Attack on Fortress Europe: From D-Day to V.E. Day

It is first light on the 6th of June, 1994, D-Day. On this day, the Allies launched the largest combined land, air and sea operation ever from Souther England to liberate Europe from Hitler and Nazi oppression. Code named Overlord, the entire operation was a tremendous gamble. The element of surprise was paramount and through a tangle of intrigue, the German high command was led to believe the invasion would occur not at Normandy, but at Calais, only twenty miles from England across the narrow strait of Dover.

The United States Airborne played a major role in the success of Allied operations throughout World War II. From their first jumps in North Africa and Sicily, to the massive drops in Normandy and Holland, the Airborne was an important part of Allied military strategy. Initially conceived as an assault force able to parachute behind enemy lines, to seize and hold strategic areas until ground forces could link up with them, the AIrborne unites were used in many different ways. From dropping in to capture key positions behind enemy lines in Normandy and Holland, to fighting as tough ground forces at Anzio and the Battle of the Bulge, the Airborne was ready for anything. Elite, confident, and ready for action, the men of the United States Airborne were the best trained and best conditioned fighting force of the war. These men represented the finest combat troops America had to offer and they proved it in the face of unbelievable odds and under the most extreme conditions.