Operation <i>Overlord</i> was the largest amphibious military operation ever launched. The greatest armada the world had ever seen was assembled to transport the Allied invasion force of over 150,000 soldiers across the English Channel and open the long-awaited second front against Hitler's Third Reich. Just after dawn on June 6, 1944, the Allied troops assaulted the beaches of the Cotentin peninsula against stiff German resistance. The code names for these beaches, Omaha, Utah, Juno, Gold, and Sword, have taken on a legendary status in the annals of military history. <br><br>Coordinated with the amphibious landings were a number of aerial assaults. These troops, dropped in either by parachute or glider carried out crucial missions to take key areas, enable the vital link up between the beaches and secure the bridgehead. Casualties, especially on Omaha Beach, were horrendous, but the assaults were successful, and the troops began the arduous task of liberating Europe from Nazi occupation. This book looks in detail at the plans and build-up to the operation, and, accompanied by photos, maps and artwork, discusses the events of D-Day in each of the key areas of the operation.