At dawn on June 6, 1944, nearly 7,000 U.S. and British ships and craft carrying close to 160,000 troops lay off the Normandy beaches, surprising German commanders, who had overestimated the adverse weather's impact and were also expecting landings to the northeast, in the Pas-de-Calais area. Known as Operation Overlord, the Allied forces hit the beaches at Normandy, beginning the march eastward to defeat Germany. It was the largest amphibious landing in history. The below order was issued by Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower to encourage Allied Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen taking part in the D-day invasion.
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Operation Overlord: Invasion of Normandy.