Who commanded the Allied forces for the D-Day invasion of Normandy in 1944?

The Allied commander who led the D-Day invasion of Normandy in 1944 was General Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Eisenhower served as Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force in Europe. On 6 June 1944, he directed Operation Overlord, the enormous seaborne and airborne assault against German defenses on the coast of Normandy in occupied France. The invasion opened the main Western Front against Nazi Germany.

His role involved far more than choosing the landing date. Eisenhower coordinated American, British, Canadian, and other Allied forces, balanced competing military plans, and approved the final decision to launch despite dangerous weather. He famously accepted personal responsibility for the outcome when the operation began.

The D-Day landings placed troops on five beaches—Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword. Although the first day was costly, the Allies established a crucial beachhead and brought hundreds of thousands of soldiers into northwest Europe. Eisenhower continued commanding Allied forces through the campaign that liberated France and defeated Germany.

A common mix-up is naming Bernard Montgomery, who commanded the 21st Army Group and directed the land forces during the initial invasion. Montgomery was a senior subordinate; Eisenhower was the overall Allied commander.