June 6, 1944, also known as D-Day, was a turning point in World War II. 150,000 soldiers invaded a 50-mile stretch of French coastline by air and sea.
The Allied troops were tasked with securing 5 beaches: Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword. The invasion took place over a 2.5 hour period. It is estimated 10,000 troops were killed, wounded or MIA. Americans, British and Canadian soldiers made up the invasion troops.
D-Day was the first day in an almost three-month journey to the liberation of Paris on August 25, 1944.
The National Archives has a display in the East Rotunda Gallery until July 2, 2019. They also have several blog posts, historic photos, recordings and movies telling this story.
In December 1944, Warner Bros. studios released the video Beachhead to Berlin. It told the story of D-Day through the fictionalized character of a Chaplain, but the film footage is real.
See more pictures and read documents about D-Day, the liberation of Paris and other events leading to the end of WWII in Europe at the National Archives website.
