D-DAY: Normandy Landings. Three Coins of World War II. (letterbox folder)

On June 6, 1944, Allied forces under the command of General Dwight D. Eisenhower invaded Normandy. That January, Eisenhower assumed command of the operation, codenamed Neptune. Ike picked the date of the invasion—June 5—and oversaw the massive disinformation campaign designed to trick Hitler into thinking the landing would be at Calais, 400 kilometers to the north. Inclement weather delayed the invasion by 24 hours, and helped lull the Nazis into a false sense of security, as the skies were cloudier at Calais than at Normandy. Not only that, but many of the top German brass were on leave that day, including general Erwin Rommel. First, three divisions of paratroopers were dropped inland, to protect the flanks. Before dawn, hundreds of amphibious ships crossed the English Channel. Then, at sunrise, six full divisions—three American, two British, and one Canadian—stormed the shore at five points along the shore, code-named Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword. By the end of the day, the beachhead was secure. The Nazis were completely surprised by the attack. By the time Rommel arrived at the battlefield, the battle—and, arguably, the war—was lost. With a toehold at Normandy, the Allies poured men and matériel into France. By August, Paris was liberated from Nazi clutches. Within a year, Hitler was dead, and the war in Europe would be over. This set contains three coins from the Second World War: a U.S. one cent, dated 1944; a Canadian ”V“ nickel, also dated 1944; and an aluminum 2 franc issed in Vichy France.

Mid-Sized Albums, New, Packaged, WWII, WWII Packaged Items

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