What was D-Day?
 
D-Day is one of the best known battles of WWII.  It is part of a larger campaign by Allied forces called “Operation Overlord.  This campaign was an effort to surround Germany from the south (through Italy), west (through France), and east (through the line of German advance in the Soviet Union).
D-Day and The Battle of Normandy
Mechanics paint D-Day colors on a spitfire plane.
An aerial view of D-Day (note the men walking ashore).
Soldiers are transported to Normandy.
Soldiers unload at Utah Beach, Normandy.
More troops unload (note the far away “wall” they were trying reach alive).
Soldiers run onto the beach (note there is no where to take cover from enemy fire).
The beach is finally secured.
An aerial view of the American cemetery just off the beach in Normandy which holds almost 10,000 U.S. soldiers killed during WWII in Europe.
Photo and Information Credits:  secondworldwar.com, wikipedia.org (for Saving Private Ryan), mvrhs.org, and ww2inpictures.com
 
Film Credits: wwiimemorial.com
Boats were used to transport Allied forces (including American, British, and Canadian troops) to Normandy, a coastal region in Northern France.  Once there, these troops faced an uphill battle (both literally and figuratively) to defeat German troops stationed along what was known as “the Atlantic Wall.”  
 
What were troops up against?
 
Hitler had been nervous that Normandy might be invaded because it was so close to Britain.  To make sure this did not happen, Hitler armed the coast with soldiers and weapons, and fortified the beaches to prevent anyone from landing there and attacking.
 
German troops had created large wooden and metal fortifications to prevent ships from getting all the way to the beach, forcing Allied soldiers to wade through the water to reach the shore (as you will see in the pictures below).  Germans also used barbed wire, machine guns, and heavy artillery to protect the wall.
 
What was it like to attack?
 
If you think of a beach, you usually picture sand and water.  There was not much for Allied soldiers to hide behind in order to take cover from German fire power.  From experience, you probably also realize it is harder to run on sand than it is on solid ground, and it is more difficult to move if you are soaking wet from being in the ocean.  Allied forces had to deal with all of these problems upon landing at Normandy.
 
Why is it called D-Day? D-Day is a term used by the military as a stand in for a mission that is top secret or still in planning. Another similar term is H-Hour for the exact hour of the mission. Normandy is one of the most famous uses of the term D-Day, and now we associate that term with the Battle of Normandy.
Photos of D-Day
Check out this tribute to American soldiers from the U.S. cemetery in Normandy
Saving Private Ryan
 
This film features a landing at Omaha Beach, one of several beaches used during the Battle of Normandy.  Omaha Beach is infamous for being the bloodiest of these beaches, with 2,400 dying within the first few hours.  Commanders considered abandoning the beach, but groups of soldiers, often forming their own command after their original leadership had been killed, were eventually able to take the beach.
 
Though “Private Ryan” was a fictional character, the concept was loosely based on the story of the Niland Brothers.  The army’s Sole Survivor Policy allowed for one of the Niland brothers to return home after the rest of the men were believed  killed in battle.  Niland did not need to be rescued behind enemy lines.