Blake Hall
Otherwise known as Operation Neptune and Operation Overlord, the Normandy landings — which commenced on Tuesday June 6, 1944 in France, on the banks of the English Channel — was not only the largest seaborne invasion in human history, it was the beginning of Allied liberation of northwestern Europe and ultimately, the overall defeat of Nazi Germany and the Axis powers.
While an official number has never been released to the public, historians estimate that 2,499 Americans died on D-Day, alongside 1,914 fallen from other Allied nations. According to Stephen Zaloga, the casualties from each individual beach are as follows: Utah 589, Omaha 3,686, Gold 1,023, Juno 1,242 and Sword 1,304.
Nazi casualties on D-Day have never been accurately figured, but many guess it’s somewhere between 4,000 and 9,000.
Overall, about 425,000 Allied and German troops were either killed, wounded or “went missing” during the battle.
Here’s what the battleground looks like today:
And here’s what it looked like 72 years ago:
