The D-Day Beaches is the name given to the famous events which happened on the 6th of June in 1944 and by which the Allied forces invaded Normandy in order to free it from the Nazis. This operation became famous due to its magnitude and the amazing amount of people and the level of coordination it involved.
Nowadays, this place is one of the most famous spots of not only France but all Europe as well, and travelers from all points of the world approach in order to meet it due to its great historical importance.
The letter “D” from the D-Day Beaches does simply refer to the D of the word day, since it would facilitate the coordination among those who would not really know the exact date when this operation would start. Due to this reason, the expression D-Day was often used for military operations, although it is now widely attached to this event.
The different stages of D-Day
The events from the D-Day happened in a success of different stages. The overall operation was what at the moment it happened, and before becoming known as the D-Day, was known as Operation Overlord. This way, the Operation Overlord would denominate the complete strategy through which the Allies invaded Normandy.
Operation Neptune
Within the Operation Overlord, there were different strategic moments or stages. One first stage was called Operation Neptune and makes reference to the moment when thee Allies would land on Normandy beaches and the troops would occupy the area. Operation Neptune took 24 days until it was complete and could be succeeded by the next stage known as the Battle of Normandy.
The Battle of Normandy finished at endings of August, 1944, after more than 420.000 combatants from both sides died or were wounded. These figures are so high that 27 cemeteries had to be created for burying the bodies of the dead combatants from both sides.
All these events happened within the area of the D-Day beaches and its surroundings, turning this French spot into a very interesting one from the historic point of view. This place is a must for those travelers who visit the region of Normandy, especially for those who like meeting places of high historical value.