On June 6, 1944, Allied forces under the command of General Dwight D. Eisenhower invaded Normandy. It is impossible to overstate the scope of the decisive battle that marked the beginning of the end of World War II in Europe. The landing involved some 5,000 ships, 11,000 planes, and 150,000 men, and comprised the largest and most complex air-, sea-, and land operation ever attempted, before or since. In January of 1944, Eisenhower assumed command of the operation, codenamed Neptune. Ike picked the date of the invasionJune 5and oversaw the massive disinformation campaign designed to trick Hitler into thinking the landing would be at Calais, 400 kilometers to the north. Inclement weather delayed the invasion by 24 hours, and helped lull the Nazis into a false sense of security, as the skies were cloudier at Calais than at Normandy. Not only that, but many of the top German brass were on leave the day of the invasion, including famed general Erwin Rommel. First, three divisions of paratroopers were dropped inland, to protect the flanks. Before dawn, hundreds of amphibious ships crossed the English Channel. Then, at sunrise, six full divisionsthree American, two British, and one Canadian stormed the shore at five points along the shore, code-named Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword. By the end of the day, the beachhead was secure. The Nazis were completely surprised by the attack. By the time Rommel arrived at the battlefield, the battleand, arguably, the warwas lost. With a toehold at Normandy, the Allies poured men and materiel into France. By August, Paris was liberated from Nazi clutches. Within a year, Hitler was dead, and the war in Europe would be over. This remarkable collection features four coins circulating in 1944a U.S. penny; a Canadian V nickel made of chrome-plated steel; a British penny; and a zinc 5 pfennig of Nazi Germanyas well as a 5 franc Allied Military Currency note that circulated in France immediately after the liberation.
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