Normandy Invasion, D-Day In December 1943, the Allied Chiefs of Staff chose American General Dwight D. Eisenhower as supreme Allied commander in Europe. British General Sir Frederick Morgan developed a number of plans for the Allies, the most extraordinary being Operation Overlord, a full-scale invasion of France across the English Channel. It was the code name for the most secret command of the war. The invasion force was to cross the English Channel, land in France and enter Germany. The invasion was planned for the spring of 1944. British and American troops, already assembled in England for the invasion, numbered more than 50 divisions (over 150,000 troops), with thousands of bombers, fighter planes and of ships. The Allies decided that the beaches of Cotentin would be the landing sites for Operation Overlord. The day of the invasion, called D-Day by the military, was set for June 5. On the 4th, a storm swept across the Channel and Eisenhower had to postpone the invasion. In the early hours of June 5, he met with his officers. The heavy rains and winds brought by the storm were expected to cease by the afternoon and the weather on June 6 was expected to be acceptable for the amphibious assault. Nearly 175,000 soldiers were awaiting their orders. Either they would go out that night, or they would stay and wait until June 19, the earliest date when the tides would again be suitable for a landing. After waiting a few moments, Eisenhower stopped, raised his chin and said, “OK, let’s go!” » The first stage of the invasion began a day late, on June 6 around 12:15 a.m. The D-Day invasion began with a dangerous attack by American paratroopers. Dropped behind enemy lines to weaken German troops and secure targets, the paratroopers knew that if the maritime assault failed, there would be no rescue. Starting from Portland Bill on the English coast, the American 101st and 82nd airborne divisions were dropped on the Cherbourg peninsula. From this point, the 101st was to secure the western end behind UTAH and prevent a German advance from the East. The 82nd, landing further inland, was to seize the bridges and stop the advance from the west. Thick fog and German guns posed many challenges. The pilots were unable to drop the paratroopers accurately as planned. The 101st Division suffered greatly