06/06/2025
The Battle of Normandy, or Operation Overlord, began on this day in 1944.
Allied forces in World War II carried out the largest amphibious assault in history under the codename Operation Neptune, or D-Day. These successful but bloody landings on the French coast and the subsequent push through France eventually secured the liberation of German-occupied northwestern Europe and laid the foundations of the Allied victory on the Western Front.
The Second Ranger Battalion, led by James Earl Rudder of Eden, Texas, stormed the beach at Pointe du Hoc. Later in life, Rudder became president of Texas A&M. In 1967, President Lyndon B. Johnson awarded Rudder with the Distinguished Service Medal.
Explore more of WWII in Texas: https://texastimetravel.com/mobile-tours/mobile-tours-by-topic/world-war-ii-on-the-texas-homefront/explore-world-war-ii-heritage-sites/
📸: Mileage sign at La Havre, Normandy, France in 1945, courtesy 12th Armored Division Memorial Museum
