Operation overlord was the code name for the invasion of northwest Europe during World War II by allied forces. The operation began with the Normandy Landings on June 6th 1944 (D-Day). Nearly 160,000 troops crossed the English Channel on June 6th, and more than 3 million troops had landed by the end of August.
On June 6, 1944, D day, the day of invasion for Overlord had come. The U.S. First Army, under Gen. Omar N. Bradley, and the British Second Army, under Gen. Miles C. Dempsey, established beachheads in Normandy on the French channel coast. The German resistance was strong, and the footholds for Allied armies were not nearly as good as they had expected. Nevertheless, the powerful counterattack with which Hitler had proposed to throw the Allies off the beaches did not materialize, neither on D day nor later. Enormous Allied air superiority over northern France made it difficult for Rommel, who was in command on the scene, to move his limited reserves. Moreover, Hitler became convinced that the Normandy landings were a feint and the main assault would come north of the Seine River. Consequently, he refused to release the divisions he had there and insisted on drawing in reinforcements from more distant areas. By the end of June, 850,000 men and 150,000 vehicles were ashore in Normandy.
http://www.history.com/content/worldwartwo/the-allies-triumph
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