D-Day: A Day That Changed Humanity Forever

D-Day was one of the hardest fought battles of WW2 and possibly the history of humanity itself. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers came through the beaches of Normandy to begin the liberation of France. Had it not been for the brave men who fought on D-Day, there would have never been a German defeat, and the allies would never have had a road to Berlin. We have gathered forty breathtaking pictures that capture what life was like in the shoes of a young man who risks it all to fight for freedom, liberty, and Uncle Sam. 75 years later and the impact from the allied landing can still be felt today.

6th June 1944: Reinforcements disembarking from a landing barge at Normandy during the Allied Invasion of France on D-Day. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Where did the name “D-Day” come from anyway? Does it stand for doomsday, or decision day? The correct answer is none of the above. According to the National World War II Museum, the “D” simply stands for “day.” It was the army’s way of designating the first day of the invasion. For instance, the day before D-Day was D-1, and after D-Day = D+1. The code name for D-day (The Normandy landings) was “Operation Neptune”. Not to be confused with “Operation Overlord” which was the codename for the Battle of Normandy.

© 2019 History by Day all rights reserved