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10 Infographics that Explain the Normandy Invasion During World War II

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Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
The Normandy Invasion was launched on June 6, 1944, with the landing of U.S., British, and Canadian forces on five beaches on the northern coast of France. Even though D-Day is a generic military term for any day on which an operation is to occur, the Normandy Invasion was such an important and decisive event during World War II that it has come to be known as, simply, D-Day. The 10 infographics in this list will help you better understand what happened during the Normandy Invasion and how this operation, which liberated northern France by August, led to the end of the Nazi Reich and World War II.

(Read Sir John Keegan’s Britannica entry on the Normandy Invasion.)

  • Facts and statistics about the Normandy Invasion

    Normandy Invasion: Overview infographic. D-Day. World War II.
    Explore facts and statistics about the Normandy Invasion of June 6, 1944
    Infographic with facts and figures about the Normandy Invasion of June 6, 1944.
    Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc./Kenny Chmielewski

    Discover how many troops were involved in the Normandy Invasion, and use the timeline to understand how long it took the Allies to complete their attack.

  • Map of Allied invasion routes and German defenses on June 6, 1944

    Normandy Invasion: Overview. Historical map. Includes locator.
    Learn about the Allies' invasion routes and the German defenses in northern France during the Normandy Invasion
    Overview map of the Normandy Invasion of June 6, 1944, during World War II.
    Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

    Use this map to learn about the invasion routes of the Allies during the Normandy Invasion.

  • The Allies’ initial assault and final positions at Omaha Beach during the Normandy Invasion

    Normandy Invasion: Omaha Beach. World War II. D-Day. Infographic.
    Explore the facts and figures about the landings on Omaha Beach during the Normandy Invasion on June 6, 1944
    Infographic showing facts and figures about the landings on Omaha Beach on June 6, 1944.
    Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc./Kenny Chmielewski

    Explore these maps to discover how the American landings on Omaha Beach happened on June 6, 1944.

  • The obstacles at Omaha Beach during the Normandy Invasion

    Beach obstacles and generalized Omaha profile. Normandy invasion, World War II, WWII, D-Day
    cross section of Omaha Beach during the Normandy Invasion
    Infographic showing a cross section of Omaha Beach, with approximate distances and examples of landing obstacles Allied forces encountered during the Normandy Invasion on June 6, 1944.
    Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

    These diagrams show the obstacles found on a typical section of Omaha Beach on June 6, 1944.

  • The Allies’ initial assault and final positions at Utah Beach during the Normandy Invasion

    Normandy Invasion: Utah Beach. World War II. D-Day. Infographic.
    Explore the facts and figures about the landings on Utah Beach during the Normandy Invasion on June 6, 1944
    Infographic showing facts and figures about the landings on Utah Beach on June 6, 1944.
    Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc./Kenny Chmielewski

    Discover how many troops were involved in the American landings on Utah Beach on June 6, 1944, and use these maps to see how they made their way inland.

  • The Allies’ initial assault and final positions at Gold, Juno, and Sword beaches during the Normandy Invasion

    Normandy Invasion: Gold, Juno, and Sword beaches. World War II. D-Day. Infographic.
    Explore the facts and figures about the landings on Gold, Juno, and Sword beaches during the Normandy Invasion on June 6, 1944
    Infographic showing facts and figures about the landings on Gold, Juno, and Sword beaches on June 6, 1944.
    Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc./Kenny Chmielewski

    Find out more from these maps about how the Canadian and British landings on Gold, Juno, and Sword beaches proceeded on June 6, 1944.

  • American landing craft compared

    Landing craft (American) of World War II. Normandy invasion, WWII, D-Day, infographic
    American landing craft of World War II
    Infographic comparing the landing craft used by American forces during World War II, ranging from the LST to the DUKW.
    Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc./Patrick O'Neill Riley

    Use this diagram to compare the different types of American landing craft used during World War II.

  • Anglo-American chain of command during the Normandy Invasion

    Anglo-American chain of command, June 6, 1944. Normandy invasion, World War II, WWII, D-Day
    Anglo-American chain of command for the Normandy Invasion
    Infographic showing the Anglo-American chain of command during the Normandy Invasion on June 6, 1944.
    Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

    This diagram explains the hierarchy of the Anglo-American chain of command that was in place on June 6, 1944.

  • German chain of command during the Normandy Invasion

    German chain of command, western Europe, June 6, 1944. Normandy invasion, World War II, WWII, D-Day
    German chain of command in western Europe on June 6, 1944
    Infographic showing the German chain of command in western Europe during the Normandy Invasion on June 6, 1944.
    Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

    This diagram explains the hierarchy of the German chain of command in western Europe that was in place on June 6, 1944.

  • Number of casualties during the Normandy Invasion

    Estimated battle casualties, Normandy invasion, World War II. WWII, D-Day
    Normandy Invasion casualties
    The exact number of casualties suffered in the invasion of Normandy will never be known. The casualty figures shown in the bar graph were selected from official histories or provided by advisers as estimates on which general agreement could be expected. They are presented here mainly for purposes of comparison and to give a sense of the scale of the human losses.
    Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

    There were an estimated 550,200 battle casualties during the Normandy Invasion in 1944. Use this chart to compare the losses suffered by German and Allied forces.