Beaches of Normandy, D-Day June 6, 1944

73 years ago, Allied soldiers primarily from USA, Britain and Canada landed at the beaches of Normandy to establish a Second Front (after Italy) to free France and the rest of Europe from the scourge of Nazi Germany. Led by General Eisenhower, the D-Day invasion took a harsh toll especially on those who landed first at dawn in stormy weather right below the German guns and artillery. But the sacrifice led to a hard-fought victory in Normandy in 100 days, and eventually Germany's surrender to the Western allies and Soviets a week after Hitler's suicide the next year. Despite the placid beach scenes today, one can easily imagine the heroics and the mayhem that fateful Spring.