









On 6th June 1944 the Western Allies launched Operation Overlord, the invasion of occupied France. The assault was launched against 5 beaches in Normandy in North-West France by British, Canadian and American forces. The invasion by sea was spearheaded by British and American paratroopers that were dropped behind German lines to secure vital lines of communication in the early hours of the morning of the 6th June. The airborne assault involved 12,000 aircraft, while the amphibious assault included over 6,000 vessels. It was the largest amphibious landing in history, with almost 160,000 troops deployed within the first 24 hours.For your viewing pleasure today I have a 3-part compilation of colour footage of the D-Day landings that formed the first stage of Operation Overlord. Enjoy!The Normandy landings were a great success, and while the Western Allies initially suffered severe casualties while establishing the bridgehead, their implacable advance through France ensured that the German forces in the West were steadily ground down.Almost three weeks after Overlord was launched in the West, the Soviet Union launched Operation Bagration in the East. Despite involving nearly double the number of and resulting in the complete destruction of an entire Army Group and capture of half of Poland, Bagration is almost unheard of in the West. That, however is a tale for a different day!