Battle of Normandy

The Battle of Normandy, codenamed Operation Overlord, was one of the major battles of the Second World War on the European theater. It was fought in Normandy between June and August 1944 and allowed the Allies to open a new front in Western Europe against the Third Reich. It began on 6 June 1944 — D-Day — with airborne landings, then the amphibious assault (Operation Neptune) on the beaches of western Calvados and eastern Cotentin. It ended on 25 August 1944 with the Liberation of Paris and the Allies reaching the Seine.

Operation Overlord opened on 6 June 1944 with airborne landings (Operation Tonga) then the Neptune amphibious assault on the Calvados and Cotentin beaches. France participated notably through Kieffer's commandos (Sword Beach) and later Leclerc's 2nd Armored Division. The effort was coordinated with the Soviet Bagration offensive of 22 June.

The campaign combined amphibious landing, bocage warfare, massive air bombardment, and armored breakthroughs (notably Operation Cobra in late July). The Allies established a bridgehead then expanded toward Caen, Saint-Lô, Avranches, and the Falaise pocket.

Allied victory opening a third front in Western Europe and relieving the Soviet front. The battle ended on 25 August 1944 with the liberation of Paris and reaching the Seine, paving the way for the liberation of northern France and the 15 August landing in Provence.