The story behind D-Day begins in 1939 when Nazi Germany, led by Adolf Hitler, attacked Poland and ignited World War Two. The following year, the Germans occupied France and Western Europe and launched a vicious air war against Britain. In 1941, they invaded the Soviet Union. Seemingly unstoppable, the Nazis now held virtually all of Europe. They imposed a ruthless system of control and unleashed the horror of the Holocaust. However, by 1943, the tide had begun to turn in favor of the Allies, the forces opposed to Germany. In the east, despite huge losses, the Soviets began to force the Germans back.

Over the past sixty-five years, the Allied invasion of Northwestern France in June 1944, known as D-Day, has come to stand as something more than a major battle. The assault itself formed a vital component of Allied victory in the Second World War. D-Day developed into a sign and symbol; as a word it carries with it a series of ideas and associations that have come to symbolize different things to different people and nations. As such, the commemorative activities linked to the battle offer a window for viewing the various belligerents in their postwar years. This book examines the commonalities and differences in national collective memories of D-Day. Chapters cover the main forces on the day of battle, including the United States, Great Britain, Canada, France and Germany. In addition, a chapter on Russian memory of the invasion explores other views of the battle. The overall thrust of the book shows that memories of the past vary over time, link to present-day needs, and also still have a clear national and cultural specificity. These memories arise in a multitude of locations such as film, books, monuments, anniversary celebrations, and news media representations.

A companion to the Utah Beach publication, provides a historical narrative dealing with American military operations in France during the month of June 1944 including D-Day in Normandy. Prepared by the 2d Information and Historical Service, attached to the First Army, and by the Historical Section, European Theater of Operations. Other products in the American Forces in Action Series are listed below: Salerno: American Operations From the Beaches to the Volturno, 9 September - 6 October 1943 is available here:https://bookstore.gpo.gov/products/sku/008-029-00196-9 Papuan Campaign: The Buna-Sananada Operation (16 November 1942-23 January 1943) is available here: https://bookstore.gpo.gov/products/sku/008-029-00205-1 The Capture of Makin, November 20-24, 1942-Print Hardcover/Clothbound format can be found here: https://bookstore.gpo.gov/products/sku/008-029-00206-0 Guam: Operations of the 77th Division, July 21-Aug. 10, 1944 is available here: https://bookstore.gpo.gov/products/sku/008-029-00204-3 Fifth Army at the Winter Line (15 November 1943 - 15 January 1944) --Print Paperback format can be found here:https://bookstore.gpo.gov/products/sku/008-029-00198-5 St. Lo -Print Paperback format is available here:https://bookstore.gpo.gov/products/sku/008-029-00127-6 From the Volturno to the Winter Line, 6 Oct.-15 Nov. 1943 -is available here:https://bookstore.gpo.gov/products/sku/008-029-00197-7 To Bizerte With the II Corps (23 April - 13 May 1943) -Print Hardcover/Clothbound format can be found here:https://bookstore.gpo.gov/products/sku/008-029-00207-8 Utah Beach to Cherbourg (6 June-27 June 1944) can be found here:https://bookstore.gpo.gov/products/sku/008-029-00129-2 Merrill\'s Marauders (February - May 1944) -Print Paperback format can be found here: https://bookstore.gpo.gov/products/sku/008-029-00203-5 World War II resources collection can be found here:https://bookstore.gpo.gov/catalog/us-military-history/battles-wars/world-war-ii

Chronicles the events, politics, and personalities of this pivotal day in World War II, shedding light on the strategies of commanders on both sides and the ramifications of the battle

The story of D-Day, the turning point in World War 2, has been well documented. But this lavishly illustrated book and accompanying epic TV drama will turn all preconceptions of 'Operation Overlord' on their head. June 2004 marks the 60th anniversary of D-Day, the last time official reunions of veterans will take place - this is our chance to honour the veterans of the biggest military invasion and defence the world has ever seen. Told through the eyes of the men who were there: from veterans - both Allied and German - to the spies, resistance members, reporters and official photographers. Fresh stories, surprising heroes. As the tension of D-Day builds to a nail-biting climax we witness the German army's confused response to the invasion. Their failure to repel the Allies during those first crucial 24 hours is a setback from which they never recover.

"Eyewitness D-Day' tells the epic tale of the invasion of Normandy by documenting the experiences of men and women who were there, presenting their stories against the backdrop of World War II-era Europe.

Preceded by a massive airborne assault, the largest amphibious operation ever undertaken began on 6 June 1944 – D-Day. Over a fifty-mile stretch of heavily-fortified French coastline 160,000 Allied troops came ashore on the beaches of Normandy. Supported by more than 5,000 ships and 13,000 aircraft, they quickly gained a foot-hold in Fortress Europe.??To plan and execute such a massive military operation successfully required training. The stakes were high. There was one chance to see the landings work; failure was inconceivable. Much work was required to be done, new tactics to be worked out, new technologies to be utilised. Most of all, the training for the amphibious assault required beaches. Such locations would need to be as representative of the actual landing beaches as possible, large enough to support exercises up to divisional level and be able to safely allow the live firing of weapons both by the supporting naval and air forces as well as that of the assaulting troops.??Such a place for the Americans was found in the sleepy South Hams area of South Devon. The long shingle beach at Slapton Sands featured a freshwater lake and inundated area just behind it. The rural countryside with rolling hills, de-lineated by high hedges and featuring numerous small woods bore a remarkable similarity to the area selected for the American landing area at Utah beach.??But this choice came at a price. Over 20,000 acres of prime agricultural land, along with villages and farms were requisitioned. No less than 180 farms, 28 shops, 11 inns, 100 houses and 450 cottages, along with 3,000 residents, were expelled from the area. The peace of the South Devon coast was soon shattered as what came to be known as the Slapton Sands Assault Training Centre. ??Such was the scale of the training that almost all of the US troops involved in D-Day itself landed on the beach at Slapton Sands at one time, some more than once. The American airborne forces would also practice here, being dropped behind the beaches as part of the vast exercises - Incredibly realistic, always dangerous. ??The training, however, was not without risk. During one of the final major co-ordinated practices – Exercise Tiger – over 800 men were lost to enemy action whilst travelling by sea to land on the beaches at Slapton Sands. Often shrouded in intrigue, this disaster has been the subject of conspiracy theories for many years.??Following D-Day, with the troops gone, the South Hams area fell silent once more. People returned to their homes to find farmland overgrown, shell-crated and damaged. Villages and houses had been battered by shell fire and the movements of thousands of troops. Live ammunition and the detritus of war lay scattered throughout the area.??Packed with the first-hand accounts of those who lived or trained at Slapton Sands, the author, a military historian brought up in the area, investigates all aspects of the military exercises undertaken here.