1. Colleville sur Mer, France.
6 June 1944 marked the beginning of Operation Overlord; the invasion of German-occupied Europe during World War II.
2. Saint Aubin sur Mer, France.
3. Sainte Mere Eglise, France.
The initial invasion of Normandy was the largest ever amphibious assault in military history, known as D-Day.
4. Saint Lo, France.
5. Bernieres sur Mer, France.
The assault came just after midnight under the command of General Bernard Montgomery.
6. La Breche, France.
7. Moreton in Marsh, England.
Thousands of paratroops and glider-borne troops landed behind enemy lines on the beaches and mainland of Normandy.
8. Saint Marie du Mont, France.
9. Weymouth, England.
Around 7,000 ships and 11,000 aircraft were involved in the attack.
10. Weymouth Harbour, England.
In total 75,215 British and Canadian troops and 57,500 U.S. troops were landed by sea on D-Day. Another 23,400 were landed by air.
11. Vierville sur Mer, France.
King George VI broadcast a message on D-Day, calling for unified prayer during the battle: "I desire solemnly to call my people to prayer and dedication … At this historic moment surely not one of us is too busy, too young or too old to play a part in a nation-wide, perchance a world-wide, vigil of prayer as the great crusade sets forth."
12. Trevieres, France.
13. Basly, France.
President Franklin D Roosevelt said in a news conference that the invasion did not mean the end of the war: "You don't just walk to Berlin, and the sooner this country realises that the better."
14. Pointe du Hoc, France.
15. Bernieres-sur-Mere, France.
D-Day marked the beginning of the end for the Germans, forcing the Axis powers to fight the Allies on two fronts.
16. Bernieres-sur-Mere, France.
17. Caen, France.
