artificial harbor off "Omaha" Beach, 16 June 1944, with a half-track rolling toward the shore. Note tugs nested beside the pierhead in the background.

Wrecked pontoon causeway of one of the "Mulberry" artificial harbors, following the storm of 19-22 June 1944. (06/23/1944)

Canadian crew of a Sherman-tank south of Vaucelles, June 1944

A French Army "Sherman" tank lands on a Normandy beach from USS LST-517, 2 August 1944.

Allied Harbour Mulberry B. This photo shows the roadways and spud pierheads of the West Pier, Central Pier and East Pier. The small dots beside the roadways are barges supporting a cable used to protect the piers from small craft. A partial view of the Blockships and PHOENIX is obtainable. (10/27/1944)

Members of the 1st Bn, 355th Engineers, cleaning through wrecked streets of St Lo so that traffic could move by road from Omaha beach.

Dead german member of Waffen-SS, Northern France

Bocage country at Cotentin Peninsula, Northern France

Omaha Beach in the morning

Omaha beach

Cemetary of US soliders in Colleville

Cemetary of US soliders in Colleville

Concrete blocks that the formed provisional port on the beach.

On the beach Omaha is up to the present day to retrieval lot of equipment used at landing.

Graves of killed allied soldiers.

Panoramic photo with fragments of German Bunkers