70th Anniversary of D-Day

Nearly seven decades ago in the midst of World War II, Allied forces landed on the Normandy coastline on June 6, 1944 with the aim to liberate France, and then advance to Germany.

To mark the 70^th anniversary of D-Day, and to honor those Americans that fought and died in this campaign, Normandy American Cemetery will host a ceremony on June 6, 2014 at 10:30 a.m.

If you are interested in attending the ceremony at the cemetery as part of the general public, please e-mail the U.S. Embassy in Paris.

If you are a World War II veteran attending the ceremony, please email the U.S. Defense Attaché Office in Paris.

For those seeking media credentials for the ceremony at Normandy American Cemetery, you must register with United States European Command. (Use June-6-1944 as the login password for this site.)

ABMC Resources about D-Day and Normandy American Cemetery:

• Learn about Normandy American Cemetery
• Watch videos shown in the Normandy Visitor Center:
  • Letters: The story of five men who lost their lives during the Normandy Campaign.
  • On Their Shoulders: The story of three men who were killed in action on D-Day or soon after.
  • Ok, Let’s Go: The story of Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower's decision to launch Operation Overlord.
  • Stories of Pointe du Hoc: The memories from that fateful day, and remember their comrades that perished.
• Use our battle map interactives to explore the Normandy Campaign and the Battle of Pointe du Hoc
• Download the Pointe du Hoc smartphone app

Event Coverage for the 70^th Anniversary of D-Day:

• News and Events on ABMC.gov
• ABMC Facebook
• ABMC Instagram: @usabmc

About the Normandy Campaign:

The massive Allied assault on the Normandy coastline on June 6, 1944 aimed to liberate France and drive into Nazi Germany.

Before dawn on June 6, three airborne divisions—the U.S. 82^nd and 101st and the British 6th—landed by parachute and glider behind targeted beaches. Allied naval forces, including the U.S. Coast Guard, conveyed assault forces across the English Channel. Beginning at 0630 hours, six U.S., British and Canadian divisions landed on Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword Beaches in history’s greatest amphibious assault.

The U.S. 4th Infantry Division pushed inland from Utah Beach. To the east, on Omaha Beach, the U.S. 1st and 29th Infantry

Divisions battled German resistance over a beach bristling with obstacles. To reach the plateau where Normandy American Cemetery stands, troops fought across an open area of up to 200 yards, and attacked up steep bluffs. By day’s end, the Americans held fragile control of Omaha Beach.

On Gold, Juno and Sword, British and Canadian divisions forged ahead. In less than a week, the Allies linked the beachheads and pressed onward.

Over the next three months, the Allies battled German troops throughout Normandy. British and Canadians freed Caen. Americans liberated Cherbourg and staged a dramatic breakout near St. Lô. Allied troops, joined by French and Polish units, encircled and annihilated German troops at the Falaise Pocket while surviving units fled eastward. The way was now open to advance toward Paris and then to Germany.