6 june 2014: 70th anniversary of d-day

6 June 2014

70th anniversary of D-Day

Robert Capa Omaha Beach. June 6th, 1944

The enemy must be annihilated before he reaches our main battlefield...We must stop him in the water...destroying all his equipment while it is still afloat.

Field Marshall Erwin Rommel - 22nd April 1944

Friday , June 6th, marks the 70th anniversary of the invasion of Normandy. On D-Day, June 6, 1944, Allied troops departed England on planes and ships, made the trip across the English Channel and attacked the beaches of Normandy in an attempt to break through Hitler’s “Atlantic Wall” and break his grip on Europe.

Several operations were combined to carry out the largest amphibious invasion in history - over 160,000 troops landed on June 6th, assisted by over 5,000 ships, aerial bombardment, gliders and paratroopers.

Thousands of soldiers lost their lives on those beaches on that day - many thousands more would follow as the invasion succeeded and troops began to push German forces eastward, eventually leading to the Allied victory in 1945.

Collected here are some photographs of the preparation, execution and immediate aftermath of the 1944 D-Day invasion of Normandy.

A-20 bombers make a return visit to the Pointe Du Hoc coastal battery on 22 May 1944. (U.S. National Archives)

German soldiers observe the coast during the occupation of Normandy by German forces in 1944. (Regional Council of Basse-Normandie/U.S. National Archives)

The sight of a low-flying Allied plane sends Nazi soldiers rushing for cover on a beach in France, before D-Day June 1944. The aircraft was taking reconnaissance photos of German coastal barriers in preparation for the June 6th invasion. (AP Photo)

U.S. Soldiers march through a southern English coastal town, en route to board landing ships for the invasion of France, circa late May or early June 1944. (Army Signal Corps Collection/U.S. National Archives)

General view of a port in England; in foreground, jeeps are being loaded onto landing craft - in background, larger trucks and ducks are being loaded, June 1944. (U.S. National Archives)

Coast Guard Flotilla 10 tied up along with British landing craft, preparing to sail the English Channel and invade Nazi-occupied France. These landing craft landed U.S. troops on Omaha Beach. (U.S. Army)

Airborne troops prepare for the descent on Europe of D-Day invasion June 6, 1944. (AP Photo)

England. Dorset. Weymouth. June 5, 1944. American troops in landing craft at Weymouth on their way to liberate France. Photo Robert Capa

Weymouth harbour in England on the eve of the D Day. 5th of June 1944. Photo Robert Capa

Supreme Commander Dwight Eisenhower gives the order of the day "Full victory - Nothing else" to paratroopers of the 101st Airborne Division at the Royal Air Force base in Greenham Common, England, three hours before the men board their planes to participate in the first assault wave of the invasion of the continent of Europe, June 5, 1944. (AP Photo)

U.S. serviceman attend a Protestant service aboard a landing craft before the D-Day invasion on the coast of France, June 5, 1944. (AP Photo/Pete Carroll)

Weymouth harbour in England on the eve of the D Day. 5th of June 1944. Photo Robert Capa

FRANCE. Off the coast of Normandy. June 6th, 1944. American troops transfer from troop ships to landing craft before assaulting Omaha Beach. Photo Robert Capa

American paratroopers, heavily armed, sit inside a military plane as they soar over the English Channel en route to the Normandy French coast for the Allied D-Day invasion of the German stronghold during World War II, June 6, 1944. (AP Photo)

U.S. paratroopers fix their static lines before a jump before dawn over Normandy on D-Day June 6, 1944, in France. The decision to launch the airborne attack in darkness instead of waiting for first light was probably one of the few Allied missteps on June 6, and there was much to criticize both in the training and equipment given to paratroopers and glider-borne troops of the 82nd and 101st airborne divisions. Improvements were called for after the invasion; the hard-won knowledge would be used to advantage later. (AP Photo/Army Signal Corps)

A convoy of Landing Craft Infantry (Large) sails across the English Channel toward the Normandy Invasion beaches on "D-Day", 6 June 1944. Each of these landing craft is towing a barrage balloon for protection against low-flying German aircraft. (Photograph from the U.S. Coast Guard Collection in the U.S. National Archives.)

A section of the Armada of Allied landing craft with their protective barrage balloons head toward the French coast, in June of 1944.(AP Photo)

A U.S. Coast Guard LCI, heavily listing to port, moves alongside a transport ship to evacuate her troops, during the initial Normandy landing operations in France, on June 6, 1944. Moments later the craft will capsize and sink. (AP Photo)

Troops and vehicles on board a landing craft approaching "Omaha" Beach. The original caption gives the date as 8 June 1944, but heavy smoke ashore strongly indicates that the photograph was taken on "D-Day", 6 June 1944. (Photograph from the Army Signal Corps Collection in the U.S. National Archives.)

USS LCI(L)-490 and USS LCI(L)-496 approach "Omaha" Beach.The original caption gives date as 7 June 1944, but the heavy smoke ashore strongly indicates that the view was taken on "D-Day", 6 June 1944. (Photograph from the Army Signal Corps Collection in the U.S. National Archives.)

Under the cover of naval shell fire, American infantrymen wade ashore from their landing craft during the initial Normandy landing operations in France, June 6, 1944. (AP Photo/Peter Carroll)

Allied troop carriers near Omaha beach, one covered with a thick white smoke, June 1944. (Regional Council of Basse-Normandie/U.S. National Archives)

US assault troops approach Utah Beach in a barge, 06 June 1944 as Allied forces storm the Normand beaches on D-Day. D-Day, is still one of the world's most gut-wrenching and consequential battles, as the Allied landing in Normandy led to the liberation of France which marked the turning point in the Western theater of World War II. (Photo credit should read STF/AFP/Getty Images)

A convoy of Landing Craft Infantry (Large) sails across the English Channel toward the Normandy Invasion beaches on "D-Day", 6 June 1944. Each of these landing craft is towing a barrage balloon for protection against low-flying German aircraft. (Photograph from the U.S. Coast Guard Collection in the U.S. National Archives.)

U.S. soldiers approach Omaha Beach, their weapons wrapped in plastic to keep them dry, June 1944. (Regional Council of Basse-Normandie/U.S. National Archives)

American soldiers wade from Coast Guard landing barge toward the beach at Normandy on D-Day, June 6, 1944. (U.S. National Archives)

Omaha, 6:30. Allied forces push through the breakers toward Omaha Beach. (Regional Council of Basse-Normandie/U.S. National Archives)

View from inside landing craft approaching beach head on first day of the invasion of Normandy, w. smoke rising from shelled German positions. June 6, 1944

View from inside landing craft shows US soldiers wading through surf towards beachhead while barrage balloon float overhead during the first day of thel invasion of Normandy, aka D-Day.June 6, 1944

U.S. troops disembark from a landing vehicle on Utah Beach on the coast of Normandy, France in June of 1944. Carcasses of destroyed vehicles litter the beach. (Regional Council of Basse-Normandie/U.S. National Archives)

Canadian troops in landing crafts approach a stretch of coastline code-named Juno Beach, near Bernieres-sur-mer, as the Allied Normandy invasion gets under way, on June 6, 1944. (AP Photo)

Out of the open bow doors of a Landing Craft, American troops and jeeps go ashore on the beach of the Normandy coast of France, June 6, 1944. (AP Photo)

American soldiers and supplies arrive on the shore of the French coast of German-occupied Normandy during the Allied D-Day invasion on June 6, 1944 in World War II. (AP Photo)

Wounded British troops from the South Lancashire and Middlesex regiments are being helped ashore at Sword Beach, June 6, 1944, during the D-Day invasion of German occupied France during World War II. (AP Photo)

Carrying full equipment, American assault troops move onto a beachhead code-named Omaha Beach, on the northern coast of France on June 6, 1944, during the Allied invasion of the Normandy coast. (AP Photo)

American assault troops of the 3d Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st U.S. Infantry Division, assemble on a narrow strip at Omaha Beach before moving into the interior of the continent, near Collville-Sur-Mer, France. Additional infantrymen disembark from landing craft on the right. 6 Jun 1944.

U.S. soldiers land on Utah Beach, June 1944. (Regional Council of Basse-Normandie/U.S. National Archives)

An 88mm shell explodes on Utah Beach. In the foreground, American soldiers protect themselves from enemy fire. (Regional Council of Basse-Normandie/U.S. National Archives)

U.S. soldiers rescue shipwreck survivors on Utah Beach, June 1944. (Regional Council of Basse-Normandie/U.S. National Archives)

Dead Soldiers on "Omaha" beach on "D-Day", 6 June 1944. They were members of the 3rd Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division. (Photograph from the Army Signal Corps Collection in the U.S. National Archives.)

German shell hits beside an LST off "Utah" Beach, during the early stages of the landings on "D-Day", 6 June 1944.This LST appears to be very down at the stern. (Photograph from the Army Signal Corps Collection in the U.S. National Archives.)

An American Soldier lies dead alongside an anti-landing craft obstruction on "Omaha" Beach, 6 June 1944. (Photograph from the U.S. Coast Guard Collection in the U.S. National Archives.)

Just off Omaha Beach. American doctors on a US craft during Operation Overlord .Photo Robert Capa

Sitting in the cover of their foxholes, American soldiers of the Allied Expeditionary Force secure a beachhead during initial landing operations at Normandy, France, June 6, 1944. In the background amphibious tanks and other equipment crowd the beach, while landing craft bring more troops and material ashore. (AP Photo/Weston Hayes)

U.S. Soldiers of the 8th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division, move out over the seawall on "Utah" Beach, after coming ashore. Other troops are resting behind the concrete wall.Photo dated 9 June 1944, but probably taken on "D-Day", 6 June 1944. (Photograph from the Army Signal Corps Collection in the U.S. National Archives.)

An A-20 from the 416th Bomb Group making a bomb run on D-Day, 6 June 1944. (U.S. Army)

This June 6, 1944 photo released by Nathan Kline, shows a B-26 Marauder flying toward France during the D-Day invasion. (AP Photo/ Courtesy of Nathan Kline)

FRANCE. Normandy. June 6th, 1944. Omaha Beach.Photo Robert Capa

FRANCE. Normandy. June 6th, 1944. Omaha Beach. Photo Robert Capa

Aerial view of part of the Allied force off the coast of France, on D-Day, 1944. (U.S. Air Force)

Aerial view of the Normandy Invasion, on June 6th, 1944. (U.S. Air Force)

Thirteen liberty ships, deliberately scuttled to form a breakwater for invasion vessels landing on the Normandy beachhead lie in line off the beach, shielding the ships in shore. The artificial harbor engineering installation which was prefabricated and towed across the Channel. 1944 photo. (AP Photo)

Above Omaha Beach, a German-placed bomb hangs on the side of a cliff, as a defensive measure. (Regional Council of Basse-Normandie/U.S. National Archives)

Allied soldiers, vehicles and equipment swarm onto the French shore during the Normandy landings, June 1944. (Regional Council of Basse-Normandie/U.S. National Archives)

American soldiers on Omaha Beach recover the dead after the D-Day invasion, June 1944. (U.S. National Archives)

U.S. reinforcements wade through the surf as they land at Normandy in the days following the Allies' June 1944, D-Day invasion of France. (AP Photo/Peter Carroll)

U.S. reinforcements wade through the surf from a landing craft in the days following D-Day and the Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied France at Normandy in June 1944 during World War II. (AP Photo/Bert Brandt)

U.S doughboys are brought ashore on the Northern Coast of France following the D-Day invasion of Normandy in World War II on June 13, 1944. The exhausted soldiers on the rubber life raft are being pulled by a group of comrades. (AP Photo/U.S. Army Signal Corps)

Gliders towed by C-47 aircraft fly over Utah Beach bringing reinforcements on June 7th, 1944. (Regional Council of Basse-Normandie/U.S. National Archives)

View of beach, one of the Allied objectives on the coast of France, showing masses of men and equipment being landed from various landing craft lying off-shore during World War II invasion of France.June 9, 1944

Section of Normandy beach at low tide shortly after the D-Day invasion reveals bodies of the men who died as well as wrecked vehicles and, in the middle distance, tank traps left by the Germans to scuttle incoming Allied ships. June 12, 1944

Omaha Beach. Serveral days after the landing. Photo Robert Capa

Two U.S. soldiers escort a group of ten German prisoners on Omaha Beach, June 1944. (Regional Council of Basse-Normandie/U.S. National Archives)

German prisoners of war are led away by Allied forces from Utah Beach, on June 6, 1944, during landing operations at the Normandy coast, France. (AP Photo)

June 1944. German soldiers captured after the landing. Photo Robert Capa

FRANCE. Normandy. Omaha Beach. June, 1944. French fishermen looking at corpses on the beach after the D-Day landing. Photo Robert Capa

US troops march up beachhead while landing craft in rear continue to unload supplies, equipment & men following victorious D-Day invasion.June 8, 1944

French townspeople lay flowers on the body of an American soldier. (Regional Council of Basse-Normandie/U.S. National Archives)

Reinforcements for initial allied invaders of France, long lines of troops and supply trucks begin their march on June 18, 1944, in Normandy.(AP Photo)

Wreckage Of A Republic P-47, Which Crashed During The D-Day Invasion, Lies On The Battle-Scarred Beach Of Normandy, France. 22 June 1944. (U.S. Air Force)

Photo taken on D+2, after relief forces reached the Rangers at Point du Hoc. The American flag had been spread out to stop fire of friendly tanks coming from inland. Some German prisoners are being moved in after capture by the relieving forces. 8 June 1944 (Regional Council of Basse-Normandie/U.S. National Archives)

Three U.S. soldiers take a rest at the foot of a bunker which the Germans have painted and camouflaged to look like a house. (Regional Council of Basse-Normandie/U.S. National Archives)

The corpse of a German soldier, in front of a bunker overlooking the coast, June 1944. (Regional Council of Basse-Normandie/U.S. National Archives)

A U.S. soldier scans a French beach with his binoculars, June 1944. (Regional Council of Basse-Normandie/U.S. National Archives)

Allied tanks on the move near Barenton, France. (Regional Council of Basse-Normandie/U.S. National Archives)

U.S. soldiers move inland from the beaches of France, June 1944. (Regional Council of Basse-Normandie/U.S. National Archives)

American soldiers crawl toward shelter on a street Saint-Lo, France. (Regional Council of Basse-Normandie/U.S. National Archives)

The liberation of Saint-Lo, Summer 1944, allied jeeps and soldiers among the ruins. (Regional Council of Basse-Normandie/U.S. National Archives)

American soldiers race across a dirt road, which is under enemy fire, near St. Lo, in Normandy, France, on July 25, 1944. Others crouch in the ditch before making the crossing. (AP Photo)

One year after the D-Day landings in Normandy, a lone U.S. soldier guards a knocked out German gun position on "Utah" Beach, France, May 28, 1945. (AP Photo/Peter J. Carroll)

One year after the D-Day landings in Normandy, German prisoners landscape the area around a former German pill box at Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer, France, near "Omaha" Beach, May 28, 1945. The pill box, with a knocked out gun still visible, will be made into a monument dedicated to U.S. assault forces. (AP Photo/Peter J. Carroll)

One year after the D-Day landings in Normandy, German prisoners landscape the first U.S. cemetery at Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer, France, near "Omaha" Beach, May 28, 1945. (AP Photo/Peter J. Carroll)

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France. Normandy. "Utah Beach". 2003.

Gen. Dwight Eisenhower stands on the cliff overlooking Omaha Beach on the Normandy coast in France as he makes an anniversary visit to the scene of the 1945 D-Day landing of the Allied troops, June 9, 1951. (AP Photo)

endA tribute to an unknown American soldier, who lost his life fighting in the landing operations of the Allied Forces, marks the sand of Normandy's shore, in June 1944.

6 june 2014: 70th anniversary of d-day

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