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About the USA is a digital collection of background resources on American society, culture, and political processes. In addition to featuring selected websites, it provides access to documents in full text format (E-Texts) on topics ranging from the history of German-American relations, government and politics to travel, holidays and sports. About the USA is maintained by the Information Resource Centers/U.S. Diplomatic Mission to Germany. usa.usembassy.de

In Focus: 65th Anniversary – June 6, 1944: D-Day in Normandy, France

'The tide has turned! The free men of the world are marching together to Victory!'
Dwight David Eisenhower, Supreme Commander of the troops invading France, issued an order of the day

Dwight Eisenhower giving orders to Ameri- can paratroopers in England (June 6, 1944) (© About, Inc.)

‘D-Day was a team effort. No service, no single Allied nation could have done the job alone. But it was in the nature of things that the Army should establish the beachhead, from which the over-running of the enemy in Europe would begin. Success, and all that it meant to the rights of free people, depended on the men who advanced across the ground, and by their later advances, rolled back the might of Nazi tyranny. That Army of Liberation was made up of Americans and Britons and Frenchmen, of Hollanders, Belgians, Poles, Norwegians, Danes and Luxembourgers. The American Army, in turn, was composed of Regulars, National Guardsmen, Reservists and Selectees, all of them reflecting the vast panorama of American life.'
Former President Eisenhower, May 1961

On June 6, President Barack Obama will take part in activities commemorating the 65th anniversary of D-Day.

U.S. Troops wading through water and Nazi gunfire (June 6, 1944) (© About, Inc.)

On June 6, 1944, 160,000 Allied troops landed along 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.

(More: The United States Army D-Day Site - Video, audio, photos, posters, and maps tell the story.)

Last updated: May 22, 2009