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The mighty German Atlantic Wall and its sprawling coastal fortifications were the targets of a crushing Allied aerial bombardment that preceded the infantry invasion. On June 6 shortly after midnight, 2,200 Allied bombers attacked German positions to soften the landing zones for amphibious troops. One of the reasons that Omaha Beach was so bloody is that thick cloud coverage in that area rendered the bombing campaign at Omaha ineffective, leaving enemy infrastructure—and guns—in perfect working order.

[Pictured: Soldiers load 2,000-pound bombs on aircraft in England prior to D-Day.]

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After the aerial bombardment but before the beach landings, 24,000 American, Canadian, and British paratroopers parachuted in behind enemy lines to secure the beaches’ exits. The same heavy cloud coverage that hindered the Omaha Beach bombardment also foiled the paratroopers. Many units ended up far away from their intended landing zones amid the chaos.

[Pictured: A U.S. infantry paratroop regiment are shown inside a C-47 transport in England in the early hours of June 6, 1944.]

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The Canadians attacking Juno Beach suffered carnage similar to what the Americans experienced at Omaha, particularly the first wave of troops, many of whom died before reaching the shore thanks to rough seas and relentless Nazi artillery. In the end, however, it was the Canadians who captured more towns, more strategic positions, and more ground than any other battalions.

[Pictured: Canadian soldiers land on the beach in Normandy, France, on June 6, 1944.]

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D-Day involved nearly 7,000 Allied ships... The beach invasion involved an unprecedented 6,939 ships and other vessels. Eighty percent of them were British.

[Pictured: Allied landing craft protected by barrage balloons cross the English Channel on June 6, 1944.]

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The operation also included 11,590 aircraft. They supported the naval fleets, dropped off paratroopers, conducted reconnaissance, and bombarded Nazi defensive positions.

[Pictured: Allied aircrews work around C-47 transport planes shortly before D-Day.]

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Along with the Americans were 61,715 British Allied liberators and 21,400 Canadian troops. In total, 156,115 Allied troops stormed the beaches of Normandy.

[Pictured: British troops embark at Southsea, Portsmouth, England, on June 5, 1944.]

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The U.S. government enlisted the service of now-famous Comanche “code-talkers” in both World War I and World War II. Using their native tribal language, they developed a secret messaging code that proved unbreakable for the Germans. Thirteen of these code-talkers were among the Allied soldiers landing at Normandy.

[Pictured: Comanche code-talkers of the 4th Signal Company stand for a portrait.]

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D-Day was only the start of the long and brutal Battle of Normandy, which raged until the end of August. In terms of average daily casualties, the campaign was bloodier than the infamous Battle of the Somme during World War I.

[Pictured: American howitzers shell German forces retreating near Carentan, France, on July 11, 1944.]

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Between June 6 and Aug. 21, more than 2 million Allied troops landed in Northern France. Relative to the larger battle of Normandy, the D-Day landings represented only a small percentage of overall combatants.

[Pictured: Troops of the US Army 2nd Infantry Division march up the bluff at Omaha Beach, Normandy, France, on June 7, 1944.]

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Most of the 9,387 Americans buried at the Normandy American Cemetery were killed on D-Day or in the early stages of the Allied fight to establish a beachhead. It’s one of 14 permanent World War II military cemeteries the American Battle Monuments Commission built on foreign soil. It sits on land granted to the United States by France.

[Pictured: An American cemetery in Normandy, France.]

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Allied troops on D-Day had radically different experiences depending on where they landed. In some places along the 50-mile front, there were almost no casualties at all. In other places, casualty rates were as high as 96%.

[Pictured: American soldiers help the wounded come to shore during the Allied invasion on June 6, 1944.]

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Fleets of now-iconic Higgins boats ferried most men ashore on D-Day. Technically called LCVP for “landing craft vehicles and personnel,” the vessels were designed and built by an ambitious and eccentric Irish-American industrialist named Andrew Higgins. Made from wood and steel, Higgins boats were simple, practical, reliable, and easy to mass-produce—in 1964, Eisenhower famously credited Higgins and his efforts with winning the war.

[Pictured: American troops board their Landing Craft Vehicle-Personnel at Torquay Hards, England, on June 3, 1944.]

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Yankees catcher Yogi Berra took part in the D-Day invasion, as did author J.D. Salinger and slain civil rights activist Medgar Evers, who supported the invasion as part of a segregated unit. Golf great Bobby Jones was 40 when he successfully petitioned his Army Reserve commander to allow him to join the fray and Oscar-winning British actor David Niven was among the first officers to land; he won a U.S. Legion of Merit Medal. Before he played Scotty on “Star Trek,” James Doohan sustained six bullet wounds and lost his middle finger on Juno Beach. Actor Charles Durning—thrown into the first-wave at Omaha Beach—won a Silver Star and a Purple Heart and was among the only survivors from his landing group.

[Pictured: An Allied soldier looks out over the Normandy operations underway on June 6, 1944.]

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To prepare for the landings, the Americans shipped 7 million tons of supplies from the U.S. to a staging area in England. Among the haul was 450,000 tons of ammunition.

[Pictured: An ambulance is loaded at Portland Harbor in Dorset, England, on June 5, 1944.]

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Allied commanders planned meticulously for years, photographing the area from the air and painstakingly cataloging every detail of the landscape. In the end, war planners created 17 million maps to support D-Day operations.

[Pictured: U.S. Army generals review a map in Corsica in August 1944.]

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By establishing a beachhead, the Allies were able to open a supply chain that allowed desperately needed resources to flow into France. By June 11 (D+5), 104,428 tons of supplies, 54,186 vehicles, and 326,547 troops had followed in the footsteps of the first infantrymen to hit the shores.

[Pictured: Operations underway as landing ships put cargo ashore on Omaha Beach in June 1944.]

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In order to accommodate the massive influx of people and things, the Allies constructed two enormous artificial pre-fabricated harbors called the Mulbury Harbours. To get the job done, 55,000 workers spent six months and poured 1 million tons of concrete.

[Pictured: Allies unload supplies on a Mulberry Harbour at Colleville, France.]

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As part of their Atlantic defenses, the Germans placed artillery pieces atop Pointe du Hoc, 100-foot cliffs overlooking Omaha and Utah beaches and the English Channel. Those artillery units could have annihilated Allied forces landing on the beaches below, but U.S. Army Rangers scaled the cliffs, seized the guns, and held the terrain against significant German counterattacks. The Rangers’ efforts to secure Omaha Beach’s left flank came at a tremendous loss of life.

[Pictured: A command post is established on the cliffs of Pointe du Hoc at during the invasion at Omaha Beach in Normandy, France.]

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The Medal of Honor is the highest award that the U.S. Armed Forces can bestow. Of the thousands who fought and died, 12 men received Medals of Honor for their heroics on D-Day. Nine of them were given posthumously.

[Pictured: Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen (R) greets Medal of Honor recipient U.S. Army Staff Sgt. (retired) Walter Ehlers (C) during a ceremony in Arlington, Virginia, in 2011.]

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The Army was segregated during World War II and African American units were largely relegated to supporting roles and manual labor. On D-Day, however, a single segregated black unit participated in the landings: the 330th Barrage Balloon Battalion.

[Pictured: A platoon of African American troops prepare to eliminate a German sniper on June 10, 1944.]

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The National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS) is a service provided by the U.S. Department of Justice. Before you purchase a car, run its VIN number and its title information through the NMVTIS system, which is free to use. It will tell you if the car doesn’t match its VIN number or associated paperwork.

Re d day.
My son and I were in France and Germany from Jun2 to June 17 2004, the 60th anniversary of D day was taking place in France and we met many d day vets during our travels. It was awesome.
On the morning of June 6 we were in Berlin and heard the news of Ronald Regans death the day before ( a big deal in Berlin). We went for a walk up the Under Linden and noticed it was being set up for an event. We surmised it was too soon to recognize Regan’s passing and D day was not a big event in Berlin. They were setting up for the monthly open air market.
On another note the year before my wife and I were in New Orleans ( N’ Awlins) and I visited the Higgins boat museum and the WWII museum,which I will state is probably the best in the world.
Higgins also built PT Boats as well.

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During their 50s heyday there were over 4,600 drive-in movie theaters across the States. There are less than 600 left.

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Actor Charlton Heston as Moses with arms flung wide appearing in motion picture The Ten Commandments as it is shown at a drive-in movie theatre in Utah in 1958.

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In the late 60s as color television became the ultimate status symbol for aspirational consumers and movie theaters offered an appealing alternative to drive-ins, more and more plots disappeared from the map, replaced by malls and parking lots.

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Popeye Village was originally built as a film set for the 1980 live-action musical Popeye, starring Robin Williams. It’s located in Anchor Bay, two miles from the village of Mellieħa, in northern Malta. After the film production, Popeye Village — or Sweethaven Village — was turned into a small amusement park. Visitors can wander around the ramshackle buildings, meet characters and enjoy puppet shows. You can even watch the film there (it was a bit of a flop though, sadly). If you’re a comic book fan and a Popeye purist, there’s a comic museum, too. Entrance is free.

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Corvette Museum Set To Reopen June 8 With New Mid-Engine Exhibit

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Kiawah Island, South Carolina

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Gladden Caye, Belize