Today is D-Day

Operation Overlord is the largest military campaign in history:

Operation Overlord, the Allied codename for the invasion of Normandy, involved more than 150,000 men and 5,000 ships. It consisted of American, British, Canadian, Polish, and Free French Armies under command of General Eisenhower, the Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force (the choice of Eisenhower was officially made by President Roosevelt in December 1943, and agreed upon by the British).

. . .

The Allied landings consisted of 5 major areas of beach operations in addition to 3 airborne drop zones (parachute and glider). The U.S. forces were concentrated on the western landings, while the British and Canadians were concentrated in the central and eastern landings. The U.S. Airborne divisions (82nd and 101st) were to secure inland objectives approximately 5 miles inland opposite the Utah landings, while the 6th British Airborne division would form the most eastern extent of the invasion by securing the bridges over the Orne river

A History of D-Day and Military History on Line are two excellent resources for a comprehensive overview of D-day. The brilliant Kathleen Nelson is doing an hour-by-hour account of D-Day in her site. Blackfive has a comprehensive list of blogs posting on D-Day.

The death toll in that one day counted 12,000 Allies — on “Bloody Omaha” alone, 3,000 Americans lay dead — 7,000 Germans and 20,000 French civilians. D-Day was a pivotal battle for the struggle against totalitarianism.

John O’Sullivan remembers a D-Day conmemoration,

The D-Day ceremony is the remembrance of a common American struggle — one shared, to be sure, with British and Canadian allies, but reminding Americans of their common history and destiny.

Twenty years ago Ronald Reagan, in his speech to a group of World War II Veterans at Pointe du Hoc, France said,

It is better to be here ready to protect the peace, than to take blind shelter across the sea

His words resonate today.