Which operation was the Allied invasion of Normandy?

The Allied invasion of Normandy was Operation Overlord. Launched on June 6, 1944, it created a major Allied foothold in German-occupied France and began the liberation of Western Europe from Nazi control.

Operation Overlord was larger than the beach landings alone. Its opening amphibious phase was codenamed Operation Neptune, while airborne troops landed behind the beaches to seize bridges, disrupt German movement, and protect the invasion’s flanks. The five principal landing beaches were Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword.

Nearly 160,000 Allied troops crossed the English Channel on D-Day, supported by thousands of ships and aircraft. American forces landed at Utah and Omaha; British forces landed at Gold and Sword; Canadian forces landed at Juno. The Allies also used elaborate deception, including Operation Bodyguard, to persuade Germany that the main attack might come elsewhere.

Operation Overlord continued through the Normandy campaign and ended as German forces withdrew across the Seine at the end of August 1944. Operation Market Garden, one of the wrong options, was a separate September 1944 airborne-and-ground offensive in the Netherlands.