June 29, 1944

Dear Mother,
        Another week has almost gone. Gee it seemed
to go by so fast. In fact the whole month has
gone by fast. Tomorrow is payday. But it will
just be a day to me.
        How is everything at home? Has Glenn and
Audrey returned home yet? I am looking for a letter
from you and also the others. I hope some mail
comes to me tomorrow.
        Have you received the pictures I sent to you yet?
I hope you like them. If I can get some more
film somewhere I will have some more pictures.
    Well everything is ok with me. I am getting
caught up on my sleep again. That is better
than all our work. I am all caught up now. I
have guard duty tomorrow night and I am off
Monday. So I am looking for a big day right
after payday. Goodnight. I hope you are feeling a
lot better by now.                            Love
                                                              Ralph

The next letter will be posted on July 4th.

Background Information (and comments):

• This was written as a v-mail on the 29th, censor stamped on the 30th, but not postmarked until July 6th.

England June 26, 1944.

Dear Mother & all,
      Received your letter of June 15, yesterday.
I was glad to hear that you wee feeling
better and Marie was there helping you
out. I suppose it isn't quite so lonesome
now that Audrey is around there with
you.
      I suppose my car was all decked out
in the usual wedding trimings. I hope I
will be able to deck it out myself soon.
I am glad Dad has all the crops in by now.
I suppose the corn will be knee high by
the fourth this year. I don't know what I
will do this fourth. I was busy last year.
Remember?
      My day off was yesterday and I went to
the Red Cross in town to sleep. It was
really good to take a hot shower and
jump into a bed between two clean
white sheets. We get tired of sleeping between
these wool blankets all the time. I never
woke up until of  one of the girls that

makes up the beds came in and woke
me up. So I missed going to church. But the
sleep was really a lot to me. In the afternoon
I just layed around in the park, and spent a
very quite summer afternoon.
   What did you think of the other pictures I sent
you? Please don't much attention to the
dirty coveralls. That is almost second nature
now. I can't keep clean at my job.
   I hope someone will be able to send me
a few snapshots of the wedding. Gosh from
the way your letters sound Freeman has
certainly changed. I probably won't know him.
They are making hay over here now. They
stack all of there hay and grain around here.
Some of the farmers are still threshing. They
don't grow any corn here.
   I sure wish I could have some of those
strawberries. But I guess we eat pretty fair.
Tonight we had ice cream. All we could eat.
Of course it isn't the best ice cream.
   I suppose there was a big crowd at the
wedding. Well maybe after I get home there
will be another one, but I must get

adjusted to civilian life again and find
myself a job.
     I see by the Metamora paper that Don
Prisby is home on furlough. I bet he is
glad to get away from this war for awhile.
Those fellows in the pacific are doing a
grand job.
    Well mother this is about all for tonight.
Hope to hear from all of you real often.
Goodnight for now.
                                        Love Ralph


The next letter will be posted on June 29th.

Background Information (and comments):

• Here are excerpts from Ralph's 1943 letters (the only one he wrote around the fourth)
• On July 3 he wrote, "This is the last letter I will write in Texas. So please don't send anymore mail here.....There is a lot to write but I can't write it. It makes it hard to write."
• On July 9 he wrote, "I am still in the United States but can't say where...We had a nice trip and I seen a lot of country I have never seen before and a lot of it I have seen."
• Going back to 1942, here is what he wrote that year from Jefferson Barracks, Mo.
• On July 3 he wrote, "Well here it is July 3 already. We just got thru having a G.I. party. That is confinement to our tents for punishment of two hours and scrub them with a brush, soap and water. Somebody in Flight A had a dirty tent and the whole squadron pays for it"
• ...."I think all the men here realize that we are here for one reason and the sooner we can get into action and get it over with so much the better."

England June 22, 1944.

Dear Mother,
        Received your letter today of June 8.
I was glad to hear from you and hope
more of my letters have been received
by you now. The mail being held up
is one thing I can't do a thing about.
     I imagine that big house does seem
empty and lonesome now.
     Yes Marie is a fine worker. She
always seemed to cheer me up whenever
I was feeling blue. Were you able to
attend the wedding? I hope so.
     Gee those strawberries sure sound
good to me. I hadn't even thought of
strawberries until you had mentioned
them. I guess I have been to busy
even to think about the season of the
year. You sound as if you have been
haveing some English weather around
there. That is the way it goes here. One
doesn't know how to dress even.
I bet it seems awlfully funny to you
to have Dad getting the breakfast. I wouldn't
know how to act with such a small

group at a meal. It will be grand though
to get back to eating where the food is on
the table before you. No lines.
     I have some pictures to send to you.
They are of a few things near our
camp. Notice my clean work clothes.
     This is all I can't think of for tonight.
Hope this finds you much better. I am
ok, but tired of so much work. Hope
this war soon ends. Last night the US
Army band gave a concert here. It was
very good. Goodnight for now.
                                      Love Ralph.


The next letter will be posted on June 26th.

Background Information (and comments):

• I found some photos that could possibly be the ones he referred to in this letter.

Ralph in his work clothes.

June 20, 44

Dear Mother,
         Just a short letter to you tonight. My
shirts arrived ok and they are just what I
wanted. Our work has not been quite so rushing
now so maybe I can find more time to write
a few letters now. I have a letter to answer to
Pearl Meyers also. I hope you have received my
mail by now.
        I was going to write earlier tonight so I could
get some letters written, but I just fell asleep on
my bed and forgot to wake up. So I guess I will
have to do some tomorrow night. Tomorrow night
I am going to the U.S. Army band concert.
        Yesterday for dinner we had apple pie for
dinner and chocolate ice cream. That was really
a treat. For breakfast in the morning the menu
says, real eggs, and oranges. So you see we
are eating ok. Not much more room on this
paper so will close for now. Please write as soon
as possible. I think I will be able to write more
often now.                                   Love Ralph.


The next letter will be posted on June 22nd.

Background Information (and comments):

• This was sent as a V mail, written on the 20th, censors stamp on 21st and postmarked on 24th at 4:30 PM. 

England June 18, 1944.

                          1
Dear Mother,
         Well here it is Sunday
again and I have taken time off
from work to drop a letter
to you. I hope this letter
will find you much better.
D-Day has come and gone
and now we are getting back
to normal work again. I think
the mails were held up for
the start of D-Day. But hope
by now my mail is getting
through to you. Irene said
she hadn't had a letter from
me for fifteen days but
now it was comeing through
again.
    Had a letter from Harley

                          2
today. I guess the way he
writes, they are keeping him
busy also.
     We have been haveing some
summer weather again and it
sure seems good to see the
sunshine again. I will be
glad to get back to the good old
U.S.A. where our climate is
in season and not have
summer one day and winter
the next.
     I attended Sunday services
again today. Chaplain Sumnerlin
gave a very nice talk. I hope
by this time Luella has
given you the pictures of our
Chapel and the Chaplain.
    I have received some pictures
I have taken over here

                        3
and they turned out very
good. I am haveing some reprints
made and will send you a
set as soon as they are
finished.
      A few nights ago we had
a surprise for supper. It was
pineapple ice cream. Gosh
it sure tasted good, and then
the following morning we had
fresh fried eggs and real oranges.
That is another treat. About
two nights later they had
fresh sliced tomatoes for
supper. They really hit the
spot. You know how well
I like them to.
      How was the Wedding? I
bet it was a big success.
I sure wished I could have

                    4
been there to it, but I guess
about the only wedding I will
attend is my own. I also
missed Cliff's. I was in New York
at the World's Fair at the time.
This time in England. I really
do a lot of traveling around.
     I know you will understand
now why the mail hasn't been
comeing through to you, so please
don't worry about me. I want
you to be ok by the time I
arrive home. I sure hope it
won't be long. From all the
news reports the boys over
in France are doing ok. So
maybe we will all be home
sooner than it is expected.
      I was thinking today that
this is about the time we

                   5
always held the family reunion.
Maybe we can all be together
next year for it.
       Irene has her vacation
comeing in July and says she
doesn't think she will do
very much. I sure wish I
could be there to have a
vacation with her.
      Had a V mail letter from
Pearl yesterday. She said she
had written to you.
      Well mother this is about
all for tonight. I hope you and
the new daughter-in-law are
getting along ok. I know Audrey
will be a lot of company to you.
Take care of yourself and please
don't worry.
                      Love Ralph.


The next letter will be posted on June 20th.

Background Information (and comments):

• After Glenn & Audrey married on June 16th, they lived with Ralph's parents in the back of the farmhouse until 1963.
• The first Brown Reunion took place on Sept. 12, 1917. There were yearly reunions through 1941 with the 25th annual reunion taking place at the Adrian Fairgrounds on June 15, 1941. For the next 7 years there was no reunion due to World War II. The 26th reunion was held at Ellis Park in Blissfield Michigan on Aug. 15, 1948. The 95th Annual Brown Reunion is scheduled for Aug. 27, 2017 at Ellis Park in Blissfield. 
• For anyone interested in some additional Brown Reunion history, there are documents available on the Brown Reunion facebook page.

15 Jun 1944

Dear Mother & all,
         Just a note to let you know I am ok
and I am still in England. We have plenty of
work to keep us out of mischief. I am looking
forward to my day off and a visit to London again.
     I suppose you are busy preparing for the
wedding. I received an invitation to it, but I
am quite sure I can't make it. I hope you are
feeling ok and will be able to go to the wedding.
There will be another one soon after I am home.
So I won't be missing all of them. I was at the
world's fair during Cliff's wedding. Be in London
during Glenn's. I guess I really get around.
    How is everything around home now? We are
haveing rather cool weather lately again.
     I guess this is about all for tonight. I am
not feeling any to good myself tonight. I didn't go
to work. Hope I feel ok tomorrow. Goodbye for
now. Please write soon. A letter means
an awlful lot.                      Love Ralph.


The next letter will be posted on June 18th.

Background Information (and comments):

• Ralph's older brother Cliff was married to Marie David on July 15, 1939.
• Apparently Ralph went on quite a trip in July 1939. Six postcards he sent home are posted separately.
• Here's a story on the world's fair that Ralph attended:

From the Robert Klein Collection. Photo taken by his father, Miklos Klein, after arriving from Hungry in 1939.

Covering 1,216 acres, in Flushing Meadows, New York, the 1939 New York World's Fair, like the legendary Phoenix rising from the ashes, was erected on what was an ash-dump. The theme, "Building the World of Tomorrow" echoed in virtually every corner of the Fair. This World's Fair was a look to the future and was planned to be "everyman's fair" where everyone would be able to see what could be attained for himself and his community.

The 1939 New York World's Fair opened on May 30, 1939 which was the 150th anniversary of the inauguration of George Washington in New York City, the nation's first capitol.

While some of the pavilions were still under construction and not yet open, that first day of the Fair was attended by 206,000 visitors.

Then President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave the opening speech while an estimated 1,000 visitors watched the opening on 200 televisions sets in various locations throughout the Fair.

This site is a tribute to the people, the history, and the vision of the 1939 New York World's Fair. I hope you like it and visit often. I'd appreciate knowing what you think, and any suggestions you may have on how to make it better.

June 15, 1944 - Postcards from 1939

These are the postcards my dad (whose middle name was William and must have been called Bill by his family in 1939) sent home on his trip to DC, NJ, PA, and to the World's Fair in NY.

 Dear Mom,
Arrived Washington at 7:30 P.M. You don't know what life is if you haven't been here. Having a swell time. Camped at Army Field near the airport. Bill

 Dear Mom,
Washington is a beautiful place. We have been going through building all morning and afternoon. This morning we saw them shooting a picture "Mr. Smith goes to Washington." James Stewart was here and I got his autograph. I drove the last 75 miles we came Monday and into Washington D.C. Will write later. Bill

Note: I wonder where that autograph went. What a surprise!

 Dear Mom,
Lefted Washington Wed. noon. Arrived in Atlantic City 8:00 P.M. Nice country but it is awful swampy. Can see the ocean from here. Going to New York Friday. Bill

Dear Mom,
Having a swell time. Was at the seashore all day. Leaving early Friday morning for New York. The days are hot and the nights they really cool off here. Are camped about 6 mile out of Atlantic City. Bill

 Dear Mom,
Arrived in Philadelphia Friday morning. Will be in New York to-night if nothing happens. I think we will be home sometime Wed. Tell Cliff to hold tight. Bill

Reminder: Cliff's wedding was planned for July 15th.

Dear Folks,
Arrived in New York 4:00 P.M. Friday. Sure is hard driving. Camped in a lady's back yard. Can see the fair grounds from here. Going to fair Sat & Sun. Will be home Wed. I am getting tired and thin. Bill

England June 11, 1944.

Dear Mother & all,
         I should start this letter
out by wishing you a happy
birthday. It is a little late for
your birthday, but I am not
to busy to forget when it is.
       I am still busy as usual
and I am keeping out of mischief
in fact they are keeping me out
of it by tireing me out.
      What have you  been doing today?
I suppose none of the kids were
home today as they will be
comeing home Friday night to the
big wedding. Gee I sure wish
it was me. But I guess I will
still have my time comeing.
      I sprung my left thumb

today so I am trying to do
my best at writing. It pains
me quite a bit, but there is
nothing very serious with it.
By morning it probably will be
cured.
     I am going to try and write
a letter the Morgan Ford yet
tonight. I don't know if I can
make it or not. If I don't
tonight maybe I will tomorrow
night.
     I am getting plenty tired already
tonight. So I think I will hit the
sack as soon as I am done
working tonight. I happen to have
a little spare time while waiting
for some repairs and thought
I would write a few lines. Is
my mail comeing through to you

ok now? I guess it is a little
slow in leaveing England now.
     Well this will be about all
the news for tonight. Hope you
are much better by this time.
                         Love Ralph.


The next letter will be posted on June 15th.

Background Information (and comments):

• As mentioned previously, Ralph's mother (Bessie Louise Chulip) was born on June 12, 1882.
• Morgan Ford was Ralph's first cousin. His mother, Susie, was a sister of Ralph's father, William Stephen Brown. I'm not sure when this photo was taken, but it is of Morgan and Ralph in their service uniforms.

• Morgan Ford is remembered by many for being the "owner/caretaker" of a century-old fruitcake which has been written about by Erma Bombeck and many newspapers, too. He appeared with Jay Leno on The Tonight Show when it was 125 years old. Here is a link to a video interview that is both informative and fun to watch.

https://vimeo.com/56201239

June 9, 1944

Dear Mother,
      Just a short note tonight to tell you I received
your letter of May 30. I am glad to hear your are
feeling better and hope by the time you get this
letter you will be much better. Just three
more days and you have a birthday. Sure
wish I could be home with you. But at present
it will have to go as it is. I hope to go to
London next week so I can have a little rest.
Our work is keeping us rather busy. I finally
received some mail. Yesterday I received seven
letters. I really don't have much to write about
so I think I will let you tell the others that
I am ok. I will try to drop the rest of them a
note when I can find time to write, but I present
sleep is what I am looking for. I suppose by
the time you receive this Glenn will be
married. Tell them I wish them all the happiness
in the world. Sure wish I could attend.
                                                     Love Ralph.


The next letter will be posted on June 11th.

Background Information (and comments):

• If you're wondering, as I am, what happened after D-Day (June 6th) and the day this was written (June 9th) here are some details from the website 
• http://www.dday-overlord.com

Wednesday, June 7, 1944

• The days that marked the Battle of Normandy

  For the time being, the landing of Normandy is a success even if all the initially planned objectives are not reached. To the west of the invasion beaches, the American sector is held by the 82nd and 101st Airborne divisions parachuted on the night of June 6th (these two divisions suffered a lot of casualties) and by the 4th Infantry Division having landed at Utah Beach at dawn (without encountering any major problems). The American parachute troops have a 15-kilometer bridgehead on the evening of June 7th. In Omaha Beach, the situation of the 1st and 29th American infantry divisions landed at dawn is more critical. Only a small part of the soil of France is under their control. The Commonwealth landings on the eastern flank (on Gold, Juno and Sword beaches) have encountered difficulties but it is generally a great success. The paratroopers of the 6th Airborne Division seized the bridges over the Orne and made their junction with the troops disembarked at Sword Beach.
  On the German side, the surprise is total. The storm which reigned the day before in the English Channel did not trouble the sentries on the coasts, nor the officers in their staffs. Allied air superiority prevents any movement and for the time being no Panzer division was fully engaged to push back the attackers to the sea. Hitler was not informed of the allied invasion until nine o’clock on the morning of June 6 : having gone to bed late, he fell asleep with sleeping pills and gave as instructions that no one wakes him up. Meanwhile, Rommel is in Germany and celebrates the anniversary of his wife. The same day, he rode towards Normandy to take matters into his own hands.
  The Germans launched their first counter-offensive towards Port-en-Bessin north of Bayeux, where US and British troops tried to join their bridgeheads. The 716th German Infantry Division and the 21st Panzer Division are designated to counter-attack.
  Allied fighter aircraft flying over Normandy saw German armored movements and destroyed a large number of tanks and vehicles. They abandon the counter-attack and decide to move at night. The paratroopers of the 6th Airborne Division, located to the east of the landing beaches in the vicinity of the village of Ranville, cling to them and defend their positions with the newly disembarked anti-tank guns. Reinforced by the British 3rd Division, they rejected the advanced elements of the 21st Panzer Division, which retreated to the defensive line of Caen. In order to seize the latter, General Montgomery ordered the launch of operation Perch, which begins the same day.
  Meanwhile, hundreds of American and British gliders landed in Normandy, often behind the lines of German forces, forcing the latter to retreat.

• Thursday, June 8, 1944

  The days that marked the Battle of Normandy

  The two bridgeheads of Omaha Beach and Gold Beach are gathered on June 8 in Port-en-Bessin. To the south, the commune of Bayeux is liberated that same day by the British troops.
  US forces, reinforced by new divisions (such as the 2nd Infantry Division), are on the offensive. The 1st and 29th infantry divisions, which have had very heavy losses since the landing on Omaha Beach, are continuing to advance.The 29th Infantry, on its way to Isigny-sur-Mer, which was to be under control on June 6th, makes its junction en route with the 90 survivors of the Rangers battalions at Pointe du Hoc, isolated on a thin strip of Land for three days since D-Day.It seizes the village of Grandcamp, thanks in particular to the courage of Sergeant Frank Peregory who won for her heroic action the Medal of Honor. Indeed, he forced to surrender several dozen German soldiers and captured a machine-gun all by himself. In Maisy, the battery is still in the hands of its defenders while advanced elements of the 29th division reach the south of the village.
  The 4th American infantry division, disembarked at Utah Beach on June 6, attacked the city of Montebourg, as part of the offensive for the capture of Cherbourg in the north of Cotentin Peninsula.
  The junction between troops disembarked at Utah and Omaha is still not realized. In the hours that followed, it is one of the proratory objectives for the American land forces.
  On the British front, the 346th German infantry division counter-attacks in the vicinity of Bréville. The fighting is extremely violent and is similar to those of the First World War, with opponents burying themselves in trenches.
  The achievements of the allied military engineers begin: the first elements of the two artificial ports of Saint-Laurent and Arromanches are being installed as of June 8 (these were old ships that were sunk to serve as breakwaters) and an aviation runway is built on the plateau of Omaha Beach to the east of Colleville-sur-Mer. The planes taking off from this runway evacuate the wounded as a matter of priority to hospitals in England.
  Allied aviation remains master of the sky and attacks the German elements without interruption, while for its part, the artillery embarked on the warships bombards relentlessly the opposing positions.

• Friday, June 9, 1944

  The days that marked the Battle of Normandy

  Allied forces continue to land a considerable number of men and equipment in Normandy. Facing them, in the British area of ​​responsibility, the Germans position three divisions northwest of Caen: the 21st Panzer Division, the 12th Panzer Division and the Panzer-Lehr. These divisions are in contact with the British soldiers of the 2nd Army who are supported on the ground by anti-tank guns and in the sky by a particularly effective allied aviation which worries the German generals.
  Luftwaffe counter-attacks are rare and doomed to failure in Normandy: on June 9, German Bf 109 fighter-bombers are reported near the village of Lion-sur-Mer. Immediately, American P-51 Mustang aircraft repulsed them.
  The American troops of the 7th Corps continue to attack the village of Montebourg in the Cotentin, fiercely defended by the German soldiers. The losses are significant. Other units seized the locality of Azeville and silenced the German battery that fired on the area of ​​Utah Beach since D-Day. The 1st American infantry division, disembarked on June 6 in Omaha Beach, launched an offensive west of Bayeux: the villages of Tour-en-Bessin, Etreham and Blay were freed. The 29th American infantry division is on its way to Carentan and seizes, after a long day of fighting, the city of Isigny-sur-Mer. South-west of Isigny, the command post of the 2nd American infantry division settles in the village of Formigny. Its forces advance in the south towards the localities of Trévières and Rubercy which are reached in the evening.
  
  
  Three companies of the 5th Battalion of Rangers, reinforced by fourteen Rangers and two half tracks belonging to the 2nd Battalion, attacked in the morning the complex of the German Maisy battery (composed of the Wn 83 and Wn 84 strongpoints) by the south, east and the north. After five long hours of furious fighting (sometimes hand-to-hand combat) during which several Americans are killed, Rangers blow up the field hospital where German defenders have taken refuge. The battery falls into the hands of the Americans in the late morning.

7 Jun 1944

Dear Mother & all,
        Just a short V mail letter to you this
week. I was away Sunday so I didn't get
a chance to write to you. I hope you are
feeling much better by now. I haven't much
to write about tonight. I hope you like the
news on the radio now.
     How is everything comeing into shape for the
wedding? I sure wish I could be there for it.
I haven't received very many letters lately. I
guess the mail is a little slow in comeing
through. Haven't heard from Irene for over a
week now. I sure hope I hear from her
soon. It worries me when I don't receive any
letters from her. Goodnight for now. Tell Glenn
and Audrey I wish them the best of wishes.
                                                    Love Ralph.


The next letter will be posted on June 9th.

Background Information (and comments):

• I'm pretty sure his statement "I hope you like the news on the radio now" refers to the D-Day Invasion. Here's a link, information, and photo about it. Remember that Ralph's work is airplane repair (specifically the propellers).
• http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/d-day

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This Day in History: 06/6/1944 - D-Day

Lead Story

1944

D-Day

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Although the term D-Day is used routinely as military lingo for the day an operation or event will take place, for many it is also synonymous with June 6, 1944, the day the Allied powers crossed the English Channel and landed on the beaches of Normandy, France, beginning the liberation of Western Europe from Nazi control during World War II. Within three months, the northern part of France would be freed and the invasion force would be preparing to enter Germany, where they would meet up with Soviet forces moving in from the east.

With Hitler’s armies in control of most of mainland Europe, the Allies knew that a successful invasion of the continent was central to winning the war. Hitler knew this too, and was expecting an assault on northwestern Europe in the spring of 1944. He hoped to repel the Allies from the coast with a strong counterattack that would delay future invasion attempts, giving him time to throw the majority of his forces into defeating the Soviet Union in the east. Once that was accomplished, he believed an all-out victory would soon be his.

On the morning of June 5, 1944, U.S. General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the supreme commander of Allied forces in Europe gave the go-ahead for Operation Overlord, the largest amphibious military operation in history. On his orders, 6,000 landing craft, ships and other vessels carrying 176,000 troops began to leave England for the trip to France. That night, 822 aircraft filled with parachutists headed for drop zones in Normandy. An additional 13,000 aircraft were mobilized to provide air cover and support for the invasion.

By dawn on June 6, 18,000 parachutists were already on the ground; the land invasions began at 6:30 a.m. The British and Canadians overcame light opposition to capture Gold, Juno and Sword beaches; so did the Americans at Utah. The task was much tougher at Omaha beach, however, where 2,000 troops were lost and it was only through the tenacity and quick-wittedness of troops on the ground that the objective was achieved. By day’s end, 155,000 Allied troops–Americans, British and Canadians–had successfully stormed Normandy’s beaches.

For their part, the Germans suffered from confusion in the ranks and the absence of celebrated commander Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, who was away on leave. At first, Hitler, believing that the invasion was a feint designed to distract the Germans from a coming attack north of the Seine River, refused to release nearby divisions to join the counterattack and reinforcements had to be called from further afield, causing delays. He also hesitated in calling for armored divisions to help in the defense. In addition, the Germans were hampered by effective Allied air support, which took out many key bridges and forced the Germans to take long detours, as well as efficient Allied naval support, which helped protect advancing Allied troops.

Though it did not go off exactly as planned, as later claimed by British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery–for example, the Allies were able to land only fractions of the supplies and vehicles they had intended in France–D-Day was a decided success. By the end of June, the Allies had 850,000 men and 150,000 vehicles in Normandy and were poised to continue their march across Europe.

The heroism and bravery displayed by troops from the Allied countries on D-Day has served as inspiration for several films, most famously The Longest Day (1962) and Saving Private Ryan (1998). It was also depicted in the HBO mini-series Band of Brothers (2001).