President Biden visits France this week to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the D-Day invasion as he seeks to strengthen relations with European leaders.
The D-Day invasion marked a turning point for the Allies during World War II, providing countries with a viable path to victory against the Central Powers.
Biden is scheduled to travel Thursday from Paris to Normandy, where he will meet with U.S. veterans and veterans from other allied nations who were part of the 1944 invasion.
Here’s what you should know about D-Day:
When is D-Day?
The invasion took place on June 6, 1944.
Where was D-Day?
The invasion took place on five beaches on the coast of Normandy, France. Landing beaches included Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword.
Allied leaders decided to invade Normandy to provide an element of surprise, despite the longer distances soldiers would have to travel and longer supply chains, according to National D-Day Memorial website.
What happened on D-Day?
The military operation in Normandy became the largest naval, air and land operation in history and began the liberation of parts of Europe from Nazi occupation.
The operation was initially supposed to begin on June 5, 1944, but was postponed a day due to a storm. In the early hours of June 6, 1944, paratroopers from the United States and Great Britain began arriving on the beaches to begin the operation.
After sunrise, landing ships carrying tens of thousands of soldiers from the Allied powers arrived along the coast. US forces stormed Omaha and Utah beaches, British forces attacked Gold and Sword, while Canadian soldiers took Juno.
By midnight, the forces had established a position along the coast and advanced into the interior of France.
How many people died on D-Day?
O the memorial website states that 4,426 people died that day: 2,509 Americans and 1,917 soldiers from seven other nations.
Omaha Beach suffered the most casualties that day because the Germans were already aware of the significant role that landing beach would play in the Allied attack, according to the National D-Day Memorial.
What does that mean?
The D in D-Day just means “Day”. It is the designation that the military uses on the start date of the an important operation.
The days before or after the start date of an operation are marked with plus or minus signs. For example, two days before the start date would be D-2, while two days after the start date would be D+3.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
