Date Published 06 June 2024
Today, 6th June 2024, marks 80 years since Allied troops from the UK, US, Canada & France carried out the largest seaborn invasion ever attempted, marking the start of the campaign to liberate Nazi-occupied north-west Europe.
The D-Day landings on 6th June 1944 saw 156,000 soldiers attack five beaches in Normandy. A deception plan in the weeks beforehand had led the Germans to believe that the main invasion would take place further along the coast, and so the element of surprise helped British troops make ground on a beach codenamed 'Gold'. By midnight, four of the five beaches had successfully been breached, allowing Allied troops to push further inland.
As many as 4,400 Allied soldiers died on D-Day, with another 9,900 either wounded or missing. Events are taking place today across the UK and France to mark the occasion and to remember those who died and honour the veterans who changed the course of history.
