Exactly 70 years after members of the 29th Infantry Division stormed Omaha Beach under enemy fire, surviving veterans gathered at dawn to reflect on their unit’s sacrifice and to take part in the unveiling of a new statue in their honor.
D-Day refers to the Normandy landings, codenamed Operation Neptune — the landing operations on June 6 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Operation Neptune is the largest seaborne invasion in history, which marked the beginning of the invasion of German-occupied western Europe, led to the restoration of the French Republic, and contributed to an Allied victory in the war. Planning for Operation Neptune began in 1943 and involved Operation Bodyguard, which was a military deception operation to mislead the German regarding the date and location of the invasion.
As the sun rose over Omaha Beach in France on Friday D-Day veterans from the US 29th Infantry Division stood at attention alongside serving soldiers at 6:30 a.m., exactly the moment on June 6, 1944, when Allied troops first waded ashore.
There is some disagreement about what the “D” in D-Day means. General Eisenhower defined it as the “departed date” of the amphibious operation.
Historian Steve Ambrose quoted Time Magazine from June 12, 1944 in his book …
Time magazine reported on June 12 [1944] that “as far as the U.S. Army can determine, the first use of D for Day, H for Hour was in Field Order No. 8, of the First Army, A.E.F., issued on Sept. 20, 1918, which read, ‘The First Army will attack at H-Hour on D-Day with the object of forcing the evacuation of the St. Mihiel salient.’” (p. 491)
D-Day, June 6, 1944: The Climactic Battle of World War II
The French maintain the D stands for “disembarkation.”
See also …
The National World War II Museum New OrleansWhat does the “D” in D-Day mean? [PDF]
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