Seventy five years on, D-Day remains one of the most important military operations of all time.
The invasion of France by the Allied forces was a major part of the effort to end the Second World War in Europe.
Taking place on June 6, 1944, the invasion was codenamed Operation Neptune but is often referred to as D-Day.
It was the largest seaborne invasion in history yet it was kept secret from the Germans.
A disinformation campaign had led the Germans to believe that the main plan for the Allies to invade the continent, via a two-pronged attack involving Norway and Calais.
Even once the D-day landings had begun, German commanders were convinced they were just a diversionary tactic before the real invasion.
Although we know it as D-Day this was not the term for this specification operation. In fact, the 'D' means nothing at all. Some people assume it stood for 'Disembarkment' or Deliverance' but the 'D' simply stood for 'Day'.
It was common practice in the military to make plans that used the term, where the D stands for the day when operations commenced. Relative dates like D-1 for the day before a campaign and D+1 for the day after it started were also used.
Other codes were also used:
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H-Hour - The hour of the invasion.
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Bolero - The build-up to D-Day in Britain.
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Operation Overlord - The overall invasion plan.
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Operation Neptune - The seaborne invasion.
