On June 6, 1944, one of the greatest military operations in the history of humanity began. On one side was the Third Reich, a Nazi-controlled Germany seeking expansion and world domination. On the other side was an alliance of powerful free nations and armies from occupied countries seeking to be liberated from Nazi control. Between them was the English Channel, a body of water ranging from 150 miles wide to almost 20 miles wide depending on where you are at. Armies had crossed it before many times, including William the Conqueror during his bid for the throne of England, and the kings of England did so many times during the Hundred Years' War for their claim to the throne of France. Napoleon had considered trying to cross the Channel to invade England, and Hitler had planned to do this as well but instead chose to invade the Soviet Union-a decision that would come back to haunt him.
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