The Battle of Normandy was fought in 1944 between German forces and the invading Allied forces as part of the larger conflict of World War II. Operation Overlord was the codename for the Allied invasion of northwest Europe, which began on June 6th, 1944, and ended on August 19th, 1944, when the Allies crossed the River Seine. Over sixty years later, the Normandy invasion still remains the largest seaborne invasion in history, having involved almost three million troops crossing the English Channel from England to Normandy. Operation Neptune was the codename given to the initial assault phase of Operation Overlord; its mission, to gain a foothold on the continent, started on June 6th, 1944 (commonly known as D-Day) and ended on June 30th, 1944.

Allied land forces that saw combat in Normandy on D-Day itself came from Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. Substantial Free French and Polish forces also participated in the battle after the assault phase, and there were also contingents from Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Greece, the Netherlands, and Norway. Other Allied nations participated in the naval and air forces.

The Normandy invasion began with overnight parachute and glider landings, massive air attacks, naval bombardments, and an early morning amphibious phase began on June 6. The "D-Day" forces deployed from bases along the south coast of England, the most important of these being Portsmouth. The battle for Normandy continued for more than two months, with campaigns to establish, expand, and eventually break out of the Allied beachheads, and concluded with the close of the Falaise pocket and the subsequent liberation of Paris in late August 1944.

The Battle of Normandy was described thus by Adolf Hitler: "In the East, the vastness of space will… permit a loss of territory… without suffering a mortal blow to Germany’s chance for survival. Not so in the West! If the enemy here succeeds… consequences of staggering proportions will follow within a short time."

Pictured here are five different soldiers from the US 101st Airborne Division who saw action at Normandy in 1944. Sold Out!

Set includes:
- 2nd Lieutenant Johnson
- Staff Sergeant Rizzo
- Sergeant Valero
- Private First Class Cooper
- Private First Class Reynolds