The largest amphibious invasion in history was launched on June 6, 1944, by U.S. and Allied forces along the heavily fortified beaches in Normandy, France. The bloody assault, which killed more the 4,400 of the 156,00 soldiers, according to AP, marked a turning point in World War II. In August, northern France was liberated, and by the following spring, the Allies defeated Nazi Germany.

Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower talks with American paratroopers on the evening of June 5, 1944, as they prepared for the invasion of Normandy, during World War II, in Greenham Common, England.
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