June 6, 2024, marks the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings, the Allied attack in World War II that began the liberation of Nazi-occupied Europe.
D-Day saw over 150,000 Allied troops landing on the beaches of Normandy, France. The invasion, which remains the largest amphibious assault in history, involved forces from the United States and the United Kingdom, as well as many other Allied nations.
The operation was a critical turning point in World War II, leading to the successful gaining of a foothold in mainland Europe and the eventual defeat of Nazi Germany.
The anniversary will be recognized by leaders across the world, with several representatives from Allied countries convening at the Normandy American Cemetery, which holds the graves of nearly 9,400 U.S. soldiers and commemorates nearly 1,600 names on the Walls of the Missing. D-Day is also used to celebrate surviving soldiers who fought in the battle, with hundreds of veterans often in attendance.
The ceremony will be attended by President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and Britain’s Prince William.
There will be a fireworks display on Normandy Beach and Biden will also be travelling to Cherbourg on June 7 to attend another ceremony commemorating the event.
How much do you know about the momentous events of that day? Try our quiz below.
If you can’t see the interactive quiz, the questions are listed below, and the answers are at the bottom of the article.
| 1. What was the codename for the Allied invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944? | a) Operation Neptune b) Operation Overlord c) Operation Thunderbolt d) Operation Dynamo |
| 2. Which of these countries did NOT participate in the D-Day invasion? | a) France b) Poland c) Canada d) Italy |
| 3. What were the two Normandy beaches code-named where American troops landed? | a) Omaha and Utah b) Juno and Sword c) Gold and Omaha d) Utah and Pointe du Hoc |
| 4. Who was the Supreme Allied Commander of the D-Day invasion? | a) George Patton b) Dwight D. Eisenhower c) Bernard Montgomery d) Omar Bradley |
| 5. What unusual animal was sent into Normandy by the British military? | a) Cats b) Cattle c) Pigeons d) Horses |
| 6. What unusual tactic did the Allies employ as part of Operation Fortitude to convince the Germans that the invasion would target elsewhere besides Normandy? | a) They dropped a fake invasion map over Berlin b) They sent a captured German submarine filled with double agents into Calais c) They created a fake army in England, including inflatable tanks d) They gave fake preparation letters to the French Resistance |
| 7. What was the name of the artificial temporary harbors used to land troops and supplies after the invasion? | a) Pluto Harbors b) Dieppe Harbors c) Calais Harbors d) Mulberry Harbors |
| 8. What weapon did American forces use at Omaha Beach to clear paths through the dense beach obstacles for the infantry? | a) Sticky bombs b) Bangalore torpedoes c) Robot tanks d) Molotov cocktails |
Answers: 1B, 2D, 3A, 4B, 5C, 6C, 7D, 8B
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