On June 6, 1944, more than 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, as it was known. At the end of the day, the Allies had gained a foot-hold in Continental Europe. The victory, however, was not without its consequences. The cost in lives on D-Day was high as 9,00 Allied Soldiers were either killed or wounded. All of this was possible because of Eisenhower as he made the final decision about the invasion. He led his troops with his motivational speeches, and in the end, led them to a successful victory.
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