WW II D-Day From A Landing Craft As It Approaches the Normandy Shore, 6 June 1944

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This photo was taken by a U.S. Army Signal Corps photographer on D-Day, 6 June 1944 showing the view from a landing craft as American soldiers wait behind the thin shield of the front ramp. Naval gunfire is softening up the beach. In a few moments the ramp will drop open and these troops will be completely exposed to hostile fire from German positions on the cliffs. This is the real scene that The Longest Day and Saving Private Ryan are based on.

Today in WW II: 8 Feb 1940 Germans establish the first large Jewish ghetto in Poland in the city of Lodz. More ↓

8 Feb 1941 US House of Representatives passes the Lend-Lease Act [265 to 165].
8 Feb 1942 Battle of Sarimbun Beach begins, the first stage of the Japanese assault on Singapore.
8 Feb 1942 Japanese Offensive in Burma begins [8 Feb-2 May].
8 Feb 1945 Battle of the Reichswald: British and Canadian forces under Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery begin Operation Veritable [8 Feb-11 Mar].
Visit the Olive-Drab.com World War II Timeline for day-by-day events 1939-1945! See also WW2 Books.