 June 6th, 1944, 156,000 Allied troops invade Normandy, France by sea and air to defeat the Axis powers. The largest seaborne invasion in history and a masterpiece in planning and innovation co-named Operation Overlord, the world would forever remember this day as D-Day. In the early morning, 18,000 paratroopers parachuted into drop zones across northern France while Allied air forces flew over 14,000 sorties. With almost 7,000 naval vessels taking part in Operation Neptune, the naval component of Overlord over 132,000 ground troops then arrived through amphibious landings across five assault beaches. Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword, 4,414 men from the United States, Great Britain, Canada, and other Allied nations made the ultimate sacrifice to establish this foothold in occupied France. With over 2,000,000 Allied forces arriving in France during Operation Overlord, 225,000 Allied casualties during the Battle of Normandy as well as 20,000 French citizens were the costs for the liberation of Paris on August 25th and leading to the defeat of Germany on May 8th, 1945. Today, one can visit sites such as Point du Hoc where the terrain is marked by bomb craters and concrete bunkers remain intact. War memorials and cemeteries across Normandy, such as the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial and St. Mary Glees Cathedral, immortalized those that sacrificed all to end tyranny.