Eighty-one years ago, a bold and carefully coordinated military campaign altered the course of history.

Known as Operation Overlord, this colossal operation brought together nearly 160,000 allied troops from the United States, Britain, Canada and other nations in a unified effort to dismantle Nazi Germany’s grip on Europe.

June 6, 1944 – France – the day began under skies thick with uncertainty.

Thousands of soldiers, paratroopers and seaborne troops stormed a stretch of Normandy, France, facing relentless enemy gunfire, treacherous terrain and unimaginable peril. Their targets: five fiercely defended beaches, code-named Omaha, Utah, Gold, Juno and Sword.

Command of the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force, U.S. Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower had doubts about the success of the l

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