THE TENSION: Combat Camera: D-Day, 6 June 1944

Supreme Allied Commander U.S. Army Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower speaks with 101st Airborne Division paratroopers before they board airplanes and gliders to take part in a parachute assault into Normandy as part of the Allied Invasion of Europe, D-Day, June 6, 1944.

A paratrooper boards an airplane that will drop him over the coast of Normandy for the Allied Invasion of Europe, D-Day, June 6, 1944. Soldiers of the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions parachuted behind enemy lines during the night, while fellow Soldiers assaulted Normandy beaches at dawn.

Ships carry Soldiers and equipment across the English Channel toward the coast of Normandy, D-Day, June 6, 1944.

Army Air Corps photographers documented D-Day beach traffic, as photographed from a Ninth Air Force bomber on June 6, 1944. Note vehicle lanes leading away from the landing areas, and landing craft left aground by the tide.

A convoy of landing craft nears the beach at Normandy, D-Day, June 6, 1944.

Soldiers and crewmen aboard a Coast Guard landing craft approach Normandy, D-Day, 6 June 1944.

Soldiers wade through surf and Nazi gunfire to secure a beachhead during the Allied Invasion, June 6, 1944.

Soldiers crowd a landing craft on their way to Normandy during the Allied Invasion of Europe, D-Day, June 6, 1944.

Barges carrying supplies for Soldiers are challenged by pounding surf along the Normandy coast, D-Day, June 6, 1944.

Members of a landing party help injured Soldiers to safety on Utah Beach during the Allied Invasion of Europe on D-Day, June 6, 1944.

Soldiers move onto Omaha Beach during the Allied Invasion of Europe on D-Day, June 6, 1944.

Soldiers of the 8th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division, move over a seawall on Utah Beach during the Allied Invasion of Europe.

Medics attend to wounded soldiers on Utah Beach in France during the Allied Invasion of Europe on D-Day, June 6, 1944.

Soldiers of the 16th Infantry Regiment, wounded while storming Omaha Beach, wait by the chalk cliffs for evacuation to a field hospital for treatment, D-Day, June 6, 1944.

Gliders fly supplies to Soldiers fighting on Utah Beach during the Allied Invasion of Europe, D-Day, June 6, 1944.

German troops surrender to Soldiers during the Allied Invasion of Europe, D-Day, June 6, 1944.

Soldiers in cargo vehicles move onto a beach in Normandy during the Allied Invasion of Europe, D-Day, June 6, 1944. After fierce fighting, the Allies established a foothold in northern France

The spirit of the American Soldier: this beachhead is secure. Fellow Soldiers erected this monument to an American Soldier somewhere on the shell-blasted coast of Normandy.

Imagery: U.S. Army

U.S. Army Official D-Day Web Site
Freedom * Brotherhood * Sacrifice * Victory
Multimedia, Imagery, Maps, History
June 6, 1944, 160,000 Allied Troops landed long a 50-mile stretch of heavily-fortified French coastline to fight Nazi Germany on the beaches of Normandy, France. General Dwight D. Eisenhower called the operation a crusade in which “we will accept nothing less than full victory.” More than 5,000 Ships and 13,000 aircraft supported the D-Day invasion, and by day’s end on June 6, the Allies gained a foot- hold in Normandy. The D-Day cost was high -more than 9,000 Allied Soldiers were killed or wounded -- but more than 100,000 Soldiers began the march across Europe to defeat Hitler.

Gates, French Defense Minister Reaffirm Defense Ties
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
PARIS, June 5, 2007 -– Meeting here today on the eve of the 63rd anniversary of the D-Day invasion, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and French Defense Minister Herve Morin agreed to work toward strengthening their two countries’ historic ties. Read it.

Unseen D-Day Photos Discovered in Alabama Attic

Telegraph's D-Day dispatches go on show
Original copies of the dramatic dispatches sent by the Daily Telegraph correspondent who witnessed the Allied invasion of France go on display this week as the centre-piece of an exhibition at the D-Day Museum in Portsmouth.

D-Day at The National World War II Museum
Dedicated in 2000 as The National D-Day Museum and now designated by Congress as the country’s official World War II Museum, this remarkable attraction illuminates the American experience during the WWII era with moving personal stories, historic artifacts and powerful interactive displays. From the Normandy invasion to the sands of Pacific Islands and the Home Front, the Museum brings to life the teamwork, optimism, courage and sacrifice of the men and women who won the war and changed the world.

National WWII Memorial in Washington, D.C.
National Parks Site