The D-Day operation, codenamed OVERLORD, brought together the land, air and sea forces of the Allied armies in the largest invasion force in human history. The Allied invasion of Hitler's "Fortress Europe" began in the early morning hours of June 6, 1944 when American and British paratroops dropped behind the intended invasion beaches, codenamed UTAH, OMAHA, GOLD, JUNO, and SWORD, to disrupt German communications. At dawn an Allied Armada of 7,000 ships and landing craft manned by over 195,000 naval personnel from eight allied countries landed almost 133,000 troops from Great Britain, Canada, and the USA on D-Day. Casualties from the three countries during the landing numbered 10,300 but by the end of the day, the Allies had achieved a tenuous toehold. By June 30th, despite adverse weather over 850,000 men, 148,000 vehicles, and 570,000 tons of supplies had landed on the Normandy shores and Hitler's 'Fortress Europe' was under seige.
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