embassy events 2008 

“A Mighty Endeavor” – Anniversary of D-Day Invasion

6 June 2008
 

Assault landing one of the first waves at Omaha Beach as photographed by Robert F. Sargent. The U.S. Coast Guard caption identifies the unit as Company E, 16th Infantry, 1st Infantry Division

Today June 6th, marks the 64th anniversary of D-Day, the Allied landings at Normandy, France.  Operation Overlord was the largest seaborne invasion at the time, involving over 850,000 troops crossing the English Channel from the United Kingdom to France by the end of June, 1944.  Allied land forces that saw combat in Normandy on June 6 came from Canada, Free French Forces, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In the weeks following the invasion, Polish forces also participated and there were also contingents from Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Greece, and the Netherlands.

Speaking in a famous radio address to the nation on June 6, 1944, President Roosevelt said: “Our sons, pride of our nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our Republic, our religion, and our civilization, and to set free a suffering humanity.”  For audiostream of the full 6 minute speech, click HERE.